2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.—So when was the last time you fell on your knees and praised God for the adversity is your life? Or better yet, when was the last time you invited your friends over to help celebrate your broken heart, financial woes, marital troubles, or for any distress? Me? Well, umm, just yesterday…or probably more like never! Finding joy in adversity is not an easy thing to accomplish no matter how small the trial is. The word "temptations" here is better rendered testings. The Greek word πειρασμός is “peirasmos peirasmos From G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity:—temptation, X try.” These tests are appointed and ordained by God unto each and every one of His children. God is still using the freedom of choice that He gave to Adam and Eve. The ultimate power of success or failure is determined by nothing more than our choices. One of the best tests of Christian maturity is tribulation. When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess. Trials not only reveal our faith; they also develop our faith and Christian character. When it seems inopportune to choose the will of God, we choose to go into a trial. After a trial becomes manifested, it is nothing more than our decision to follow God or follow our sinful carnal nature that will determine the outcome of our testing. So how many times have you prolonged a trial by your choices? I can honestly say just about every time a trial comes I elongate it through my seriously flawed decision making. My oldest son was a marine. He had been in Iraq fighting in the war. He gave us a date that he was going to get to camp Lejeune. We weren’t financially able to pay for the trip to and from North Carolina. I felt God saying, “if you can’t afford it. Don’t do it,” I decided it was more important to see my son get off the bus than to obey God, so I took out a loan to cover the cost of the entire trip. Can you say, ‘That was stupid’….? To make a long story short; the vacation was horrible, my finances became even more horrible, and my debt kept on increasing as a result of my disobedience. As Christians; it is our responsibility to understand the gravity of having a free will. God does not use handcuffs and mallets in order to force us into obeying Him. He uses the same still small voice that He used to get Elijah’s attention. He still uses a love lead relationship. The fall of humanity was nothing more than a choice to disobey God. This decision has thus negatively affected the entire human race. If we choose to follow God, joy and happiness is attainable through the deepest valleys, the hottest trials, and the darkest nights. If we choose to dissipate the will and mercy of God, any little trial will become tragedy that will rob us of the pleasures of Christianity. As Christians, we usually know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to decision-making. Where we stand in our relationship with God often determines the decisions that we make. “17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) Apostle Paul wrote about the severity of decision-making and the consequences of poor decision-making in Romans 1:17-22 & 28-32, “17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Do you see where this is going? The Jews knew the law of God and chose to ignore its’ commandments. In doing so, they became the nation that is described above. “24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.” (Romans 2:24) When we are going through trials, it is imperative to realize that the lost world is observing, sometimes scrutinizing our every move. We are not beyond committing any of the above sins if we choose to ignore the Holy Spirit and everything that He has taught us. God has a perfect recipe for joy through any trial: start with love, add to love obedience, and fear. This is a simple recipe, but too many times, we fail to use these simple ingredients. I have walked in fellowship with God long enough to know when He says, “No!” I simply chose to disobey God, and my whole family has been living with the consequences of my financial sin. I am absolutely positive that my son would have been disappointed had we not been there to see him when he returned from war, but he wouldn’t have questioned whether or not we loved him. Another reason that God tries us is so that He might sanctify us unto Himself. Sanctification is the process of ridding our carnal nature and ourselves of the world and wholly dedicating ourselves to God. If this is not a daily process, IT SHOULD BE!! Romans chapter 12, verses 1&2 have this to say of the sanctification process: “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” “If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the darkness of a desponding deathbed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his native country? Then be worldly; be mixed up with Mammonites, and refuse to go without the camp bearing Christ’s reproach. But would you have a heaven below as well as a heaven above? Would you comprehend with all saints what are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge? Would you receive an abundant entrance into the joy of your Lord? Then come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing. Would you attain the full assurance of faith? You cannot gain it while you commune with sinners. Would you flame with vehement love? Your love will be damped by the drenching of godless society. You cannot become a great Christian-you may be a babe in grace, but you never can be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield yourself to the worldly maxims and modes of business of men of the world. It is ill for an heir of heaven to be a great friend with the heirs of hell. It has a bad look when a courtier is too intimate with his king’s enemies. Even small inconsistencies are dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine garments, and little frivolities and little rogueries will rob religion of a thousand joys. O professor, too little separated from sinners, you know not what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts the tendons of your strength, and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for your own comfort’s sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if you are a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.”(Charles Spurgeon) James says, “That the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Have you ever prayed for patience? If you pray for patience, you are praying for a trial from God. My friend, if you love the Lord with all of your heart you will learn patience through the trials that He brings upon you. Sometimes knowing that there is a reason for the trials in life is not sufficient to satisfy the soul. At times like this where you stand in your relationship with God will determine how you react to the trial that has brought you so low. All of the studying of Gods’ word, all of scripture that you can so eloquently quote, all the years of faithful living and church attendance has not kept you from this trial that has you flat on your face. Please remember this, my friend; God has been dealing with the problems of His creation since Adam and Eve. You my friend are one of His most precious creations, and He wants you to trust Him and be strengthened in Him. His ultimate goal is to bring you into a closer relationship with Him. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” At what value does God esteem us? In His eyes, we exceed in value more than gold, platinum or anything that we deem precious. If we could only grasp the sufferings of Christ, the anguish both mentally and physically that He endured while living and dying for us, we might better contemplate His love and purpose for us in the midst of our darkest trials. If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” In addition, we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian(to some extent) is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his or her own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace that should be characteristic of the children of God. Trials, though difficult to endure, define what we as followers of Christ are made of. Audio Adrenaline sings a song called ‘good life’-- I’ve watched my dreams all fade away and blister in the sun. Everything I’ve ever had’s unraveled and undone. I’ve sat upon the worthless stack of my ambitious plans. The people that I’ve loved the most have turned their backs and ran. CHORUS: This is the good life, I‘ve lost everything I could ever want ever dream of. This is the good life. I found everything I could ever need here in Your arms.—Loneliness has left me searching for someone to love. Poverty has changed my view of what true riches are. Sorrow’s opened up my eyes to see what real joy is. Pain has been the catalyst to my hearts’ happiness. Repeat chorus: What good would it be if you had everything, but what you didn’t have is the only thing you need? Repeat chorus:--It is absolutely possible to have joy while suffering through a trial. It is not easy, but it is possible.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:33:46 +0000
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