Trial, Why are You Surprised?

“¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” — 1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)

Being a Christian was never billed as being easy. In fact, as you study God’s Word, you will find that it was the same for all. All of those who follow Christ are put through the ringer of trials and persecution. As early as Adam and Eve who had it all, were tempted by the evil one. Moses was denied the promised land. Joseph was sold into slavery. Paul was imprisoned.

Even as they were put through the trials, they continued with the work of Christ. They did not let the trial be the end of them. They continued to fight for the work of Christ as they were well aware of the reward they would receive in heaven. I do believe to some degree there may have been some surprise as to the level of trial or test, yet I also believe that the surprise was short lived and they moved past it quickly and on to God’s work.

For me I have been tested and continue to be so. I am no longer surprised at the trials that come my way as a result of my work of Christ. I know that I will have difficulties and have begun to understand that they are there as refinement opportunities. I am being purified so that the work is truly for Christ and not for me or some other social acceptance.

I recently read of a brother in Christ who is struggling with a loved one they are caring for. Where I pray for guidance and comfort for them in the situation, I also remind them that the trial they are experiencing should not be a surprise. Service and the work of Christ is not and was not billed as a breeze and rewarding in the immediacy. It was and is billed as the right thing to do and done as an example of Christ’s Love. To them I say, don’t be surprised and embrace the service knowing your reward is in heaven and the trial is only refining and making you stronger.

God’s Love is full. It is there always. It is meant to be shared. It is for all. I have to remember these things and not be surprised when it feels as though God’s Love is missing in the trials that are presented. These trials are by design and I have to remember that they are to be expected and embraced as the way to grow stronger in my faith and use them as the example of what right looks like in the pressing forward in the work of Christ.

What trials are you presented with on the daily? Are you surprised by those trials and wonder why? What if you embraced them and accepted them as the norm and used them to be refined and strengthened in your faith?

Trials Produce Results

Scientist conduct multiple trials as they work. Weight lifters attempt ever heavier weights to reach a maximum. God provides trials for me to purify me and my work for Him.

“⁹And I will put this third into the fire,

and refine them as one refines silver,

and test them as gold is tested.

They will call upon my name,

and I will answer them.

I will say, ‘They are my people’;

and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

— Zechariah 13:9 (ESV)

I will be tested by God to make me stronger for Him and to continue to build my endurance.

“³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” — James 1:3 (ESV)

With my endurance, I am able to withstand even more and more trials and tests. I am also able to overcome temptations that I encounter along the way. As I am dealing with and working through the trials as are presented by God, I am avoiding the idleness that leads to temptation through my engagement in the work of God. As I have studied and written before, it is this avoidance of idleness that keeps me away from the temptation as I will not have time for it as I am otherwise engaged.

“¹²Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” — James 1:12-13 (ESV)

God will test me, He will not tempt me. I am here to do His work and the tests are to build me up so that I have the strength and stamina to take my part to the end and be able to hand it off to the next in line to complete their part. Yes, that sounds like the recipe for a relay race and I meant it to be. I have but my part to be concerned with. God has already set the work to be completed and completed successfully. I have to remember that I have to do my part. I am unable to complete my part if I am not prepared and that preparedness is in the endurance that comes from the tests and trials that are presented me as I do the work of God.

God’s work will be filled with tests and trials to which I am joyful to have. No, they are not easy to deal with, they are tests and trials. What they are there for, as I included earlier, is to refine me and ensure that I am indeed working for the LORD and not my own gain.

I know there is a lot of God’s Word included here in my post. I have found that it is not my words, but God’s that are important. I am writing only to give my thoughts on what God has shown. I again stress that I am no theologian and am only a sinner working to do the work God has for me. I am willing and excited to do the work and count the tests and trials as a blessing from the LORD.

What do you think about the tests and trials presented to you? Are you downtrodden with all of the challenges that comes when doing God’s work? What if you were to embrace the tests and trials as refining you to accomplish your work for God?

The Promise, The Law, Now Faith

I am continually reminded of God and His wisdom and faithfulness. This morning I am reading in Galatians and have been led to the passage of the law and the promise in chapter 3. As I am reading I find that God started with the promise of a savior in the lineage of Abraham. And the promise is not amended or updated or changed by anyone. God made the promise and then kept it as we all should have as well.

