God's help for husbands.

God's Word to husbands, "here's how to live with your wife"

See 1st Peter 3:7.

1st Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Here, Peter is including the husbands, to live and act in the same way as the wives, and the servants whom he had addressed earlier in the 2nd chapter. The main idea had been to live in a humble, and respectful way to those around you, especially towards those God had placed in leadership roles. 

Thus he uses the word likewise. Of course, simply meaning, in the same way, or equally. In other words, there was something said to the wives, and now in the same way, here's God's Word to the husbands....

He says a number of things to them.

Dwell with them with understanding, or in an understanding way, or be considerate of your wives. Recognize who they are in a respectful way. That's the first thing. Be understanding toward you wife. 

Then, giving honor to the wife. Or value your wife, defer to her, respect her, reverence her. Recognizing that ( physically she is weaker ) then you are. Be respectful to your wife. 

Lastly, he says, ( making a statement about both ) that the husband and wife are joint heirs together of the grace of life. He is apparently speaking here to a couple, where both the husband and the wife are saved, and walking with the Lord. They each share in this position of being heirs together of God's grace. He is calling them to recognize what God has made them both to be and His children. 

In his very last remark, he mentions that prayer can be hindered between a husband and wife. That is, if the man will love and serve his wife, they could pray together. But, it's hard to pray together, when your not together with your wife on the basic level of respect and love. Lack of understanding and respect towards you wife will make it difficult to pray together. Perhaps mostly for her. She would not be inclined to want to pray with her husband. But, she would be, if she is being loved and cared for properly. 

May God give continued blessing to you, and help you to enjoy your marriage, and be a blessing to one another. In Jesus name, Pastor Bob Grenier

Application/Promises

1. Husband and wives can live in peace and joy.

2. It takes the Lord to make the difference.

3. He will do it if you let Him.

4. Humility and service to each other are key.

5. Husband and wives are to serve each other.

6. Joy comes through obedience to God's Word. 

7. May your prayers be blessed by God. 

More help for wives with unbelieving husbands.

More help for wives with unbelieving husbands...

See 1Peter 3:1-6

1Pet 3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,

1Pet 3:2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

1Pet 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--

1Pet 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

1Pet 3:5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,

1Pet 3:6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

What God tells the wives to do, can be done. It's possible for them to be submissive. Also, there are more wives then we know with husbands who don't obey the Word, either secretly, or openly. 

And, it's easy to underestimate how powerful a wife's conduct can be to influence her husband towards the Lord. But, God says it's so.

Husbands can't help but see what their wives are doing, and how they are acting. They live right there under one roof together. 

These verses are not saying a wife should not wear make up, or make sure she looks fashionable on the outside, i.e make up and hairstyles. These verses are not advocating doing nothing to the outside.

But, these verses are explaining that a woman can adorn that inner person, so as to be beautiful and to be a great tool in the hands of God. 

There are two things that can be done to the inner person that are mentioned here. Both are said to be incorruptible. 

#1 A gentle spirit. 

#2 A quiet spirit. 

Gentle here, means, humble, meek. 

Quiet means, peaceable, tranquil. 

Peter says, this is how the women in former times, the holy women trusted in God and adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands. 

And, he uses Sarah as an example, she was the wife of Abraham. At times in their relationship, Abraham was not leading his family by trusting God. He had become fearful and made some rash and unwise choices, that put Sarah in great danger. She had alot of reasons to be fearful. But, she trusted the Lord. 

Peter concludes this teaching by saying, that the wives to whom he was writing would be the daughters of Sarah, if they chose to act as Sarah did. And encourages them to do good, and not to be afraid with any terror. 

A wife's husband can act in a way to make the wife afraid. But, God can help the wife to deal with that. And may it be so for any wives reading this today, that are in a situation as described in 1st Peter 3:1-6

Application/Promises

1. Many wives are in this situation.

2. Many wives have seen the Lord work mightly.

3. This is God's Word to wives in this situation.

4. Your holy conduct can be powerful.

5. Your conduct can be more effective then words.

6. May your husbands be affected by God's grace.

7. May God help you wives by His grace. 

Help for wives whose husbands don't believe.

