PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
James 1 (click the link)
KEY PASSAGE:
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. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:2-5, NIV)
REFLECTIONS:
Was James a masochist or something? Who, in their right mind, considers it "pure joy" when they face a trial of any kind? Much less "trials of many kinds" (in the plural).
We don't know for sure, by the way, who James was. It was a rather common name in the first century, just as it is today. But the prevailing thought, among those who know these sorts of things, is that this letter was from the best-known James in the early church: James the brother of Jesus. Our Lord's younger brother served as the strong central leader in the Jerusalem church over the first few decades of Christianity.
Peter and Paul and the others went off around the world, but James stayed put, praying and teaching and trusting that the God who had raised his beloved brother from the dead would complete what he had begun. This letter was written to encourage Christians across the world—whom James sees as the new version of the "twelve tribes" of Israel—to face up to the challenges of faith.
In the days of the early church, as it is now and has always been, faith was a challenging thing. The moment we decide to follow Jesus is the moment we should expect the trials to begin. So many people think that following Jesus leads to a smooth and easy life. But rather than being a tiptoe to the tulips, the Christian life is oftentimes more like a treacherous stroll through a minefield.
As difficult as this may be to believe, trials are a natural part of the Christian life. And James goes so far as to tell us that we should celebrate our trials (verse 2)! We should learn to look at them with joy. What on earth could he possibly mean?
When a Christian is tested, it shows that something real is happening. There are many kinds of trials, tests, or challenges of faith:
- actual persecution, which many face today
- fierce and nasty temptations, which strike suddenly when we are not expecting them
- physical sickness or loss of loved ones
- family or financial troubles
- and the list could go on and on…
We who follow Jesus are not simply supposed to survive. We are supposed to count—to make a difference in the world—whether through the quiet daily witness of a faithful and gentle life or through boldly speaking and living in a way that reveals the gospel to many others. Whatever our lot in life, we all need to become strong, to face up to the challenge.
So James draws attention to the result of the test: perseverance. Hang tough. Don't panic. Don't over-react. Don't turn a problem into a crisis. Be patient.
Patience/perseverance is one of the great New Testament themes (see Romans 5:1-5 and 12:12; Colossians 3:12; Hebrews 6:12 and 12:1-2 among others). And James joins the chorus by repeatedly emphasizes the need to persevere and press on through life with patience (see 1:12 and 5:7-11). He tells us that we should let patience have its complete effect in our lives, that we should let it work right through our system.
Unfortunately, patience/perseverance is one of those things that we can only learn through experience. And, the experience of learning patience/perseverance is never a pleasant one. In fact, it's often filled with a tremendous amount of heartache and pain.
I look back over my life and see so many times that my life was filled with grief and loss.
- I remember all the turmoil and fear that filled my life in the months after I suffered the spinal injury that left me paralyzed.
- I think back to the feelings of worry and fear that seem to dominate my heart in the months my mother went through treatment for breast cancer.
- I recount the countless days of loneliness that went along with being a single man who desperately wanted to meet a woman with whom I could share my life.
- The feelings of anguish and deep disappointment are still too fresh to describe after learning that our efforts to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization did not work out.
James is the most obvious representative in the New Testament of what is typically referred to as "wisdom literature": the tested and collected wisdom of those who have learned to trust God for everything and to discover how that trust works itself out in every aspect of daily life. How should I cope with this situation? Or with that tricky moment? We need wisdom—and we should ask for.
But how do I know that God will give me wisdom? Here, as the secret of faith and patience and wisdom combined, we have the heart of what James wants to say: God gives generously and ungrudgingly all people (verse 5).
How easy it is for us to imagine that God is stingy and mean. We project onto the Maker of all things the fearful, petty, or even spiteful character we experience in our daily interactions with others, and sometimes even see when we look in the mirror.
Learning who God really is and what he's truly like—and reminding ourselves of it regularly—is the key to everything. Without a true understanding of God's character, we'll be double minded and unstable, swept this way one minute and that way the next. But with a true knowledge of God, we will have a settled character that stands firm through the darkest of nights.
Wisdom. Patience. Faith.
PRAYER:
Father, I thank you for the Holy Spirit, who helps me develop and live with patience and perseverance. I cling to the promise that the end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
I desire to live wisely with a due sense of responsibility, as one who knows the goodness of your character and the meaning and purpose of life. I purpose to make the best use of my time, despite all the difficulties of these days.
Strengthen me, Father, to count it all joy when I fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of my faith produces patience. I realize that these come to test my faith and to produce in me the quality of endurance. I purpose to let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and I will find that I have become a person of mature character with the right sort of independence.
Father, your grace—your favor and loving-kindness and mercy—is enough for me, for your strength and power are made perfect and show themselves most effective in my weakness.
And if, in the process, I do not know how to meet any particular problem, I ask you, Father—who give generously to all men without making them feel guilty—and I am quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given me.
As I live this new life, I pray that I will be strengthened from your glorious power, so that I will find myself able to pass through any experience and endure it with joy.
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
WHO AM I?
My name is Tres Sansom and the talk of waves in verse 6 makes
me think of one of my other favorite places on earth: Matinicus Island. My
beautiful wife's family owns some acreage on this small island 23 miles off the
coast of Maine. They've got a couple of houses (which can be rented for summer
vacations, by the way), and each summer Kate's entire family spends a couple of
weeks just lounging around together. It's glorious! It's not the most
accessible place for a guy stuck in a wheelchair, but my ingenious
father-in-law tirelessly works to make it possible for me to be a part of the
Matinicus adventure. Just this past year he built a platform to enable a crane
to lower me down onto his boat so that I could be transported out to the island (here's a video, if you're interested).
It was quite the contraption, but it worked like a charm. It was cold that day,
so my wonderful mother-in-law wrapped me in a sleeping bag (pictured) and we set out
across the deep Atlantic waters.
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