So this morning I was reading James 1 and I noticed a Greek word that I had circled. It's found in verse 3. The word is dokimion.
It has an interesting history. In the ancient world a pot or a vessel that had gone through the furnace without cracking was labeled dokimion. Those vessels that went through the furnace but came out cracked or chipped were still sold but at a much lower price. The valuable vessels had been tested and approved through the fire. Here I believe the Amplified Bible gets it right when it translates James 1:3 as follows: "Be assured and understand that the trial and approving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience."
Let me give you a modern example if I may. After moving from Hawaii to California, one of the jobs I got while attending Biola was lifeguard. I also gave swimming lessons in the Biola pool. I would often work with a number of children to teach them how to swim. The final test came when the child was asked to swim across the pool before their parents. You tossed the child in the water, not to disapprove, but to see him swim all the way down and them all the way back. That's the thought behind dokimion. It's a test for approval.
In my lifetime, the people I've admired the most are Christians who have learned how to handle life in the furnace. It is a marvelous quality of maturity. They don't fight the testing. They let it have its perfect result. In the midst of sorrow or heartache or grief or loss they are able to view it from God's viewpoint and not give up. They abandon themselves to God and his strength. They're never irksome. They're never irritable. They are always smiling and genuinely happy.
That's the kind of person I want to become more and more like in the days and weeks ahead. I honestly believe that the Christian who lives the best kind of life is the one who perseveres under trial.