JOY IN TRIALS

By Rick Mathes

James 1:2 (NASB77) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

Satan tempts and Jesus tries your resolve. So it is my understanding of the Word that believers are not tempted, they are under trial by the Lord. He’s letting the devil have a go at you but within the limitations He places as He did with Job to prove you can press on toward your goal of holiness. This life experience is our only time to make choices for the devil or for the Lord because in heaven there will only be Jesus to say yes to and not devil to say no to. So now is the time to earn your stripes and rise in rank in the new world where only Jesus will be King.

Our Lord has very real and constructive reasons for putting His chosen through trials or persecution and testing.

Michael Angelo was once asked, “How did you make such a masterpiece and perfect representation of David in marble, so flawless from that ugly discarded block of stone?” He replied, “I simply chipped away that parts that weren’t him.”

So it is with Jesus. It takes a real tested discipline for us to cheerfully and with joy go through these trials for Him. Each chip he makes in us makes us go “ouch”, it hurts to shed the natural and return to our first nature as Adam had in the Garden before the fall.

When Jesus allows the devil to annoy us with an obstacle to our faith or persistence it really is a training or conditioning to prepare us to prevent a sin or worse. We learn to see the punch coming and how to counter it. A small trial can prevent a large sin.

What are the believers’ most distinguishing characteristics? We believe the Word and obey its commands: believe and obey. It only takes one bloody nose for not ducking to teach us to obey the coach and duck from the next hammering blow. The consequence of not obeying a small request from our Lord may help us avaoid the fatality of a strongly worded demand from the Holy Spirit.

Lastly and probably more important than studying the lesson is experiencing it. I learn more from my mistakes than I have from my successes. This is why there is joys in trials. You know they were from Him to strengthen our love and obedience to Him. Thank you Jesus for the trial!