Being Tested

Scripture Reading

1 Peter 4:12-19   

    "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you: but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.

     If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

     By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.

     For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

     And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the Goddess man and the sinner?  Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

What's the Big Idea??

"My friends, do not be surprised at the painful thing you are now suffering. These are testing your faith."

(1 Peter 4:12)

 Think of it this way:

 Have any of you ever thought just how important metal is to us? We use it all the time, but we hardly ever think about what a wonderful thing it is to have and to be able to use. There are all different kinds of metal, too. Some are harder than others for one thing.

  If we wanted to make an oven like what your parents use to cook in, would we make it out of ice cubes, wood, or cloth? Of course not, We would make it out of metal, wouldn't we?

But we couldn't use just any metal because some metals melt when they get as hot as it sometimes gets in an oven. So we would have to test the metal we were going to use before we made it into an oven.

In a way, God sometimes tests us as we see metal gets tested. He wants to use us for very important things, and He wants to give us many things to use for His glory. But before He does, he tests us to make sure we can handle it. It's not much fun to be tested. Sometimes it really hurts. But if we stand up under the test and continue to love and obey God, sooner or later, He will use us to do some really wonderful things.