Daily Devotional: Do You Find Joy In Trials?

What comes to mind when you think of trials? Most people think of something that is painful. We think of trials as something that will cause discomfort. It is true that trials are not always fun. However, speaking spiritual, trials may not be a bad thing. Trials may even be a source of joy. 

I realize this might sound crazy. How can we find joy in trials? But, that is exactly what God tells us to do. Through the apostle James, God tells us, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.“ (Jas 1:2) Why would God tell us to find joy in trials? Answering this question requires us to consider the source of trials.   

In modern times, we confuse trials with temptations. For most people, they would tell you that these are the same exact things. However, when you look at their definitions then you see a much different picture.  

Tempation is defined as, “A desire to do something, esp. something wrong or unwise”. It is also defined as, “A thing or course of action that attracts or tempts someone”.  

Trial is defined as, “Test (something, esp. a new product) to assess its suitability or performance”. 

These definitions tell us that temptations are meant to make a person do something wrong. Trials are meant to purify something. Bible tells us that Christians are no different.  

Tempation is a tool used by the devil. Jas 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Temptation does not come from God. It begins inside of us. Jas 1:14, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” Once we allow lust in then we give the devil the ammunition that he needs. 

Trials are used by God for own good. Jas 1:3, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” God provides us with trials not to make us fail. He does not want anyone to fail. He does want us to develop a useful faith. Not just a faith where we believe in him. But, a faith that produces works in our life. God can use these works to spread his gospel.  

Trials are part of building our faith. We must do more then just believe in God. Jas 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Simply believing is not enough. We must cultivate an active faith. 

We do not want to end up like the fig tree. Matthew 21:18, “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19  Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.” We do not want Jesus to find us without any fruit. 

Many modern denominations want to downplay works. They are afraid of crossing the line between faith and works. A future devotional will talk more about this relationship. In trying to stay away from this topic, they do not address trials and temptations. It is crucial that we realize not all faith is the same. 

Growing a Godly faith requires more then just praying for Jesus to come into our lives. It requires that we walk with God daily. It is also important that we realize trials are not a bad thing. God uses trials to purify our faith. Unless we recognize this, we will confuse trials and temptations. We will see everything as being meant to cause us harm. This attitude can cause us to miss the lesson that God is trying to teach us. Unless we learn these lessons, our faith will stay stagnant. You can learn more about church of Christ beliefs on salvation here.

Daily Devotional: Are All Christians Blessed The Same

Throughout the Bible, we see the blessings of being a Christian. God promises us that through him we will escape the corruption caused by human desires (2 Peter 1:4). God promises that through him we will find rest from earthly discomforts. (Matthew 11:28-29). God promises that he will provide for Christians needs (Phillipians 4:19). This begs the question, Are all Christians blessed the same? 

This question came to me while studying Jesus’s parable of the talents. Traditionally, we think of this parable as speaking of our God given talents. We apply this to using our talents for the greatest glory of God. That application is completely true. While studying this parable, I realized another potential application. Could our blessings from God be connected to our talents? 

Jesus tells us, the master did not give all servants the same amount. Matthew 25:15, "To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.” Jesus does not tell us why one is given more then another. There are many possible reasons; one might have been more responsible, one might have been newer, etc. Why is not as important as what they did with it. 

The first servant immediately began increasing his talents. Mat 25:16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. We are not told how he doubled his talents. He could have sought help from more experienced investors. Importance is placed in the fact that he sought to double his talents. He did not wait. He went immediately to work with his talents. 

The second servant does the same. Mat 25:17 “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.” Just like the first servant, he immediately set out to increase his talents. He did not wait for the right time. He did not wait for opportunity to fall into his lap. He worked with what he had. 

The third servant decided to take a much different approach. Mat 25:18 “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.” This servant does not use his talents at all. He simply hides them. Immediately nothing happens to this servant. 

When the master returns, we see the difference in their outcomes. Mat 25:19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.” The first servant is happy to show the master his progress. Mat 25:20 “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.'” The master reacts lovingly to this servant. Mat 25:21 “His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'” 

The second servant shows the master his results. Mat 25:22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.'” This servant is met with the same reaction as the first. Mat 25:23 “His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'”  

The third servant approaches the master in a much different way. He begins by giving the master an excuse. Mat 25:24-25, "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25  'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'” 

The master agrees with the servant’s fear. Mat 25:26  "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.” Just because his fear did have a basis does not absolve the servant. The master still calls him wicked and lazy. He reminds the servant that he did not even do the bear minimum. Mat 25:27, 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.”  

The master punishes the slave by stripping him of his talents. Mat 25:28, 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'” Stripping the servant of his talents was only the beginning. The master also has him thrown out of his house. Mat 25:30, "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

The tense of verse 29 is what caught my eye. Mat 25:29, "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Jesus states that whoever has more shall be given. He does not talk about this increase being given sometime in the future. Is Jesus simply talking about our heavenly reward? Could he also be speaking of rewards we receive from God on Earth? 

Jesus finishes this parable by speaking about the judgement to come. Mat 25:31, "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32  "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33  and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34  "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  

In Jesus’s parable, the master judges each slave based on how he used their talents. Servants then received a reward based on their usage. Those who used their talents properly received more. The one who did not had everything taken away from them.

