Life on this earth is difficult but it is also temporary. All the pursuits to gratify our cravings and create a pleasing life are temporary. Only God, His Love, His Word, and the life He gives are forever. The lost look at this current life as being all there is and so they seek fulfillment in earthly things. But those of us whom God calls His children, seek Him first and live with the knowledge of eternal life. Verses 9-11 reads,
“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”
Life is hard. Believers pursue the will of God and rejoice in Him. But the world seek money and other amusements to make them happy. They go through hard times and do what they can to get out of them. The poor suffer through them with complaints and anger. The rich buy their way out. Many turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and fool themselves.
But believers submit to God’s sovereignty and go through trials with joy because they know that God is good. And God recognizes that faith, He rewards it. Verse 12 says it this way,
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Love for God is expressed in action. We love God by serving the people around us, by loving our fellow believers and living out God’s will. As children of God, He has given us His Spirit. The Spirit is the nature and life of God. He gives us the faith to remain steadfast, steady and constant just as He is steady and constant. God is never-changing. He is steadfast and because He has given us His Spirit, we too can be. We have the hope of the promises of eternity.
But we are also human and imperfect. God’s Spirit, His nature is within us but so is our flesh nature. And so we will fall short sometimes. We do sin. The world likes to blame everything and everyone else for their sin. They especially blame God. If God had not made them poor, or rich, or orphans, or the middle child of many, or whatever they wouldn’t have sinned. People blame circumstances for their sin. They blame the broken world and call it god. But God is there to restore what is broken. Jesus is the way the truth and the life and He brings peace and healing.[1]
Even Christians like to blame God for their suffering and sin, saying God sent them this temptation to test them, or God sent them this trial to teach them. We have free will. We have the liberty to make choices and sometimes we choose wrong. Sometimes we let the desires of our flesh quench the faith and love of the Spirit. God doesn’t tempt people. He wants good things for us. He wants us to be conformed to Christ’s image. He wants to have a close and pure relationship with each and every child on this earth. God is light. He is good. In Him there is no darkness, no sin, and no evil.[2] God would never lead us to do wrong, ever. Verses 13-15 read,
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
The bad stuff comes from the brokenness of this world. It comes from sin. When we are tempted it is because we have put our efforts into our fleshly desires instead of into loving God first with our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. God isn’t the source of evil. He is not the source of pain. People have been deceived and that lie keeps them from knowing God. God is the source of good. He is Love, Light, and Peace. [3] Verses 16-18 say,
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
He is never-changing. God is steadfast in everything including His love for us. He has always been the same and will always be the same. He doesn’t want us to trip up and fail. He is with is through good times and bad. It is attempting to fix our problems without God that we stumble and fall. Hebrews 13:5-6 read,
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
How do we stay steadfast through trials? We remember who God is. We remember He wants good for us not bad. He wants us everyone to be saved. We exercise faith because we know God is light, love, and peace.
The greatest of all the blessings and good things God gives us is peace with Him through Jesus. He brought us to it by His the word of truth, His will manifested in actuality, Jesus Christ. And we are saved not so we can be the only ones but so we can share the truth and love of God with everyone, so that others will come after us and know God too.
[1] Isaiah 61:1-4
[2] 1 John 1:5
[3] 1 John 4:8, Judges 6:24