Scripture to Read: 1 Peter 4:17
As God used Peter to write His Words in 1 Peter 4:17, God specifically says that judgment is inevitable for His children. What God was saying to the first believers who received this letter from Peter and what He is saying to us is that the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s children. So, the fire/judgment/trials/tests we endure now, God uses to purify us. Just like gold and silver and other precious metals are purified through intense fire, so we too are purified by our Lord through the fierce, fiery trials in this life. For example, as silver is heated to high temperatures, the impurities float to the top and those impurities are skimmed off and cast aside. The silversmith knows when the silver is pure, for it is pure when he can see his reflection in the silver, like a mirror. God takes us through fiery trials so that the impurities in our lives are cast aside, and we reflect our Lord’s image through our lives. But the fire that the ungodly will go through will be an everlasting punishment and a fire that is never quenched. Remember, God told us in 1 Peter 4:12 not to be surprised by our fiery trials and since we know what they’re used for, those trials give us another reason to rejoice in our Lord. So, when God lovingly disciplines us (Hebrews 12:5–11), it is not used for punishment but purification. But the ungodly will face their fire later, and their punishment will be forever.
Challenge & Application
· How will you look at the fiery trials in this life differently after what God taught you today?
· Who will you share Christ with this week knowing that the fire they will face without Christ is forever?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!