Vibrant: A Life of JoyExemplo

Life is hard, isn’t it? Disappointments hammer us ferociously and relentlessly while discouragement bullies us daily. I may not understand what you are going through today, but I do know the One who knows your pain and I am intimately acquainted with the One who hears your gut-wrenching cries. In my life, I can assure you, it has been through the deepest pain that God has harvested the most vibrant fruit.

Peter immediately turned the attention of the persecuted sojourners away from the hardships they were facing and defiantly toward all that is ours in Christ Jesus. I have found, in my challenging journey this side of heaven, the vital necessity of determining the direction of my thought life. I can either think about me, or I can think about Him. I can either ponder my disappointment, or I can linger on His hope. I can either meditate on my pain, or I can bask in His promises. I must choose what will fill the thoughts of my days and the words of my prayers. I must choose.

Peter declares that when you rejoice in a trial, your faith is strengthened and purified. Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will become a brilliant demonstration of power and joy. Did you know that your faith is the most valuable commodity of your entire life? And when you greatly rejoice even while in the fires of life, your faith increases in value.

Your faith, as your most treasured spiritual commodity, must go through the fire for its significance to be realized in your life. Suffering or trials were never meant to extract strength from our lives, but were designed to increase the strength of our faith. Trials don’t last forever and earthly gold is perishable but our faith is eternal and our song is unending.

The joy that is ours as believers in Christ is simply inexpressible. There are no human words that are able to communicate the joy that is ours because of Him. There are no adjectives or adverbs that have the capacity to describe the incomprehensible joy that belongs to those who belong to Jesus. Our joy might be inexpressible, but we will spend the rest of our human lives endeavoring to express it. 

Practical Application:

Write to Carol at carol@carolmcleodministries.com and let her know how she can pray for you to live a vibrant and abundant life.