I would like to draw your attention to 1 Peter 1: 6-9, to give you one of the many Biblical passages as to why believers have to go through a bout of suffering before experiencing the real joy of being a Christian. Observe in particular verses 6 and 7 which read as follows:
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 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 honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
To me, the above passage means that we have to go through all kinds of trials for a little while, which purpose is to strengthen our belief and faith in our Lord to the point that we are able to know that our love, faith and trust in the Lord is worth more than gold and that we are not a believer because we seek riches and material things (called “blessings” to a lot of people). Verse 8 goes on to say that “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 in expressible and glorious joy,..”
Our ability to come through the sufferings without straying from God but instead becoming stronger in our faith and belief will prove that we are seeds that have fallen on good soil. If we are the seeds that have fallen on the path or the rock or the weeds, then these sufferings sometimes make us bitter and angry with God and we move away, sometimes permanently, sometimes for a period of time. This is what is meant by whether our faith may be proved genuine or not. For after all, small is the gate and narrow that leads to life and only a few find it (Mathew 7:13-14).
Posted by Dahlia Lee
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