Did you know that the bible says the only way you can be blessed is by enduring temptation? Oh yes. In James 1.12, you read “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” What is the bible saying here? Temptations come to all of us, even to Jesus. What you do with the temptations that come to you is where the difference lies. Those who endure and resist will receive a crown of glory.
You do not want to know what will become of those who fail to endure. They give in to temptations the way Adam and Eve did and end up outside of Heaven. But those who can endure will make it to Heaven. When they get to heaven, they will not be outcasts or poor. They will be approved is what the bible says. You can imagine that the approval is by the owner of the home, God Himself.
To be approved by God should be the primary focus and goal of a Christian. In this verse, we see God approving all who endure temptation. Not only that, He awards them a crown of glory. We would all like to get to Heaven but are we willing to endure temptation? Temptations are very attractive, as we see in the temptations of Jesus. They are also bad and powerful.
I believe that is why the rewards for resisting and enduring them are so great. It is like you go through fire and when you come out victorious, you receive a crown of glory. Such endurance requires great faith. You have to trust God completely. Sadly, not all of us can trust God so much as to resist temptation.
No Crown Of Glory For The Unbelieving
Unless a believer trusts God, he will give in to temptation, just like Adam and Eve. Cain yielded to temptation and I don’t have to remind you how many times you have given in to temptation. On the other hand, Job resisted the temptation to curse God. He prevailed against temptation and was approved by God. It should not surprise you to see Job wearing his crown of glory when you get to heaven.
How was he able to resist? The Bible says he knew that his redeemer lived and is alive. The emphasis here is not that Job’s redeemer lives. The focus of that verse is that Job knew. What do you know about God? Is your knowledge of God dictated by what you see on social media? Perhaps you depend on your preacher for your knowledge of God. Sorry, but you may not know God enough to trust him
The three Hebrew boys also knew God. They went from faith to trust in God. God approved them and should each be in line for a crown of glory. How about you? How about me? We still have the chance now to resist and endure temptation and receive approval. Otherwise, we cannot get any crown, let alone a crown of glory. The choice is ours. But we cannot conclude without talking about why God employs temptations to approve us.
Why God Employs Temptation For Our Approval
Evil desires come from the devil but he requires our cooperation for it to become a temptation. That is what James 1.14-16 says. All the while we are yielding to our desires, God is watching for how He will use it to build our faith. If you decide to go with the devil, you lose it.
But for the man who chooses to move toward God (in bible study and prayer), the situation becomes a success. Your faith grows. Day by day, as your faith grows, you soon become a man of faith. You regularly endure temptation and that pleases God. It is a part of our series on positive problems.
The temptation is the problem but the crown of glory is positive. So, learn to embrace and endure the problem of temptation. That is only when you will have a crown of glory in heaven. I pray none of us shall miss it
Maranatha!