Hello, it's me again!  But of course you already know that since this is my blog. I should have a guest writer sometime to switch it up on you.  I'm sure he/she would prove to be much more interesting than me anyway.  I'll look into that :) But for now, I hope anyone and everyone who reads this post had a fantastic weekend!  I for one had a great weekend in Branson with my hubby and our dear friends, Andrew and Page.  We ate, shopped, ate, rode amusement park rides, ate... you get the idea. It was such a blast, but boy am I tired right now. I can't complain though, because overall I'm doing pretty good, as long as I don't think about a rapidly approaching momentous event called 'my 30th birthday.'  To be honest, I have been dreading it for quite some time, and now it is almost here. But there is good news! I have figured out a way to literally numb the pain of turning 30.  You do what I'm going to do, you have surgery on your birthday!  I know you may not initially think this sounds like an awesome idea, but consider this... I will be knocked out for part of the day in a deep slumber and when I wake up I will be on pain pills with my hubby as my own personal nurse taking care of me.  Also, I don't have to cook for like a week! That in itself is stinkin awesome! Doesn't sound too bad after all, does it?  Maybe in my medication induced euphoria I won't even realize I turned 30.  If by chance I do realize it.... maybe I won't care! That's what I'm hoping for. Trying to look on the bright side, folks!  But on a more serious note, as much as I would love for that to be the case, I am smart enough to know that eventually my little dream world will wear off and my hubby will go back to work and I will have to face the painful reality...  I'm 30 and still not pregnant.  Thats a tough one, because I have always had this unspoken timeline deep in my mind..."at least if I'm pregnant by the time I'm 30."  But thats not how God works. He doesn't go by our schedules and deadlines.  He is not limited by our ideas about how long we are fertile and at what point our eggs are too old.  Look at Sarah, look at Elizabeth.  There is still hope for me.  

Like my 30th birthday, this surgery has been out ahead of us for a while now and we have known it was probably coming.  With each passing month of negative pregnancy tests, it kept creeping closer and closer and becoming more and more likely. Now the time has come where we feel like it needs to happen and we should just get it over with. So on Wednesday, July 30th at 1 p.m., I will be having an 'exploratory laparoscopy' to rule out endometriosis.  I will likely have 2 small incisions on my lower abdomen and 1 in my belly button.  My abdominal cavity will be inflated with gas to push the wall of my abdomen away from the organs, which will allow my doctor to see everything more clearly. If he finds areas of endometriosis, they will be removed either my cutting or by a laser.  I will also be having another procedure done at the same time called 'ovarian drilling.'  Sounds awful, I know.  This is where tiny holes will be drilled all over my ovaries to drain out the PCOS cysts that I have.  My right ovary is especially prone to these.  It currently looks like a bunch of grapes.  The goal after drilling is that the ovaries will then function better, produce good eggs, promote hormonal balance, etc.  The recovery from all of this is expected to be around a week, with the first couple of days being the worst.  I am hopeful that I will have a quick recovery and be back on my feet in no time!  

Corey and I are both anxious to know what this surgery will show. We can't help but think there is more going on in there than we know.  I mean I already have PCOS, so why not throw in some endometriosis, too?? (she says very sarcastically)!!! It has been 16 months since I was pregnant last and we have been doing everything medically possible to get there. With the exception of a few months here and there, everything has appeared ideal... but we still haven't conceived. So truthfully, we are just hoping for some answers and praying that if endometriosis is present, treating it will be the key to us finally getting and staying pregnant.  

As much as I am not looking forward to the surgery or the recovery, I do have an unusual sense of peace about it.  I know that is from God. It could only be from God.  We have been praying for His guidance and direction and feel He has led us to this point. I believe this is part of His plan and I pray it might be a part where He reveals some things to us.  Maybe it will be, maybe it won't. Either way, I will keep praising Him for who He is and for all He has done for undeserving little me.  I know without a doubt that He will be with me every second of the surgery day.  I know He will give wisdom to Dr. Hix and his team. I like to picture Him directing their hands.  I know He will calm any nerves Corey might have as he waits.  I have to keep reminding myself of everything I learned a few weeks ago about His faithfulness in our trials.  He is maturing me, sanctifying me and purifying me.  He is good and He is somehow working out good in my life through this.  And because of that, I know its going to be ok... even when I'm thirty.  

