In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
–1 Peter 1:6-7
Our trials are not random. And they are not bad luck or just blind fate. Trials serve a very real purpose in our lives. You see, your trials and mine prove that our faith is genuine!
Permitted by God, trials are part of his master plan for the refinement of our faith. And, like Peter says in today’s passage, the process is very similar to gold’s refining process.
Let me tell you how gold is refined. First, the gold ore is heated to extraordinary temperatures. And when it reaches the right temperature, it becomes liquid. That’s when the goldsmith is able to remove the gold’s imperfections and impurities.
And so God allows us to be put into the furnace to burn off the greed, the anger, the arrogance, the lust, the prejudice, or whatever impurity may be present in our lives. And in the end, a refined faith is the treasure of our trials.
Through the refining process, you and I discover just how real our faith is, and so do those around us.
Think about it. During any other time in our lives, you and I can talk all day long about what we say we believe. But when the trials come and the heat is on, that’s when you and I have the opportunity to demonstrate what our faith is all about.
You and I both have friends who may not know the Lord at all, but they know us. And they know we claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. These friends want to know if our faith is real! They want to know if Jesus Christ has really changed our lives.
Let me encourage you, when your trials come don’t complain and look for a way out. God is at work to refine your faith. So ask him to strengthen and comfort you, and to fill your heart with hope so that others may see that your faith is real!
WHAT ARE YOUR TRIALS DEMONSTRATING ABOUT YOUR FAITH?