Next, the law was introduced to keep the promise as the human spirit will always look for the ways to get around things. The law was not to take the place of the promise, only to keep things in line until the promise was fulfilled. Once the promise was fulfilled the law will then become obsolete.

And then the promise was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus. He provided the completion of the promise and faith now takes the place of the promise as that promise was kept. A new promise was made and again it will not change by anyone, God or man the like.

“¹⁶Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void…²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” — Galatians 3:16-17 & 23-24 (ESV)

So why the law in the first place, if the promise was to be kept? Why not just bring faith immediately instead of waiting “430 years”? Well, my thoughts are this way. What good would it be to promise something and then meet the promise at that moment. Wouldn’t it be just to act on as opposed to promising to act on? I know that I my work, I have things that are to be done and there are things that are done. If they are done, there is just the completion of the work. If there are things to be done, I commit to taking care of them by a point in time. Credibility in the promise is what is gained as the work is not that impactful in the grand scheme of things. I see that God has gained the credibility with the grand impact of Jesus. He promised and then delivered.

Until I am able to deliver on the commitment to complete things to be done, it is my duty to provide updates as to where I am in the process. I can complete things early, or if not able to meet the point in time, I am able to negotiate or report on the new point in time when expected to complete them. God provided updates in the form of laws to guide us through the time between the promise made and fulfilled. We had no defined point in time when the promise would be fulfilled, yet the laws were there to keep us on the path moving forward as we waited on the fulfillment of the promise. God gave us the promise and the updates to keep us engaged in the promise until fulfilled.

“¹⁹Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. ²⁰Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.” — Galatians 3:19-20 (ESV)

As I sit here this morning, I have to take away, once again, that our approach in this world to completing work is driven by the example God provides for us. God makes promises (I make commitments), God provides laws until fulfillment (I provide updates), then God fulfilled with faith (I provide completion). I am thankful for the LORD and His wisdom in my life to guide me through it all. God promises (to come again) and then fulfills those promises (returns with victory), yet He does not leave me unattended through it all, He guides me with His Word until the promise is fulfilled.

What beliefs are you finding in this world? Are you leery of the promises that you have been given? What if you were to lean on the promises that God has made and fulfilled as the example of how we should proceed?

Different When Christ’s

As I am Christ’s, I am different than society. I act different. I respond different. I proceed different. I am seen as different. I am different.

“⁹For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.” — 1 Corinthians 4:9 (ESV)

In the above, Paul is writing to the Corinthian Church and is discussing the ministry of the apostles. He is pointing out in this verse the reality of being seen as completely contrary to society. Notice the word used, “spectacle” which is defined by Merriam-Webster Online as: “something exhibited to view as unusual, notable, or entertaining, especially: an eye-catching or dramatic public display”. So as a member of the body of Christ, I am something to behold, and gawk at as seen by the world.

“¹⁰We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. ¹¹To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, ¹²and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; ¹³when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” — 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 (ESV)

I am different than the world and that is not accepted, despite the fact that we are currently in a society that wants to celebrate differences. The thing that I see is that the differences are celebrated only when those differences make me like everyone else. My differences are not accepted by the world since they are contrary to the world.

Belonging to Christ is not much different today than 2000 years ago. I am treated as the outcast and the one who is separated from reality. I have not embraced the world and gotten with the times. I am to see and do things like the rest of the world in order to be a part of the world. I am to be “different” and yet the “same” because the world says so.

Doing things in the world different than the world is seen as counter, yet expected. Let me explain. I am to be different in my service to others, as long as it benefits “me”. It is okay to serve others, yet if the world does not agree with who is being served, then my service is wrong. I am to serve one and not the other. As of today world it is not right to serve the pro-life groups, the nation of Israel, the non black or brown groups, the Christian community, as well as others. What would be considered okay would be the service of whatever group the world is on fire for “in this moment”. I am different and vilified for not serving the “right” groups, regardless of how many or how much service is provided.

“¹⁴I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” — 1 Corinthians 4:14 (ESV)

Belonging to Christ is a being love. I am to, as noted in another writing, wear the badge of Christianity. I am to love all and provide for all and be accepting of all that comes with that badge. I am here to do the work of Christ and if that make me different, then so be it. I am and will persevere and will be provided for by work as that work is for Christ and not the world. As I belong to Christ, I accept being different.

