I’ve only known a few families that have had their boys make it to the level of Eagle Scout. This photo from 2013 marks the hall of fame in the home of my cousin. It wasn’t an easy achievement for her 3 boys. To get there they had to work their way through a process,
meet some challenges,
and earn
all of those badges, medals,
buttons and pins you see on their shirts.
When
this photo was posted this week on Facebook as a memory I wondered about my own
badges. You know, from life? Is there a spiritual hall of fame somewhere in the
cosmos with a photo of me wearing a shirt filled with badges earned during the
challenges of my life? I’ve sure been
through some that required hard work and perseverance. More than a few surely
worth a pin, right? And I hope they
brought honor and glory to God. At least eventually…
The
Bible, just like the Boy Scouts Handbook, is full of knowledge and instructions
for handling challenging situations. It also tells us trials will come. So, knowing this, the only thing to do is “Be
Prepared” - which is also the Boy Scouts motto.
Here
are just a few of the verses that remind us of the trials to come and a bit of advice
for being prepared:
James 1:2-4
"Count it all joy, my
brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, because you know
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.”
1 Peter 1:6-7
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead,
even though the going is rough for a while down here. These
trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and
pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is
far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after
being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise
and
glory and honor on the day of his return.”
Romans 12:12
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
By these verses above
we see that our first action in being prepared is to not
be overwhelmed with the fact that we are facing this challenge in the first
place but instead be consistent in prayer.
Secondly, have hope and faith that God is in control of the outcome as
well as preparing our steps as we move through the challenge (Proverbs 16:9). Third, count this season as a test of our faith
that, in the end, will build perseverance and maturity.
Lastly, our faith tested and purified by fire turns to a treasure more
costly than gold, and yes, we get a badge of honor in the hall of fame on the
day of His return. Which means when we meet Him face to face His greeting will
be, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Our faith and our willingness to
obey His instructions are the only things we have to offer our Lord. And the
production of our testimony and glory to Him through our faith in trials is our
ultimate gift to the Father. This offering of ourselves is our spiritual act of
worship (Romans 12:1). What else can we give the One who has everything?
In
her review of my music video link below, Daphne Delay in Dec 12, 2013 wrote:
So much of our lives are just an act of giving
back to Him what He has given us. For example: our money, our time, our faith,
our attitude... almost everything. Therefore, because God has helped us, in
reverence and honor, we return those things in the same measure back to Him. The
Bible says, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the
Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2). God is beautiful and He
is the beauty of holiness, worthy of our worship. In all that He has given to
us and done for us, it is only right that we worship Him. But it is also the
only thing we can give Him that He did not first give us.
Trials will indeed come our way. Sometimes it helps to
look back on past victories to remind us of God’s faithfulness and our strength
gained. In the Old Testament the Jewish people were commanded to do this very
thing so that future generations could benefit from hearing the testimony of
the people (Joshua 4).
We can take this lesson
and record for ourselves each moment of our struggles and victory in a journal.
Perhaps even add a photo or drawing of a badge.
If you are not facing a trial right now, Praise God!
But be ready… one is sure to come your way. And
remember each badge, pin and medal is a memory of building our faith and honoring
God, at
least eventually…
 |
|
"But in your
hearts revere Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone
who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 3;15 (NIV)
|
Lord, most of all I want
to bring glory and honor to you. I hope as I have moved through each of my life’s
challenges, glory and honor has come to you.
Forgive me for the times I have waivered in my faith and succumbed to
temptations leading to only pleasure or personal gain. I love you and really want your plans to be first
and foremost in my life. Thank you for your grace in all situations and grace
that covered my past choices; good and bad. I am also thankful for the times
you used my poor choices as fire for my faith to be tested to made pure. Lead
me always in your ways, according to your word. Remind me to see the joy in
trials as I believe, trust and work to earn my badges of honor and I pray they bring
glory to you.
Click here to see a music video –
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