Try Me

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7
Sometimes as Christians we have the misconception that we should not have any problems, as if Jesus died to take away our difficulties. Jesus didn’t, by the way, die for our problems, he died for our sins. There is a difference.
If the verses above are to be believed, problems, or various trials are things that are allowed by God to test our faith and make it more pure. I have heard that an untested faith is a worthless faith. I tend to agree that it is how we react to seemingly negative situation which reveals the type of faith we have.
I know a man who went through a tremendous amount of uncertainty at his job for about a year. Though everyone where he worked was uncertain about their future employment he trusted that whatever happened would be of God for him. He was so calm throughout the trial that people who he worked with asked him why he wasn’t freaking out like they were. The genuineness of his faith was being tried and he passed the test.
Proverbs 17:3 says, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the LORD tests the hearts.”
The Lord will use relationships, jobs, sickness and many other trials to show us what our faith is made of. He tests us. We certainly don’t have to seek trials, they find us.
Next time you are ready to react to a trial or difficulty, pause and think of Christ on the cross and how He reacted. Then I think you can trust yourself to make the right decision.
Lord help us to consider you in all of our choices and relationships, that we may be opened to be tested and changed more into your image than ours, amen.

Details

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. Colossians 3:23

As Christians we are called to do the things that we do to the Glory of God rather than to please people.

At our church in Silver Spring Maryland I recently spoke with our helpers and musicians about how we can get bogged down by the details of life. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. Frustration can rule in our schedule unless we slow down and consider for Whom we do the things we do. We do them for God.

“Whatever you do,” the verse says you do it to God. That means that though for sure you are serving people, your service is really to the Lord Jesus.

In Matthew 28:38-40 speaking in parable Jesus spoke the people ask, “When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
‘And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

Serving people is serving God. Helping people is helping God. Loving people is loving God. God is in the details.

Lord may I serve you with a pure heart not seeking to please men, but to please you.