1 Peter 1:7 - Primary

1 Peter 1:7

“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.”

“Why do good things happen to bad people?” That is a question I often hear – and ask from time to time. There are several answers to that question, most deal with the concept of a fallen world and the decisions of sinful people. Since sin entered the world, that means that sin impacts everyone – believer and non-believe alike. That is a valid answer in my opinion.

Peter gives us another answer. He says that bad things happen to prove and strengthen our faith. The beauty of this explanation is that it shines God’s hope and purpose on even the worst things that can happen. It doesn’t matter why the bad things occur, whether its by God’s hand, your hand, someone else’s hand, or just bad luck – every negative can be turned into a positive by God’s grace.

For example, I had a friend in Dallas who was an excellent basketball player. One spring break he was on vacation with friends and dove off a pier and directly onto a rock – he was instantly paralyzed from the waist down. A few years later, someone asked how he felt about going from completely healthy to dependent and in a wheelchair. He responded, “It’s the best thing that even happened to me.” When asked why, he replied, “If this hadn’t happened to me, I never would have found Jesus”. And he was serious.

Your relationship with Jesus is the ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE. More important than your degree, your bank account, your family and friends, and your health. That list is filled with very good things – but only one thing can be the best – and the best thing you can do in this life is cultivate your relationship with Christ because it is the only thing that is eternal.

Trials are going to come. When they come in your life will you allow God to work through those challenges so your faith – of greater worth than gold – will be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor? It is easy to have faith in the good times – how you respond in the hard times will prove the light of Christ to those around you.