Thomas Wheeler, CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, tells a story on himself. He and his wife were driving on the interstate when he noticed that their car was low on gas. Wheeler got off the highway at the next exit and soon found a rundown gas station with just one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill the tank and check the oil, then went for a little walk around the station to stretch his legs. As he was returning to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in an animated conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as he was getting back into the car, he saw the attendant wave and heard him say, “It was great talking to you.” As they drove out of the station, Wheeler asked his wife if she knew the man. She admitted she had gone to high school together and had dated steadily for about a year. Wheeler bragged, ”Boy, were you lucky that I came along,” He continued, “If you had married him, you’d be the wife of a gas station attendant instead of the wife of a chief executive officer.” “My dear”, replied his wife, “if I had married him, he’d be the chief executive officer and you’d be the gas station attendant.”
Perspective matters. When it comes to God we need to concede— Our perspective is limited at best and His is perfect. Knowing this, which perspective would you choose?
When it comes to troubles and trials, some things can help and some things don’t. In James 1.2-8 we learn what things can help as troubles come our way, now how about the things that don’t…
“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.” (9-11)
Again, life is going to hand you buckets of lemons, just because it’s life. Some rise above, some become consumed by them. God’s trials have a way of leveling us all though. It’s not your material resources that will take you through the trials, but your spiritual resources, like faith and humility. These and only these will carry you through.
- If you are humble and trust in God— you will be exalted. That is why we are to count it joy (verse 1)
- If you are proud and trust your possessions, positions, power— you will be made low! Because you will not last the tests.
If prideful, the tests will wear on you until you’re withered to death (spiritually) because you trusted in your own resources instead of God. The trials are trials of your faith! They are there to build your faith, or destroy it, if you act in the flesh.
Walking by faith means taking steps in the direction God has indicated, understanding and trusting that He will be faithful to guide and provide. It is a faith thing we are talking about. Faith isn’t just coming to church— it’s being the church all day every day…
William Gurnall said, “We live by faith, and faith lives by exercise.” It’s a spiritual thing, so to answer the trial with anything other than God’s wisdom, by faith, is an instant doom to failure.
‘Why is this thing happening to me?’ Ask God for wisdom for that very answer. If we don’t, then we will become bitter instead of better— we will be victims instead of victors.
Get the right perspective of your problems: our job in this life is to be a witness. We are to boldly open our mouth and tell others of Jesus’ saving grace. We get so distracted with the trials and the problems that we forget why we are here. Jesus has the intention of building you up and proving His grace to you in every area. Conversely, the Devil has the intention of robbing you of your joy and making a mockery of God in the process. Better yet, Satan would love nothing more than to throw salt in the wound by using you to mock God with your own life.
A disciple is one who is willing to allow God to take them out so deep that they can’t possibly trust themself. It makes the environment ripe to draw us closer to Him.
Would it be worth it?