The Rewards Of Trials

The Rewards Of Trials

THE REWARD OF TRIALS

No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:11

If you are suffering under some great trial right now then hear these emphatic words; no trial feels good at the moment or seems to a great thing.

If you thought the Bible teaches that you are supposed to feel good under God’s chastening hand, then you can breathe a sigh of relief. God knows that your pain hurts, He does not, and you should not, expect it to feel good when affliction comes.

However, there is this great encouragement — although it does not feel good right now, your trial will have a good result, as you are “exercised ” by it. This is an interesting choice of words, because “exercise” in the Greek is the same root from which we get our English word gymnasium.

If you go to any gymnasium today and observe the participants inside, you will see the same principles on display there in which the writer is here speaking — people going through pain and discipline and difficulty in order to obtain a worthwhile goal.

Gymnasts go through rigorous training in order to nail their floor exercises; bodybuilders endure repeated strain in order to chisel their muscles; even middle class mums and men put themselves through strenuous workouts in order to keep their heart healthy. Similarly, we are to understand, suffering is sent to build us up, and to keep us healthy.

As we are weaned off this world by trials, and are made to look to God for our strength and fulfillment, we become stronger because of the difficulty we have faced. May the trials you face today bring you great rewards in your relationship  with your God!

Prayer: Lord, give grace to come out of every trial better than before I went in.

Scriptural Reading: Hebrews 12:4-13

4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Renew Your Spiritual Vitality

The Rewards Of Trials