Suffering and Joy

The last few weeks at the church I've been going to on Wednesday nights they have been talking about suffering. We're doing a series on 1st Peter. In this book, Peter is writing to Christians that are being persecuted. Hints the suffering.
We're only three weeks in the series and we finished 1st Peter 1:9 last night. Last time this church had service (two weeks ago due to Thanksgiving last week), I left with a heavy heart and some questions. I emailed the pastor, Marc, the next day asking him about Joy and where it came from. I had told him I had lost a lot of my joy, and I am suffering, so where does that joy come from in the suffering, because I need to find that again.
Last night, he put a lot more of where joy came from through suffering in the sermon. It really hit me hard. The passage last night was 1st Peter 1:6-9 and it says " In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Here's kind of what Marc talked about with this passage, and how he broke it down. This is in my words, but it's pretty much what he had said.
In verse 6 it says that "in this you rejoice," what it's saying there is that when you suffer, when you face trials, you rejoice. It goes on to say "though now for a little while" saying that we do suffer for a little while, but the time of eternity there is not much suffering. "If necessary" is saying that if it is God's will, if it is part of God's plan you will suffer. And it goes on to say "You have been grieved by various trials" Just talking about the trials that we all go through
Now going on to verse 7, it says "so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ"
Im going to try to get this right with what Marc said. He said that when we suffer it's like the refining process of Gold, and this passage is kind of talking about that. When you melt gold the pure gold stays to the bottom and the impurities float to the top, which thats called Dross, whenever the dross comes to the top, someone comes along and scrapes it off, leaving the purest gold. Thats kind of how it works with us and God. Whenever we suffer, we grow in our faith, and get the "dross" scrapped away from our lives.
The next verse goes on to say "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory"
Marc said something on the lines of that we always seem to try to muster up joy instead of actually being joyful. And that we feel like since we're a christian we have to have this smile on our face and just act like we have joy. He said the ONLY place we can find true joy is from Jesus Christ. In the Teaching Journal they give out every week Marc said "Peter desires his readers to not rest in their own capabilities of "mustering" up joy during suffering, but rather be reminded of their salvation and the hope of a returning Christ."  Thing is we cannot be joyful if we dont understand that the only way to be truly joyful is with Christ, and obeying his commands.
The last verse says "obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." So, kind of attaching what I said in the last part and this, since they're a big sentence; in the end you rejoice because you have received salvation. And that should be the source of your joy.

There's this weekly bible reading plan thats always on the teaching journal and today's passage was 2nd Corinthians 7. This passage is amazing! It talks about grief, and joy, and repentance. It's so amazing! I totally suggest reading it.
Also here's the other passages I will be reading this week that are in the teaching journal.
12/4 Phillipians 2:1-11
12/5 Colossians 1:3-14
12/6 Luke 15
12/7 Psalm 43
12/8 Proverbs 10

Marc's message really hit me hard because of that email I sent him. I really needed to find out how to find joy in suffering, because I could not find it. I feel a comfort now. and Im asking God to take away my sin that is keeping me from being joyful. Marc had said that we needed to take a good look in the mirror and just plead with God to take away the sin that is holding us back from joy, and showing God that we love him, that way that "dross" in our life can be scrapped away and we can look more and more like his son. I knew exactly what that was as soon as he said it. And I felt really convicted of it, more than I ever had been, and Im repenting, and going to turn from it.

Man the last few weeks, I've just been so depressed, and down in the dumps because of everything. And that I had lost my joy. Last night reminded me of where my joy should be coming from. Not all this worldly things. Because in the end, God wins, and there will be no more suffering.

With that all said, Im going to go, spend some time with God, and plead that he keeps me from temptation, and that he will help me become more joyful. It has been a tough long journey, but with God, I can get through anything, and be joyful in the process.

In Christ,
Hannah

PS I can release the name of my new pastor now. His name is Ron Smith from Fellowship of San Diego. His church in San Diego was the host church for the guys this summer. Amazing guy! Cannot wait for his first sunday on January 3rd :)