What wives are to do, if their husbands don't obey the Word of God.

See 1st Peter 3:1-7


1Pet 3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,

1Pet 3:2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.

1Pet 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--

1Pet 3:4  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

1Pet 3:5  For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,

1Pet 3: 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

Peter had been speaking to servants about how they were to relate to their masters, not only the good ones, but also the harsh ones. And, he told them two things. One, be submissive with all fear or respect. And two, be patient in suffering, even if you did not do anything wrong, still be patient. 

Peter picks up that same idea here in Chapter 3, but, now is applying it to christian wives, who were in a situation, where their husbands did not obey or believe the Word of God, and he instructed them, as to what they were to do in this matter. 

What's a wife to do in this situation? 

Be submissive. 

Have pure or chaste conduct.

Be respectful.

Adorn the hidden person of the heart. 

Trust in God. 

What else is Peter saying to them?

That the wive's Godly conduct, can be used by God to win their husbands over to the Lord. That is, without the wife saying anything, her Godly witness, can be a powerful instrument for change in their husbands lives. 

Peter is also ( not ) saying, don't worry about how you look, but rather it seems he is saying, don't just concentrate on, or depend on your outer looks. But, concentrate on who you are as a person, that inner person, adorn that person on the inside with Jesus Christ. 

We will pick this up tomorrow. But, thank God for what we have looked at today. And, if there are any wives who may be reading this today, may they find great encouragement in their lives, and may God work mightily in their marriages and in the lives of their husbands 

Application/Promises

1. This is God's way to win the husband

2. This let's God work through a yielded life.

3. Character is a powerful tool in God's hands.

4. God's way here is more powerful then talking. 

5. A woman's inner person can be changed

6. A gentle and quiet spirit are precious to God. 

what to do when you are suffering

How to deal with suffering.

See the verses below..........Peter was speaking to those who were suffering wrongfully, and had called them to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and now in these verses, He explains in great detail what Jesus did when He suffered wrongfully.

1 Pet 2:22  “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

1 Pet 2:23  who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

1 Pet 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

1 Pet 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Jesus had not committed any sin. He had done nothing wrong in His life, yet He was suffering. He also did not have any guile in His mouth. That is, He was not deceitful, or crafty in any way. 

Here's what Jesus did when He suffered. 

1. He did not revile or insult back when He was reviled. 

2. He did not return evil for evil.

3. He made no threats of vengeance.

4. He trusted Himself to God who judges fairly.

So, what Jesus did not do, is what we are not to do. And, what Jesus did do, we are to do also. Don't fight back, Don't pay back. Don't threaten others. But, commit yourself to God. He knows what is going on, and He is a righteous and fair Judge. He will take care of you. Just like He did Jesus His son. 

Peter concludes, that it was Christ on the cross, who personally bore our sins, and paid the penalty for. He did this so that we through faith in Him could live forever with God. 

It's by what Jesus did that we are healed. All healing, both spiritually, physically, is rooted in what Christ did on the cross. 

We had gone astray, like everyone else. But now as believers in Jesus Christ, we have come back to our Shepherd from heaven. He is our guardian, He is our protector, our savior.

Lord, help us to follow You, and Your example. 

Applications/ Promises.

1. It's clear, Jesus is our example.

2. Following Jesus is our call.

3. Look how He handled His suffering. 

4. You can do the same thing.

5. Trust the Lord with your soul and troubles.

6. Christ has already saved you.

7. Jesus will take good care of you. 

calvarychapelvisalia's webcam video August 26, 2011 10:54 AM

How to get along with your boss..

The verses below in 1st Peter 2:18-21  deal with how a servant/slave in the culture of Peter's day was to relate to their master.  The teaching here would apply also to modern day employees and employers. 
Please see the two different scenario's that Peter lists. And the example God has given us to follow in matters of work, suffering etc. 

1Pet 1:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

1Pet 1:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

1Pet 1:20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

1Pet 1:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Firstly, servants were to be submissive to their masters, and they were to do this with all respect, and it was not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the harsh. 

