Patience!!

Patience!

James 1:2-3 KJV

[2] My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; [3] knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James introduced himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This introduction is central to the message of this letter that was addressed to the twelve tribes who were now scattered abroad. These must have been tough times for these people, as they did not expect that there would be any upheavals due to their newfound faith. As we now know, being a follower of Jesus opens you up to a whole world of experiences. There is really no way to prepare you the right way for whatever is coming, except to know that Jesus foretold these experiences and also promised us His presence as we live through these experiences. At the time Jesus was leaving the earth, He made it clear that His followers would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. It would start with the familiar and then move on to the unfamiliar. This was the stage where the audience for this letter now found themselves. 

It must be laid out that if there were no scatterings abroad, maybe some people would not have heard of the love of Jesus at the time they did. It is in the scattering abroad that the world gets to hear of a love that is amazing and eternal. However, it must be noted that this love will not keep us from tough times. As mentioned above, it is love that draws us to Jesus, and it is His love that will uphold and sustain us through whatever may come, but this love will definitely be tested in various ways. If everything went well at all times and there were no rough patches to sort out, how would you know if what you held is the genuine thing? That is the message of the verses above: as long as I am in Christ, whatever comes must lead to joy. I have joy because I know how it ends. I have joy because no matter what comes my way down here on earth, it is timed and limited, and must expire when its purpose is done. What I must have left is that which is eternal, and no man can kill or take away by force. 

The message about joy in the midst of trials is not for everyone, but for those who totally surrender their lives to Jesus. He is the Source and Spring of Joy; there is no other way to have joy, which is one of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit, and can only be accessed by those who allow Him in. God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill. Reflect on the purpose of these trials: that I can learn patience, which is another manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. There is no wastage in God; there is nothing He cannot use to teach me how to be like Him, and there is no experience He cannot design and implement that will bring Him glory in and through my life. I will not get there overnight, but if I allow Him work, there is no end to the amazing blessings that are ahead. As it was in the days of James, so is it in our days now. Can I look ahead to tough times, sure and certain that they will work out God's perfect will for me? God's time of favour is here.