“Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
when you face trials of many kinds,
because the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work
so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
This passage always puzzled me. I couldn't understand how we could think of trials and hardships as anything good. One day in church, I realized I needed to focus on the latter part of the thought rather than the first.
James tells us we will have trials and troubles. There are many reasons for trials. We live in a fallen world. Our bodies wear out. Disobedience, not necessarily ours, can play a role in the picture.
But, there is good news in middle of the passage, “the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Perseverance is one of the qualities involved in our spiritual growth. Peter tells us in his second letter to, “add to. . . faith goodness;to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Having these qualities in our hearts keeps us from being ineffective and unproductive. As we work for the Lord, we should strive to develop them
Hi Quiet Spirit -
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! I'm so glad the Lord takes the frayed threads of our lives and weaves them into a beautiful pattern.
We can rejoice and live in hope because whatever happens can be turned around for our good and the good of others.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Amen. I was reading in Luke 8 today about how perseverance helps us bear fruit for the kingdom. It seems to be a recurring theme in the Bible, one that Jesus practiced through his trials.
ReplyDeleteJen, Audience of ONE