If you missed part 1 and 2, you can catch up by clicking the links at the end of this blog.
We have been focusing on how our sin causes consequences for us, but what about when the sin of others causes consequences for us? Unfortunately, we get swept into someone else’s mess, usually not by our own choice.
I remember a situation very well that I was in this very circumstance. Without getting into too much detail, I was caught up in another person’s sin and bad choices. I was in a situation that I did not want to be in. I had to choose whether I was going to weather the storm or flee. I was being tested.
The idea of being tested isn’t new. Look at the book of Job. Everything that happened to Job was one huge test of Job’s faith and trust in God. Satan had been back and forth between Heaven and Earth trying to decide who he was going to test. God asks Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Job 1:8) Before you get up in arms and think that God is offering us up to be tested, He doesn’t do that. Satan prowls around the earth looking for someone he can destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Once Satan makes his decision, he must get God’s permission. In Job’s case, God was asking Satan if this was his final decision. God agrees to let Satan test Job but puts limitations on what Satan can do; he cannot kill Job (Job 1:12)
Job lost everything. His children, all his belongings, the respect of his wife and friends, and even his health. His so-called friends try to convince Job that everything that happened was because of an evil that Job had committed, and Job was being disciplined for this evil act. Eliphaz says to Job, “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty” (Job 5:17). Job goes back and forth with his friends until God comes forward to correct them all. Although Job did complain at times, he was found to be righteous, and God restored everything Job had lost.
We see a second example of testing in the book of Luke. Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked permission to “sift all of you [the disciples] as wheat” (Luke 22:31). However, Satan is only allowed access to Peter, not the rest of the disciples. Jesus tells Peter that this testing will build his faith and give him the strength to go forward with the assignment Jesus had for him. As we know, Peter failed his test miserably (denying Jesus 3 times), but Peter is one of the most well-known of Jesus’ twelve disciples. This testing was used to build Peter’s faith and strengthen his trust in Jesus. Peter was used mightily to build the early church and died a similar death as Jesus because of his testimony.
My test was a test of forgiveness and obedience. Was I willing to put aside my feelings and my flesh to pursue what God wanted me to do? I had to do a lot of soul searching and a lot of praying. I learned that I was not completely innocent in what had happened. I had given up on this person and decided he was on his own. If he wanted to make poor decisions, he wasn’t going to take me down with him or put my son in a dangerous position.
I had to relearn to love this person and to see him as Jesus saw him. This testing strengthened the relationship that we had and showed us the bigger picture. God wanted us together and He had an assignment that required both of us. We both needed to shape up and do what we were being asked to do.
In the book of James, we are introduced to the idea of trials and testing and what they are for. James writes:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
When you are in the middle of a trial or a test, it is difficult to see the joy in it. I was not joyful during my test; I was the furthest from joyful you could be. I did have the peace of God in my heart and knew whatever happened, I would be alright. Now that I am on the other side of the test, I’m glad I went through it. I learned a lot about myself and the other person. We both talked about things we had kept secret, things that needed to be exposed, hard truths that needed to be spoken.
Ultimately, trials and testing are training for what God needs us to do. God is training us to be holy beings worthy of being in his presence. Paul writes to Timothy, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). God is training us to be more like Jesus (1 Peter 2:21). Everything we are asked to do and everything we choose to do should be for the glory of God.
Are you up for the challenge?
To get past our disobedience and our sinful choices, we need to repent of our old ways. For the next 2 sessions, we will look at true repentance and what God expects from us.
Tony on the Border 