More Of GodSample

DAY FIVE: Why We Should Count It All Joy

Every trial is a gift from God. They come with invitations to get closer to God and to get more of Him.

Do you want more of God? I can guarantee one of the best ways to do this is by dignifying the trial He puts in your path.

I can tell you, the greatest trials I had during my twenty-five years at Westminster Chapel are what I now treasure. What I thought was the worst thing that ever happened to me I now honestly regard as the best thing that ever happened to me. 

Even my folly works together for good—eventually. Yes, when I am foolish and bring suffering on myself, that too falls into God’s melting pot. He takes the bad and the ugly of our lives and turns them into a pattern for good.

James is telling us to consider the trial as all joy now. Don’t wait until later when it takes no faith to believe it. Get the maximum victory when you cannot remotely see how this trial could be a good thing. That is the time James wants us to impute joy to the trial, tragedy, hurt, or reversal. 

Do you want more of God? I urge you to prove this by dignifying the trial now.

This devotional is based on R. T. Kendall’s book More of God: Seek the Benefactor, Not Just the Benefits.