SEARCHLIGHT
How much of a problem are you to yourself?
SCRIPTURE
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
How often have you thought that life is filled with continually increasing pressures from every side? You may have wanted to quit, run away, move to the country, walk out, withdraw into a shell or maybe even die.
On the other hand, you could be a part of the problem. Probably you are not the easiest person to live with, work with, communicate to, appreciate, love, respect, honor, submit to, or ignore. Although you may justifiably feel pressured, you probably are not the tender loving prince or princess you think you are. Most of us are not. And most of us think we are not part of the pressured problems facing us.
I can remember my mother cooking meat in a pressure cooker. It was an airtight heavy pot with a heavy metal lid that screwed onto the base. It used steam under pressure at a high temperature to cook food quickly. On the top was a 2-inch high-pressure gauge which measured the amount of pressure inside the pot. Also, there was a safety valve that would blow open if the pressure inside reached a dangerous point. Mom would put tough meat in it. On taking it out, it was tender.
Many of us are tough and many of us need tenderizing. There are some rough, tough edges that need to be cut off and sanded down. For the person who has committed his life to Jesus Christ fashioning his character, he can face his troubles with joy. James 1:2-4 offers tremendous insight on this topic. Trials can become friends. A believer can know that PRESSURE TENDERIZES TOUGH MEAT. Through God’s grace, pressure can lead to perseverance which will produce maturity and completeness. When facing the “fiery furnace,” he can become more like his Savior, Jesus Christ.
Another realization a Christian can make when facing problems is that Jesus Christ is the pressure cooker safety valve. Christ will lift a believer out of his pressured packed situation if the situation becomes too great. He is never in danger so long as he trusts Jesus with all his heart.
So, before you quit or wonder why God has not delivered you from your “fiery furnace,” why not watch your pressures tenderize your toughness? Why not become a prince or princess? And don’t forget, you do have the best pressure cooker safety valve, namely, Jesus Christ.
SOMETHING TO DO
What puts you under pressure? Do you create trials because of your personality? What do you need to do to welcome the pressures that will tenderize you to become more like Jesus?
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I confess it is not easy to welcome trials as my friends. Neither is it easy to admit that I need to become more tender and less tough. But today, I ask You to use my pressures and trials so that I will become more like You. AMEN!