by Johnny Kim
Hi! My name is Johnny Kim and I have the privilege of serving as a staff member in the College Life ministry. Together with my beautiful, lovely, kind, and gentle wife Mimi (hopefully she’ll read this), we have the blessed opportunity to take part in the lives of our collegians and to witness God working in them in different ways. One side effect of serving in the College Life ministry is that it has also provided me with plenty of opportunities to think back on my own college experiences. I have found that spending time with the collegians can sometimes trigger some long lost memories from my days as an undergrad; some that I would actually prefer not to remember. One example is all the times I had to painfully endure midterms and final exams. Upon graduation, there was probably nothing that I looked forward to leaving behind more than all the tests associated with college.
For those of us out of school, academic tests are thankfully a thing of the past. Nowadays, the closest thing to academic testing we might encounter is the occasional “How Well Do You Know Me?” quiz on someone’s Facebook. However, as Christians, we know that when it comes to our faith, spiritual tests are here to stay. Likely for the rest of our lives here on earth, until we “graduate to heaven,” God will continue to test our faith through various trials and circumstances. It’s the way that He has designed for it to be and accordingly, He calls us to receive and respond to these spiritual tests in a way that is different from tests in school.
During our College Life Friday Night Bible Study, we are currently going through a study of the book of James. In his study guide, John MacArthur points out that the book of James can be broken down and seen as a series of guidelines which we can apply in our lives to test the genuineness of our faith. It’s quite fitting for us to be learning about the testing of faith in College Life since tests are never too far from the minds of our collegians. However, unlike the tests in school, tests of faith are for a greater purpose and have far more value. In particular, we learn that God uses spiritual tests in order to grow us and mature our faith. In James 1:2-4, James extols the virtues of spiritual tests and the subsequent attitude of joy that we ought to have towards them.
Whether we’re dealing with tests in school or tests of a spiritual nature, cultivating an attitude of joy in either case can be quite the challenge. However, having joy in the face of even the most difficult spiritual test is not impossible; otherwise God would not have commanded it for us! So then, what are some things we do to ensure that we face spiritual tests with a joyful attitude? Let’s take a look at how our collegians deal with tests in school to find a couple parallel, practical applications that we might be able to apply towards spiritual tests in our lives.
Do You Attend “Study Hall?”
What are your studying habits like when it comes to studying the Word? Do you set aside a specific time and place to read and study it without distractions? When it comes to preparing for a test in school, our collegians spend countless hours reading and studying their textbooks. On any given night during finals week, you can find the collegians pulling all-nighters during Study Hall at church. They sacrifice sleep and comfort to study and gain the knowledge needed to ensure success on their tests. In the same way, we ought to prepare ourselves to respond rightly to spiritual tests by equipping ourselves with knowledge from the Word that comes from studying it. With a better understanding of God’s character, His will, and His commandments, we can joyfully make the right decisions and have the right outlook on any spiritual test that comes our way. In fact, in passages such as Joshua 1:8, we’re assured that meditating on the Word day and night will lead us to success!
We All Need “Care Packages”
During finals week, the wonderful Care ministry of our church works hard to prepare care packages for the College Life ministry. Our collegians are greatly encouraged when they receive a care package and it helps them, even if in a small way, to study hard for God’s glory with the support of the church behind them. Even the most stressed out collegian will feel a little joy at receiving snacks, candy, and other treats! During the toughest of trials, we Christians also need the encouragement that comes from fellow brothers and sisters within the church family. Our hopelessness can turn into hopefulness and joy when a brother or sister is at hand to remind us of the Gospel and to pray for us to persevere through a spiritual test. On the flip side, we should also be looking to encourage others in the midst of their own spiritual tests. Whether it’s through prayer, a meal, or an encouragement slip, there is always some sort of “care package” we can give to spur them on towards joy. As 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 states, we can ultimately encourage one another with the great hope of salvation through Jesus Christ!
Spiritual tests are a part of the Christian life and we should be thankful that they are! While the rewards for passing tests in college might be good grades and a diploma, James 1:12 shows us that successfully facing spiritual tests leads us receive that which is infinitely greater. Let’s look forward to every opportunity to test and prove our faith, challenging each other to look to the Word for guidance and encouraging each other to respond with joy along the way!