The Trial of Good Times
September 2025
By: Wayne Boyer - Grace Harbor Church Member
“Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of God” (Proverbs 30:8–9).
Job says, “Man is born for trouble...but as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God” (Job 5:7a, 8a). As Christians, we recognize that life is filled with various challenges, and we should turn to our Heavenly Father for understanding and relief through the grace of Jesus Christ and His church. While we often seek counsel during difficult times, we must also consider the trials and temptations that come with a comfortable life. Recently I viewed some vacation photos with friends who stayed with financially well-off relatives. Observing their luxurious surroundings forced me to confront my own feelings of covetousness. I had to remind myself that these material possessions are temporary and cannot provide eternal joy or hope for the lost soul.
In a survey of Deuteronomy, Moses recounts God's work with Israel from past to future. The book primarily instructs the people on obedience and faithfulness to God, their Deliverer. A recurring theme emphasizes to “follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him” (6:4; 10:12–13; 11:1, 22; 13:4; 25:17; 30:15). Within God's covenant, the people face two choices: disobey and suffer curses (27:11–26) or obey and receive blessings (28:1–6). God clearly states the reward of obedience: “that it may go well with you” (4:40; 5:16, 29, 33; 6:3, 18; 12:25, 28; 22:7).
But He also warns them about handling these blessings, particularly regarding idolatry, which carries a death penalty in Israel. While it may be difficult to grasp this as we live under the grace of Jesus Christ, God instructs the Israelites not to show pity towards sinful nations, as such compassion could lead them to adopt pagan lifestyles and ignore rebellion against Him (7:16, 13:8, 19:13, 21, 25:12). This compassion is described as a “snare,” and they are to “utterly detest” and “utterly abhor” idolatry (7:16, 25, 26). A similar warning appears in Galatians, where Paul advises that those who are spiritual should restore anyone caught in transgression with gentleness, while being mindful of their own vulnerability to temptation (Gal. 6:1).
In “good times” we are most prone to forget God. He warns the Israelites:
“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and all that you have multiples, then you will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deut. 11–14).
While I am not making a theological correlation between Israel and the United States, we live in a prosperous nation and may face similar temptations as the Israelites did. If we are not careful, our material possessions and earthly relationships can overshadow our faith. God warns, “for when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break my covenant” (31:20). Are we at risk of serving the gods of this world in our land of “milk and honey”?
One antidote for this sinful behavior is remembering what the LORD has done. He says, “you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (8:2b). By God’s grace we don’t suffer more than we do—we need to understand that our trials and temptations should strengthen our relationship with God in such a way that we receive His blessings in a humble manner.
We often mistakenly attribute our success and prosperity to our own efforts, believing we have earned God's grace. This egocentric mindset can lead us to forget that God's plans are lived out through us. Scripture warns against this pride, reminding us that without humility, we may claim, “my power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth” (Deut. 8:17) or “because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land” (Deut. 9:4b). In reality, God grants the “power to make wealth” to demonstrate His holiness, His goodness, and His faithfulness (cf. Deut. 8:18–9:6). Ultimately, it’s not about us, and we will not always understand His ways (Deut. 29:29).
Our failure to learn God's lessons, like humility, during difficult times leads to a misunderstanding of His blessings when life is good. We often turn to God for help, but we may not truly examine our hearts. As Jeremiah states, “the heart is deceitful above all things” (17:9). Like the Israelites, we tend to seek God for personal relief rather than to grow in Christlikeness. When relief comes, we may praise Him, but this praise may be in vain if it stems from selfish desires rather than a genuine recognition of His work in us and to the praise of His glory (cf. Matt. 15:8–9). In his lectures, Robert D. Jones, Professor of Biblical Counseling and Practical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states, “Improving your situation will not change your heart or remove any bad fruit. It may merely make your idols functional, and may actually precipitate different bad fruit.”
To apply these principles in our lives, we should begin with an honest self-examination. Jones highlights several temptations we may face during good times, including:
Pride
Presumption (Deut. 1:41–46)
Entitlement (Deut. 9:4)
Ingratitude (Luke 17:17–19)
Independence (Ps. 14:1)
Callousness to Sufferers (Matt. 10:30–37; 25:41–46)
Discontentment (wanting more)
Worry (about possessions)
Reflect on whether any of these resonate with you. Consider two key questions: “What makes me happy?” and “What do I see as my highest good?” If your answers fall short of the love of Christ and His glory, it may be time for deeper spiritual evaluation.
Remember, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Isaiah says, “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed...the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (53:5—6; emphasis mine). Do you see the great exchange here? How can we look at the obedience of Christ and not love Him more? How can we look at the suffering of Christ and somehow think we sink to a depth of suffering beyond His? Paul says, “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with all the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). Therefore, let us pray for a desire to give thanks in everything (I Thess. 5:16).
We want to come to a place where we can declare with Habakkuk:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (3:17–18).
When we understand our true joy is in the salvation and worship of our God, then we may live in thankfulness and our circumstances will not dictate our obedience and love to God.
