<B>PROCESS & REWARDS</B><P> 1PE 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,<P>To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, [Texas, Canada, Maryland, California, Hawaii, New York, G.B.] Asia and Bithynia, [2] who have been <B>chosen</B> according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, <B>for</B> obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:<P> Grace and peace be yours in abundance.<P> 1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, [5] who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] <B>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.</B> [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, [9] for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.<P><BR>JAS 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4] Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.<P>Though Pastor spent his time yesterday in James, I received a wonderful email today from a sister who has also been in the refiner's fire as her husband left her at a time when she was unemployed, forced to find a job, lose her home, pack all of her belongings and put them into storage while she moves back home with parents to regroup. The emotional trauma has been excruciating for her, but through the love of friends and the Lord, she feels she is on the road to healing. She shares the verses in 1 Peter and it touched me on the relevancy of our own experiences and the challenges we are facing.<P>Pastor identified three kinds of trials yesterday:<BR>1. Sowing & Reaping Experiences<BR>2. Suffer/Pain due to following Jesus<BR>3. No apparent reason-stuff just happens-(disease, auto accidents, etc.)<P>He challenged us to take a look at how we normally respond when a new trial shows up, the tendency to rebel against it, to pitify it ( I think I just made up a new word) oh woe is me, why do bad things always happen to me, etc...OR (LOL) in my case I often was sure, God was allowing it so that my husband would get his act together and see the truth and God put me here to help him see that truth (Man, I cannot believe how self absorbed I have been. As if God needed my help in anything!)<P>That our tendency to scoff at the command to "consider it all joy" is because we misunderstand what this passage is saying! In these verses, James tells us that the trials serves a great purpose, the testing of our faith which develops perseverence which when finished, matures and completes us, so we are not lacking anything... The <B>joy</B> is that the <B>process</B> (the trial) has its <B>rewards</B> or end product (mature and not lacking anything) That our focus needs to be on the process rather than the trial itself. I think perhaps the Proverbs wife must have known this:<P>PR 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;<BR> she can laugh at the days to come.<BR>
