NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM TRIALS
No matter what one’s status in life, problems are a given, whether sickness, death of a loved one, financial problems, relationship issues, injustice, persecution etc.
TRIALS DON’T LAST
Our troubles are only “light and momentary” compared to Christ’s and they are achieving for us a glory that far outweighs them all ( 2 Cor 4:17 ).”
THE CROWN
In James 1:12, God promised the crown of life to those who persevere under trials. What kind of a reward is this crown?
*It will be given to those who are faithful to the point of death (Rev 2:10)
*It will last forever (1 Cor 9:25)
*It will never fade away ( 1 Peter 5:4)
Clearly, the crown is of an eternal nature and will be given to those who even in the midst of severe hardships, chose to be faithful to God and to continue trusting Him.
PERSPECTIVE IS KEY
The key to this is our perspective of God’s character and of problems. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve believed in the devil’s lie that God withheld something good from them. They lost sight of God’s great and everlasting love (Ps 103:11, 17) and committed the sin of unbelief.
WHAT TO DO?
We are exhorted in 2 Cor 4:18 to FIX OUR EYES ON THE ETERNAL, not on the temporal. Thus, we are to fix our eyes ON JESUS (Heb 12:2-3), not on our circumstances. Jesus said that our heavenly Father, in His lovingkindness, knows our needs. We are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to us as well (Matt 6:25-34).
Therefore, we are to REJOICE when we encounter trials (James 1:2-4), because our trials mature and complete us so we don’t lack anything; they mold us to Christ-likeness and qualify us for the crown which God promised.
Thus, our primary goal should be to align with God’s will for us, which is Christ-likeness (Romans 8:29). God is a loving parent who desires us to have good character, which will impact us in eternity (2 Cor 5:10).
As we go through life’s challenges, in varying form and intensity, let us support and encourage each other to remain steadfast in our trust of God’s love, goodness and wisdom, let us “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb 10:23).
No matter what we face, we must cling steadfastly to the truth that God loves us; let us place our trust in Him.
May we be able to say as Paul did: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Tim 4:7-8)
– Ann Dy
I had been a follower of praying wife forum. Please pray for my husband to have a good and strong relationship with the Lord. Praying also for God to touch and open his heart and mind the importance of us his family that he create.
Amen yes agreeing with your prayer Luz, and praying Psalm 20 for you and your family. May you be encouraged by all the sharing here. May I know how you discovered Praying Wife Forum? Thank you.