For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV
God has a purpose behind every problem. There is a reason for every struggle that we go through as believers. One reason is that God uses circumstances to develop our character, making us more like Jesus. After studying the Scriptures and ingesting the Bible, circumstances test and reveal whether our learning has become a part of us. Circumstances are tools to bring out the life of Christ that we claim to possess. It is not just about personal confession and daily Bible study; it is about producing the life of Jesus when life happens to us as believers. We should see every struggle as God producing the life of Jesus in us.
Jesus warned us that there would be problems in the world, but He has given us the power to overcome them. We are not isolated from pain or immune to it, but the life of Christ in us is produced when circumstances come. Life is filled with problems; when we solve one, another arises. This is how we know a believer is growing in what they study, pray about, and belong to in their community. We test a believer’s growth by seeing if they live out their faith in the circumstances they encounter. When you claim to have faith, circumstances will test if it is true. When you claim to have patience, circumstances will prove that you are patient indeed. We should always see our troubles as light and momentary; they won’t last forever. These troubles achieve the eternal glory that God is preparing for us, which outweighs them.
So, we must never let ourselves fail to overcome circumstances and live rightly amidst problems. We should live a life that shows we study the Scriptures and understand what Jesus says about our circumstances. We should never allow troubles to derail our faith. When life is rosy, we may just slide by, knowing about Jesus, imitating Him, and quoting Scriptures easily. However, suffering tests if we truly know Him. We learn things about God in suffering that we cannot learn any other way. Daniel experienced testing in the lion’s den, and Joseph encountered testing in Potiphar’s house and prison. These trials tested their faith and belief in God, beyond merely professing their faith. Problems come to test if our faith is genuine and long-suffering. Never see them as your end.
