Thank you, God!

Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. Job 23:10 (HCSB)

No one undergoing a trail should say, “I am being tempted by God.”  For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone.  James 1:13 (HCSB)

One of my professors used to give us the exam essay questions a week before he gave us the actual exam.  When exam day came, he didn’t switch out questions.  He didn’t add anything extra to the exam either.  The exam was exactly as he had promised.  You might think this was an easy “A” class, but it wasn’t.  Each question required thought, and each answer that of quality.  So amazingly enough, some people actually failed.  Even though we all had the questions beforehand didn’t ensure that we would all study or that we would all pass.  What it did ensure was that we would all be properly equipped with the knowledge needed to maximize our chances of passing.

This is the fundamental difference between testing and tempting.  God tests.  He doesn’t tempt.  When God tests, he ensures that we are properly equipped with what is needed to maximize our chances of enduring and passing our tests.  The flipside of testing is tempting.  When we are tempted, the intent is not to see us prevail, but to see us fall and to succumb while we undergo our trails.  However, even if we are tempted, God is still faithful to us and gives us a way to endure and overcome.  1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, When you are tempted, he [God] will show you a way out so that you can endure. (NLT)

Today let us simply say, “Thank you, God!” knowing quite well that whatever we are going through will not last.  God has already equipped us to endure, overcome and emerge as “pure gold”.