Testing "Faith" 1-2-3

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”  James 1:2-4 (NIV)

          There’s a beautiful place that our trials will take us if we’ll have the right approach to them.  The Word says that the end of a matter is better than the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8) and a mature believer is the end goal that James was encouraging every believer to attain to. 

          The only way to achieve maturity is by the testing of our faith. Oh how I wish there was another way, but we all know that --- if, what we say we believe is not tested - an inmature believer is what we remain and that‘s not God‘s plan for us.   So, how is ones faith tested?  The word “testing” in the NIV is “trying” in the KJV which means the proving or that by which something is tried or proved, a test. 

          In order for faith to be real or proven in YOU, it has to undergo a test.  Let’s say you make a claim that you can outrun all your friends.  I guarantee you… someone will ask you to prove it.  You may expect people to simply take you at your word, but it doesn’t work that way and quite honestly - it shouldn’t.  You, personally will never know if that claim can stand if you never prove it by running a race against all who oppose you.  Hopefully, you’ll come out a winner, But, you’d never really know unless you proved your claim to others and to yourself.

          That’s how it is with what we believe about our relationship with our God.  Faith in this passage is the Greek word Pistis is the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ.

          We can say we are people of faith, but this belief will be tried and tested by God until we become mature and complete in Christ, lacking nothing.  How will our claims be proven true if we never welcome the tests?  

The Mountains reveal our God's Righteousness!

“Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains”  Psalm 36:6

The writer of this psalm is King David.  He compares specific attributes of God (love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice) to the creation of God.  He says that God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is like mighty mountains.  Let’s talk about a mountain for a second….It will give us a glimpse into God’s Righteousness.  The mightiest mountain in our world is Mt. Everest at over 26,000 feet situated at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau on the border between Nepal and Tibet.  We know that mountains are large, solid, unmovable and steady; they’re not going anywhere unless God moves them.  Many people are drawn to the mighty mountains just as many people are similarly drawn to the Righteousness of God. 

So when we say God is as Righteous as a mountain, one thing (not all) we are saying is that the way he relates with his people is unwavering just like a mountain.  He’s not one way today and another way tomorrow.  If you’re like me, you appreciate consistency in people.  Remember the saying….  “she/he’s as changeable as the weather.”  God is unique in that he never changes, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" Hebrews 13:8.     

All his ways are right and just (Rev.15:3) even when things in our life go wrong and are not fair.  We can never look at God and say, you did me wrong because God always does us RIGHT, "And yet the LORD is waiting to be merciful to you.  He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right.  Happy are those who put their trust in the LORD" (Isaiah 30:18).

According to Revelation 15:4, God’s Righteous acts have been revealed, past tense.  His Righteousness is not hidden; but very visible to all just like our mighty mountains.  God demonstrates his Righteousness through his power, his beauty, his consistency, etc., He reveals His will through His Word and God will always act according to His Word because God‘s Word is God, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). 

One day the mighty mountains will be no more (Psalm 102:26&27).  They will perish, but our Righteous God will remain forever.  Glorious and majestic (just like mountains) are His deeds and HIS Righteousness endures forever (Psalm 111:3).

OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ~

“…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”  Isaiah 61:3

Did you ever think of yourself as an “Oak tree?”   Well, God always sees us differently than the way we see ourselves.  He sees what we shall be.  If you remember Gideon in the book of Judges, God called him a mighty warrior (Judges 6:12), yet Gideon claimed to be from the weakest clan in Manasseh; further he saw himself as the weakest in his family.  As Gideon put his trust in God, his strength to overcome the enemy was realized.  Even in your weakness, God sees strength and endurance as an oak tree within you.  Aren’t you glad the Lord sees you and me for what we can be? 

The above scripture has long been a favorite of mine and I have prayed it often over my children.  If you are in Christ, planted in his salvation, then the Lord sees you as one who is RIGHTEOUS, meaning one who has the character of Christ, the RIGHTEOUS ONE.

As a mother, I have had the wonderful privilege of receiving many dandelions from my children.  Even though I would quickly put the flower in water, it was only a matter of time when the beauty began to fade and the dandelion wilted and died.  Had that flower remained where it had been planted, it would have displayed it’s splendor for it’s specified season. 

The only way you and I will display something beautiful from our lives is if we remain in Christ all of our days.  We can be as the oak tree which is known for it’s strength and endurance.  Even as we face the storms of life, we will remain resilient because of who we serve and because his spirit is in us strengthening and encouraging us to go on; because we are His garden that He tends.

Just like a seed planted in the soil comes to fruition with rain and sunshine, so shall we who are planted in Jesus. We are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph.6:10).  He calls us, values us, equips us, manifests Himself through us dwelling within us forever and ever for we are His, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor!

Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord!

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”

 Proverbs 14:34

Contrary to what we may have heard, people don’t make a nation great - God does!  But, people are part of the equation.  When people live righteously (pleasing and acceptable to God), God lifts up or honors that nation.

There is a remnant of people who still love God and consistently intercede for this great nation.  But, I believe there is a direct correlation between our slipping away from God and the troubles of our nation and even how other nations perceive us.   God is not allowing our nation to be exalted because we no longer exalt Him or live righteous!   In fact, our sin has brought disgrace to us. When I say “we“, it’s because when we pray or intercede for this nation, we must see ourselves as part of the problem as Moses would do when he interceded for Israel. 

Referring back to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the Lord God said to His people through Moses and later Joshua to follow all the decrees and laws that He (God) had given them.  He went onto say that even the surrounding nations would hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation (Israel) is a wise and understanding people.”  “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him (4:6-7)?  But God made it clear that he was to be their only God.  He cautioned them regarding having any other gods before them.  He said to the people…  “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deut.4:9). 

