The 1 test Christians need to pass… for the reward (part 2)

 

In all honesty, does anyone love tests? We all face them, though.

Please read part 1 of this post here: The one test Christians need to pass

Sometimes, we fail to realize that life is full of tests – daily. We have so many tests to pass.

Did I care for my loved ones in patience and kindness?

Did I find the way to let an offense roll of my back?

Did I surrender the burdens, concerns, and fears to God?

Did I seek God for wisdom when I felt someone was testing me?

Did I pray? Did I prioritize God’s word speaking into my life BEFORE I ventured into the tests?

On and on… testing…1,2,3,4… to infinity – so it seems.

We ace some. We fail others.

We accept average scores.

We’re not perfect; we can’t expect to champion them all. 

What is the 1 test we must pass?

We must please God.

Proverbs 16:7

“When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

[Tweet “We must let the rewards be determined by God.”]

[Tweet “The reward for people-pleasing will often look different from the reward of God-pleasing. “]

 

It was the last race of my high school sophomore year.

I already earned the required 15 track and field points for varsity.

The events of the day were odd.

I was our team’s #2 long-distance runner. Our team’s #1 long-distance runner became sick minutes prior.

She was out of the race. Odd. 

The race was on. 

The opposing team’s fastest runner charged ahead of me. I was in second place mid-way through the 3200m –  until I watched her fall.

“Are you okay?”  

“No, my ankle is hurt. I’m done. Keep running.”

She was out of the race. Odd. 

I was now positioned in first place, and my good friend Steph caught up to me. I knew what this meant for her; she had a chance to make varsity! She needed to take second place to earn her final two points to qualify.

“Steph, you’ve got this. Go for it!”

I told her that I wanted to stay by her side and cross the finish line together.

An opponent snuck up on us and we ran neck and neck. I could hear the team screaming for me from the bleachers. They wanted me to sprint and take first place.

They knew I could do it. I’m sure they wondered what I was doing. Why wasn’t I taking advantage of the situation?

For me, it was a test. I knew it. 

My dad hardly came to my track meets. This particular day, he came. Should I make him proud and blitz to take first place?

God, my heavenly Father, said

“No”

As my dad looked on, and the entire team stood in the bleachers screaming for me…at me … I had to please my Heavenly Father first.

I chose to run by Steph’s side.

Our opponent dashed in front of us and took first place. Steph needed to take second place…and I internally rejoiced for her as she crossed that finish line a brief moment before me. Steph turned to practically jump on me. She hugged me and kept saying, “thank you.” We rejoiced together in our win. Steph made Varsity. I passed God’s test.

The team wasn’t thrilled with me. I’m sure my dad was a bit disappointed (although when I explained the situation to him later… he said that I was a good friend).

My coach smiled at me.

I shared the gospel with Steph for several months prior. On that final race day, she experienced the love of God in action through me. THAT is an honor. Steph opened a wider heart to God’s love and truth.

 

running-track-1306518

We must prepare to let our rewards be determined by God.

 

The reward for people-pleasing will often look different from the reward of God-pleasing.

 

It is a test.

 

Job 23:10 “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

 

In some ways, it is the ultimate test.

Jesus was tested in the wilderness by Satan. He was tempted to surrender pleasing God, the Father. I’m sure Jesus’ disciples would’ve been well-pleased with an outcome other than the cross. I’m sure many would’ve been pleased with a powerful, victorious, miracle-working, “making dreams come true” Jesus. The cross; however, was the will of God. If Jesus embraced any of the other options, Satan would’ve been well-pleased.

[Tweet “Sometimes, we might look like failures in the eyes of men when passing God’s test. “]

We need to be okay with that.

So, are you passing God’s test… today?

[Tweet “Are you seeking to please man, or please God? “]

Jeremiah 17:10

“I the Lord search the heart

    and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

    according to what their deeds deserve.”

 

If you’re focused on pleasing God, then great is your reward.

What a delight to one day hear in heaven, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Mathew 25:23

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;

I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 

1 Peter 1:6-9New International Version (NIV)

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

 

Please read part 1 of this post here: The one test Christians need to pass

Planting God’s Seeds of Hope

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Brook Joy

Brook Profile-02062016*Brook Joy writes articles on Faith, Life, Culture, and her personal journey with Health (IBD). Brook is a chocolate-loving wife & homeschooling mama (and a Christian for 20+ years)… planting and growing God’s seeds of hope at missionzera.com

 

 

Treasure those who Treasure You

Treasure Those who Treasure You

This hot mess mama stumbled into a convenience store to grab a few cosmetics… and chocolate, of course!

My Zee and Zu (the nicknames of my littles) couldn’t make a quick decision on chocolate of choice. The wide-eyed teenager working behind the counter saw an opportunity to ask a question. God only knows why he chose to entrust me, a mere stranger with two distracted kids.

“Can I ask you for some advice?”

“Sure. What’s up?” I replied. 

He wore his heart on his sleeve and quickly explained that his “friend” continuously complained about her job. He politely asked her to stop complaining and find ways to appreciate her employment. She was infuriated. She asked him to never speak to her again. He was shocked and broken-hearted. She ended a “friendship” … just like that.

His question was simple,

“Should I try to work it out with her, or do I just move on?” 

I rambled for a few seconds while I prayed,

“God, what can I say to this kid? Give me something meaningful. In teenager vocabulary, please.” 

It hit me hard as simultaneously I spoke,

“Treasure those that treasure you.” 

