Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth in to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though for now you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth that gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though 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, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

These verse in 1 Peter 1 are among some of the most precious for me and I think they teach us a great deal about joy.

First – We find joy in things to come. It’s the eternal perspective again. The opening verses talk of a living hope, an inheritance kept in heaven for you and salvation to be revealed in the last days. It is in these things that we greatly rejoice! Even while we suffer now.

Second – Again… our sufferings are not worthless or pointless. It is by trials that our faith is not only refined but proven to be true. This is why we rejoice even in the midst of these trials.

Thirdly – The extent of the joy we have because of Jesus is endless. Inexpressible and Glorious! We are filled with this joy NOW, because we are receiving the salvation prophets spoke of (vs 10) and that angels long to look into to (vs 12).