Submission, means to come under, to rank under, to submit yourself to, place yourself under your master. 

And Peter says, to be submissive, not only to a good, and gentle master, but also to one that might be harsh. Harsh means, crooked, untoward, unfair. ( Note, this is not a call to participate in any action or attitude that is against the Word of God, or one's own conscience. It's just speaking of the general attitude one is to have towards their master, boss, employer ) 

Secondly, Peter explains that this attitude of submission, ( especially if you are submitting because you know it's the right thing to do, and you happen to be enduring grief, and you are suffering in this situation ) That, one's submission, is commendable to God. Which means the gracious and kind thing to do. 

Peter then reasons, that if you are suffering because of your own faults and you are taking it patiently, that is really no credit to you. But, if on the other hand, when you have done well, and done what is right, and you are still suffering, and at this point you take it patiently, then, this is indeed commendable before God. It means, that you are showing grace and kindness in the face of difficulty, which is the call upon our lives.

Finally, Peter explains that this gracious attitude, is what we are called to. Jesus suffered for us, and He had done nothing wrong, yet He was gracious in His sufferings, and He left us an example to follow. His example of how to act when being mistreated. 

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your example to us. Help us to yield ourselves to You in the difficulties that we face. In Your Name. 

Applications/Promises.

1. This can all be done.

2. But, it starts with our submitting to the Lord.

3. He knows what it's like.

4. He understands it precisely.

5. He will walk us through times like this.

6. He is the example to follow.

7. We become good examples to others. 

8. May God bless you as you walk with Jesus. 

This is the will of God that...,,

For this is the will of God that...........

Peter, in this 2nd chapter, is continuing with his exhortations, or encouragements, and instructions, on how to live our lives in Christ. And, here is one of the many times that Peter uses this phrase, "The will of God", or this is what is pleasing to the Lord, this is the goal and purpose of the Lord for your life.

1Pet 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.


First of all, God does have a will, or desires if you will toward man, and towards His children. It speaks of what is a pleasure to Him. It's what He wishes, or has determined to be done. It's what He wants to see happen in our lives......It speaks of His choice and inclination. 


Secondly, by our doing good, that is, by our living as those who follow Him, and obey Him, and yield our lives to Him, and to His Word, being set apart to Him, walking in the fear of the Lord, and fervently loving one another, ( that by doing good in this way ) .....something is going to happen. 


And, that is, that we may put to silence, the ignorance of foolish men. 
Earlier, in 2:12 He stated that the Gentiles were speaking against the Christians as evildoers. That's what they were saying, "oh these Christians are evil etc, " Later we will learn that the Gentiles think it's strange that Christians don't want to participate in all of the Gentiles sinful ways and activities, and they mock and deride them. 


But, here Peter is saying that the holy living on the part of Christians, will be used by the Lord to silence the critic's as it were. So, our actions can either be fodder for the critic's, or powerful to silence them, and let them see a witness of God through our lives. 


Help us Lord, to go in Your ways, and in Your paths. Use us Lord to light the way for those still in darkness. In Jesus name, amen. 


Application/Promise.


1. God is pleased that you are in Christ.
2. Your life's actions in Christ are important to Him.
3. His Word defines His will for your life.
4. Are you walking in His will today?
5. Do you have questions about His will?
6. His will is mentioned 4 times in 1st Peter. 

What to do with ourselves, and why?

What do with yourself..........and why?

There are two basic, simple, and clear exhortations, ( or encouragements to live and act as we ought to do and be ) in these two verses. Additionally, there is a reason having to do with something other then ourselves given by God. 

See below. 

1Pet 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

1Pet 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Beloved is a favorite term used by NT writers to describe how our Lord views and considers His children to be. "Beloved" Also translated, "dearly beloved, and well beloved, and dear. It means that God esteems you, and it was used when wanting to say that something was worthy of love. 

