Passing the Test of Your Faith

Passing the Test of Your Faith

Bayless Conley

In yesterday's devotional, we saw how God desires for us to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing; but the road to that is the testing of our faith.

The natural question is, "What does it take to succeed when the test comes?"  There are two cooperating forces which must be at work.  James 1:4-5 shows us what those two forces are,

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

The first force is patience.  James' point is, "Don't quit before the answer comes.  Let patience have full play, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Hebrews 10:36, says it this way,

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

You and I may actually have done the will of God, done what God wants us to do, but if we don't exercise endurance, we won't receive the promise.  That is the importance of patience.

The second cooperating force at work to pass the test of your faith is wisdom.  If you lack wisdom, if you can't see the forest for the trees in the midst of your trial, you can ask God and He will give it…liberally and without reproach.

God delights when you ask for wisdom.  And He won't belittle you or find fault with you for asking.

So if you find your faith on trial, if you are being sorely tested, ask God for wisdom and patiently endure.  Without these two forces, you will never know victory!

Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God 

A Servant's Rewards

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 6:10

In His grace, God freely gives salvation to those who believe in Jesus. We cannot earn this gift, nor do we deserve it. Our Father does notice our good works, though. And He promises to reward us according to what we have done for Him.

True service occurs when we allow the Lord to work through us for His glory and honor. True ministry occurs when divine resources meet human need through loving channels.

Revelation 22:12 encourages us, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Whether large or small, all service done in Jesus' name will be blessed. We must be careful, though, that our actions are for Christ's glory. If motives are self-serving, the only benefit we receive is the praise (if any) that we hear from people in this life. And we know that men's approval is not satisfying or lasting.

While some rewards will be given in heaven, other blessings can be experienced now. For example, we know great joy when we allow God to bless others through us. And there is deep satisfaction in realizing that we are pleasing Christ. In addition,there's a profound sense of fulfillment when we lead a person to Jesus and teach him how to walk by faith.

Serving others is both a great benefit and a responsibility for Christians. We should prayerfully consider our motives to make sure that our goal is to glorify Christ. Only then will we receive God's full blessings--rewards given not only in eternity but on earth as well.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.





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