Joy and Pain

Joy and Pain

1 Peter 1:6-9


Call to Worship: Psalm 33:3-5; 20-22 (NIV)

    Sing to him a new song;
              play skillfully, and shout for joy.
    For the word of the Lord is right and true;
              he is faithful in all he does.
    The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
              the earth is full of his unfailing love.


20 
    We wait in hope for the Lord;
              he is our help and our shield.
21     In him our hearts rejoice,
              for we trust in his holy name.
22     May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
              even as we put our hope in you.

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9 (MSG)

3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

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