(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now Ministry)

(The following devotional is from a ministry that we have great respect for. We have used a lot of their material over the years. Future Now is a ministry to the youth in the public-school system through music, drama, and real-life stories. They conduct a in-school event that is not evangelistic and follow that with an off-campus event that is evangelistic. They have seen thousands of youth, and their parents, come to know Jesus at these off-campus events over the years. In 2019, after an event at one of the schools, the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained to the school. It has been a fight ever since. I am asking everyone reading this devotional to make a Christmas donation to this ministry to help them weather this attack. These are really good people! Their address is Future Now, PO Box 2980, Valdosta, GA 31604. To see more on tis ministry click on https://www.futurenow.us/get-to-know-us/. It's time we stand up for the youth of this nation and the ministries that are called to minister to them!!!)

Everyone wants to be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking nothing. But nobody wants to go through persecutions, trials or tests. Tests are good, for how would you ever know if you passed if you never took a test? In education, tests help determine achievement, so not ever having your faith tested would be like being promoted without ever taking a test. Think about it like this. You take tests in school to find out what you learned. But you also find out what you didn’t learn. Have you ever noticed that after people take a test they don’t ask about the questions they knew, they ask about the ones they didn't know? When your faith is tested you can find out your weaknesses or what you didn't know and learn from them.

Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and having a knowledge of God's Word. That's why II Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The King James Version says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.” You must study so when you are tested you can be approved.

I Peter 1:7 says, “...that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” A test, trial, or temptation can cause one to quit or stray, but temptations are not from God.

The various trials that test our faith are compared to fire; these trials refer to persecution. When we are persecuted and endure hard times because of our Christian faith, yet continue to serve God, the genuineness of our faith is revealed.