Tonight I am in one of 'those' moods.  You know, the kind of mood where you get this unusually hyper feeling in the evening and start cleaning everything in sight like a mad woman.  Don't disturb me, I'm in the zone. Yeah... one of those.

I used to be such a night owl!  Going to bed at midnight was early for me back in my college & post college days.  I remember always being wide awake super late at night back in college, even when I had to get up super early for nursing clinicals.  After I graduated, I worked night shift, so that in no way encouraged me to change my ways.  Once I got married, I still worked 7a.m. to 7 p.m., three days a week.  My hubby was in dental school at the time and had class or clinic all day every day during the week for the most part.  On the rare occasion he was not studying and I was not working, we got to be home together in the evening.  It did not matter how hard I tried not to, I used to get super energized around 9 or 10 p.m. and would clean like a mad woman, grocery shop, write letters/cards, paint my nails.... all sorts of fun stuff. It would drive Corey crazy that just as he was ready to go to bed, I would get a second wind. And if we went to bed at the same time, I would always want to have an in-depth, deep conversation and all he wanted was to go to sleep!  I don't know what happened, but about 2 years after we got married I suddenly started being ready for bed at like 9:30! I guess it's called getting old. Well, I suppose it probably also had a lot to do with the fact that for the first time in my life I was working an 8-5 schedule, 5 days a week rather than the graveyard shift on differing days every week. Suddenly my life was running on a way more normal schedule than anything I had known in a very long time. Corey was quite fond of my newfound evening sleepiness.  I think He was secretly praising God that I finally came around!

So earlier tonight, as I was taking the sheets off the bed to throw them in the wash machine, I got to thinking about how long it had been since I had vacuumed the mattress.  Like maybe once in the past 2 or 3 years.... maybe. It was time! So I went to grab the box of baking soda to sprinkle on there, and after I did, I decided to also sprinkle it all over our couches, down our garbage disposal and on the dog.  Yes that really happened. I'm thinking she might be a little traumatized, but she'll recover. At least she smells good!

So since my house is spotless, I am still wide awake and my hubby is in bed snoring (just like old times,) I decided I would sit down and tell you some of my favorite uses for baking soda!  This is my way of making the world a better place today.  Or at least a less smelly place.

1. Clean and deodorize your mattress and furniture:  Just sprinkle baking soda all over your mattress and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.  Then vacuum the entire mattress using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. This will remove dust mites, dead skin cells and odors.  Gross!  It is recommended that you do this every 6 months or every time you rotate your mattress. 

2. Clean your garbage disposal:  Run hot water for a minute.  Turn off water and dump 1/4 cup baking soda down the drain.  Wait 10-15 minutes.  Pour 1 cup of vinegar in the drain.  (It will bubble).  Then run hot water for a minute and turn on disposal for a few seconds.  So fresh and so clean!

3. Exfoliate your face and body:  I really love this one!  Dump some baking soda in a plastic container with a lid and put it in the shower.  Once or twice a week, put some baking soda in your hand and mix with a small amount of water to make a paste.  Scrub your face for 30 seconds and rinse off.  You will be amazed at how soft it feels!  Do the same thing with your whole body if you'd like to feel like you have baby skin.

4. Laundry: Add 1/2 cup to laundry loads to freshen and brighten.  Just put it right in with the clothes.  Still use detergent like normal as well.  This is especially good for towels and sheets, but can be used with anything. 

5. Clean fruits and veggies:  Sprinkle on fresh produce and rub to get all that dirt and gunk off before eating.

6. Deodorize the dog:  I have to say, tonight was the first time I tried this one and although I laughed hysterically while I was doing it, it really did work!  She was starting to smell like she could use a bath and it is not quite time yet.... but a little baking soda "shower" took care of that!  Just sprinkle on, rub all over and then brush.  Then please, by all means... give the poor dog a treat!! Here is poor little Mocha feeling embarassed after I put baking soda all over her.  Corey says he hopes I won't do the same to him next time he smells.  Don't put it past me, babe!  

