November 8
Ezekiel 21-22
Psalm 119:129-136
Proverbs 27:1-2
James 1:1-18
Perseverance
“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. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
James 1:2-4, 12 NIV
Mature and complete, not lacking anything! Doesn’t that sound great! I want to sign up for that program. A marketing campaign focused on the end result would be an easy sell, until you read the fine print. It’s kind of like a diet that promises to help you lose thirty lbs. in one day, but you have your legs cut off to do it. You will weigh less but…… Being mature and complete and lacking nothing doesn’t come easily. It comes as a result of persevering through all kinds of trials. We develop faith by having to exercise faith. We develop patience by being put in situations repeatedly where we need to exercise patience. We develop self-control by being in situations where we are tempted and must exercise self-control. We develop peace in our lives, not by being in peaceful circumstances all the time, but rather by being in stressful situations where we need to allow God to fill us with His peace. Notice the common theme here is exercise. I do not love exercise. I know people who love to work up a sweat and enjoy the burn from a good workout. That is not me. I do it because I know that the result is a healthier body. Exercise implies hard work. It requires diligence and consistency. Exercising one time does not do any good. It is only through a daily consistent routine that you see any meaningful improvement in your health. When you begin an exercise routine you do not start out running a marathon. You start out doing the Couch to 5K plan and then after months of daily running you can work up to a marathon. (At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. I can’t speak to it from personal experience.) The same is true of faith. God develops our faith by giving us opportunities to trust Him in small things so that we are prepared to trust Him with bigger things when they come.
Notice verse 2 does not say, “if you face trials of many kinds.” It says, “whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Life is filled with trials and heartache. No one makes it through this life without any difficulty. Sin and death are present, and we cannot avoid their effects. The question is not whether life is going to be hard, but rather how are we going to deal with the hardships and difficulties we face. Will they make us bitter or better? Will they cause us to turn to God or turn away from Him. We avoid some difficulties by making wise choices and avoiding sin in our lives, but sometimes we have trouble because of the bad choices of others and sometimes bad things just happen like a natural disaster, a terminal illness, or an economic downturn. Faith develops perseverance and perseverance results in maturity and completion.
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