I Peter – psalm37fretnot

Photo Credit: Kim Clayton Lance

There is a certain kind of joy that can occur when we endure an impossibly hard season. Be it a pandemic, a terminal diagnosis, a death, shattered bones, infertility, betrayal by a spouse or friend or colleague, loss of employment, or persecution because of our faith, we can still experience the unique! Joy. If we know Jesus as Lord, in particular.

I’m not talking about happiness. This joy is more about confidence. It is more about hope being fixed on what is unseen, what is coming, what is promised. It is more about security in eternal terms. No way will we be happy about what we are enduring in the now. But we can be happy that God is lovingly showing us whether or not our faith is genuine. Fire turned up on high. Dross burned off. Hindrances vaporized. What’s left? Strong faith.

There is JOY IN THE SHOWING. I Peter 1:6-7 (NASB) says, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This proof reveals lives miraculously transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. This evidence lets us know where truth faith is bubbling up.

There is JOY IN THE SEEING. God already knows the status of our faith. Weak or strong, marginal or steadfast. He already knows. The testing happens so that we can know it ourselves or that others can see the real live picture of Christ’s character in us. God sometimes uses the disastrous to thread perseverance through our lives. To make us dependent on Him. To make meaningful our wrestling. To prevent us from abandoning hope. To make us like Him.

Too, I have noticed that in Christ, one kind of suffering prepares us for the next season of suffering. When I replay God’s faithfulness and provision in the former seasons of my life, even if waiting on Him seemed endless (and it always does), I know His strength for the next season is accessible. This is a repeated revelation for me but, in one faith experiment I learned that I had a self-sufficiency problem. This was when I broke my upper right arm (after a trip and fall in CW). And yes, I am right-handed. I clearly saw the dross God wanted to remove. The testing of my faith was not wasted on that painful healing process! God exposed my dependence on myself and it definitely needed to be taken down a few notches.

There is JOY IN THE KNOWING. Settle assurance. I can make sense of my pain when my faith is being purified by my suffering. God allows it and God uses it. Like childbirth, I can even call pain productive. But, only if the process forces me to focus on the age to come instead of the temporal “sparks flying upward” (Job 5:7) life here on planet earth. I must see the unseen to be weaned away from obsession with the earthly. My heart must be lifted to unseen glories. Kate Warren defines joy this way: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” Unseen glories. Still learning this lesson…

Romans 5:3-5 (NASB) says, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God have been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

In this, there is a certain kind of joy.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.” Despite Einstein’s resistance to biblical truth and faith in Jesus Christ, there is what I call “common grace” wisdom in these words that moves beyond body and mind to the core of the soul. Let’s consider…

I Peter 1:17-19 says, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” We were redeemed with the imperishable gift of the Lamb who was slain to remove us from the bondage of sin and eternal darkness apart from our Creator. The imperishable gift came to us at Christmas time. It’s really the only gift that matters. The only gift that creates newness in our lives because of what Christ is doing in and through us for His redemptive purposes.

So, the perishables. Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury. The time of our stay on earth is fleeting and temporary. The perishables are obviously going to perish. Including our earthly bodies. As Christmas approaches, do you ever wish you could put on the brakes and bring the season back to a simple and unassuming celebration of the birth of our Savior, the imperishable gift? Without possessions and publicity? Without the checklist for success? Without the trappings of lights, tinsel, luxury?

Best for the body, mind, and “last but not least” – soul, is the wisdom found in I Peter 3:4: “But let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” Let Christmas be about what is imperishable. A simple and unassuming manner. A quiet joy. A secure stillness before the Lord. An eternal Savior, a compassionate King, the Good Shepherd of our souls, Jesus. The imperishable gift of Christmas.

I Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

So, the perishables. About outward success. It is not about anything I can accomplish. It is about what God accomplished through the miracle birth of our Savior and His saving work accomplished on the cross. My salvation. Your salvation. We are a chosen, royal, holy people because of God’s mercy. He accomplished it. His success.

So, the perishables. About possessions. It is not about what we possess. It is about what God possesses. His people. I am thankful to be a believer, thankful to be one of His people. This is the focus of Christmas that is best for body, mind, and soul. This Christmas truly is about the “thought that counts” in gift-giving. The tangible items we exchange, are good for the soul if intended to be an expression of the love of Christ, the imperishable gift.

So, the perishables. About publicity. Surrounded by media in all its forms, the simple, unassuming retelling of the greatest story on earth is the only message that needs conveyance. God’s plan for the redemption of our souls through the incarnation. His Word. The manger. The gentle story. The powerful result. All found in God’s Word which has been preserved throughout history. The imperishable gift.

So, the perishables. Finally, about luxury. Glitter fades. Lights burn out. Parties cease. Rich food doesn’t satisfy. Excess leads to poverty of the starving soul. Trees get put away or die. Treasures get lost or forgotten. The only gift that lives on is Jesus Christ in our lives. The imperishable gift.

John 6:32-33 says, “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ ” This is the bread that is best for body, mind, and soul.

Merry Christmas!