Trial by Fire - That's a good thing!

Peter in his letter to the church's in the northern part of Asia Minor wrote a message that might have seemed weird to a church that was under constant persecution for their faith.  Peter writes to encourage them and this is what we read from 1 Peter 1: 6 - 7

"These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold,

which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved

genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when

Jesus Christ is revealed."

1 Peter 1: 6 - 7 NIV

I was talking with a good friend the other day and we were discussing that we both felt like we were in a transition point in our lives.  (What makes this story more amazing is the friend I am referring to is close to 60.)  So, it was comforting for me to connect with a kindred spirit that was going through the same thing that I was going through.  The results from our conversation ring around in my mind and written out go something like this:

Your life is a story and the chapters are still being written.  In fact, you will come to points in your life when one chapter will have to end and the next will have to begin.  (You ever seen a chapter book with no chapters?)  Through that transition from one chapter to the next, you are presented with an opportunity to rekindle the fire that comes only through Jesus Christ into your life and then surrender the transition and the next chapter being written in your life to His (God's) will.  Furthermore, there is a realization that you will not be holding the pen to write the story.  While it is your story, God is the author and we are called to surrender everything to Him.  I write that again: SURRENDER EVERYTHING TO HIM!

This comes back to 1 Peter 1: 6-7 when we realize that a trial by fire is not something that anyone wants for their life.  Change can feel like a trial by fire, but what was it that Peter told the people in Asia Minor: "faith...refined by fire-may be proved genuine."

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.....

When Jesus Christ is revealed we want our faith to have stood the trial by fire and what comes wrapped in change is the surrendering of your life to God's will.  All of that may not be easy for some of us: let's state that off the top.  The thought of a trial by fire doesn't sound like something we would want to go through; however a trial by fire is a good thing.  Why?  Well, our faith, refined by fire will be "proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  In the end, if it all ends with Jesus Christ, then it will all work out for His will, praise, glory and honor and that should be what my life as a Christian desires.  I don't know about you, but a trail by fire that results in being closer to Jesus Christ is a great thing.