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NASB | James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God" [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. |
Subject: How does this verse apply to today? |
Bible Note: Hello, Doc. I agree entirely that God is glorified in our trials, or can be. The fact that we are able to bear them is a tribute to him, and a measure of the grace we receive from him (2 Corinthians 12). Yet I wonder if he is glorified when we chafe at our trials, and complain. He says we should do all things without murmuring (Philippians 2) and therefore, I think that our complaining does not glorify him. Yet I note that Job complained, and so did David, and Jeremiah. It is perhaps in their complaining that we find the weight of their burdens and the soreness of their trials. But the Lord responds to Job with a question: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” and he learned, and we can learn from that. We can learn from David to hope in God, and from Jeremiah that his mercies are new every morning. When God says, “Return to me and I will return to you” (Jeremiah 15) he seems to be saying again that his grace is sufficient. If we can look at these men and learn, then it may be you say, that others can look at us as well, and see that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Like our good works (Matthew 5), our patient endurance of suffering may cause men to glorify God. And we glorify him ourselves. If any of us suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God because of it (1 Peter 4). In the end, our golden faith will bring him praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. But the trials we face are to test not our lives but our faith, and our hearts. They show how much genuine faith we have and they serve to strengthen it. God tests our hearts to see if we love him enough to obey him. And we are grateful for that. Indeed, we invite it. Like the Psalmist we say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. We love him with all our hearts, to the extent that we know our hearts, and if our trials reveal anything less, we pray, “More love, O Christ to thee”. We may even sing, in the words of Elizabeth Prentiss: Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain; Sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain, When they can sing with me: More love, O Christ, to Thee; More love to Thee, more love to Thee! |