Tested; Trusted!

Tested; Trusted!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1: 2 ‭-‬ 3 NIV

Context:

This was James, an apostle of Jesus, who had seen the mighty works Jesus had done while he was on earth. As a Jew, Jesus was sent first to the lost house of Israel, as the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, the ministry expanded to include the Gentiles. However, each person knew his scope and stayed true to his calling. Paul knew his assigned audience; James also knew his. Do I know mine? For me, is it anything goes, as long as it is popular? Am I focused on that which God has assigned, or am I into many different pies at the same time, only because it is what the world wants from me? 

And we see the audience for today's extract spelt out: the 12 tribes of Israel scattered among the nations. The message of Jesus had grown, and the apostles had ministered to people who took the same message and spread it wherever they went. In the face of trials, opposition and tribulation, the message kept growing. Don't for a moment think that because you are at work for God, things must always be rosy. It won't happen that way, and the earlier I sort out my allegiance, the better I can cope with whatever comes my way. Walking with and working for God has its earthly and heavenly rewards, but while I wait for that which heaven will give me, I must endure that which the earth will do to me. That is the essence of today's extract. 

Message and Response:

It is only God that can tell a person to rejoice in the face of trials. Let it be known that joy in the face of trials is not a natural human reaction, but is the product of a heart that God has been able to deal with and Impact. God's touch on a man's heart makes it possible for that heart to respond in a way that makes God known. Joy is not the product of happy circumstances, but the product of inner peace and presence of God. Joy is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, so you can't call what you have joy if you do not have the Holy Spirit. 

When God is with you, he makes it possible for you to look ahead to whatever is coming with the right attitude. And the word WHENEVER means that it is bound to happen. It is not a matter of if but when. Part of the package of faith in Christ includes a test of the genuineness of that faith I claim to have. How would God commit more things into my hands if he cannot trust my heart? How would he know if I will stay true to his principles, if it is possible that anything uncomfortable will shake  me up and lead me down the path of compromise? 

And like the Great Physician and Pharmacist that he is, all that he permits have been carefully measured to ensure that they work to his glory and my growth. Like the husbandmam, he prunes me, so that I can become even more fruitful. The process is painful; that which I thought makes me beautiful and appealing, he will strip away, so that more room can be made for increase. The process is painful, but the end is such that the world will know that I have been worked on by a God of mercy and grace, and my life becomes a breathing testimony to the power of God. 

If God knows that nothing can shake my faith, he has won an eternal disciple. As he gives me room for growth, and I grow in my knowledge of Him, I learn perseverance. Nothing is able to shake my confidence in God. For the writer here, James himself, could he have imagined how his own life will end, with King Herod beheading him, with no fuss or comment from the Jews at the time? He was a messenger to the Jews, but who could help him when the day of trouble came? Things may not always end up the way I plan, but one thing is clear: it will always end up the way God planned it. As long as God is aware, my life is on the right course, and that should be enough for me. I couldn't ask for anything more. His time of favour is here.