Did you like tests in school? I remember my classmates and I begging Bro. Anderson to have a test which wasn’t an essay. We all wanted what he called a “multiple guess” test. He finally relented and boy, we got what we wanted, but we didn’t want what we got! That was the hardest test I have ever taken. All four answers were right, and we had to guess which was most right. That felt like more of a trial than a test.
Trials and tests of our commitment to God come all the time. James said it this way,
“12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:12-15
Notice the promise for enduring is a crown of life. Yet temptations come, not from God, but from our own desires. Our mind begins to entice us and pull us away from living the right way. Then, it conceives and leads to sin. We do something the Lord has forbidden. If we aren’t careful, we can become trapped and it brings forth death. Sin works to destroy us.
When temptations come, we must stand firm and resist them. A commitment to living by God’s word will go a long way to leading us in right paths. We don’t have to guess or feel our way through life. We have God’s revelation to guide us through life.
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