Now that the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are behind us, do we look forward to what we have ahead of us? We should however not forget what the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread symbolize; rather, we should continue to apply the significance of these special days in our lives, as we do every year. We may go through an “up and down moment,” moments of a “spiritual high” right before and during that time when we are excited and full of joy, but what about shortly thereafter? Do we carry on the excitement we just shared or does it soon drift away in the coming days, now that the Days of Unleavened Bread are over, or at least until Pentecost and the Fall Holy Day season approaches? What do we do in the meantime? How do we react and take control of our feelings?
Distractions come in many forms, and they prevent us from focusing on the things we need to concentrate on, and if not controlled, they can lead us to defeat. Now that we are back “in the world,” we will once again be confronted with distractions to side-track us and our spiritual thinking. Satan who is always out there tries to make it difficult for us, and we also know that God is there to help us overcome Satan’s attempts to bring us down. God allows distractions in our lives, which are trials that we go through, and they are necessary for our success. We are not being tested for the purpose of failing, but with the expectation of success: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 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” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Our self-examination does not only occur once a year, but it should be a daily task. Our self-examination should determine that we are on the right track; that Christ DOES in fact live in us, each and every day. “And if, during the examination, a Christian finds that he is lacking in some aspects, he needs to REPENT of that; he needs to ask God for forgiveness; he needs to resolve and make an effort to do better; and, at the same time, he needs to understand that with God’s help, he can, and must, and will do better“ (Quoted from our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days”).
Those of us who have been called out of this world and who live by the law of God and observe His commanded Sabbaths and Holy Days, can thereby expect trials of every caliber to impact us in some way, especially right before and after the Holy Day seasons. God allows us to go through various tests, not for the purpose of imperfection, but to bring us closer to perfection.
We can expect trials to continue, especially with all the distractions this world is throwing at us. We are being tested on the very things that we struggle with the most, and God is looking at US to see how we will react; how we will “handle” the situation. We will fail from time to time, especially during initial stages of a trial. In recognizing our own actions when going through a trial, we are thereby examining ourselves and accepting the fact that we MUST do better, if we want to be counted worthy.
The suffering we are going through is a beneficial part of God’s plan: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, English Standard Version). We should not feel defeated the moment a trial sets in, for God says that “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If we believe this, then we will be able to take control by conquering our trials and fulfilling God’s purpose for us.
