By Pastor John Bingham
James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
Cha Sa-soon a 68-year-old woman from South Korea became famous for passing her written driver’s license exam. She took her first test in April of 2005 and failed 949 times before making the minimum score necessary to pass of 60 percent in November of 2009. She spent over $4,200 in application fees.
When testing is mentioned, people often quake in fear, but testing is one of God’s methods of developing us in the Christian faith. Through testing, He enables us to grow and develop in patience in our lives down here. Testing develops greater faith and the opportunity to invest in others.
One of the greatest benefits of testing is future tense. The promise is that there is a “crown of life” offered to those that endure the temptation. Testing often has a tendency to produce faithlessness, pessimism and hopelessness. As a child of God, we can have confidence that God is bringing about the season of testing for a very definite reason and His perfect plan and purpose is being worked out in our lives. When we come through a season of testing with greater faith, we can look forward to hearing, “Well done!”