Living with Full Faith

In all this you greatly rejoice, though you suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled, Living with Full Faith, was written and read by Sochill Dixon. 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 to 9. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all 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 the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold which perishes, even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

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 inexpressible and glorious joy. For you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your soul. Living with full faith Thousands of people around the world prayed for Sethi's three-year-old son, who'd been hospitalized for months.

When doctors said Shiloh had no meaningful brain activity, Sethi called me. Sometimes I'm scared I'm not living with full faith, she said. I know God can heal Shiloh and let him come home with us. I'm also at peace if God heals him by taking him to heaven. Assuring her that God understands like no one else can, I said, you've surrendered to God. That is full faith. A few days later, God took her precious son to heaven. Though struggling with the grief of losing him, Sethi thanked God and the many people who prayed.

She said, I believe God is still good and still God. In this world, until Jesus comes again, we'll suffer grief in all kinds of trials. We'll need to process real emotions caused by real pain. However, everyone who experiences new birth in Christ can be anchored in life by love for Jesus and be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. The end result of our faith in Christ is this, the salvation of our souls.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to have full faith, living with our prayers and our situations confidently surrendered to Christ. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, please help us trust you as we wait for your promised return, when you'll make all things new. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. When has God helped you rejoice in the hope of salvation in Jesus while facing devastating circumstances? How has your confidence in Him changed the way you pray?