12 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; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Peter 4:12-17 (NASB) (Read verses 15-17 on the site)
In yesterday’s post, Born of the will of God, I shared the experience of a trying day with someone who hated our faith and wanted to do everything possible to discourage us and attack everything we hold dear about what God has given us in Christ. This morning I was reading a friend’s blog and discovered that he had gone through almost the same experience that day as well. He and I agreed that God was obviously working in us for His purposes yesterday. Several days ago a missionary was killed trying to reach an isolated people on an island in the Indian Ocean. There is a lot of controversy about this. Some are saying he was not a real missionary. Some are defending him. Some of the most vicious attacks are coming from within the ‘visible church.” …