Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire ... —Daniel 3:17, NAS
Can you think of any moment lately when you were glad Jesus had not come? If He had come, would He have found you complaining, criticizing, or ready to give up? Perhaps you know what it is to be lonely; perhaps you were passed over; perhaps you feel that life has passed you by; perhaps you feel it is unfair that you had to have the lousy wife or husband you have or the illness. Endure the trial with dignity.
But what is enduring with dignity? It means that at the Second Coming of Jesus, beware that you are not questioning God. Beware of bitterness against Him.
It also means do not be found quenching. That is trying to abort a God-ordained trial. Every trial has a timescale, and it will end. There is no trial given to you that is not common to man from which God will not make a way of escape. Now that is God's promise. It does not matter what the trial is. You may say, "This one is too big for me"—it is not. The devil will make you think it is too big for you, and you may think that you have found a loophole so you can complain. The trial will end, but if you try to end it before it is over, you will build a superstructure of straw.
As you read this you may be undergoing a trial greater than you imagined, and maybe no one has a clue what you are going through. You are almost ready to quit. Don't! Your endurance in this trial of your faith will bring praise, honor, and glory to Jesus Christ on His appearing. Dignify the trial even though your faith is tried by fire. Do not quit! You are the one who has an opportunity to have what Paul calls "reward."
Excerpted from When God Says "Well Done!" (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1993).
