Tribulation issues in Endurance and Endurance Produces Approvedness through Testing

As we stand in grace and walk in peace, we go through tribulations and trials, which issue in endurance, and endurance produces approvedness, even the proving of our faith which is more precious than of gold; we all need to pray for the Lord to grant us approvedness so that He may entrust us with the gospel and with caring for the saints.

We believers in Christ are those who love the Lord and who want to enjoy Him, gain Him, and grow in Him.

We are learning not to pay attention to outward things or focus on our difficulties, for we realise that tribulation and trials are our portion in this age.

God comes to visit us today in the form of tribulations; many times He gives us more grace not when things go well but when we go through tribulation.

We can even say that, when things are well and we have no problems or trials, we do not gain as much of God as when we are in tribulation.

Like the apostle Paul, we may ask God to remove a certain bothering element in our flesh or in our environment, and the Lord may not do it.

Instead of removing the tribulation, the Lord wants to increase the level of grace so that we may enjoy the Lord more than before.

We may even say that tribulation is the incarnation of grace, for the Lord visits us in a sweet way as grace while we go through tribulation. We do not seek tribulation and we do not desire trials, but these are our portion in this age, whether we want this or not.

All human beings go through trials and tribulations, and every human being suffers; however, we as believers in Christ have an extra portion of tribulations, for the whole world is against the One whom we love, Jesus Christ.

But thank the Lord, as we go through trials and tribulations, the Lord causes all things, all persons, and all situations to work together for good for us.

As long as we love the Lord and open to Him, God causes all things to work together for good for us, so that we may gain more of Christ wrought into our being and we may be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ.

We may want to live a peaceful life with no suffering or problems, but God’s thought is different from ours; He knows that we open to Him more when we’re in trials and tribulations, so He assigns a certain measure of suffering to us.

Oh, may we open to the Lord and may we enjoy Him as grace, even may we boast in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance!

Tribulation Produces Endurance, for the Proving of our Faith is More Precious than of Gold

Why do we believers in Christ boast in our tribulations? What is the reason that we can boast in our tribulations, even though we do not like tribulations?

We boast in God by boasting in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, and endurance, approvedness, and approvedness, hope (Rom. 5:3-4, 11).

Tribulation issues in endurance, and endurance produces approvedness.

What is approvedness? Approvedness is tested character and approved worth (Phil. 2:19-22). Whether God entrusts us with the gospel and with caring for the ones in His house depends on His approval, which comes out of His testing.

The apostles were first tested and approved by God, and then they were entrusted by Him with the gospel. God proved, examined, and tested their hearts continually so that their speaking of the gospel was not of themselves to please men but of God to please Him (1 Thes. 2:4). Oh Lord Jesus!

When we serve the Lord and live the Christian life in the church life, we have many tribulations; we don’t tell the ones we are serving that they cause us tribulations, but we experience them.

For example, we may have an appointment with a new one we care for, and they are late; then, they are late again and again, which causes us suffering and tribulation.

In our Christian life, we also have much tribulation, which produces endurance, and endurance produces approvedness.

Tribulation produces endurance. In all kinds of environments, even though we may feel troubled by what’s happening around us, how others behave, and how people treat us, we need to come to the Lord to enjoy Him as grace so that tribulations will produce endurance in us.

May our tribulations not produce anger or bitterness in us but endurance.

1 Peter 1:7 speaks of the proving of our faith; Peter says that this proving is much more precious than of gold, which perishes though it is proved by fire.

Peter discovered that our faith needs to be tested; we have faith, we treasure our faith, and we live by faith, but faith needs to be tested.

The testing of the faith is more precious than the testing of gold, which is tested by fire. Gold is precious, but raw gold needs to go through the purification of fire in order to be purified and become precious.

When raw gold suffers the testing of the purifying fire, it acquires a quality that is easily approved by everyone (Mal. 3:3); it becomes pure gold, very precious.

