be encouraged!

Today's readings:Ezekiel 44:1-45:12, 1 Peter 1:1-12, Psalm 119:17-32, Proverbs 28:8-10

"Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead. You do have to endure some trials between now and then. But then it's gonna be awesome."

That's my slight paraphrase. But you can see I was faithful to the meaning of the text :)

So much joy ahead! So Peter tells us, go ahead and be TRULY glad right now! Because even though you will go through some tough times between now and then, there IS JOY ahead of you. For sure. No doubt. Joy awaits you.

And the trials he pointed to, for himself and for many who read his letters, was being killed for their faith. Believe it or not (and it's hard for ME to believe sometimes), people still die for believing in Jesus today. But we are also called to little sufferings, like Therese of Lisieux, who was sick for most of her life, and finally died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. We don't all suffer the same way, but we all have our little crosses to carry, right?

But those trials are only for a short time. And then comes the joy.

Thanks, God, for encouraging us on the way, as we go through our tough times.