TRIALS
MATURE BELIEVERS
Third
of three devotions in Crown of Life
series
1
Peter 1:6-7: “In this, [who by faith are
shielded by God’s power until the coming of salvation] you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have to have suffered grief in all kinds
of trials. These have come so that your
faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by
fire—may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus
Christ is revealed.”
The last devotion, Joy
in Trials, taught that we had better learn from trials, or else they keep
coming. Trials are God’s method of
testing our faith. When done, Believers
will be “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4). That’s why the Father made Jesus endure
trials. Jesus suffered so much:
Satan tempted Jesus in the desert. Jesus was mocked in His home town, and
plotted against by religious leaders as he preached about the kingdom of God. He was betrayed by a close friend, and was
also denied by another close friend.
Jesus was arrested, unfairly tried, deserted by disciples, sentenced to
death and THEN beaten to within one inch of His life. His eyes strained heavenward— thankful that He’d
be with the Father soon—as He was nailed to a cross!
He persevered.
He proved that His faith is genuine.
He said truthfully, “It is
finished.”
Believers are comforted to know that God only allows
trials specific to our good—our growth.
No other way could we be made “mature and complete—lacking nothing.” That’s where joy comes in. Knowing that God is making us mature and
complete puffs up Believers with contented satisfaction, feeling His love deep
within.
Take
Home Nugget
Every time Believers pass one trial, another
opportunity pops up to spiritually grow us to a higher level. James 1:12 congratulates Believers, “Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he
will receive the crown of life that
God has promised to those who love Him.”
Emphasis mine.
That was the point of this devotional series. Everyone likes to strive toward
something. Something concrete. To be blessed after persevering yields
satisfaction with results. We know that
we used to yell and scream—angry and throwing tantrums—rather than praying for
God’s guidance when facing another
life trial.
Empower me not to give into circumstances
that defeat me. Help me to endure trials
that develop me, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Adapted from “Matured by Trials.” Dr. Tony Evans. April 19, 2016. The Urban Alternative at LightSource.com or
OnePlace.com.
J.D. Griffith
Click
here for Interactive-Online-Lesson for Trials
Mature Believers
Most Recent
eBook by J.D. Griffith:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment