Tag: trials

Counting Trials as Joy

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Sometimes we mistakenly assume that joy will come to us on a silver platter, plain and understandable. We think joy looks like worldly happiness. However, circumstances we deem favorable are not the source of true joy. Godly joy is not so thin as to come only when “good” things happen. Godly joy is deep, abiding no matter what things happen. In fact, difficulty may cause joy to erupt to the surface of our soul.

God did not tell us to rejoice when all is going our way. We are designed to rejoice when all is going His way, for He alone defines reality and satisfaction. If I limit my rejoicing to the confines of superficial circumstances, I am to be pitied. Conversely, if I expand my rejoicing to the bigness of God’s transcendent plan, I am blessed beyond human measure.

James tells us to take action when times of testing come. He proclaims, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2, NIV). We are to consider – or “reckon” – or “count” – as joy the trials that pervade our comfort zone. To reckon one reality as a completely different concept takes will and action. Times of testing come and I am to count them as pure joy; this is unnatural to me. It goes against the grain for me to not only find hope somewhere in the midst of many trials, but to actually consider my endurance of testing actual joy. I guess this is why so few Christians seem to be joyful. We are not rightly applying the biblical, mathematical equation: Facing trials of many kinds = joy.

And exactly why should we radically equate the endurance of all kinds of trials with joy? God gives a very direct answer, “Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4, NIV). Are you familiar with the word “fulfillment”? The entire world seems to be chasing the elusive feeling of fulfillment in life. Actual fulfillment comes at the end of perseverance’s work in our lives. We will “lack nothing” when we have grown to completion in God by enduring many tests that draw us closer to the only One who can make us who we are supposed to be. I am to count the trials as joy because they strip me of all self-dependence and force me to acknowledge the only One who harnesses all of life and time for His purposes (Ephesians 1:11). Joy is the freedom that comes in recognizing God is in control; I don’t have to fear any person, power, or circumstance because God reigns supreme over all of them. As I come to the end of myself through trials and testing, I come to the beginning of God’s true reign in me.

The word perseverance in this passage comes from the root, “to remain under.” God allows the testing of difficult circumstances to develop in me an ability to bear up under pressing problems with the knowledge that Jesus is completing me. He is whittling away at me, so that I become like Him. He is preparing me for my ultimate destiny – an abiding in righteousness in a place God prepares that delivers us from this broken world. When we endure with a faith in God, we demonstrate our trust in His loving and righteous hand. We show we believe not just in word – but in action – that God delivers on His promises. We trust that being completed by the Perfector of Everything is worth the difficulty. In the accounting system of God’s kingdom, perseverance is highly valued. Remember the words of Jesus to His disciples as He explained the persecution they would encounter, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22, NIV).

When trials come, be reminded that we are on the road to perseverance, and the ultimate end of godly endurance is completion. Therefore, trials ought to be reckoned as joy. God is working in us! He cares enough to continue the process of refining us and making us who we ought to be. Only in being who God designed me to be will I be fulfilled in any real sense. Happiness is defined by the world as favorable circumstances; joy is defined by the Lord as His work of completion in me. Let Him work and let the trials come. All the while, use right mathematics and count the tests as joy.

Twice the Courage

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)

We ought to thank Jesus continually for His honesty. The Biblical Christian worldview is the accurate view, because it accounts for all aspects of life – including the trouble. As our Lord was getting ready to go the cross and preparing His disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus reminded His followers that life would be rough. He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” How true! When we repeat this statement of Jesus, we may do so with a tone of affirmation, or meekly through a veil of tears. Why? Because one thing we know is that trouble is part of our lives.

The Greek word for trouble here is one that means “a pressing” or “pressure.” The difficulties and heartbreaks of life press in on us, and Satan’s hope is that we would cave in under the strain. After all, his goal is to destroy us (John 10:10). When the crushing force of tribulation comes, do not give in through thoughts of hopelessness! Refuse to allow your vision to be limited to what is temporal! Trust in the God is who is bigger than the burden!

The answer Jesus gave to the tribulation of His people is not that the trials would disappear. No, Jesus loves us enough to tell us the truth. Things will get wild, my friends. You will suffer and be persecuted. You will face hardships sometimes unimaginable, sometimes just enough to deter your focus.

Here is the answer Jesus gives, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” The original language behind “take heart” is “be of good courage.” In fact, Jesus uses the verb two times in a row here. He actually says, “Be of good courage; be of good courage.” Okay. I need the second reminder. Jesus drives the point home. He does not simply give mediocre courage; my courage in Him is doubly sure!