What is it that you do in this world that makes you different? Are you even aware that you are different or are you preoccupied with trying to be the same? What if you wore the badge of Christianity and accepted all that comes with the badge and understood that belonging to Christ makes you different?

Badges as a Christian

Who wears a badge, law enforcement, emergency personnel, generally officials of some kind, whether a true badge or name plate. What about us as Christians?

As I continue my study into my Christian identity, I have come to another passage in 1 Peter that I have been to many times. This passage is titled “Suffering as a Christian” in my ESV Bible. The basics are this, as a Christian, we are going to suffer and that should not be surprise as it should be expected. We should also rejoice in our suffering as we are able to find ourselves in the company of Jesus as He suffered similarly.

I would add one additional thing that I have taken away from the passage and that is the badge of honor I should be wearing as a Christian. I have to remember that the suffering is expected and that I should be proud to suffer. Just as law enforcement, emergency personnel, and officials wear their badges and receive all that come with it (good and bad), I should do the same.

“¹⁶Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” — 1 Peter 4:16 (ESV)

Everyone wants to be a part of something when it is going great, only the true want to be a part of something meaningful. I remember in high school, I was a part of athletics and played all the big sports. In Texas, football is the king sport and my high school had a reputation for being great, except for when I was there. We were not very good and in fact did not have a winning season while I was part of the team. Support in the school was waning and someone (I know who you are) posted on the walls their support, even in the bad times they were and called out those who were losing the focus on the badge worn as a member of our high school. I am proud of my school and all it represents and will support them good times and bad.

As a Christian, good times and bad times will abound. It is part of the gig. Thanks to salvation, I am always a member of the team. We will celebrated when we do what society feels we are supposed to do and will be vilified when we are seen as counter to the societal norms. In each case I have to remember to wear the badge of Christianity with honor and be proud to represent Christ in all that I do.

What badges do you wear and when? Are you wearing the badge of Christianity in good times and bad? What if you found comfort in Christ and proudly put on your badge of Christianity every day and represented Him in all that you do?

Christians Belong to Christ

What a morning for me as I read and study. I have been a Christian for a good number of years and have followed Him and the direction He had for my life. This morning I was reminded of something that I frankly had forgotten and may have just put in the back of my mind as I have traversed this world, I “belong” to Christ. Yes, I belong to Him, I do not just follow Him.

“²⁵So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” — Acts 11:25-26 (ESV)

I want to take a moment to talk about this Saul noted above. Saul was the Jew persecuting individual who was converted to Christianity and went on to lead a life of discipleship for the LORD. At this point, he was not known to all as Paul (which we more commonly know him as). He was “new” to the field of apostles and yet, at this point in his life as he was teaching in Antioch, was referred to as a Christian along with others.

Now, the word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament, and this is the first of them. Notice who it is referring to, those who were the followers of Christ and not just everyone who heard of Him or just seemed to go to church. Those who followed Christ were those who “belonged” to Him and were not just around some of the time. I have to take a deeper look at myself and determine if I am a follower who belongs to Him or someone who just says they are.

When Paul was converted to Christ, He went to study Him and the Word of God. He did not just jump in claiming to know all. He devoted himself to God to “know” Him and be able to spread the gospel as Jesus had. Paul (as Saul noted here) was only focused on the one thing and that was spreading the gospel of Christ and that demonstrated his belonging to Christ.

I look to my inward and outward self to see where I fall in the following of Christ. Am I just a person who is calling on Him in my time of need, or do I belong to Him to spread the gospel as Jesus had. Am I able to confidently say that I belong to Christ or am I here for others to literally “see”. Am I concerned with how God sees me or the way the world sees me.

As a Christian, it is my goal to follow Christ wherever He would have me go and do whatever He would have me do. I do for Him and not for me. I study to know Him and bring Him to others and not for my own enjoyment. I belong to Him and will do as I am instructed to carry out His work.

How do you see yourself in your relationship with Christ? Are you one who shows up to the events of Christ or one who belongs to Him? What if you were to fully belong to Christ and follow Him wherever He would have you go and do whatever He would have you do?