TUESDAY JANUARY 21, 2020.
SUBJECT : HOW WILL YOU COME FORTH WHEN TESTED?
Memory verse: "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23 vs 10.)
READ: Job 23 vs 1 - 10:
23:1: Then Job answered and said,23:2: Even to day is my complaint bitter; my hand is listless because of my groaning.
23:3: Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!
23:4: I would present my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
23:5: I would know the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would say unto me.
23:6: Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me.
23:7: There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
23:8: “Look, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him.
23:9: when He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him, when He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
23:10: But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
INTIMATION:
Life is a race (we all have our finishing lines and destinations), a trust (entrusted to you by the Owner for your use here on earth; our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are gifts from God that He has entrusted to our care and management), a test (the Owner has given the guidelines regarding our sojourn here, and will test us in line with the required conducts as He has given; your character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty will be evaluated), and a temporary assignment (it is transient; this place is not our home, we are just passing through).
Against the backdrop enumerated above, when God evaluates you, how will you come forth? Can you answer with certainty, like Job did? God never promised a Christian life void of tests, trials, temptations, struggles, hardship, and so on. But He promised to be with us even in those storms of life. All of life’s circumstances we pass through are for His purpose, plan and grand design. When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant or trivial in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.
All of life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, event, weather, and every circumstance in life. God is interested in your simple attitudinal actions like how you smile to others, open a door for others, reacts to filths in your environment and so on. We don't know all the tests God will give you, but we can predict some of them, based on the Bible. We know obviously, from the Scripture, that we will be tested by delayed promises, major changes, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, senseless tragedies, and so on.
Some tests seem overwhelming, while others you don't even notice, but all of them have eternal implications. The good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life, so He never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace He gives you to handle them (First Corinthians 10 vs 13). He works behind the scene for our good (Romans 8 vs 28). God tests our character to reveal our weaknesses, and to prepare us for more responsibilities. The very most important test is how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don't sense His closeness.
Every time you pass through test, God notices and makes plans to reward you in eternity (James 1 vs 12). The worst temptation you will ever face is being tempted to abandon Christ. That is the only sin that cannot be forgiven. If you have come into the household of God through Christ, rest assured no temptation can overwhelm you because Christ promises that He will be with you forever in accordance with the Father’s will (Matthew 28 vs 20; John 6 vs 37 - 40).
Job faced the testing of the Lord. He was amazed at his suffering, and said that his suffering would be more bearable if only he knew why it was happening. If there was sin for which he could repent, he would! Job wavered back and forth, first proclaiming loyalty to God and then complaining at being abandoned by Him. His friends’ words and his own suspicions undermined his confidence in God. His friends condemned him by identifying some secret sin that he may have committed. His overriding desire was for God to clear his name, prove his righteousness, and explain why he was chosen to receive all the calamities. At some point Job was saying that God appeared to be avoiding him. Thereafter, he expressed confidence in his integrity and God’s justice, and that God knew every detail about his situation and would come to his rescue.
We are always likely to have hidden sin in our lives, sin we don’t even know about because God’s standards are so high and our performance is so imperfect. If we are true believers, however, all our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross in our behalf (Romans 5 vs 1; 8 vs 1). The Bible also teaches that even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings (First John 3 vs 20). His forgiveness and cleansing are sufficient, they overrule our nagging doubts. The Holy Spirit in us is our proof that we are forgiven in God’s eyes even though we may feel guilty. If we, like Job, are truly seeking God, we can stand up to others’ accusations as well as our own nagging doubts. If God has forgiven and accepted us, we are forgiven indeed.
When afflictions come, it is natural to blame God and to think our suffering must be divine punishment. But we must not assume that God has rejected us. His purposes go deeper than our ability to grasp all that is really happening. While this sounds like a pat answer, it is the same answer God gave Job in chapters 38 - 42. We should not demand to know why certain calamities befall us. Often we cannot or are not meant to know.
Job’s suffering is a testimony of how God works with His saints. Suffering, therefore, draws faith out of God’s people. And faith must grow to the point of being able to count it with all joy when one is suffering (James 1 vs 2 - 4). Those who trust in God undergo tests or trials. They do not always understand why they suffer, but they must understand that God is there through their suffering, and will receive their rewards if they endure, and are approved by God (James 1 vs 12). Job concluded that whether or not he could find God, God knew where he was. Knowing that God knows our calamity reassures us that He is working all things for our case. Job, however, was confident that when God had tried him, he would come forth as pure or refined gold
Prayer: Abba Father, You are All-wise! You are perfect, and never go wrong! For I know the testing of my faith is for my profiting, and engrace me to excel in all life’s texts, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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