7. Freshen carpet:  Sprinkle baking soda all over your carpets, let sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum.

8. Sweet or unsweet tea:  add a pinch of baking soda to the pitcher before adding the boiling water.  Let steep for 15 minutes. Add sugar if desired.  The baking soda makes the tea really smooth and takes away any bitterness or cloudiness because it neutralizes the tannins in the tea.  Who wants bitter, cloudy tea?  Ha ha.  But seriously.

9. Hamper:  sprinkle at the bottom of your hamper or on the clothes in the hamper to keep the hamper smelling fresh until laundry day.

10. Remove oil and products from hair:  Put shampoo in your hand and then add a small amount of baking soda to it and lather in your hair. Rinse out and your hair will feel amazing!

So there you have it folks... the reasons why I love what my husband calls 'white magic!' He likes to make fun of my love of cleaning & germaphobe ways.  One more thing, even though it doesn't include baking soda.  This is the all purpose cleaner I use and love.  Add 2/3 cup water, 2/3 vinegar, 2/3 cup alcohol and 3 drops dish soap to a spray bottle and shake.  I clean my kitchen counters with this almost daily.  It smells so fresh and lasts a long time.  Plus it is natural and non toxic, which I am really into lately.  On that note, I've been told I am turning into a 'hipster.'  This took me by surprise at first but the more I think about it, I guess it is probably true.  Fine by me! Sometimes I wonder how our Grandma's did it without all the fancy cleaners and cleaning tools we have these days.  I guess they just stuck with good ole' baking soda, vinegar and peroxide and got along just fine. I like keeping it as old school as possible.  It's cheaper, easier, safer and it makes me feel like Grandma.  I like that :)  But don't you dare try to take my Dyson.  That I will NOT give up!

Happy cleaning!!

The reason I decided to look closely at another verse is because I think it is powerful when we realize that the same theme is repeated over and over by different people throughout the Bible.... not just briefly mentioned and then never brought up again. Did you ever notice the theme running through David’s writings? He painted a picture of utter trial and turmoil in his life, yet maintained an internal compass that pointed to God. Most of us tend to look for happiness based on external circumstances in our lives, but David discovered a deeper joy grounded within. Most of us strive for happiness that’s external and temporary, but David teaches us to move towards a place of deeper well-being, where we develop trust and hope in God that extends beyond our external realities.  In the New Testament, Jesus had much to say about inevitable trials and suffering in our lives and how we should approach them.... as did Paul, James and now Peter (among others).  This topic is taught over and over in the Scriptures, so to me that means it is important! Of course everything in the Bible is important.... but you know what I mean. 

“In this you great rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not see you love.  Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:6-9

"In this you great rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials..." Peter teaches several important principles of trouble in this verse:

1. trouble does not last (a little while)
2. trouble serves a purpose (if need be)
3. trouble brings distress (you have been grieved)
4. trouble comes in various forms (various trials)
5. trouble should not diminish the Christian’s joy (greatly rejoice) 

This once again speaks of the kind of joy that comes from an unchanging, eternal relationship with God. Peter relates this joy to the assurance of one’s eternal inheritance and the assurance of one’s proven faith.  It is not dismissing the emotion of trials.  It is not saying that when trials come along, you shouldn't experience any sorrow or that you shouldn't be broken or wounded. Rather, its about viewing this trial through a different lens than the rest of the unbelieving world.  It's having a biblical view of your hardship in a way that doesn't allow you to conclude that the only result to what you can see and what you're going through is hopelessness and despair. Even though it hurts so bad, you can have joy (different than happiness) and hope in the midst of the pain because you know God is good and God is somehow working in your life for your benefit. God’s purpose in allowing trouble is to test the genuineness of one’s faith. The benefit of such testing or “fire” is for the Christian, not God. When a believer comes through a trial still trusting the Lord, he is assured that his faith is real.  

