God's Grace in Struggles

I'm so grateful for God in the midst of struggles and suffering! That His Word speaks volumes of truth giving hope in the middle of it all! Everyone suffers in one way or a dozen. First Peter 1 tells how God knows all about it ahead of time, the suffering and hard stuff we'll undergo, and knows what it will look like in each of our lives. And He has great purpose in it, a purpose that is actually a multiplication of His grace and His peace. Astounding! His unmerited favor to endure & overcome and His peace to not lose our minds or become bitter!

So I can know from the passage that when life is tough, if I will let Him, he will use the difficulties to set me apart in the Spirit and help me learn obedience to Jesus Christ. What a beautiful thing Good Friday and Easter are - the reminders that Jesus Himself learned obedience to the Father through what He suffered. So He truly is our help and knows what suffering is! 

All this to say that I can genuinely be full of hope and joy, because this world is not all there is and I am awaiting the salvation of my soul when Jesus returns, that great and awesome day of the Lord spoken of so long ago! While I wait, God's grace and peace will be sufficient.