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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FEEL DISCOURAGED
I Peter 1:3-9
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3Praise 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,
4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8Though 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,
9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1:3-6 Do you need encouragement? Peter's words offer joy and hope in timess of trouble, and he bases his confidence on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. We're called to live in the hope of eternal live(1:3).
Our hope is not only for the future; eternal life begins when we believe in God and join his family. The eternal life we now have gives us hope and enables us to live with confidence in God.
1:5 God will help us remain true to our faith, whatever difficult times we must face. The "coming last" is the Judgment Day of Christ describe in Roman 14:10 and Revelation 20:11-15. We may have endure trial, persecution,
or violent death, but our souls cannot be harmed if we have accepted Christ's gift of salvation. We know we will receive the promised rewards.
Philippian 4:6-8
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such
things.
4:6,7 Imagine never having to worry about anything! It seems like an impossibility---we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school! But Paul's advice is to turn your worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less?
Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry stop and pray.
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