Testing and Direction

Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as your share in the suffering of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 1 Peter 4:12,13

Peter is again back on the theme of suffering, as Christ's representatives and sharers in His sufferings.

We cannot expect an easy life of obscurity, for a Christian is a light on a hill, a lamp in a house. We have a message. Jesus Himself was not received by His people, why then do we complain when rejected?

Fiery ordeals come upon us to test us. What needs testing? Our faith, our confession, our beliefs, our attitudes, our works. If we are not tested we don't know what we know and what we don't know. When we discovers these truths we can change direction or be encouraged to keep going.

I undertook a unit of study over the last three months. It has proven to severely stretch me. I am doing it because I want to go in a certain direction. There is one particular section that I failed in my last test and am redoing on Friday. To ensure I pass well I am taking some tutoring.

Life can be like that. Testing shows us where we lack or where we need help. Rejoice when this happens because you may find you need others and form new relationships. You need others more than you think. Amen!