You may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith… may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
Your faith has far more value than a Rembrandt painting. In fact, Peter says your faith is “of greater worth than gold” (1:7). Gold, like every other created thing, will eventually perish, but your faith, if it is the real thing, will last for eternity. But how do you know that it’s genuine? How do you know it’s not a passing phase?
Peter tells us. When you suffer in all kinds of trials, you will have all the evidence you need that your faith is authentic. If your faith was a just a human decision or a passing phase, then as soon as you suffered you would turn away from God. You would say, “I can no longer believe in a God who would let me go through this!”
Why doesn’t every Christian eventually say that? Why do some people who struggle with unanswered questions, disappointed hopes and dreams, or some other personal catastrophe still love Christ? There is only one explanation—your faith is a miracle. It is a living seed of the life of God planted in you. It is like a bulb in the ground. It gets buried in the dirt, but it does not die!
This faith, which has been proved genuine, will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. One day he is going to wipe every tear from your eyes, and you will hear him say to you: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your master’s happiness.”
What evidence do you see that your faith is authentic?