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
The Context and Charge:
James speaks from experience here. It is not certain if this was one of the disciples of Jesus, or one of the other brothers of Jesus, but we know that he had seen firsthand the pain and suffering the Jews were going through as a result of their faith in Christ. It was to these people that this letter is addressed, and to us too, who are also going through tough times today. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise perpetually blue skies and merriment. Yes, I will have joy, but a lot of stuff will happen to test the source and quality of that which I hold. If it is of God, it will stand the test of time. If it is not of God, I still have time to sort it out and make sure that what I hold is that which comes from God.
The pain and tough times that the world offers require me to be sure. Today's extract does not make it a supposition that trials will come, but a certainty. And it will not be just the one, but many. Life itself is full of tough situations, so imagine what it is like to go through life without the help of the One also experienced the tough times but overcame. His life has become the template on how to look forward to trials with hope, sure and certain that the trials will work out that which God intends. The devil came at him several times, but He overcame by using the Word of God and being close to his father in prayer. Nothing else is recommended; nothing of this world can defeat the schemes of the world.
The Contention and Conclusion:
I am encouraged to count it as joy that God sees me fit to face trials of many kinds. He knows I will overcome, and He wants to use my life as a test case for his glory to be revealed. Why joy? Because of the end game. God does not permit anything to come to me if He does not know how it will end. If He allows it, like the Great Physician and Pharmacist that He is, it will be perfectly suited for my person, bringing out His best in me and leading me to the place He has prepared for me. Accidents do not happen where God is concerned; all that comes line up with His divine plan, which is always of good, not evil, to give me a future and a hope, and to bring me to God's expected end.
It is not about me, but about His glory and grace in me. Through my experiences, I become a spectacle of His power and favour, so that men ask me about the quality and depth of my faith. I can share these experiences of God with them, sure that God will take glory through them. I am able to endure whatever comes because I know the One who brings them, and where He is taking me to. The eternal is always bigger, better and brighter than the earthly. I am able to persevere and hold on because I know that eternal life lies at the end of all the experiences. Lord, keep my heart filled with your joy, so I can keep looking forward to all that you want to do in and through me. God's time of favour is here.
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