Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
Joy in the Midst of Turmoil
Pastor Scott
Monday, June 21, 2004
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"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."
(James 1:2-3)
The Lord desires to refine us in the furnace of affliction and the crucible of trials that we find ourselves in so many times. Nobody's flesh likes it. The Scripture tells us God's chastening is grievous and hard for the moment. In the greatest trial of His life, the Captain of our salvation prayed, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." God's trials and tribulations bear hard on us but they transform our lives; they are not just nuisances. It takes that kind of pressure to transform coal into diamonds. It takes that kind of heat to remove the impurities so we can be pure gold. None of us likes it, but the end is glory to God.
James 1:2 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [different] temptations..." When we find ourselves in a trial that transforms us and brings glory to God, we understand what this joy is all about. We are able to express the goodness of God in the midst of turmoil, being moved more by the promises than the predicament. We boast in the goodness of God and the promise that says, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." We believe that God is with us as the fourth Man in the furnace. It's an exciting time! There are no greater times in our lives than in those furnaces when we know the fourth Man is there. I'd rather be in the furnace with the awareness of the fourth Man than to be in the mansion and not sense His presence.
Trials are to reveal what is in our hearts, whether we will keep His Word or not. Trials come to make us more like Jesus. Trials are to bring praise and glory to God, because in the midst of our trials, we count it joy. Instead of bitterness and resentment being squeezed out of us, the pressure squeezes out praise unto God. We count it all joy that we've been counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake. The disciples that were beaten didn't go away grumbling. When they lost their status in society, they didn't feel sorry for themselves, but came rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake! Have you ever been there? There's no greater joy than to identify with Jesus. Your flesh doesn't want to be beaten, but your spirit, lusting against the flesh, cries out, "Yes, but I want to glorify God!" I want you to understand something: you can't glorify God without the trials. The flesh wants to move into a place of ease, telling us that the spirit man can be enhanced there, but it's a lie.
We count it joy when we fall into different temptations, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:2-3). Trials work patience. The Scripture tells us that we have need of patience (Heb. 10:36). We need to be more patient with ourselves, with each other, and with God's work in our lives. Do you ever get impatient with God, thinking He's not refining you, purifying you, and making you holy soon enough? You say, "It could be quicker, Lord, if You just skip all this trial stuff, and in Your sovereignty--POOF!--make me perfect." It doesn't work that way, for the trial is for the purpose of producing patience in your life.