Now I wanted to share with you three different responses we ought to have when we experience hardships The first is found in 1 Peter 1: 6 - 8. The Bible says "so be truly glad there is wonderful joy ahead even though the going is rough for a while down here on earth". He is telling us, while things are going difficult for us on earth be truly glad Why? because there is wonderful joy ahead So that is the 1st response. Be truly glad! Yes but Jacques I'm going through a hard time I know. Be truly glad not for the hard time but be truly glad because of the wonderful joy we expecting to receive in the future
The 2nd and the 3rd responses we find in Romans chapter 5:3 "Not only so (talking about hard times) we also rejoice in our sufferings" Yeah, Paul says we rejoice in it not for it but in it. Why? because we know what suffering produces in us. We know that suffering produces good within us. As a matter of fact in 1 Peter 1:7 it says "these trials only test our faith" In other words, if you are going through a trial in life; If you're going through a hardship in life Know this that your hardship, your trial, your difficult times are testing your faith. To see now that your life is no longer peachy. Now that it's no longer easy and comfortable How are you going to respond to God? Are you gonna drift from Him? Are you going to walk away from God? Are you going to get angry at God or are you going to praise Him? You are going to worship Him and you going to thank Him For how good He is even though this life might be hard. It says it right there. It says, "it is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it. So your faith is being tested by the trials you go through just like fire purifies gold" So hardships purifies your faith in God It says, "And your faith is far more precious to God than your gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials". In other words, if you have gone through the fiery trial and it has purified your faith It says this, "it will bring much praise and glory and honor to you on the day of Christ's return". So in other words, if you make it after this fiery trial and you stand worshiping God Praising Him and still thinking for how good He is, no matter how hard life is then when Christ returns you will receive much praise, much glory and much honor from Christ himself.
So the 1st response is that we need to be truly glad. The 2nd response is that we ought to rejoice not for hardships but in hardships. And thirdly it says we know that hardships produces perseverance. There is our third response, we have to persevere.
Never quit, never give up. Stay strong, keep walking No matter how hard life becomes. Keep praising no matter how difficult things are Remain thankful, no matter the trial you go through even if it may be from God. You stay thankful because He is good. So we persevere and it says, "now these hardships produces perseverance perseverance produces character and character produces hope". Hope for a great future. Paul was talking to the church that was being persecuted.
This church was experiencing a lot of hardships and trials And Paul says to them this "now you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you". You can do it. You can keep walking no matter the fiery trial. You can keep praising. You can keep giving thanks. You can keep worshiping you can keep serving God.
No matter the pressure that you are experiencing And the same thing is true for you and I.
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