Rejoice for You Have Been Delivered From Trials

“⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so 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 (ESV)

I am so joyful that I have Christ to look to. I have been through it and now I can rejoice at the inheritance of heaven.

When I say that I have been through it, I am not indicating that I have been through all of the trials that some others have. In fact, whereas I have had adversity and will continue to, I have not been placed in such a difficult situation that I thought I would not get out, and for that I am thankful to God for delivering me. Even as I have not been through those most difficult trials, it does not mean that my trials were somehow trivial.

Sin is Sin, no matter the depth of it. Trials are trials, no matter the level of difficulty. It is important to remember that the trials each of us experience are something for the person and impact them in different ways. Not having a smartphone would be devastating to some, where others are glad not to have that distraction. No gym present to work out could cause some to have a breakdown whereas others don’t even notice the missing hand weights at the bottom of the stairs. Each has there level of trial that gives them pause and disrupts their joy.

When we have been delivered from our trials, we are free to rejoice in “the revelation of Jesus Christ”. I have Christ to lean on and be joyful in when I have my mind on Him and not on those things that disrupts. I have freedom from the distractions and can deliver myself fully to Christ and rejoice. I have to look harder for those times of joy and rejoicing and walk away from the trials to experience that joy. I have to be focused on God and allow Him to do His work around the trials and know that whatever I am experiencing is of His design and will ultimately allow me to rejoice in His “revelation”.

What trials are holding your back from rejoicing? Are you allowing the circumstances and difficulties in your life to dictate your joy? What if you just allowed God to do His work on those areas and you spent your time rejoicing in “the revelation of Jesus Christ”?