James 1:3 “Trials test our faith…” Do any of us like tests? Especially tests that come unexpectantly. I remember in school, sitting at my desk talking to my friends when I would hear the teacher say, “Remove your things from your desk as we are having a pop quiz! We all moaned, all except the gooddoers, the brainiacs of the class. That of course was not me. Worse than a pop quiz is forgetting you had a test to take. Once in high school, I was sitting in geometry class, talking to a friend when Mr. Glenn said, “Okay class remove everything from your desk except your pencil.” I looked at him with a face of confusion and asked, “Why?” He responded with, “Bonnie you have your final exam today.” Ugh, I had totally forgotten about the exam that day, I obviously had better things to do the night before than study for an exam!
Yes, one could say, I do not like tests of any kind, a pop quiz or a planned but forgotten exam. I do not know how lawyers can bear to take the bar! Talk about stress. What I dislike even more is failing a test.
I unfortunately have failed a test a time or two. It never feels good. In school, we must pass the tests if we intend to graduate from school for good. Think about how many tests you have taken while in school. The number of tests taken in school is like the amount of candy that falls out of a pinta. I prefer to have the candy; it is much sweeter.
Life gives us multiple tests in our lifetime. Some years you hardly receive any tests and then other years you feel like you are drowning in trials. Unlike the tests taken in school, life trials come unannounced and when we are ill-prepared. These trials are unwanted and seem to serve no purpose but to make our lives miserable.
James 1:3 tells us these tests are necessary, as they test our faith. God tests our faith not for his knowledge, but for us to see how weak or how strong our faith is. To encourage us to change. Yes, I said it- change. We are never too old to change and to become more like Christ. That is the goal of the trial.
Lexham’s commentary says “the Old Testament is grounded in the idea of God testing the heart, the mind, the conscience and the thoughts to disclose their inner quality. Testing is also for a divine purpose of preventing His people from sinning and encouraging them to follow God’s law, keep His commandments, to love Yahweh and to obey him.” Testing in the New Testament is the same but also considered when people are enticing one to sin.
Unlike taking a test in school, during our trials we do have a cheat sheet – the Bible. When in a trial you do not have to wing it. You do not have to wonder about the solution to the problem. All you need to do is to study His word – then do it. The Holy Spirit will guide you to what God wants you to know and how to respond in this trial of yours.
In life, we continue to be tested, even after we graduate from school. We go from the world’s schooling to God’s school. In God’s school, one graduates to the next grade (or level) when you have learned the lesson God is trying to teach you during your trial. Going from Glory to Glory. 2 Cor. 3:18 “..being transformed into the His image from glory to glory…” In school, you would
learn a lesson, study that lesson then take a test to see if you learned the lesson correctly. God does the same with us.
In school, the teacher knew we needed to take the tests to show us what we did and did not know. God is our teacher now. You have been a good student for a few years, now God believes you are strong enough to take a test. He believes in you as do I. Do not fret, do not try to get out of it, for He will not let you. Instead, face it head-on. Study the word and pray then the answers to your test will be revealed. These answers are much sweeter than candy from a piñata.
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Joy & Happiness? I have. We tend to use these terms interchangeably without much thought. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary distinguishes the two by stating that “happiness is a temporary emotion of excitement or exhilaration that is sparked by a particular moment or event. Joy, on the other hand, is a state of being that is more long-lasting. Joy is often characterized by contentment and satisfaction with life overall.”
They seem similar but are different. We see and experience happiness all the time in our daily life. You see it on the smiling faces of children eating ice cream on a hot summer day. We experience it when our child passes a difficult exam or when a friend calls unexpectedly just when you need a friend to talk to. Our hearts skip a beat and a smile unexpectantly crosses our faces. We may even say ‘Oh what joy that was!’
But that smile and feeling quickly fades and you are soon on to the next thing. There is nothing wrong with happiness or wanting to be happy, but is it something we should strive for in our lives? Will it heal a broken heart? Will it allow you to move forward after a tragedy or unwanted event happens in your life? Does it reflect your character or Christ in you?
