When Trials Come James 1:2. 2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; It is worth nothing that James does not say if butwhen It is assumed that trials are part and parcel of the life of every Christian. We are all certain to meet these. These will come from three directions. First of all there will be trials that are part of the lot of fallen humanity. There is no indication anywhere in the new Testament that by becoming Christians we are insured against the kinds of trials that affect the human race. Our Christian faith is not an insurance policy Ginst trials; it is not a way of escape. Secondly, there are tirals which are part of the divine plan. God deals with us as a children. The New Testament speaks of the chastening of the LORD. HEBREWS 12:9-11 9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11 All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. And there are thirdly, trials that are part of the satanic war. 1 PETER 5:8 8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, So James speak s ofmanifold trialsand the word translated heremanifold,or divers in the Authorized Version, literaly meansmany colored. Some of the trials are lit up with the love of GOD, otheres are shadowed by the hatetred of the enemy or our souls. Constantly and differently we shall inevitably be tried, but James says, COUNT IT ALL JOY, J.B.Philips translates this even more sugestively, Dont resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! The New English Bible translates, Count yourselves supremely happy. This quite remarkable. Why are we to count ourselves happy? Surely becuase of the evidence the trials become. I am sure that the truth of the New Testament is that we are tried because we matter. We matter to God and we matter to the devil. J.B.Philips translation of Hebrews 12:8. If you had no experience of the correction which all sons have to bear you might well doubt the legitimacy of your sonship.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:32:22 +0000
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