[Wednesday's Devotional] - Testing of Our Faith

Testing of Our Faith Sufferings of the believer are some of the things we do not like to hear about let alone experience. It's mainly painful when we pray all the prayers we know and try all we can do but God appears to be very silent. If you are going through such experiences, here are some words of encouragement. These are from Peter, who walked, ate, laughed and talked with Jesus every day for 3 years. He says: "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7 [NIV] Firstly, its encouraging to note that at the end of the suffering, Jesus Christ is going to appear with a reward, answer or miracle that will cause His name to be praised, glorified and honoured by all who are going to witness what He will have done. I think most of us do not like being told, do not do this or that or do this and that without being told the reasons why. The above verses from Peter are very clear that there is a purpose in our sufferings and trials and there is also a time frame. God is interested in measuring the genuineness of our faith, which is far greater in value than the most precious mineral - gold. Remember how Abraham suffered the test of being asked by God to take his only son to a place in the mountains and kill him as a sacrifice to God. Remember how God stopped him, just at the moment Abraham was about to do it in obedience? Remember how God vindicated Job by giving him a double of everything he lost during his season of trials that stripped him of all his possessions? Remember how God exalted Jesus above every other name, after he died a shameful death yet he was innocent? In Numbers we read of these promises: "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19 [NIV]   Farai Mutsambiwa   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!