"...that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire...." After gold is mined, it is placed into a red hot furnace.  The purpose is not to destroy the gold; it is to purify the gold.  When the gold is melted, the dross (scum) is drawn off and you are left with pure gold.  When God tests us, He puts us into the furnace.  He does not do it to destroy or harm us, he does it to purify us.  That is what develops Christian character.  At the time of testing, the scum is drawn off and precious gold appears.  That’s God’s method. He is drawing us closer to Him.  There are no shortcuts to maturity.  The only thing that will bring us to true maturation is the trial of our faith which God sends us.  Trials do produce distress for a little while. They come like fire to burn off the dross. And that's the point. Not only do they reveal your faith, but they purify it. And what emerges is a faith that is more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire. When you get your faith tested, it comes out purer, more precious. And I will tell you, with that in your mind, you...instead of asking for God to protect you from trials, should ask Him to make sure He puts you through all the trials necessary to give you the confidence that your faith is real. Just think of the trials the apostles went through.  I mean Peter was facing crucifixion when he wrote these words for goodness sake!

"...may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ...." The revelation of Jesus Christ refers to His second coming, when He comes to call and reward His redeemed people.  At that time He will be unveiled and every eye will see and every heart will know that He is God.  That is when our suffering will end and we will be taken to heaven where there will be no sin, no death, no trials.  Until then, we are protected by a living hope, divine power, trials and eternal purpose. Look at verse 7.  We are headed for something big... "to be found in praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  Our faith is designed to survive to the end.  This is an amazing promise!We have a proven and tested faith that finds its fulfillment in the purpose and plan of God in the union with the Lord Jesus at His appearing, at which time we receive glory, praise and honor from God. Can you even imagine?  It goes right back to the reason we were saved in the beginning, we were chosen so that we would be brought to eternal glory.  We have a heavenly home. He's preparing a place for us. We're just passing through this world. We're not citizens here. 

"...whom having not see you love.  Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." We know this passage is talking to believers because you can’t love God without believing in Him. And only genuine faith causes one to love what he or she has not seen and enables one to rejoice through trials and ultimately receive the reward of salvation.  This goes against everything the world tells us.  If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, you have been given a faith that never perishes. You have been given a faith that is protected by the power of God, a faith that has a hope that never dies, a faith sustained by a divine power that can't be overthrown, a faith that is proven, tested, strengthened through trials, a faith that is designed for the fulfillment of eternal glory which was promised before the world began, a faith that contains within it an undying love for Christ. And the outcome of that faith will be the obtaining of the final salvation of your souls. Simply put, there is no escape from this reality. The result of this saving faith is your final salvation... and it will be yours because this faith will persevere and endure to the very end. That is the nature of this faith. It is nothing less than a permanent gift from God.  In one sense, Christians now possess the result of their faith, a constant deliverance from the power of sin and the gift of Holy Spirit as a "Helper" through this life. In another sense, we are waiting to receive the full salvation of eternal glory in the redemption of our bodies. In our day there is too much emphasis on the present life.  We are told that we must develop ourselves into whole individuals and if we are having trouble, something is wrong with our Christianity.  Instead of so much introspection we ought to be looking out towards our Great God and the marvelous inheritance He has waiting for us. We should stop this attempt of trying to improve our old nature through the power of the flesh. God is the only one in the business of improving us and His way of doing that is through various trials.  It is not at all popular to teach that God will grow and mature us through suffering, but it is true. We must remember that these trials are only temporary and always compare them in the light of eternity. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

