God's Refining Process

"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."

1 Peter 1:6-7

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God is always in the process of refining His children (John 15:1-2). This refining can occur when we go through various trials in our lives and can be used to test the genuineness of our faith

(1 Peter 1:6-7). Additionally, trials help us grow closer to God as long as we rely on Him during them. Although trials are hard to go through, there is some beauty in going through them. Not because the trials are good in themselves, but because hardships allow us to experience more of God's character. They allow us to see aspects of God's goodness, mercy, and faithfulness to a deeper degree than we would've without the trial. Even though this view of challenges will probably be tested as different struggles come up in our lives, we can rest assured that God will stay the same in every situation. Therefore, we can rejoice in trials knowing that God will always be there to help us through them and that He will ultimately work them for our good.

Q: What are some ways in which a trial, or trials, have brought you closer to God or allowed you to experience Him in a new way?

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God, thank You for always being present no matter what we go through. Thank You for loving us enough to help us through trials and please use the trials we go through for Your glory. Use them to refine us and help us to become more like Jesus each day. Use them to test the genuineness of our faith and prune us so that we can bear more fruit for You. Be glorified through our trials please and help us to rely on You through them.

In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.