Similarly, we believers in Christ have faith, for we believe into the Lord Jesus. But our faith has many things in it, for it has some impurities.

Some believe into the Lord Jesus and they also believe that the Lord will make them prosper; they believe that, if they have faith in Christ, God will make them rich. Others expect other things from God, so their faith is not pure or purified.

We may also believe that He will give us many things and will protect us, keep us healthy, and give us a lot of money.

There are many impurities in our faith, so our faith needs to be proved by fire, the fire of tribulations.

When our faith goes through tribulation and is tested time and time again, the fire of the Holy Spirit will burn it and will remove all the impurities to the point that our faith will be pure gold.

We only love the Lord and are absolutely for Him, not caring for anything else but God’s economy.

The Lord wants us to pay the price to gain Him as the golden faith through fiery trials so that we may participate in the real gold! The real gold is Christ Himself as the divine life with the divine nature for the building up of the Body of Christ (2 Pet. 1:4).

In this way, as we go through fiery trials and tribulations, our faith is proved and purified, and we gain Christ as the real gold, thus obtaining the golden faith. Thus, we can become a pure golden lampstand for the building of the golden New Jerusalem (Rev. 3:18; 1:20; 21:18, 23). Amen!

May we love the Lord and open to Him today so that our tribulations may produce endurance, and this endurance may produce approvedness.

May we allow the Lord to test our faith through many trials and tribulations so that He may gain the faith that He needs and desires; when the Son of man comes back, may He find us with faith on the earth!

Lord Jesus, we love You and we believe into You! We open to You. Oh Lord, even as we go through trials and tribulations, we just open to You! May You gain what You are after in us today. We do not look at the tribulations, Lord, but we look to You so that our faith may be proved and purified. We open to You continually so that You may prove, examine, and test our hearts today. Thank You, Lord, the proving of our faith is much more precious than of gold, which perishes though it is proved by fire! May we open to You as we go through the fire of trials and sufferings so that our faith may be purified and proved! Amen, Lord, may our faith acquire a quality that is easily approved by everyone! May we pay the price to gain Christ as the golden faith through the fiery trials! Amen, Lord, may we gain more of You as the real gold, the divine life and nature, for the building up of the Body to become a pure golden lampstand for the building of the golden New Jerusalem!

Since we Lack Approvedness, we need to Pray, Lord, Grant us Approvedness!

We need to pray and be open to the Lord so that the tribulations we go through would produce endurance, and endurance would produce approvedness (Rom. 5:4).

Approvedness is an approved quality resulting from the endurance of tribulation and testing. Endurance is good, but it needs to produce approvedness.

Sometimes it is difficult to approve some of the young brothers because they are still raw, and they still need to go through testing and tribulations.

We all lack approvedness, the quality that is easily approved by others. So the Lord arranges a certain measure of sufferings, and He allows tribulation in our life so that tribulation may issue in endurance and then endurance may bring forth the quality of approvedness.

Approvedness includes experience, but it is more than that; the more we suffer, the more we have endurance, and the more the virtue of approvedness will be produced.

We do not possess approvedness by our natural birth; it is acquired through much tribulation and trials.

Some of the saints who love the Lord think that they are suitable to work for the Lord. They have a certain amount of life and light, they love the Lord, they know the ministry, and they want to be useful to the Lord in the church life.

However, they are raw and lack the quality of approvedness; they lack the approved quality resulting from the endurance of tribulation and testing.

This quality of approvedness makes the people who are being ministered to happy, sweet, and comfortable.

Many times, the young people are like the raw gold, not being approved; what they need is not more polishing or painting but more burning.

What we all need is more burning and testing through the fiery trials and tribulations so that we may obtain the quality of approvedness.

We may think we are suitable to work for the Lord, but we lack approvedness. On the one hand, we may be quite productive wherever we go; however, on the other hand, we may be raw, lacking the virtue that makes people happy, sweet, and comfortable. Oh Lord!

