James 1:2-4 - An Opportunity for Joy.
James 1:2-4 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters,
when troubles come your way, consider it an
opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your
faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to
grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is
fully developed, you will be perfect and complete,
needing nothing.
COMMENTARY PEARL
A wise father who was sending his son to
college promised to give him a monthly allowance.
But he told his son, Im not sending you a
monthly check. If you want it, youll have to come
home to get it.
In the same way, our Father in Heaven
might say, Ill give this to you, but you
have to come to Me to receive it. God wants to
have fellowship with us. God likes to hear from
us. God likes to talk to us. God likes to bless
us.
Therefore, God will allow certain
circumstances in our lives that keep us dependent on Him.
If life were all blue skies and green lights,
would we still turn to God in prayer? If there
wasnt any illness in our lives, would we still
pray as much? If we never had a need for Gods
provision or we never had prodigal children, would we
still pray?
We wouldnt. These things bring us to
God. Right now, you might be going through a
difficulty. Maybe youre facing a trial of some kind.
Youre having a family conflict, problems at work,
or problems with your health. Maybe something
isnt going well for you, and youre saying,
This is a bad thing.
Yes, in a way it may be. But it also can
turn out to be a good thing if it brings you to
God in complete dependence and improves your
prayer life.
The Bible says, When troubles of any
kind come your way, consider it an opportunity
for great joy (James 1:2 NLT). Another
version puts it this way: Dont resent them as
intruders, but welcome them as friends! (PH). Could
you consider trials and temptations your
friends? You could if they bring you to see your need
for dependence on God. [By Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
I had lunch recently with a businessman
who runs his own company. As we talked, the
subject of wisdom kept popping up in our
conversation. So I asked, "How does a person get wisdom? I
realize we are to be men of wisdom, but few people
ever talk about how it is acquired."
His answer was quick and to the point:
"Pain."
I paused and looked deeply into his eyes.
Without knowing the specifics, I knew his one-word
answer was not theoretical. He and pain had gotten
to know each other rather well.
It was then I quoted from the first
chapter of James: "When all kinds of trials and
temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't
resent them as intruders, but welcome them as
friends! Realize that they come to test your faith
and to produce in you the quality of endurance.
But let the process go on until that endurance
is fully developed, and you will find you have
become men of mature character, men of integrity
with no weak spots" (James 1:2-4, Phillips).
There is no shortcut, no such thing as
instant endurance. The pain brought on by
interruptions and disappointments, by loss and failure, by
accidents and disease, is the long and arduous road to
maturity. There is no other road.
But where does wisdom come in? James
explains in the next verse: "And if, in the process,
any of you does not know how to meet any
particular problem he has only to ask God - who gives
generously to all men without making them feel guilty -
and he may be quite sure that the necessary
wisdom will be given him" (1:5).
As I see it, it is a domino effect. One
thing bumps up against another, which, in turn,
bumps another, and in the long haul, endurance
helps us mature. Periodically, however, we will
find ourselves at a loss to know what to do or
how to respond. It's then we ask for help, and
God delivers more than intelligence and ideas
and good old common sense. He dips into His well
of wisdom and allows us to drink from His
bucket, whose refreshment provides abilities and
insights that are of another world. Perhaps it might
best be stated as having a small portion of "the
mind of Christ."
When we have responded as we should to
life's blows, enduring them rather than escaping
them, we are given more maturity that stays with
us and new measures of wisdom, which we are
able to draw upon for the balance of our lives.
By accepting life's tests and temptations
as friends, we become men and women of mature
character.
The pain brought on by loss and failure
is the long, arduous road to maturity. There is
no other road. [Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org.]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190702-0938.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies:
http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
