The tested genuineness of your faith (1Peter 1:6-9)
Dianne recognized the implications of the gospel. She said she was trusting in Jesus as her savior. Unfortunately, her response revealed that her acknowledgment of the gospel was only an intellectual consent to the facts mentioned in the bible. She did not respond to her trials with a heartfelt conviction that God’s ways are the best ways. She chose to hold on to her pain and grow bitter rather than forgive, love, and confidently expect the fulfillment of the wonderful promises of God. She had not gained victory over sin! Instead, she was in the gall of bitterness and, ironically, enslaved to the same filth that she hated so much. It was clear that her faith lacked genuineness. Her decision to disobey God brought him no honor or glory. I find that everyone is guilty of the same faithlessness when they rebel against God. True believers rejoice in loving and depending on Jesus Christ because God has given us the precious gift of salvation through him. Where does a person gain this confidence and joy?
People often lose the correct perspective of their immediate circumstances. It is often necessary to focus on immediate circumstances to live from day to day. However, it is never appropriate to view each circumstance through any other lens than the eternal Word of God. The Holy Bible is the only source that directly reveals God’s opinions, purposes, and desires regarding every aspect of human life. The Bible is unique to any other book men regard as holy. It is a pure and divine expression of love. The men who were used to record the words God breathed out were truly interested in understanding God’s message. They had experienced a special communion with God for a specific point in time as they wrote all that God desired them to record. They understood much of what was written, though some did not have every detail God would eventually reveal through generations that were to come. These men knew they were part of something greater than themselves. They trusted that God would use them to serve generations that would follow. Their commitment, dedication, and sacrifice, often of their lives, proved to be a confirmation of the work God did in their hearts, convincing them of the greatness of his power to accomplish all that he had promised. It is through these men that the truth of the gospel would be clearly revealed and communicated to us today who have access to the entire revelation of God’s mercy in the Holy Scriptures. Even their preservation and transmission throughout human history has been at the expense of human lives. These souls give testimony to the enduring greatness of the liberation the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ brings to the human heart. Such freedom is not forged in the crucible of bondage. Such freedom is born in a place unlike any here have ever fully experienced. Such freedom is born in heaven the haven of eternal grace and peace.
Please believe that Jesus Christ has done everything necessary for you to be reconciled to God. We need to be reconciled because we have offended God through our unbelief and disobedience. He has sent Christ to make it possible for all men to believe in him and be saved from the judgment and wrath that will come. Live the eternal life that is promised today by devoting yourself to following Jesus Christ. I pray that you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus who gave himself for all who believe in him.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully (1Peter 1:10-12)
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