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1 Peter 1:7
7 That [hina] the trial [dokimion] of your [humon] faith [pistis], being much [polus] more precious [timios] than of gold [chrusion] that perisheth [apollumi], though [dia] [de] it be tried [dokimazo] with fire [pur], might be found [heurisko] unto [eis] praise [epainos] and [kai] honour [time] and [kai] glory [doxa] at [en] the appearing [apokalupsis] of Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos]: KJV-Interlinear
7 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; NASB
The substance of your faith comes from the results of your spiritual life, and that results from your spiritual growth, which in turn results from the degree of your commitment to a daily study, to your objectivity, to your desire and obedience to Gods will.
For all those who are generally considered to be wealthy or prosperous, their greatest danger in life, is their indifference toward the importance of Bible doctrine. They have what they need and do not see the need for common words from the Bible.
As for those of us who suffer in life, who work for a living, who have difficulties, who face stresses almost everyday of our life, to those who have virtually nothing or are caught in the middle of having nothing or not having more, to those folks, bitterness is the danger.
Why me? Why not someone else? Why not just a little more for now? What can it possibly hurt?
But God reminds us all, that whatever we have in this life, whether much or little, whether we live in prosperity and virtually no stress, or live in daily stress and worry, both of these categories of folks are virtually the same.
The world has nothing to offer. Whatever you have or don’t have, equates to zero.
Remember that when you die, and we will all die, then we all, rich or poor, will be exactly the same as far as worldly attributes are concerned.
God gives us a clue here as Peter teaches us all, that there is a value in our spiritual life. And that value results from our cumulative spiritual life. That is the substance, the proof, the content of your faith, which is from the result of your spiritual growth, which comes from your commitment to a daily study.
Pursue your spiritual life with the same vigor as you do all other worldly aspects, and your life, will end up with phenomenal value. Ignore your spiritual life, give it little heed, be indifferent or bitter, and you assure yourself a value of zero when your life finally does end.
The gold here mentioned, means all the gold in the world. That value you should agree would be vast. But when compared to the blessings offered and held in trust by God, blessings for eternity, then the value of all the gold on the earth, even all of the gold in the entire universe, adds up to zero or worthless. Remember that all of the gold in the universe will be destroyed along with the universe, at the end of the Millennium.
And there is one assurance, that most folks disregard in their life, and that is that we will all stand before Christ, one day. Most folks actually give this little thought, life being what it is, we are all too busy doing our ‘important’ things in life.
Most figure that if we are well off, then God approves of our lifestyle. If we are falling on hard times, then God must hate us. And both sets of attitudes are totally wrong.
Your circumstances contribute to your character, and provide a proving ground for Gods shaping of your life, a shaping that you need. Some have it easy, and some do not. Your circumstances do not make you better or worse than anyone else.
What does set you apart from others, is the spiritual content in your soul. And that content can only get into your soul by means of Gods defined and designed process for spiritual growth. Your plan for learning or deciding what to accept and what to reject, is a guaranteed plan for failure.
God has given us all many examples in life to help us learn of our responsibilities in life. We are the bride or the wife, seeking to have a fabulous life with our husband, who is Christ. He offers much and we should recognize that and pursue it as though there is nothing else to pursue.
But what do people do? They become indifferent to their spiritual life just as they are indifferent toward their temporal life in this world. They make up their own behavior rules. They become bitter or disinterested. And the result, is loss, misery, dissatisfaction, discontent, insecurity, and so on and so forth.
Living your life in accordance with the rules that God made for you, yields you great things. Living your life in rebellion or indifference, gains you nothing.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, for believers, will be the Judgment Seat of Christ, where we will all stand before Him, for our spiritual evaluation. And there, the proof of your faith, the result of your spiritual life, will determine your eternal rewards. That can be a beyond imagination treasure, or an empty gift bag.
You make that choice every thinking moment of your life.
