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| “…the testing of your faith produces perseverance…” |
| —James 1:3 |
Most people do not like academic tests. It is the rare individual who looks forward to an examination. That one seems eager to prove what she or he has learned. For most of the rest of us, the time of testing is not a pleasant time. There is more than a little dread involved. The prospect of taking a test raises most individual’s anxiety level.
Nevertheless, the Apostle James describes how we believers are supposed to feel when our “Schoolmaster” puts us to the test, as recorded in James 1:2-3:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance…
On such occasions as the one James describes, we can learn how to push our way through the time of testing—how to persevere—by facing that test directly. We know we can rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. Sometimes the trial lasts just a little while. Sometimes the time of testing seems endless.
If you are in the midst of a testing today, ask God to empower you to seize joy. As God allows more and more joy to fill your mind and heart, you will experience the time of testing with a renewed sense of God’s divine Presence.
You have come to the time of testing because God felt you were ready to face this trial. Prove God right. Let joy flood the totality of your being this day and press on through the testing.
Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, November 17, 2015