Our Savior also says, “In me you may have peace.” The Greek gets to the heart of the requirement, as it informs us that we are to “have, possess, or lay hold of” the peace. The unredeemed person may believe that peace is some wishy-washy concept, or that peace is impersonal and just floats down upon people who desire it. Quite to the contrary, peace is strong and personal. Peace can only be found in the Savior, and it is something of which we must really lay hold. We must walk with Jesus and determine to be blessed by His strength in the midst of difficulty.

The kind of peace Jesus offers is real. It is not the blind faith of those who do not know Him and are just “hoping for the best.” Jesus boldly proclaims in this verse, “I have overcome the world.” Indeed, He has! The world can certainly “bring it on” as far as crushing heartache and troubling circumstances, but Jesus has overcome the world. He stands transcendent over everything that happens. He is weaving together the circumstances of the entire universe to fulfill His plan. The word for “world” here is the same word from which we get “cosmos.” God is telling us that He has overcome the aggregate of all things earthly; all the world affairs – personally and nationally – are under His sovereignty. There is no doubt that I will witness His grand deliverance and resolution with my own eyes. This reminds me of the words of the great man, Job, who declared, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-26).

As the pressure comes, trust in the Overcomer of the Cosmos. The courage He gives is doubly strong.

Effective Educational Assessment Is Rooted In Biblical Truth

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A proficient educator will utilize two types of assessment: formative and summative. Formative assessment is used to evaluate a student’s progress so that instruction may be modified for purposes of improvement. Formative assessment is not a final evaluation, but rather a feedback process whereby the teacher can make proper adjustments with the goal of increased comprehension. Formative assessment keeps student improvement at the forefront.

The goal of summative assessment is to determine a student’s mastery level after a specified period of time. Summative assessment is often used to issue a final grade or mark at the conclusion of the instructional period. Summative assessment is somewhat final and culminating in nature, as the period of instruction has ended, and final evaluation of mastery of content is made.

Careful educators engage in formative assessment more frequently than we might realize. Walking into the classroom, they immediately gather feedback via body language as to whether or not a student is apt to participate or will need significant motivation at the outset. An attentive teacher decides minute by minute which student should be called upon, based on confidence level and other factors. Teachers ask questions, give quizzes, engage in discussion, monitor guided practice, and utilize many other methods to gauge the success of instruction on a weekly, daily, and hourly basis.

The constant barrage of feedback an educator receives enables him to adjust instructional methods in order to improve student learning. If teachers teach simply to assign grades, the paradigm is both useless and ugly. Assessment should happen – whether or not accompanied by a grade – in order to make changes as necessary for the success of student learning. An educator ought to take in the streaming feedback and use it to modify instruction. Sometimes the formative assessment assures a teacher she has reached the goal of student mastery, and sometimes the assessment prods the educator to re-approach the method of instruction in order to see a greater – or broader – level of student mastery reached.

If I think I have taught a brilliant lesson with the objective of students being able to solve a quadratic equation, but at the conclusion of the lesson only ten percent of the class is able to actually solve an equation, then I need to make adjustments. Perhaps I moved too quickly through the material (as quadratic equations excite me!). Or maybe I did not provide enough guided practice. Whatever the case, I know that I must work again toward my objective, for my goal is to see my students able to solve quadratic equations. Their success is my vision.

Though the subject of assessment is popular in both Christian and non-Christian educational settings, the fact is that assessment’s truth is rooted in the Bible. All truth is God’s truth. Whether humanist educators acknowledge the fact or not, a proper view of assessment is drawn from God Himself; for He is the Creator of the world and all its learners.

Amazingly, both formative and summative assessments are seriously Biblical in nature. Does God test His people? Absolutely! When He tests people, what is His goal? Is His goal our destruction? Never! His goal is that we grow in grace and knowledge and become more like Him. In I Peter 1:7, we are told that God’s desire is that our trials result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though testing is often painful in a multitude of ways, God’s goal is that we grow. He desires we become stronger and better in Him (James 1:2-4). He assesses us – not in order to modify His ways – but to see us modify our lives – that we might be complete in Him.

Just as much as formative assessment flows from the heart of God, so does summative assessment; though this fact is more sobering. While God tests us in this life in order that we might grow, there is coming a day when every person will face God’s summative assessment. He will finally – at the end of history – demand an accounting of each one of us and assign us to our final destiny. Those who have rejected Him will face eternal damnation (Revelation 20:11-15). Those who have clung to Him will face a final evaluation of their lives for the purpose of ultimate reward (I Corinthians 3:11-15; II Corinthians 5:10). At this point, there will be no chance for improvement – no time for modification. God’s summative assessment will have taken place.

We see that effective educators will be adhering to Biblical truth when they employ both formative and summative assessment, demonstrating once again that all truth is God’s truth. May educators reflect the grace and love of God in their employment of formative assessment, and may teachers reflect the reality of human accountability to God when they utilize summative assessment.