The Promise of Salvation

I like today's passage because it tells me, gives me reassurance, that my decision was the right one. The verses that touched me the most are v. 6 and 7:
"In this 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 honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

This is actually the first time I have read these verses, I think, and as a Christian who has never read these two verses it really helps. All those trials and tribulations - splits, fights, depressions - were all worth it. Even though they are horrible things you would think, "Why God?" but then again it is necessary for us because if our faith was not tested, who's to say we are true believers? How can we really be sure if we don't rely on God during those tempests of our lives?

Sometimes we forget how privileged we are to have Jesus Christ in our lives. Like the passage says, it is what our souls are longing for. We are longing for a better life, longing to be loved, longing to be saved. Ours is the time we can reach that salvation - the people in the Old Testament were waiting to see these days. Jews during the times of the Roman Empire Jesus was going to return after the war against Vespasian and his son Titus.

But now is the time. We have received that love, grace – the Son of God. This challenges me to keep in mind that all is not lost. Things happen for a reason, and God will always be a God that loves, protects, and corrects but loves nonetheless.