But, here's the exhortation.....we are being begged by the apostle Peter, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. Abstain, means to hold one's self off, to refrain from. To say no to the evil desires that come from within, the passions of our flesh, that are literally waging war against our soul, the mind, or the new you. So, that's one thing to do with ourselves. Say no to our lower, or baser, or sinful self if you will. 

Secondly, have our conduct, or to conduct yourselves day to day, honorably....or in the right way, or righteously, to live righteously, among the Gentiles, or the unsaved of this world. 

Two reasons are given here. When they speak evil of you, and against you, ( which they surely were, and do today ) they may by your good works, or the right way that you are living, ( as they observe you ) which they were then, and are today, that they may Glorify God in the day of visitation. 

Unbelievers will slander those who believe, they will call what you are doing evil and wrong. But, as they witness your good deeds, in what Peter calls the day of visitation. 

That could be the day these unbelievers come under conviction, and their eyes are opened to see what you truly are, or it could be reference to the day of Judgement. They will admit it on that day, that you lived the right way, and it will bring honor to the Lord, who has saved you and worked in your life. 

Well, that's plenty to think about today, and to digest, and to put into practice. 

Application/Promise

1. Thank You God for making it clear to us.

2. Thank You that You help us say no.  

3. Thank You for explaining the war. 

4. Thank You Lord for a right path to walk on.

5. Thank You Lord saving us.

6. Thank You Lord for allowing us to be a light. 

calvarychapelvisalia's webcam video August 23, 2011 08:22 AM

More truths about Jesus, believers and unbelievers.

See 1st Peter 2:4-10

( it is interesting to see that before Peter calls us to action, or showing us how to live the Christian life in it's day to day way, he really focuses on the blessings that we have in Christ ) So, below are many of those blessings, and some sobering thoughts about those who do not want to be saved.

In approaching Jesus, we are coming to the "living stone". He is the rock of our salvation, and He is alive forevermore, and has given us life, and made us living stones as well. We can come to Him, or draw near to Him, that's the idea. 

The Lord is seeking to build us up. To make us strong, to help us to grow and mature. We are being built up. We are still a work in progress.

We can now offer spiritual sacrifices to God, that are acceptable through Jesus Christ. No more sheep, lambs, goats, bulls, etc, etc......Now, because He gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sins, we can worship the Lord, we can bring to Him those things that are acceptable and received by Him. 

As believers in Jesus Christ, we can be sure we will not be put to shame. He has forgiven us for all of our sins, and they are now gone, and remembered no more. For all the days that you live with Christ, at the end of this life, you can be sure you will not be ashamed of your life. You have been saved, and will not go into judgement. 

It's not however a pleasant picture for those who do not want Jesus. They stumble over Him, and He is a rock of offense to them. Two very descriptive terms stumbling, and offense. 

Finally, back to the blessings we have in Christ, we are ......

1. A chosen generation.

2. A royal priesthood.

3. A holy nation.

4. His own special people.

5. We have been called out of darkness.

6. We have been called into His marvelous light. 

7. We are now the people of God. 

8. We had not received mercy.

9. But, we now have received mercy.

Thank You Father. You have blessed us indeed. In Jesus name Amen.


Application/Promise
1. Count your blessings, name them one by one.
2. Ask God to explain these blessings to you.
3. Turn your mind and heart to Him, and His blessings.
4. Draw near to Him, come to Him.
5. Give praise and thanks to God. 

Put away evil, take in the Word of God

What to put away from our lives, and what to desire in our lives.

There are five things to put away from our lives, and they are all listed in 1st Peter 2:1 below.......and, then the one thing to desire, and a reason for it are found in verse 2, and 3.

1st Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

1st Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

1st Peter 2:3  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

First of all then, what to get rid of. As mentioned, there are five of them. 

1. Malice.

2. All deceit.

3. Hypocrisy.

4. Envy.

5. All evil speaking. 

Malice is plain old wickedness. It's when you desire to hurt someone else. It's having an ill will towards someone else. It's when you are not ashamed to break laws. It's having a vicious disposition, and it denotes the active exercise of that disposition. 

All deceit, is guile, craftiness. It comes from a word meaning to bait. 

Hypocrisy, is to pretend, to be insincere.

