Your Faith Will Be Put To The Test
I, James, am writing
this letter. I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am sending this letter to
you, the 12 tribes that are scattered among the nations. Greetings.
My
brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of
it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that
happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep
going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be.
You will have everything you need.
If any of you need
wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone.
He doesn't find fault.
But when you ask, you
must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea.
The wind blows and tosses them around. A man like that shouldn't expect to
receive anything from the Lord. He can't make up his mind. He can never decide
what to do.
A believer who finds
himself in a low position in life should be proud that God has given him a high
position. But someone who is rich should take pride in his low position. That's
because he will fade away like a wild flower.
The sun rises. Its
burning heat dries up the plants. Their blossoms fall. Their beauty is
destroyed. In the same way, a rich person will fade away even as he goes about
his business.
James 1:1-11
We
are told not to doubt. But we never really know how we will fare, unless we hit
the first heartbreak, setback, disaster, or catastrophe. We never really know
how we will stand up for our faith, until we are tested. We will be tested, and
as long as we maintain our faith, we will come out stronger. We may be
buffeted, but we will not be washed overboard. And you need to know this, God will never allow us to be tested beyond our
capacity.
Real
trials in life are not ifs – they are
whens. In
fact, life’s most profound lessons cannot simply be observed, they must be
experienced. It is there, in actual seasons of heartache and loss, that we gain
greater insights into life, faith, and our need of God.
Trials
come because we live in a broken world, but we decide if we will learn the
lessons taught.
Tough times can teach us to trust.
Our Daily Bread –