I was in a meeting with Tim Tebow a couple of weeks back. It’s tough to sit next to him and not notice what amazing physical strength he has. Tim’s simply in great shape! I, on the other hand, only used to be in great shape. (I guess I could argue that “round” is a shape, but that’s not my point here.)
I’ve been fighting the battle of the bulge with various levels of success for some time now. Most recently working to effect the rescue of people out of Afghanistan has resulted in sleepless nights, desperate days, lost lives and many tears. I’ve eaten too much, which hasn’t helped anything. I’m now deliberately working to get back to where I need to be; and, among other things, that involves sit-ups. I hate sit-ups.
I know they are good for me. I hate them anyway. But I’m doing a hundred or so a day, and I know I need to do more. I have to add working with my abdominal wheel at night before bed, too. I’m doing bench presses to tone my upper body, but what I really need to do is start working the plan the trainer created for me.
Yes, friends, I actually have a complete workout plan that was developed by a professional trainer. It has an alternating regimen that is designed to bring up my cardio, strengthen my core, and work both arms and legs on alternate days. If I follow that plan four days a week for six months, I’ll be in great shape. Well, better shape. But the plan takes time, involves discipline, requires a fair amount of sweat and discomfort and will add soreness and pain to my life. AND it involves sit-ups, too. I hate sit-ups.
That plan, however, is precisely what I need. Including the sit-ups. And that brings us to today’s verse:
CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
WHENEVER YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE.
Making it through life isn’t all skittles and biscuits. Life is tough. None of us needs me to provide examples here. We’ve all got plenty of our own pain popping up in our minds.
Most people don’t know it, but Mother Teresa struggled with deep pain and doubt for most of her adult life. She often felt overwhelmed by the challenges of ministry, far from God and unheard by Him, and wondered if she was on the right path. She shared these inner battles with only one or two of her most trusted advisors, and pressed on through the suffering and doubt to serve Christ with all her heart. One of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes is, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”
But look at what her perseverance has accomplished! She was wise enough to know that such opposition from her enemy meant she was on the right path. In war, the most difficult battles occur when you’re advancing on the most significant targets.
But our verse today reflects another side of the struggle. Do we face pain and struggle to advance the Kingdom of God? Of course we do. But not only do the battles we fight impact His Kingdom, they also have an impact upon us.
Why on earth would we consider it PURE JOY when we face trials? That is completely counter to our natural reaction. But the bible tells us that these are not just trials — they are tests. And that is a significant insight indeed.
If you think back to your days in school, I’m sure you’ll recall several tests that you’ve taken. They weren’t random, at least from the perspective of the teacher. They were specific both in terms of content, the amount of preparation allowed, and the resources you could use to complete them. And, most importantly, they had a specific purpose.
The first step, naturally, was teaching you the material. This usually involved a combination of lecture from the teacher, reading additional subject matter on your own, discussions with classmates, consideration of case studies to learn from the experience of others and much more. At some point in the process, the class would work through some sample problems and solve them as a group. Then you’d likely have a set of similar problems to solve on your own, to make certain you were grasping the material.
The teacher might have sprung a pop quiz upon you. Not merely to cause the immediate inner cringing when one hears the teacher say, “Put all your books aside and take out one sheet of blank paper;” but to determine what information you could recall WITHOUT the opportunity to prepare in advance. That tactic delivers a solid assessment of how much of the learning has been internalized. Quizzes are always followed by individual review. You’ve got to learn what you don’t yet know; and a quiz will reveal the weak areas. Throughout this process, the teacher is speaking, interacting, asking questions and explaining answers.
Then comes the day of the test. You show up in class and take your seat. The teacher hands out the test and you’re on your own. The teacher sits there silently. No questions on the topic are answered, no encouragement given. It’s time to make the grade. Some tests are major ones, and they will actually be used to determine if you’re prepared to move on to the next level or not.
God doesn’t test us because He doesn’t know where we are weak and where we have mastered the skills we’re learning. He tests us because WE don’t know. He tests us because we need to understand what lessons have been internalized, and which ones we need to strengthen. And He tests us to DEVELOP things in us that will allow us to move on.
Unlike our academic tests, which merely quantified areas we had mastered and those we had not; the tests that God allows in our lives PRODUCE things which we need.
CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
WHENEVER YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE.
From this verse we learn that suffering produces endurance, and in that we can rejoice. We need endurance for the battles we face. Just like the repetitive lifting of weights (or even doing multiple sit-ups), repetition builds strength and greater endurance. Handling smaller challenges equips us to manage larger ones, it actually creates the capacity to do so.
Endurance produces character. Endurance affects the very nature of our being, the pressure of handling life by faith molds us into the character of Christ. HIS character is infused and incorporated into ours. HIS strength within us. And, as we deal with life’s issues with His strength, we begin to comprehend that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
That comprehension is how His character developing within us produces hope. Faith and hope combine, and we are enabled to serve Him better and accomplish all He has created us to do. Recognizing the impact of His love, we are encouraged by hope, and hope does not put us to shame. His hope has prepared us through suffering, developed perseverance, forged our character, and stood us firmly upon the hope of God; because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Did you know there are over 3,500 grades of steel available? Engineers rely upon accurate material testing to determine the materials needed for each specific project. One of the most important qualities that is tested evaluates a core critical factor. It is called the yield point. It is designed to test the maximum load that the steel can bear before failure.
God’s testing let’s us know that we haven’t reached our “yield point,” that He has placed more strength in us that we may draw upon.
His grace is sufficient. Always. He will never let you be tested beyond your ability. Lean into His grace. He knows precisely how strong you are in Him, and He wants you to know it as well. It enables you to face things in His grace that you thought were impossible; but they are not. It enables you to forgive offenses you thought were unforgivable; but they are. It enables you to live His love in ways and places you cannot imagine, and it empowers you to love the people He brings into your path.
His grace. Because of it we can face any trial with joy, because of what it produces in us.
CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
WHENEVER YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS,
BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE.