There is no doubt that God is active in our lives. Jesus tells us to trust that God will provide for us. Mat 6:25  "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Jesus reminds us that God takes care of all of his creation. He also reminds us that we are first among his creation. Mat 6:30  "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” 

Why do we restrict God’s blessings to the after life? Jesus has shown us that God moves in our lives. When we consider the parable of the talents, in this light, then we see a deeper application. Jesus is telling us that God will bless those that increase their talents. As we actively use our talents, for the glory of God, then God will reward us with more talents. 

This would explain the disparity among those who claim Christianity. Some claim that all we have do to is “bring Jesus into our hearts”. They promise that this will bring God’s blessings. Others, downplay the importance of repentance. They teach that we can do whatever we want (i.e. fornication, living with someone outside of marriage, etc.). The only thing God requires is that we confess our sins to another man and we will be forgiven. We can go right back and do the same sin again. Others, teach that show up on Sunday, listen to a rock concert, get a great emotional high then go about your lives.  

I do not question the sincerity of these different types of worshippers. I do question the outcome of these different approaches. How much does just showing up on Sunday require us to use our talents? How much effort does it take to do whatever we want as long as we confess it to another man? Wouldn’t this be equal to burying our talents in the ground?  

In Jesus’s parable, the master required each servant to actively, immediately begin doubling his talents. Do you think this expectation ended when he rewarded them with more talents? Isn’t it logical that this is simply the beginning of a cycle? The more we use our talents, the more talents we are given, and the more we are required to use those talents. This cycle requires us to focus completely and entirely on God. It requires us to use everyday to best use our talents, for the glory of God. 

It is not my job to judge the motives of another. Judgment is restricted for God himself. My job is to share the gospel with as many people as possible. Part of sharing the gospel is showing people how to apply it to their lives. I mentioned several different kinds of worship. I implore you to compare your life to the standard set out in Jesus’s parable. Are you continually and immediately using your talents to glorify God? Or are you actively living in sin expecting continual forgiveness from God? 

Just as the servants did, we will each stand before our Lord and give account of our lives. We will have to answer for why we did what we did. I ask you are your actions glorifying God? Are you working continually to use your talents for God? Do  you focus continually on God? Or, are you a Sunday Christian? Do you spend the rest of your week just moving through your life? Please take a few moments to ponder these questions. I want each and every one of you to hear, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'”

Jesus Parable of New Patch Old Garment

Every three months, I teach the junior high school class at my local congregation. As I began this three month period, I was asked to teach on Jesus's parables. Of course, Jesus used parables to teach lessons. However, I quickly saw that there are more to them then meets the eye. I decided to begin a series on Jesus's parables. The first parable I want to look at is Matthew 9:16.

This parable is only one verse long. Matthew 9:16, " "But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results." This is only one verse. Some do not even consider it a parable. However, it is a story that holds a much greater meaning. Is that not the definition of a parable?

How are we like old garments? When we are baptized then we put away our old selves. We are buried with Christ in baptism. Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." At that moment then our sins are washed away. Luke 3:3 "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;"Our old selves are to become like an old garment.

Can you put a patch on an old garment? Today, we are used to buying clothes that are pre-shrunk. However, at this time they did not have that luxury. They would buy clothing and deal with it shrinking through time. If you put a patch of new cloth on a garment that was already shrunk then the patch would shrink over time. This would cause the patch to pull away from the older clothing.

Just like this, we cannot just put a patch over our old selves. When we are baptized there must be a fundamental realization. We are no longer the same person we were before. Before our baptism, we lived as sinners. We were not aware of God's plan for our lives. We were not aware of Jesus's dying for our salvation. Upon learning and obeying these things then we must make some changes in our lives.

We must change the way we see the world. As sinners, we looked at the world through a sinner's eyes. We saw not what we could do for the world but what the world could do for us. We did not think of our actions as being either moral or immoral. We thought only about whether they were legal or illegal by human laws. Hopefully, you at least thought along those lines. We must begin to see the world through the eyes that God will supply to us.

We must begin to change our thoughts. Every word that proceeds out of our mouth shows the world what is in our hearts. Jas 1:26 "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless." Once we begin to change our thoughts then our actions will follow.

We must change the things that we focus on. As we begin to think more about higher things and less about worldly things then our focus will begin to change. We will focus more on how God wants us to act. Our associations will change. Our habits will change. How we spend our time will change. We will not want to frequent strip clubs anymore. We will not want to come out of the bar falling down on our faces. 

As our focus changes then so will our actions. As we focus more on God then we will see our old actions that were sinful. We will begin to no longer enjoy these actions. Their value will be diminished for us. We will start to see the value in Godly activities. We will cultivate more friends that also see the value in Godly activities. Once we reach this point then we will start to build the habits necessary to lead a Godly life. 

Are you trying to put a new patch on an old garment? It does not matter how long you have been a Christian. As you look at your life, was there a point of true change. Was there a point where you completely turned away from sin and embraced God? Did you do the things necessary (i.e. worship, study the bible, change your associations, etc.) to change your focus? Or have you been moving through life just trying to put new patches on an old garment?