Envy, is when you hold a grudge, and are jealous of others. 

All evil speaking, is when you slander someone, and backbite, and defame them. 

So, these are the things that come out of our fallen natures, or the flesh as the Bible calls it. The good news, is, that we can put them away from us, and this is what we are called to do as Christians. 

Finally, the one blessed thing to take into our lives, is the life giving Word of God. We are to desire it, just like a newborn baby  wants it's mother's milk. We are to desire the pure milk of the Word, because this is what brings growth in our lives. 

What a blessing the Bible is to our souls. I pray that You are being blessed and encouraged as you read these devotionals, and are helped by them. 

Application/Promise

1. God helps us by telling us the truth.

2. His Word gets right to the point.

3. Bad things are not for God's children.

4 He wants His Word to be in our desire.

5. His Word will cause spiritual growth in our lives. 

Be Holy, & 2 other important ways to live

Being holy, and 3 other wonderful and important truths.

See 1st Peter 1:14-25

There are at least 4 main areas that Peter is focusing on in this section of his letter.

1. Be Holy.

2. Conduct yourself in the fear of the Lord.

3. Love one another fervently.

4. God's Word lives and abides forever.

Being holy, or being set apart to God. This speaks of our commitment to the Lord. Living our lives for Him. We are called to live this way, "Be holy" because, God is holy. God is set apart. God is above all of His own creation. He is light, and there is no darkness in Him.

Conducting ourselves in the fear of the Lord. Or, living our lives in a coordinated way with God. Bringing our lives into conformity with His will. Showing that we do live in the fear of the Lord, by obedience to His will and His Word.

Loving one another fervently. This really goes to the heart of what God calls us to, of what He commands us to be like, and to do.

God's Word will abide, when all else perishes and goes by the wayside. It's through His Word that we have been born again. This speaks of how precious, God's Holy Word is. It's through His Word, that God has given us eternal life.

If you read through this portion of Peter's first letter, or epistle, you can see how these are like four legs to a chair. They speak of very, very important truths to live our lives on, and to be like day by day.

Lord, Your Word lays out Your way and Your will to us. Thank You for laying it out for us in a simple, and understandable way. May our lives bring honor and glory to You. Please fill us with Your Spirit. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Application/Promise

1. God only calls us to what we can be.

2. The calling of God includes the comfort and power of His Spirit.

3. Setting our lives apart to God is what Jesus did when He was on earth.

4. Loving another person, is what we would like others to do for us.

5. God's Word feeds our souls day by day if we take it in.

Gird up the loins of your mind

Girding up our minds, and two other things to do.

See 1st Peter 1:13 

1Pet 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

In light of the Word of God, and the truth of Jesus Christ that has been brought to you says Peter, here's what to do. 

( by the way, the normal sequence of things in the Bible, seems to be, that first of all, God tells us what He has done for us, given to us, or will do for us, and then calls us to do something. First we receive what He has done, and then we can and ought to respond to what He is calling us to do. Such is the case here )

1. Gird up the loins of your mind. 

2. Be sober.

3. And rest your hope fully upon the grace that's coming.

What do these things mean? 

First of all, to gird up the loins of your mind, means, to be prepared. Taken from a custom of that day, to be able to be unimpeded in their movements, they were accustomed, when starting a journey or engaging in any work, to bind their long flowing garments closely around their bodies and fastened with a leather belt. 

So, the idea for us, is simply, that of being prepared as we follow Jesus.

Secondly, "Be sober" or Watch, be calm, and be collected in spirit. Be temperate in what you do. Be circumspect, ( or keep your guard, observe )

Don't be intoxicated by the world, and the things of the world. Keep a sober head and heart.

Thirdly, "rest your hope fully the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"  God has been gracious to you, and He is being gracious to you right now, but He is going to be gracious to you in the days ahead, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. What a moment that will be. 

We see Him through a glass darkly now, but then face to face, and we will know, even as we are known. We are going receive more grace, and will have that grace revealed to us, for all of eternity, ( of which there is no end. It will be a revelation of grace forever )

So, the idea here, is just rest in hope. And hope is a good resting place as we travel along this path to heaven. We can rest even while we walk and run. While we work, and battle. We can rest in hope. 

