Trials

 

                  1 Peter 1:7 

   That the trial of your faith,

      being much more precious

 than of gold that perisheth,

 though it be tried with fire,

might be found unto praise

 and honour and glory at the

 appearing of Jesus Christ:

 

 

  1 Peter 4:12 

Beloved, think it not strange

concerning the fiery trial

which is to try you, as though

some strange thing happened

unto you:

 

The trying of your faith

worketh patience.

But let patience have

her perfect work, that ye

may be perfect and entire,

wanting nothing.

James 1:3, 4.

   

  The Upward Look PG  321

 

To the angels, the course

followed by human beings

seems strangely inconsistent.

They see how plainly degradation

is revealed on the side of

unbelief and indulgence of appetite.

They see how untiringly Satan is

working to destroy the image of God

in man. They wonder why beings

dependent on their Creator for

every breath they draw act so

unreasonably and inconsistently;

why they choose the side of the

one who crucified Christ and who

has filled the world with strife and

envy and jealousy. . . .

 

      Come to Christ just as you are,

weak, helpless, and ready to die.

Cast yourselves wholly on

His mercy. There is no difficulty

within or without that cannot be

conquered in His strength. Some

have stormy tempers; but

He who calmed the stormy sea

of Galilee can say to your heart,

if you repent, "Peace, be still."

There is no nature that Christ

cannot subdue, no temper so

stormy that He cannot quell it,

if the heart is surrendered to

His keeping.

    

 No one need despond who

commits his soul to Jesus. We

have an all-powerful Saviour.

Looking to Jesus, the Author

 and Finisher of your faith,

you can say, "God is our

refuge and strength, a very

present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear,

though the earth be removed,

and though the mountains

be carried into the midst of

the sea; though the waters

thereof roar and be troubled,

though the mountains shake

with the swelling thereof"

 (Ps. 46:1-3). . . .

 

                In the future life we shall

understand things that here

greatly perplex us. We shall

realize how strong an opponent

we had, and how angels of

God were commissioned to guard

us as we followed the counsel

of the Word of God. Christ

tells us that our sea will not

always be smooth. We

shall have tribulation. This is a

part of our education, necessary

to the formation of a strong,

symmetrical character.  

Nov. 3,1903,