Up until this point, most of the past 3+ years of this trial have been spent wallowing in sadness and self pity.  I have tended to lean more towards feeling like God had abandoned me or was punishing me than to feel like He was working out something good in my life and strengthening my faith.  I have felt more doubt than trust, more anger than joy.  I gave in to worldly perspectives and the lies of the enemy.  I am so thankful God revealed this information to me when He did!   Although it has been right in front of me all along, my heart was not ready to receive it until now.  I do not feel like this infertility journey will suddenly be easy, but I do feel like I am finally able to see it with an eternal, godly perspective.  I am able to understand that God is doing something in and through me in the midst of this.  He is maturing me, sanctifying me and He is hopefully somehow being glorified.  He has allowed me to go through this because He loves me.  In my eyes, that is the true meaning of "tough love."  Although I can't believe I am able to even to say this, I am thankful for this trial of infertility.  Without this heartbreaking experience, where would I be?  Without all the sleepless nights and tears and time on my knees in prayer, would I know that His grace truly is sufficient?  Would I have come to this place where what I finally want more than to be a Mom is to be a genuine child of God? This place where I finally get that it is Him who fills all of my empty places that I had been trying to fill with a baby? If I had been blessed with a baby easily and without any suffering, would I realize what a gift I had been given?  Would I take him/her for granted?  If my life the past 3 years had been comfortable and easy and everything had gone my way, I just don't know that I would have understood how much I need Him every second of every day. I know He has something amazing for me on the other side of this trial and this life. For believers, there is always the crown that follows the cross.   And that gives me so much hope. That gives me true joy!  

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  C.S. Lewis  

What is God shouting to you in the midst of your pain?  Please listen and let Him speak to your heart. You won't be sorry you did!  I pray that we will all learn to cling to God and His promises in our trials.  "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28  

I want to warn you that this post is pretty long.  I have put a lot of time into writing it and I really hope it will be worth your time reading it!

A few weeks ago I was doing my "breaking free" homework and Beth Moore gave an assignment. She said to search God's Word for Scriptures that speak the mind of God to your specific stronghold and then write these verses on notecards and read them over and over again frequently.  Well, I did that, and ever since then two of the verses have really challenged me.  I keep reading them and asking myself why I didn't find some easier verses!?! But I think I found just the verses God wanted me to find. According to Beth, a Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and Spirit-filled life God has planned for her. You see, the greatest area of captivity in my life right now is this trial of infertility for many different reasons.  It has been a tool the devil has used to breed bitterness and anger in my heart. Having a baby became an idol in my life without me even knowing it, and removed God from His rightful place as Lord of my life. This quest to have a child has also encouraged me to become very self-centered, has caused difficulty in my marriage and has strained other relationships in my life.  It has also been a financial and physical burden.  I could go on and on. No area of my life has been untouched by this trial.  

Because I have been thinking about these verses so much lately, I decided over the past week or so to do some research on what some of my favorite Bible teachers had to say about them in the commentaries. Please know that most of this wisdom is not mine, but that of John McArthur, J. Vernon McGee and Beth Moore.  I hope you will find the following information as helpful as I have.  I wanted to share it with you because I am realizing that this topic of "rejoicing in trials" is something I so desperately needed to learn about and I think this information can benefit all of us. The Bible pretty much guarantees that we will all face trials of some kind at some point in our lives.  It's not "if" but "when."  

Here is the first verse I would like to break down and study. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat that it withers the grass; its flower falls and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade in his pursuits.  Blessed is the man who endures trials; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:2-12

So we start off with the phrase, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials." The natural human response to trials is not to rejoice; therefore the believer must make a conscious commitment to face them with joy. The Bible teaches that happiness is fleeting because it depends on things outside of ourselves, such as circumstances or people, but true joy is eternal because it is based on our faith in Jesus Christ, which is itself an everlasting source of joy. Happiness is an emotion, joy is an attitude of the heart.  When happiness fades,  joy remains.  The enemy tries to steal our joy and replace it with temporary happiness.  Philippians 3:1 says "Rejoice in the Lord" and signifies the sphere in which the believer’s joy exists—a sphere unrelated to the circumstances of life, but related to an unchanging relationship to the Sovereign Lord.  The word trial means “a person, thing or situation that tests a person’s endurance or forbearance."  God brings such tests to prove— and increase— the strength and quality of one’s faith and demonstrate its validity.  God has a goal in mind, you can count on that.  Trials are meaningless, suffering is senseless, and testing is irrational unless there is some good purpose for them.  Here James is speaking not about a natural feeling you should have, but rather the attitude of your heart toward your trouble. When we are in the fires of adversity and tragedy, the attitude of faith should be that God has permitted it for a purpose and He has a high and lofty goal in view.  We can know that God is working something out in our lives. It does not necessarily mean we will understand the purpose God has in it. This is the test of faith.  We walk by faith and not by sight.  If the believer fails the test by wrongly responding, that test then becomes a temptation or a solicitation to evil.  In my case, I have spent a lot of time wrongly responding to this trial and it has caused bitterness, anger, pity, selfishness, a desire to "play God" and take matters into my own hands.  What God had been trying to use for a good purpose had become an area of sin in my life.  Often I have not chosen joyfulness, but sorrow and pity. When I do this, I am seeing this trial through the world's eyes and not God's eyes.