Thank You Father for these things given so clearly to us in Your Word. 

Application/Promises

1. God's Word is our roadmap for life

2. God's Word explains how to live and walk.

3. God's Word is full of comfort and hope.

4. God calls us to hear and do His Word.

5. Let's try and do these 3 things today. 

We love Him

We can't see Him, but we love Him...........

That's the exact blessing and fact that Peter states here in verse 8, and then he brings out another blessing that is coming our way. 

Let's look at both of these today. 

1st Peter 1:8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

1st Peter 1:9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

First of all, the readers of this letter in his day, are just like believers in Jesus Christ today. They had not seen Jesus Christ personally, they had never met Him in that sense. They had only heard about Him from others. ( 1st Pet 1:12 )

That's pretty much the case with us also. We have had other people tell us about Jesus. However, like the readers in Peters day, and like countless millions of others down through these centuries, around the world, we also love Him. When we believed in Him, upon hearing about Him, and turning to Him, we were born again ( 1st Peter 1:3 ) and, from that moment on we have come to love Him, and do love Him now.  In fact, John tells us 1Jo 4:19* We love Him because He first loved us.

The second thing that Peter says in verse 9, is that we will receive the end of our faith, the salvation of our souls. We are saved now, ( 1st Pet 1:2-7 )

but, Peter seems to be referencing the completion of our salvation, that is, when we will be given new bodies, and will be in His visible sight, and He in ours. So, through faith we have been saved, we being saved and kept as it were through faith, and by His power. Yet, there is coming a day, one day, when we will experience the end of our faith, as mentioned above, the completion of our salvation.  And, from that moment on, we will be in eternity with God forever, and forever. What eternal blessings lay ahead for each of us in Christ. 

Well, 1st Peter is chock full of wonderful truth from God. It will be a continued blessing to read through it, and study it with you. 

May God bless you richly, may He cause His face to shine upon you, and may He lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. 

Application & Promises

1. There is literally no end to the blessings in store for us. 

2. What God has done, is the just the start.

3. The Lord wants us to enjoy these blessings now. 

4. It's even hard to express the joy we have sometimes.

5. If your not truly saved, You can be today.

6. Just turn to Jesus, received Jesus.

7. Believe in Him, give yourself to Him.

8. Ask Him to become your saviour.

9. He loves you, and you will begin to love Him. 

Why do we go through trials?

Why do we go through trials?

That question is answered in the first chapter of Peters Epistle.

See 1:6-9

1Pet 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

1Pet 1:7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

1Pet 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 

1Pet 1:9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

First of all, while we rejoice in Christ Jesus, though now for a little while ( IF NEED BE ).....that's the first thing about trials, this is partly why the Lord allows them in our lives. It's if NEED BE. In other words, there is some need in our life that that the Lord is seeking to minister to. 

Secondly, we are told that the ( GENUINENESS OF OUR FAITH )  will come shining through. 

So, for these two reasons. One, we have a need, and the Lord is tending to that need, and secondly, that our faith being tested by fire will be found to praise, honor and glory. In other words, our faith will be developed and made stronger. 

These two truths can help us as we face trials, to see them from God's perspective, and then to embrace them, and patiently go through them, letting the Lord do His work in us and through us. 

In short, when God takes us through a trial ( which He does if we let Him, He is always faithful to get us through them ) we never come out the other side the same. We are changed, we are transformed, we are equipped to better serve Him and His people. 

Thank You Father for these truths. They are such an encouragement to us. They shed great light on our lives and ministries. We welcome Your work, and pray to trust You as we go through trials, and to just patiently wait on You to do Your work. In Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promise.

1. Trials only come when needed.

2. They are to refine our faith

3. Trials are fiery, but not destructive

4. Trials purify us.

5. Trials make our faith shine all the more.

6. Trials fit the plan of God for our lives. 

7. Hang in there, God will get you through. 

8. Be faithful to God. He is faithful to You.