Pastor's Pen Pulpit
October 27, 2002

"YOUR FIERY TRIAL"
I Peter 4:12,13

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 . . .

How many fiery trials have you passed through in the past year?  How does the child of God handle fiery ordeals or unpleasant situations?  The passage before us gives us some challenges.

1. EXPECT fiery ordeals.  Because of your relationship with Jesus Christ, you can expect that the road will be tough at times, that things will come along to disrupt your well-laid plans.  Peter tells us not to be surprised when these challenges pop up.  Don't think something strange has happened to you.

Do we often "go to pieces" when something unusual comes our way?  Why? Because we don't expect it.  We have our lives all planned out. Sometimes we forget Who we belong to. 

I'm coming through the most disruptive ordeal I've ever had in my life, my stroke of almost 3-1/2 years ago.  It came to me just last week - Hey, Covington!  You are identifying with Christ!  Not that He ever had a stroke when He was here on earth, but He experienced things much worse. So He knows full well what I'm going through.  Perhaps it's because I'm linked up with the Savior that I've experienced and am experiencing some
of the things that are a fallout of this stroke.

How about unbelievers in like situations?  They may learn how to cope, but they don't have the insight and hope that we as Christians have.  This brings us to our second point.

2. EXULT in your fiery ordeal. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exaltation.

Trials for believers carry a future benefit.  Peter says to rejoice to the degree you suffer.  Why?  The return of Christ in all His glory will cause our joy to be greatly magnified.  The greater the degree of suffering with the Lord Jesus, the greater will be the degree of our rejoicing with Him in His glory.  This is the way He has ordained it.

Beloved, what is your fiery trial?  What has your Savior called you to pass through?  Maybe you are in the midst of it right now.  I know several of you are going through very tough times.  Let's not be surprised at what we're going through.  Rather, let us exalt in knowing He is with us every step of the way and that, ultimately, our joy will be magnified when we see our precious Lord coming in all His glory.  God bless.

In His matchless love,