Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living from Wordaction of The Global Church of the Nazarene Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States "Don't Be Surprised" by Harold Wedel for Sunday, 24 July 2016 with Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living from Wordaction of The Global Church of the Nazarene Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States "Don't Be Surprised" by Harold Wedel for Sunday, 24 July 2016 with Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19
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"Don't Be Surprised" by Harold Wedel
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, don’t regard as strange the fiery ordeal occurring among you to test you, as if something extraordinary were happening to you. 13 Rather, to the extent that you share the fellowship of the Messiah’s sufferings, rejoice; so that you will rejoice even more when his Sh’khinah is revealed. 14 If you are being insulted because you bear the name of the Messiah, how blessed you are! For the Spirit of the Sh’khinah, that is, the Spirit of God, is resting on you! 15 Let none of you suffer for being a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler in other people’s affairs. 16 But if anyone suffers for being Messianic, let him not be ashamed; but let him bring glory to God by the way he bears this name. 17 For the time has come for the judgment to begin. It begins with the household of God; and if it starts with us, what will the outcome be for those who are disobeying God’s Good News? —
18 “If the righteous is barely delivered,
where will the ungodly and sinful end up?”[1 Peter 4:18 Proverbs 11:31]
19 So let those who are suffering according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator by continuing to do what is good.
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Hymn for Today: "He Never Has Failed Me Yet" by W. J. Henry 
1. When I travel the pathway so rugged and steep,
When I pass through the valley so dark and so deep,
And when snares for my soul by my foes have been set,
Jesus never has failed me yet.
Refrain:
He never has failed me yet.
He never has failed me yet.
I have proven Him true; What He says He will do.

He never has failed me yet.
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Most of us hated pop quizzes in school. On the spur of the moment, when the teacher would announce to put everything away, sheer panic would set in! Rest assured, if you are trying to walk righteously before the Lord, you are also being “pop-tested!” In fact, the deeper your walk with Christ, the more intense your testing will be. For without testing, there would be no way for our faith to be refined, to be strengthened, or to be proved genuine.
People seem to be caught by surprise when tested, because many of us still believe somehow we should not have any trials as followers of Christ. The purpose of these tests are for us to see our deficiencies and then work on our faith-weaknesses with God’s help.
In times of trial, it may often seem to us that no one else sees or understands our pain or difficulties, but we must remember that God knows whose hearts have been touched by our noble conduct under pressure. God uses these trials to help us and others. It is true that bad things do happen to good people, so when they do, "don't be surprised."
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Thought of the Day: 1 Peter 3:15 but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts;[1 Peter 3:15 Isaiah 8:12-13] while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you — yet with humility and fear,
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Please Pray: For the development of Christian leaders Nigeria.
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