I said it again. Sternly, loudly, lovingly, and with a smile,

“Treasure those that treasure you.”

He nodded and smiled. He got it. We both did.

He finished ringing up my items, and I encouraged him to remember those words, “Treasure those that treasure you” on Valentine’s day – and everyday. 

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I thought about those words for hours. I’ve been evaluating life’s demands and all of the characters that are in my story. I love every person that God chose to include in the chapters of my life. But, oh, those special few…

There are those special few, the very dear and close ones, that remind you in simple ways how much you are loved. Treasure those. Really, really, treasure those. 

You don’t need a romantic Valentine to appreciate the treasures.

No one knows what tomorrow brings. We have today.

This Valentine’s day, make a phone call (not a text), send a card, buy some chocolate… treasure the treasures…

(I feel like I just wrote a commercial.)

Honestly, though, why not? If you do, I can almost assure that your attitude of gratitude will guarantee a warm fuzzy on heart day.

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It’s still early in the year…I noticed others sharing their yearly aspirations in a sentence or word.

I have several words that I’m clinging to…(for me) TREASURE needs to trump them all.

Treasure those you love.

Treasure the day.

Treasure moments.

Treasure blessings.

Treasure life.

And most certainly…

Treasure those that treasure you

 

God’s seed: “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Treasure Jesus

Lucky by chance or Blessed by design?

Lucky 

happening fortunately or by chance…

Blessed 

having a sacred nature or connection with God… 

[Tweet “Blessed also means to be set-apart, holy, sanctified…”]

by the design of Omniscient God; rewarded eternally.

Blessed contains depth and requires understanding to acknowledge the blessing. Do you connect with God? Do you acknowledge His goodness in your life as a blessing?

Many associate the Virgin Mary with the word blessed. She was set-apart for God’s mission and sanctified in salvation by the death and resurrection of the very seed she held within her – Jesus, the Christ. 

Common overuse of the word blessed is annoying. Lack of tolerance for the semantics couples with poor appreciation for true meaning.

It’s almost as if the word serves as a lucky charm hanging from a rearview car mirror … yet…  

[Tweet “BLESSED is entirely different from Luck(ed)? … which is NOT a word, I know.”]

Sometimes, the blessed aren’t lucky. Sometimes the “blessed” don’t have great lives. Can you recognize the difference when you ask how someone is doing and the response is

“Blessed” ?

Does that person mean that life is great in all sorts?  OR, does that person mean that they recognize goodness despite imperfect circumstances?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luck is by chance.

Blessed is by designGod’s design.

God sometimes allows the blessings of favor and fortune. Although, in experiencing ill-fortune, God still calls some blessed.

So, what is the difference? It’s perspective. It’s a heart issue. The blessed...are those blessed in heart and perspective.

Circumstances may fail, but the Spirit can still soar!

Some of the most fortunate people in the world are utterly the most miserable. Some of the “luckiest” lottery winners admit to the win as a curse.

Why? 

Luck is about circumstances working in your favor. Blessings are about perspective and heart posture – recognizing God’s love and favor – which in turn, blesses the one with the Godly perspective and heart.

[Tweet “The blessed boast in humility. The lucky boast in pride.”]

Circumstances might suggest great fortune for the lottery winner, but an overwhelming view into the hearts and expectations of others can quickly change perspective of the winner(s). They see greed. They lose relationships. Their grasp on reality slips, twists, and turns. The “winner” can become disheartened. At that point, the winner no longer feels blessed.  Do you see the difference?

I wanted my circumstances to look different (health, finances, stress) several times in life. Friends would not want to trade places. Yet, I could feel God’s comfort. I could count my blessings and feel a great appreciation for the ways in which God was working wondrously inside of me. In hindsight, God used the challenges to soften my heart and change my perspective. I’ve grown in compassion, and I understand the importance of empathy. God challenged my character to become more patient and gracious. God showed His faithfulness in my circumstances – in His time.

[Tweet “As we conquer the hurdle – we learn to trust God to help us over future hurdles.”]

God always has a plan.

Sorrow can bring great contentment and appreciation for things that might otherwise get overlooked.

The eternal often gets overlooked.

God may allow circumstances in life to prepare a great heavenly reward, to set-apart and to sanctify. A heavenly plan to create something beautiful for the eternal life… is a plan that I can settle on. In the most dire circumstances, we still have the eternal to settle on.

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I ponder on the suffering and persecuted, and my heart breaks. I wish there was more that I could do to rescue them. I pray. I support the cause of other missions and ministries to help in practical ways. I like to raise awareness for persecution, poverty, and the broken-hearted. I’ll write about it.

I just can’t stop it all from happening.

I wish I could. It’s very hard to understand sometimes. The one thing I can find comfort in… is God alone and His promises for the life to come.

In the hard, the challenging, the sorrowful moments – we can still be… blessed.

(Matthew 5:3-12, King James Bible online)

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.



We can be blessed at any time, in any season of life, because at any time, or any season of life…

we can trust in Jesus.

God’s seed: James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.”

Count your blessings today!

Planting God’s Seeds of Hope

missionzera blessings

 

Brook Joy

Brook Profile-02062016*Brook Joy writes articles on Faith, Life, Culture, and her personal journey with Health (IBD). Brook is a chocolate-loving wife & homeschooling mama (and a Christian for 20+ years)… planting and growing God’s seeds of hope at missionzera.c

 

 Luckyorblessed