In Deuteronomy 14, you will see the blessings that come when we obey the Lord.  God said he would make Israel the head, not the tail - meaning he would exalt them because of their righteousness before Him.  He said if they would pay attention to the commands and carefully follow them - they would always, not once in awhile, be at the top, never at the bottom. 

There is a living God who loves us individually and as a nation.  He has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11) in that he desires to prosper us as a nation, not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.  He wants us to be able to call upon Him in prayer and He has promised to listen to us IF we confess our sin.  God says He will be found by us if we seek Him with all of our heart.  He wants to free us from our captivity to sin.  He wants to bless us and keep us and shine His face upon us and be gracious to us.  He wants to give our nation His peace.  

The Lord says in James - “Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (4:8-13).

Let’s get serious about being righteous before God.  We question why our nation is suffering at so many levels, but we are remiss about our sin.  Our nation needs God and God needs this nation to be a city shining on a hill for Him (Matthew 5:14) and to the nations abroad.   God wants to exalt this nation, but righteous living must give Him a reason to do so.

WEARING BLESSINGS LIKE A CROWN......

“Blessings crown the head of the righteous…”  Proverbs 10:6

Frequently, I hear Christians praying for the Lord to “bless” them, their families, finances, and ministries.  It’s the type of prayer where there is pleading for God to do something for them.  I suppose there’s nothing “wrong” with asking for God’s blessing for even Jabez prayed such a prayer (1 Chronicles 4:10).  But, if you know that you are the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God through Christ Jesus (2 Cor.5:21), then You are already Blessed, lacking nothing!  We no longer have to ask God to bless us.  But, we could be thanking Him.  There is a difference.  Thanksgiving will enter you into His gates! (Psalm 100:4).

One of the greatest blessings is immediate upon our trust in Christ.  There is a divine exchange that takes place between us and God.  You turn in your life of sin and He, Jesus gives you His gift of RIGHTEOUSNESS (the condition acceptable by God) Romans 6:17.  Christ made us acceptable to God by our simple trust and faith in Him. 

Remember Esther in God’s Word?  Before she faced the King, she endured much preparation; twelve months to be exact.  She was assigned Hegai, the King’s eunuch who was in charge of the Harem.  Esther had the freedom to take anything from the palace with her before meeting the King, but surprisingly, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai suggested she take.  After all, Hegai was most familiar with the King.  The scripture says “And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her” (Esther 2:15).  Further, she won the King’s favor and approval more than any of the other virgins (Esther 2:17).

I see Hegai as Christ preparing us with all the beauty treatments to meet His Father.  Praise God it doesn’t take twelve months to be acceptable.  It’s immediate!  And remember, He clothes us.  We can’t make ourselves acceptable to God by anything we bring to God.  Only Jesus can make us RIGHTEOUS before His Father.

 We are blessed with His covering as we approach the throne of Grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 5:16).

Just as Esther won the King’s favor/approval and a royal crown being placed upon her head (Esther 2:17), so shall be our reward.  God sees those who are  RIGHTEOUS  and without our plea to bless us …… He lovingly places blessings like a crown upon our very life because we too have been found approved and highly favored in his sight. 

Let’s begin to thank the Lord that because we are RIGHTEOUS before God, we now wear with honor the crown of blessing. 

WEARING RIGHTEOUSNESS......

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…”  Eph.6:14

Did you know you actually “wear” righteousness?  According to Ephesians 6, Paul talks about the armor of God that a follower of Jesus should wear at all times.  And the reason we wear this armor is so we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes (6:11). 

No, you can’t see the full armor of God on your person, but God and satan both see your spiritual armor.  It’s like the blood of Jesus that was spilled for you by Jesus and now covers you and cleanses you making you clean (1 John 1:7).  Do you see Christ’s blood upon you?  No, but by faith you know his blood makes you clean.  You confess it and by your confession, you experience the benefits of the blood spilled for you. 

Having the “Breastplate of Righteousness” in place is as if my heart confesses,  “I am the Righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.”  I am Righteous (integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling and acting; the condition acceptable to God) because I believe what Jesus did for me. 

 Make the “RIGHTEOUS” confession today!

PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS ~ Like the first gleam of dawn....

“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day"  Proverbs 4:18

Always when I’m at the beach, the Lord awakens me early to find the morning just about to break forth.  I can’t help but be in awe at the beauty that is before me.  It’s like God’s face is shining upon his creation and he’s waiting for those he has created to take notice. 

The above scripture paints a “picture” that helps us understand the beauty of the path that the righteous are on.  There is not only a chosen path for us, but one of beauty and brilliance.  It’s a path that gets brighter as we walk in the ways of the Lord until we become the “light of the world - a city on a hill that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). 

When we begin our journey with the Lord, it’s like the first gleam of dawn.  The darkness we had known gave way to the light of Jesus, the light of the world (John 8:12).  Light had come into our hearts to dwell forever.  I remember hearing newly saved saying ….  Even the grass and trees look brighter.  Everything seemingly changes around us when in reality - the change was in the heart and with that came a new perception of the world.  The break of dawn began.

But, that is just the beginning.   Those who are righteous (just,in conduct and character, vindicated by God) have a bright future ahead IF they remain on the path chosen for them until the day we all are face to face with the creator of all light - Jesus (Gen 1:3).  Remain faithful to the path even when the Son cannot be seen or felt upon you.  Did you know that even on a cloudy day….the sun is shining.  So when your path collides with the clouds, and it will --- remember…the SON in all His brilliance is shining brightly upon you. By faith, keep walking in the light as He is in the Light (1 John 1:7).

Just as the dawn turns into morning and then to the brightest part of the day - noon, so is the path of the righteous.  Brighter still our path as we keep our gaze upon the beauty of the Lord until the full light of day when we are overcome by “The Everlasting Light.”