16. The Discipline of Trial
Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 471, 472.
“Why is life so hard?”
Today we get into some pretty close and personal things. I am struggling today with a situation that is really difficult. I'm trying to work for God but I'm messing it up. It really looks like “all the evil of (my) nature” has popped out in the open.
That’s why I've come back to edit this page. Just like Ellen says, my faults are revealed and it isn't pretty. I have to deal with it today, face up to my problems.
If I perish, I perish.
Peter says “Rejoice, be glad with exceeding joy.”
But it hurts!
But what a blessing it is that “He has a song to teach us”. A song to His glory.
My part is to yield.
We also learn how God goes about our “Personal Development”.
Key words
- character
Yesterday we saw the cause of disappointment in consecrated Christians is because they face:
- obstacles
- trials
- perplexities
- their own faults
To deal with each of these costs dearly in:
- effort
- self-sacrifice
- (self) discipline
They ask “WHY?”
Why
- Why do these things (obstacles, trials, perplexities, faults and evil revealed) come upon us?
- Why do we have trials? (first sentence p. 471)
- Why do we have trials? (second sentence p. 471) What is the aim of the discipline?
- Why does Ellen use so many buzzwords? Can you find her uses of these buzzwords or phrases: conditions for success, opportunity, fit for purpose, values, personal development, career, responsibilities, under appreciated, unproductive, uncertainty.
- Are trials really opportunities?
- How do we know we are precious to the Lord Jesus?
- What powers and susceptibilities seem to be developing in your ministry?
- Why is the potter so hard on the clay? Why is the master so tough on the bird?
- What is “our part” as clay? What are we to do in “fiery trials”? What are we to learn in the dark cage?
- Do you feel unappreciated, fruitless, with an uncertain future?
- A Christlike life, a life we saw illustrated so well in last week’s reading, comes at a high cost. Look at the 3 costs listed above, did Jesus have to pay the same price as we do in order to live an influential life? Is He asking us to pay anything that He didn’t?
Epimelia, care of self (Acts 27:3), was the technique the Greeks and Romans used for self development. 1 Peter 5:7 uses the “melia” part of the word when it talks about God’s action towards us. Do 1 Peter 5:6,7 have anything to say to us in light of today’s reading?
Read more about epimelia in this Wikipedia article on Personal Development. The article also brings up some excellent points relevant to us today. Here are few questions to answer
- The qualities mentioned in the first section and in the lists throughout the article, are familiar to those we read about today. Are there any that wouldn't apply to a Christian?
- Self-efficacy and self-confidence are mentioned about half way through. What is the Christian equivalent?
- The last section seems to indicate that the modern personal development industry is unsuccessful, why do you think it is so?
- What about yoga and meditation, would it be any more successful?
