.jpg)
At times, there may be a bit of confusion to the growing Christian who has committed his ways and life to the Lord. He begins by seeing the wonderful works of the Holy Spirit in his life. He is filled with tremendous joy as God reveals the beauty and magnitude of His love. What a glorious sight to behold as the miracle of life in Christ unfolds. Day by day, he renews his mind with the Word of Truth, grows in faith and is transformed in his heart in the ways of the Lord.
Then one day, and it must come in all our spiritual lives, that faith will be tested. Someone once said, “To Satan it is temptation, to us it is tribulation, to God it is the trying of our faith.” However we label it, the certainty of it is very real, and the results are of tremendous benefit…if we will endure to the end of our race.
Jesus encourages us in Luke 14:25-33 to consider the cost of being His disciple. We were never promised that the path that He leads us on will be an easy one. There is a cross to bear, the world to forsake, and a price to be paid. Jesus tells us in verse 33 that we must forsake EVERYTHING to be His disciple, and John 12:25 says, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” But He does not require this sacrifice of self and the world without the promise of great reward. It is this knowledge that gives us the power to glory in tribulation and to give thanks in everything. May we lay hold of this promise and receive the necessary strength from God to endure.
In the words of Job 23:10, “But He knows the way
that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”
And Isaiah prophesied this
promise from the Lord to Israel (Isaiah 43:1-2):
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Friends, we can rest assured that our Heavenly Father has not forsaken us, and He promises that He will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear, and will always, always, with the temptation, provide a way of escape. (1 Cor.10:13), so even during times of hardships, God is faithful to His chosen ones.
Though we may know and depend on the fact that God is with us in tribulation, we must also realize that tribulation serves a purpose in our spiritual growth. James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” And in 1 Peter 5:10, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” God desires a perfect Church, a strong people, rich in faith, established in truth and victorious in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to be aware that
the cross we are called to bear is not an easy one…there will be persecution
and tribulation in our lives. But as we experience the grace of God, as He
provides His strength in our weakness, when the temptation has passed, we can
realize that God’s Word and His work of righteousness has been fulfilled in us.
“Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time,” (1 Peter 5:6) Our reward?? As spoken in our scripture
text, “he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him.” It is worth any price we need to pay, and that price is
endurance. We must endure to the end. Sometimes it may mean that we may need to
act, but many times it means just holding on, hoping, believing trusting and
waiting patiently on the Lord. For Jesus is the One Who said, “I will never leave
you nor forsake you.” Glory to God!!
No comments:
Post a Comment