Instead of having approvedness, we may have disapprovedness, something that makes others feel not comfortable, sweet, and peaceful.

For example, we may be quite burdened for the church life and caring for the saints, and we may want to help the saints to function in the meetings, so we realise the saints need to be perfected in their function.

We may be burdened for the young ones to grow in life and function in their measure, but we may be so burdened that in our speaking, we may become too strong, even demanding.

So when we see others, when we look at their face or read their messages, we may realise they are not happy.

We have life, we love the Lord, we have a burden, but we don’t have the approved quality; the Lord rebukes us within concerning our lack of approvedness.

On the one hand, we hope the saints we care for would go on and function well; on the other hand, it is not by demanding but by shepherding that this can be carried out.

We need to have the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and the Son’s seeking and shepherding spirit.

Since we lack approvedness, we need to pray, Lord, grant us approvedness!

If we pray in this way, if we really mean business with the Lord, He will raise up the circumstances in our environment that will produce approvedness for us.

He will give us a wife, for example, who is most useful to Him in producing approvedness in us. Our wife is an excellent helper, for she assists God in producing approvedness for His servants, the husbands.

In a sense, the wife doesn’t help the husband; she helps God, for the very disposition of a wife helps God to bring forth approvedness in their husband. Oh Lord!

The Lord may also raise up certain saints or a particular co-worker at the office who cooperate with God to produce in us approvedness.

May we realise that the problem is not with others, for they bother us, limit us, and give us a hard time; the problem is our lack of approvedness.

Our lack of approvedness bothers God and damages us; this also bothers the saints and the household of God. Oh Lord Jesus!

We may help the saints on the one hand, but we may hurt them on the other hand.

We may have light and a gift, and we may speak something to build up the church; then, by our living and attitude, we express our lack of approvedness, and this hurts them (Matt. 24:45-51; 1 Thes. 2:7-9).

How much we all need the approvedness that comes out of endurance! How much we need to pray before the Lord concerning this matter. He must break through in us in this aspect, and He must gain approvedness in us!

Lord Jesus, grant us approvedness! We mean business with You concerning this matter. We love You, Lord, we love to be under Your light, and we enjoy You in Your word. We have a burden to serve You and be useful in Your hands in caring for the saints. Oh Lord, grant us approvedness which comes from endurance under the suffering of tribulations and trials. Oh Lord Jesus, save us from being raw and unapproved by God! May we minister life to others and also have the virtue of approvedness, which makes others happy, sweet, and comfortable. We open to You, Lord, as we go through all kinds of trials and tribulations. We open to Your dealing and testing. May we accept the help You give us through our spouse, our family, the circumstances around us, and all things and persons You put with us. Gain the approvedness You need in us so that we may be entrusted by You with the gospel! Oh Lord, we are Your slaves – we have no other choice. Grant us the approvedness we need to build up the church as the Body of Christ today!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Romans, msg. 9, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans – the Kernel of the Bible (2025 ICSC), week 2, The Result of Our Justification— the Full Enjoyment of God in Christ as Our Life.
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• Hymns on this topic:
  – When we have exhausted our store of endurance, / When our strength has failed ere the day is half-done, / When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, / Our Father’s full giving is only begun. / His love has no limit, His grace has no measure, / His power no boundary known unto men, / For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, / He giveth and giveth and giveth again. (Hymns #723 stanzas 2-3)
  – It is not by letter, / But by Spirit ’tis, / I will be approved, / Share Thy life of bliss. / It is not man’s teaching, / But anointing Thine, / Which imparts Thy light and / Fellowship divine. / It is not resolving / Now to run the race, / But ’tis by Thy mercy / I receive Thy grace. / It is not by knowledge, / But by grace alone, / I can pass thru suff’ring / To Thine image grown. (Hymns #751 stanzas 2-3)
  – O to be like Thee! While I am pleading / Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love. / Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling, / Fit for a life which Thou wouldst approve. (Hymns #398 stanza 5)