“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4 MSG)
Do you remember waiting for your teacher to pass out your graded paper, or to post your score on the automated system used institution of higher learning today? There was a sense of anxiety for some. Others, those who were sure they had aced the test had no such anxiety. How about the time you took your driver’s license test, and you were eager to hear these words, “You passed!” Maybe you are like me, and you have regular three-month A1C tests to see how well you are managing your sugar diabetes. We are delighted when the physician gives us a number, one that causes us to say, “I passed!” Of course, we like to hear results that show we met or passed our physician’s expectation. What about the time that you ordered a clothing item online? And while you indicated the correct size, you hurried to try on the item. You wanted to see if the online retailer had sent you the perfect item and to determine if you had passed the test in selecting your new piece of attire. You had to be recertified in your personal, professional field, so you took the required certification exam. You could not wait until you found out you passed. What a relief! What an accomplishment too! Now there are probably many other examples, but to summarize it in a few words, we like it when we can say to ourselves or even others, “I passed!”
Today begins what we call “the weekend.” For many reasons, we like “the weekend.” Let me sound like the Master, “But I say unto you”…do your best to pass every test that comes before you when it comes to making the right choices and living like a Christian ought. (You like it when I get in your “sandbox” or your business, don’t you? Then go ahead and smile!) Have a great weekend and when Monday morning comes around let there be no doubt that you will be rejoicing, saying, “I passed!” When tension comes upon you, be able to say, “I passed!” When temptation attacks you be able to say, “I passed!” Regardless of circumstances where you just don’t feel like yourself, overcome the challenge to act out of your Christian, and then say, “I passed!” Have a great weekend! Be blessed!
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 NLT)
Still committed to the climb
Mark L. King