You may be experiencing severe physical, emotional and spiritual trials without recognizing your most powerful relation at your side. I want to introduce you to a Bible passage that highlights some benefits of believing in the eternal God based on His revealed truths.
The leader of Jesus’ disciples, the Apostle Peter wrote:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 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. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:3-9
This passage recognizes a few facts about life, there will be trials and the hope of born-again Christians is a hope that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” It is an inheritance that once you have obtained it, you will not lose. We obtain it, not that we are “good enough” to obtain it, but that Christ is trustworthy enough to keep from losing us.
Imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, these are all qualities of God’s grace that allows a believer with “genuine faith” to take the greatest comfort in the “salvation that is waiting to be revealed in the “last time” or the last days, which means after death or upon the Day of Judgment, often referred to as “that day” in the Bible.
Once a believer understands that they have an eternal life, a faith that is “more precious than gold” you have a security you’ve never experienced in this life. You come head-to-head with the reality of your eternal reward is not only secure but life after death going to be better than anything you can ever achieve in this life. We have a saying among born-again believers, “this life is the worst it will ever be”. Then, paradoxically to worldly thinking, and no matter your circumstances, you will live life most freely in genuine repentance and faith in God’s blessings.
When you live here and now for Christ, not only do you experience the eternal rewards of God, death becomes a joyous eventuality. Christian’s refer to death as “sleep”. The other side will lead you through that narrow gate to home in God’s glory and to Christ’s love. The heavenly life includes a place Christ has prepared (John 14:12) in a resurrected body that will exceed your imagination in goodness, physical ability, and incorruptibility for “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” – Philippians 3:21
Regardless if you choose to live with or apart from the living God, each person has a resurrected body built for heaven (with God) or hell (without God). My heart felt recommendation is that if you enjoy anything of true eternal value and of common grace (those earthly benefits shared by believers and non-believers) in this life, one must choose life through Jesus Christ because He has revealed clearly the nature and good (morally perfect) and just character of God.
In regards to earthly trials versus the certainties of a saving faith, it can be summed up by a saying by Job, a man who suffered life shattering trials. He said this,
“Though he slay me, I will hope in him…” – Job 13:15
This is maybe an extreme case but it is the truth that every one can at least conceptualize. Trials may arrive like a tsunami. Many of us are fortunate to live lives of much blessings and in relative peace and comfort. There are many who do not live in comfort around the world, but their peace, if through Christ, can and will run much deeper and with greater understanding of God’s peace in all circumstances.
Objective evil exists. By accident of nature or design by human minds, tragedy can strike any of us at any time. Adversities can develop slowly, or it can happen quickly. We live in a “fallen” world where sickness and disease are real and where there is no such thing as assured fairness though people seek to do right things.
We live in a delicate balance. Despite our desire to maintain an edge to seek sustained peace and comfort, our balance is precarious one, like the stock market, for example, it is loaded with risk at all times whether we believe it or not.
Delicate balances are highlights by the realities of a human immune system, most of us are blessed with many years of a functioning, incredible complex system that if one aspect of a multifaceted system begins to break down, we can die in short order.
The earth traveling through space is yet another example of amazing balances. A small deviation of any of the physical laws we take for granted would spell disaster in epic proportions. We live in this precarious balance and yet we can experience peace amidst all these complexities and oft hidden chaos.
Objective good and truth exists. Human beings have such a propensity to judge, it’s an evidence that deep in our souls we understand there is moral objectivity, at least in certain obvious crimes. The problem is we have a natural bent towards selfishness and pride and cannot see the log in our own eyes that prevent us from embracing God’s message of grace.
Our hearts become tender and confront-able with the righteousness, holiness, and judgment of God, when we are unblinded long enough. It’s during those times when are apt to finally recognize His wondrous grace, love and mercy.
God exists and is revealed in Holy Scripture. He is a person, He is the Creator, and therefore a personal God who can relate to human suffering, who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). He was made known most clearly through the evidence of His sinless life, how he suffered for our sake, by being pierced for our transgressions [and] crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). He died on the cross but defeated through His bodily resurrection. The Lord Jesus Christ was fully man and yet fully God.
He seeks to sustain you through any adversity.
Being prepared for the eventuality of any suffering by securing your relationship with God, is it right for you? Do you long to receive truth that results in a hope that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading”?
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 6:23
Sin is the number one cause of death and why it necessitates a Savior is subject for many other articles (many of which are in this blog and elsewhere), however, the best “free” gift is waiting for you to receive, bought and paid for by Jesus Christ and His willingness to take that bullet, to fall on the grenade, and to take on the death penalty that is meant for you.
Do you have genuine sorrow for your sins and are willing to make a decision to have faith in Christ? Do you believe that He died for your sins so that you may live with the wondrous beauty of eternal life?
You have to decide, you have to choose, to turn your life over to the Righteous Victor over death, the Lord Jesus Christ.
For a detailed explanation of who Jesus Christ is from the Bible’s perspective go to the video in this website , “Who is Jesus Christ?”
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
CKY
typos and all, I do not use AI. I can only write so much every week and I have to limit myself.
The Apostle Peter preaching the gosple – image source Pinterest.com
Sunset photo is from my personal stock.
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