Most men place their greatest emphases upon the here and now. Paul knew that life truly began at the moment man leaves his body to be present with the Lord.
A man’s body is the house or dwelling place for his soul and his spirit. Since this dwelling is merely temporary, the scripture likens it to a tabernacle.
Death is the departure of the soul and spirit from the body, but where does each part of man end up after a man dies? The Bible answers this question and more.
Trials, afflictions, and heartaches may presently abound, but those who know the Lord rejoice, knowing that those things only exist for a season.
Life is a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Likewise, the trials of life are temporary and should be viewed in that light.
God offers no account of anyone (apart from Jesus Christ) who ever suffered quite like Job. Job in many ways serves as an example for believers today.
The average believer would never consider the word joy to be an appropriate descriptive term for temptations. There is a great explanation for this as the average believer experiences little to no victory when tempted. Temptations put a man’s faith on trial. When his faith stands the test, he learns patience. Therefore, he sees temptation as a means by which he can grow in the Lord and add virtues such as patience. It is not that he finds joy in the temptation itself, but that God can and will use that temptation to make him "perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4). Believers who fight through and obtain victory find joy in knowing that their faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
The context of today’s passage confirms that it involves the temptation to do evil. This shows that the author of the temptation is not God, nor can it ever be Him in this context. The death of the one being tempted is the end result. This is why it is so very important for every believer to achieve a scriptural understanding of the source of his temptation. According to James 1:14, “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” The first step of any temptation is a drawing away. If a man refuses to be drawn away, he simply cannot be tempted to do wrong. If a man allows himself to be drawn away, the Devil’s next step involves enticement. It is often at this point that the Devil captures his prey leading him into sin.
