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James 1:2-4 - Let Trials Make You More Like Jesus.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.James 1:2-4 (MSG) Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. INTRODUCTION We can't really know the strength of our character until we see how we react under pressure. We may find that being kind to others is easier when everything is going well, but will we still be kind when others treat us unfairly? God wants to develop us into complete human beings, not simply insulate us from all pain. Enduring through trials generates a whole person - seasoned, experienced, well developed, and fully trained. It gives us the life skills to see our blind spots and anticipate mistakes before we make them. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Ask God for wisdom to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will stay close and help you grow. Thank him for walking beside you in rough times. [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARL The Meaning of Trials Our sorrows do not spring out of the ground. In every affliction God has a purpose to work out for our good. Every blow that destroys an idol, every providence that weakens our hold upon earth and fastens our affections more firmly upon God, is a blessing. The pruning may be painful for a time, but afterward it "yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness." We should receive with gratitude whatever will quicken the conscience, elevate the thoughts, and ennoble the life. The fruitless branches are cut off and cast into the fire. Let us be thankful that through painful pruning, we may retain a connection with the living Vine; for if we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with him. The very trial that taxes our faith the most severely and makes it seem as though God had forsaken us, is to lead us more closely to him, that we may lay all our burdens at the feet of Christ, and experience the peace which he will give us in exchange. Let no Christian feel that he is forsaken when the hour of trial comes upon him. Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your heavenly Father's notice. God loves and cares for the feeblest of his creatures, and we cannot dishonor him more than by doubting his love to us. O let us cultivate that living faith that will trust him in the hour of darkness and trial! Living faith in the merits of a crucified Redeemer will carry men through the fiery furnace of affliction and trial, and the form of the Fourth will be with them in the furnace, however fierce its heat; and they will come forth from its flame with not even the smell of the fire on their garments. RH April 10, 1804 ILLUSTRATION In the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices, the caged bird will not sing the song that this master seeks to teach him. He learns a snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody. But the master covers the cage, and places it where the bird will listen to the one song he is to sing. In the dark, he tries and tries again to sing that song until it is learned, and he breaks forth in perfect melody. Then the bird is brought forth, and ever after he can sing that song in the light. Thus God deals with His children. He has a song to teach us, and when we have learned it amid the shadows of affliction, we can sing it ever afterward. MH 472. CLOSING THOUGHT Perseverance Forges Strength You are stronger than you think. As a follower of Jesus, your strength is not rooted in your own willpower or ability. If it was, no one would be able to stand up to the struggles and temptations of this life. Instead, your strength is based on the perfect power of Jesus given to you through the Holy Spirit. You will face trials of various kinds. Odds are you might be experiencing hardship right now. No matter what storm comes your way, you are already equipped with all the strength you need to last through it. When you rely on Jesus' strength, hardships no longer destroy you; they can be used to build maturity and perseverance in your spirit. You can cling to God and His power and let the testing of your faith accomplish a great reward for you: God-centered confidence. Don't waste your hardship. As you tap into the strength available to you, watch how your spirit transforms. Trust that when the next trial comes, you'll be stronger because of this one. Dear God, thank You that my trials are not wasted. You are strengthening me so that I can stand secure in You. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY James 1:2-4 - Let Trials Make You More Like Jesus. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240516-0911.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240207-0835.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210504-0932.html James 1:2-4 - Trials as Teachers. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131121-1340.html James 1:2-4 - Profiting from Trials. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20121129-1536.html James 1:4 - Mature Fruit. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230313-0831.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |