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 you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed because of the Spirit of glory and God rests on you.  1 Peter 4:12-14 HCSB

I don’t know about you, but I was a mediocre student.  I remember my mom telling me once in high school that if I would just study a little bit that I could probably make straight A’s instead of A’s, B’s and C’s.  Of course, that would have interfered with my social life, so I was content with a good healthy mix of grades.  I was never good at math, so I must admit that I was content with a C in math.

In school we had teachers that liked to give pop quizzes.  This tests your knowledge of the matter and they just pop up when least expected.  With a teacher that gave pop quizzes, we knew to stay up on the subject and pay attention in class so that when the quiz was given, we could make a decent grade.  Even if you don’t know when they are coming, you know they are coming, right? With tests we are normally given plenty of notice.  When we take really big tests like the ACT or the Bar exam or state board exams for licensure for our occupation, we study, right? We need to prove that we know and understand the material.

Many tests come with a scoring range with a certain score being exceptional and mediocre level that falls mid range or a lower score that is failing. But what concerns me most is a pass or fail test. It shouldn’t, right? I mean a test with a scoring range is also pass or fail, but it gives you a range.  A pass or fail test just seems so much scarier to me. Well, you see when we are given these fiery trials that Peter mentions in our scripture passage today, they are pass or fail.  When Christians are tested, it is sort of like pregnancy tests.  Either you are or you are not.  As a Christian, when you are tested, you will either behave like a Christian and behave in the way that Christ modelled for us, or you will behave in the flesh and be a bitter disappointment to our Lord and Savior.

When we turn to Christ and surrender to Him, we are made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This should be evident in our actions and the way we handle problems.  Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us that all bitterness, anger and wrath should be removed from us along with all malice. We should be kind, compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. It’s so easy to be the sweetest little so and so around when things are going our way. But when we face those fiery trials, then we are put to the test.

The test is pass or fail.  There are no B’s, C’s, or D’s. You either have the Holy Spirit residing in you, or you don’t.  Just as our scripture passage today tells us, we should not be surprised when we go through trials and tribulations.  We know that we are going to be tested. It’s a part of life. When we step out for God, you can count on two things. The devil is going to tempt you and God is going to test you.  The only question is, will you pass or fail?

The tests that come upon us as Christians are not unlike the tests that we take in school.  They are designed to test our knowledge of the subject or our performance. We gain knowledge through God’s Holy word.  I assure you that there is no problem you will face that you can’t find scripture for.  And if you want to pass the performance test, you need to fill your heart with the Holy Spirit.

The beautiful things about the tests that God puts us through is that they are open book. If we just read our bibles and study His word and follow His commands, we will do just fine.  The other great thing is He is right there to help you.  We can and should give it all over to Him.  When we know that He’s got it. We do much better.

If you are going through a trying time, just stick close to God. He’s got this.  He will not let you down.  If you fail the test, it doesn’t mean that you will lose your salvation.  We are humans and we sometimes slip up.  But, you could put a stumbling block up for someone who is not a Christian.  Our pastor often says that we may be the only bible some people will ever read.  When they read you or they seeing a good study guide or a failure?

My prayer for you today is that you pass every test that comes your way with flying colors.  Stay in the study guide and model yourself after the Teacher and you cannot fail.

Have a great day!