James 1: 1 says “Consider it Pure JOY, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds” What? How can I do that? I have heard people, including myself, say how can I be happy when such and such happened? James does not say be happy, as in “Don’t Worry Be Happy” song by Brian McFerrin. He says consider it pure joy. Okay, but how do we put that into action? If we go back to the definition, it says it is a state of being, or stated another way, a different state of mind. Instead of using our old stinking thinking, we must search and meditate on God and His word for His thinking on how we are to respond. Examples: 1Thess 15:16 says “…. rejoice, pray, and give thanks in ALL circumstances, this is the will of God for your life.” Matt 5:44” …love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.” Eph 4:31-31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
These are just a few of many verses found in the word of God on how to respond when faced with an unwanted problem, trial, or trauma in our life. Phew, not easy, is it?
I came across the biblical definition of joy, which I believe puts it all together as to why we are to behave as Christ did (hint as stated above) in trials of various kinds. The biblical definition of joy says that “joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His word.”
Wow, what a distinct perspective. Instead of abiding in self-pity, anger, or hopelessness, we are to abide in God’s presence. Have hope and faith in His word. If we genuinely believed what God’s word says we would put His words (noted in the verses above) into action during our trials. We would seek God’s help in having forgiveness in our hearts instead of anger and hate. We would do something good to the person who purposefully caused us pain. I know it is not easy. But God must know something that our human nature does not.
Know that your joy is dependent not on your circumstances but on WHO Jesus is! When we can flip that switch, we will then be content and filled with HIS JOY.
Question: Will you find Joy by trusting Jesus and the Word of God or trust your feelings looking for happiness? The choice is yours.
In the book of Job, we can see that satan uses the same tactics today on Christians as he did on Job. He attacks our children, our job, home, car, our health, etc. Why? To get us to lose our faith and trust in God. It seems to be working in America where we love our comfort. Too many of us are choosing the world over God. But you are stronger than the world’s pull. Let Job encourage you. What you are facing is difficult and challenging but God is still there in complete control even when everything is falling apart in your life. He loves you and is trusting you to show satan that you love God and will serve Him, no matter what terrible circumstances come your way.
Be strong and courageous for your God is with you no matter where you are or what satan is doing to you. God is in control! Satan can only do what God allows. Stand strong and when you have done all you can, stand with God.
After today’s reading in Esther, God whispered a truth to me. Do not compare, envy or judge. When tragedy befalls us it’s not always because you did something wrong and sometimes when good things happen it doesn’t mean you are terrific. Moses and David killed a man and God greatly used them for His Glory. The Bible says Job was a man of complete integrity, blameless, fears God and stays away from Evil. Yet 4 devastating events happened to him all at once. He Lost all of his children! How he went on from there is a lesson for all us, he placed all his trust in God. His faith was in God and nothing else. He questioned as we do, but in the end no answer of why it happened was sufficient. The only thing that mattered was that he continued to worship and serve God after he lost it all.
Faith is all we need. In the end, when we die that is all we can take with us and the only thing that will matter.
I was thinking on Esther 5;12-14. Haman is bragging on all His blessings, great job, promotion, money, prestige, lots of children. Many things to be grateful for. The envy of many, BUT.. he was not content. He said all of it was useless as long as one person-Mordecai did not bow to him, for he was not in fear of him. ! It convicted me, we are truly blessed in America compared to so many other countries, yet we complain about not having enough money, our home, job etc. not being grateful and content with what God has provided us and blessed us with. Shame on us, that one elusive thing we chase may be what finally hangs us.
Thank you, Lord, for all the good and bad in my life. I know it all works for my good and your glory if I serve you and love you first.
As I pondered on God’s response to Job and his friends, it occurred to me how vital it is that when we speak of God to others and to ourselves, that we only ever speak truth accurately. God said he was angry with them because they did not speak accurately about Him. Reminds me of Mt 12:6 “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” Today people speak foolishness on social media, let us choose our words wisely. Only speak truth and light. Especially when speaking of God to others. How damaging our words can be, especially to those who are suffering. Paul said Colossians 4:6 – “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
