Passing Your Test

(Job 23:10) - "But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

 

Job felt confident that God still cared about His life and that He knew no adversity that would turn Job from His faithfulness to him.  Job was determined to pass any test that God would give to him that would test Job's faithfulness to God.

 

There is a vast difference between "being tempted" and "being tested".  There is also a difference between the "tempter" and the "tester".  God is the tester, not the tempter.  James stated in (James 1:13) - "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be temped with evil, neither tempteth he any man".

 

Job had confidence that God knew the outcome of his testing.  The purpose of God testing Job was for the same reason that God, from time-to-time, will test us: to reveal whether or not we have developed in our walk with Him.

 

God may test us in order to strengthen our faith, but never with the intent of leading us to sin.

 

I believe that we all have to admit that there are times when you and I fail the test.  There's encouragement in knowing that even when we fail the test we will not experience rejection from God.  If and when we fail the test God will allow circumstances into our lives whereby we can ready ourselves for the next test because there will be the next test.

 

Job stated that when God tries him, he will come forth as gold.  It is the process of the testing that refines our spiritual purity.  The more we are tested the better we become.  What is a blessing to know is that God has patience to take us through His process of our growing.