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Pastor Delaine's Weekly Email - May 13, 2026
Greetings! In his first letter, Peter put two things side by side that just don’t seem to go together: joy and trials. It was a necessary conversation because the ones who received his letter were going through rough times and were probably feeling discouraged. This is what he wrote to them: So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 1 Peter 1:6 NLT We could wonder if Peter really meant Christians should be “truly glad.” The word he chose meant to feel extreme happiness, elation and overwhelming joy. And it was rejoicing that was often verbalized and even expressed in dancing for joy. We could wonder if Peter really meant Christians “must endure many trials.” His words spoke of the heaviness and distress that living in a fallen world forces all of us to face and live through. The word “many” described these trials as every kind of distress and difficulty imaginable. So how could Peter put extreme happiness and disturbing trials of every kind side by side? The secret is found in where he encouraged us to focus. Peter knew that “there is wonderful joy ahead” and that trials are “for a little while.” His encouragement is that heaven is just around the corner and that eternity will make a few years of earthly difficulties seem like nothing in comparison. In the past, we may have viewed our trials as only painful. Peter reminds us that we can go through trials and experience joy at the same time. We need only dwell on the reality that our lives on this fallen, pain-filled planet are short and our time in God’s pain-free heaven will last forever. Blessings! Delaine |
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