James 1:2 -4 & 12 “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. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” This article lists some ideas of how to stay steadfast through trials. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Testing of Faith Produces Perseverance
James 1:2 -4 & 12 “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. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
This is a pretty tall order. This verse asks us to consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because we know that testing of our faith produces perseverance. I understand what the verse is saying. I understand the concept. I am just not sure I understand how to do this. I’m not sure joy would be the word I would use when I am undergoing trials. I would say words like sad, frustrated, mad, angry, annoyed, scared, lonely and defeated seem more like what I feel when I am going through trials. So, why is this verse telling us to feel joy?
We often ask why we have to struggle? We ask why we have to face various kids of trials? I have learned from Father Mike that there isn’t just one reason why we find ourselves in trials. Father Mike states several times in his Bible in a Year podcast that sometimes we do find ourselves in difficult trials because of something we have done. Sometimes we go against what the Lord wants us to do and there are consequences for that. Other times, the situation we are in is not of our own doing and does not mean that we did anything wrong. For instance, Job, he was a righteous in the eyes of the Lord, yet he suffered terribly. Not all suffering is a result of sin. Another example, of this is found in John 9:1-3 “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Do you see the reasons for your trials can vary. I think a lot of us think if we are struggling, then we must have done something to deserve it. God must be punishing us in some way. I have heard that one a lot. Jesus is telling us right here in the Bible, your trials are not always because of sin. Sometimes your trials are to show the work of God in your life. It is rare that you know the reason for your struggle while you are in it. However, even if you did, I am not sure it would make it easier. Take this verse for instance. It says that when our faith is tested we gain perseverance. Perseverance is great. It is often times the thing that gets us through our trials. I find it interesting that in order for our perseverance to grow we need to go through trails, yet our perseverance is what helps us get through those trials. I am glad that I have gained a lot of perseverance over the years. Even though I know that I will gain perseverance when I go through a hard time, it doesn’t make that hard time easier.
The rest of the verse says to “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” That all sounds wonderful. I definitely want to be mature and not lacking in anything. I also definitely want to receive the crown of life. The problem is, I don’t know how to remain steadfast under trial. I don’t know how to consider it joy that I have trials. I know what the Lord wants me to do, I am just not sure how to do it. I love how the Lord always gives us answers. I was just thinking that it would be nice if I could give you guys some tips on how to stay steadfast under trials and I did a quick internet search and found some. The article I found is titled Six ways to remain steadfast during trials and it is written by Dan Panetti. (CLICK HERE for article) I will post a link to the article in the show notes, but I will list Dan’s six ideas here as well.
Focus on what you can control—not on what you can’t (Prov. 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”)
Live in the moment—refuse to be anxious about tomorrow (Matt. 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”)
Look for ways to break up the monotony—tackle a home improvement project or learn to play a new card game. One of my sons proposed that I come up with a question for each family member to be researched and presented around the dinner table. It has sparked some of the best conversations we have ever had.
Relax and take a walk—meditate on the ways that God has provided for you, delivered you from death, given you a purpose, and equipped you for his service (Psalm 116:7–9 “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”)
Bathe in a book of the Bible—not just read through it, but sit and soak in it! Think of Naaman going down into the Jordan again and again. Read and re-read a passage, chapter, or book—dive deep(er) into the Word!
Memorize and meditate on Scripture—both of which are under appreciated spiritual disciplines. My oldest son and I are currently focusing on memorizing at least one verse from each book of the Bible.
Just knowing that we grow in perseverance anytime our faith is tested might not be enough to help us find joy in our trials. However, maybe some of these ideas can help us to be steadfast in our trials. I like how the author even provided a few scripture verses to back up some of his suggestions. I have not done a lot of scripture memorizing in the past. However, I did try scripture writing for awhile and I thought it was great. If you want to give that a try, or even if you want to do the scripture memorizing and are not sure where to start, I started with an internet search of scripture writing plans. When you type that in you will get a whole list of scriptures, usually with a certain them, such as “wisdom,” “freedom,” “being bold,” all sorts of themes, whatever you might be struggling with the most. If you want to bathe in a book in the Bible, and you are not sure where to start, I have always been told a great place to start is in at the beginning of the new Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, or the Psalms is another great place to start.
I hope each of you will write these ideas down so that next time you are going through trials, they can help you remain steadfast. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be mature and not lacking in anything. If so, we need to let perseverance finish it work in us. In order to do this, we must make it through all the trials. In order to do this we must figure out a way to remain steadfast in our trials. I know it is difficult going through a difficult time and not understanding why you have to go through it. However, this verse gives us a little hope. One reason we are going through it is to test our faith. Are you going to remain steadfast? Do we want the crown of life? The choice is ours.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you and we ask that you are with us in our times of trial. We ask that you give us the grace to find joy in our trials and that you help us to stay steadfast also. Lord, we want all you have to give us and that includes the crown of life. Help us to not drown in our difficult time. Sometimes it feels like we are drowning and we are asking that you save us before that happens. Lord, even if it is not the right time while we are going through it for us to know why it is all happening, please give us the grace to understand that if its not the reason, we will grow in perseverance while we make it through to the other side. Also, help us to feel your presence while in the trial and know that you are with us. We love you Lord, you are truly amazing. We are so very grateful for you. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Thank you so much for joining me on your journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Have a blessed day!