James says that the testing of your faith produces patience, (better translated endurance). Through tests, a Christian will learn to withstand the pressure of a trial until God removes it at His appointed time and even cherish the benefit.  Sometimes trials are sent to keep us humble.  Trials are painful, but purposeful.  See 2 Corinthians 7:10. God would not remove the thorn as Paul requested, but would continually supply him with grace to endure it.  The weaker the human instrument, the more clearly God’s grace shines forth.  Paul took no pleasure in the pain itself, but rejoiced in the power of Christ that is revealed through him. He was able to cherish the benefit of his trial.  

"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  The word perfect in the verse is not a reference to sinless perfection, but rather spiritual maturity.  The testing of faith drives believers to deeper communion and greater trust in Christ.  These are qualities that produce a stable, godly and righteous character. God gives us testing and trials to produce patience in our lives that we might become full-grown, mature children of God and not remain babes, immature in our faith.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Only divine wisdom enables believers to be joyous and submissive in the trials of life.  Asking of God is a necessary part of the believer’s prayer life.  God intends that trials will drive believers to greater dependency on Him, by showing them their own inadequacy. Being double minded denotes having one’s mind or soul divided between God and the world.  J. Vernon McGee speaks of how you can believe in God, but still not believe God.  He himself went many years not really believing God would get him through hard times in his life.  So often we turn a problem over to the Lord and believe Him, but the next day we do not believe Him. We decide that nothing has shown up by way of a solution, so we take matters into our own hands. That is a big mistake. If you are going to work out your problem for yourself, then God cannot work it out for you. I know I have done that time and time again.  I pray to God and I say the words with my mouth but does my heart completely believe without a shadow of doubt that He will deliver me?  Not always.  I hate to say that I often feel like a wave of the sea, tossed by the winds.  One day I am so confident in the Lord that I feel like I could walk on water and the next day I am drowning in my sorrows.  I don't want to live like that anymore. 

"Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat that it withers the grass; its flower falls and its beautiful appearance perishes.  So the rich man also will fade in his pursuits."  Trials make all believers equally dependent on God and bring them to the same level with each other by keeping them from becoming preoccupied with earthly things. Poor Christians and wealthy ones can both rejoice that God is no respecter of earthly material status and that they both have the privilege of being identified with Christ.  God wants to bring ALL those who are His own to full maturity as Christians and he has many tests for doing that.  He tests all His children to see if they are genuine, to weed out the phonies and the pseudo saints.  He also wants to give assurance to His children.  We should not regard our trials as evidence that we are not His children, but rather proof that we are.  J. Vernon McGee says, “My friend, if you are not having any trouble today, you should question your salvation; if you are having trouble, that is a good sign that you belong to Him."  Wow, thats a bold statement!  Take it in and digest it for a while because I think there is a lot of truth to it.  If you are a Christian, someone or something is always going to be testing you....whether it be God, the devil or the world.  

"Blessed is the man who endures trials; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The word blessed in reference to a person means, "made holy." Sanctification, the process of being made holy, takes place throughout the lives of believers.  If he has been approved or “passed the test” he has successfully and victoriously gone through his trials, indicating he is genuine because his faith has endured.  The crown of life is the believers ultimate reward, eternal life, which God has promised to him and will grant in full at death or at Christ’s coming.  Although everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him as Lord and Savior is saved, there will be degrees of rewards for believers based on how they lived here on earth.  I don’t know about you, but I’d like to have that crown, the crown which he offers to those who, after they have endured the testings of this life, love Him.  

To be continued next week with 1 Peter 1:6-9 and my closing thoughts.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!  :)