Knowing God through His Word … Day by Day

The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. —Deuteronomy 13:3-4

• In our passage for today, we see that God tests His people.  Are there other passages in the Bible where we see testing?
• In Job 1:7-8 God gave Satan permission to test his servant Job, who was “a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
• When God appeared on Mount Sinai in the midst of the thunder and lightning, the people were terrified. Moses said to the people,
  

  “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Exodus 20:20).

• The prophet Isaiah spoke to a sinning Israel on behalf of God (48:10)

“Behold I have refined you, but not as silver;

• I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

• In the New Testament, we hear encouragement to test ourselves at times:

• “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

  “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ….” (1 Peter 1:6-7).