Day 188

Working patience through trials 

Key Verses: 3, 9, 12, 14, 22, 27

It can be really hard when you are in the middle of a trial to see the positive. Usually we get sucked into the here and now and can’t see anything else. James wants us to know that when we are going through trials, God will use that trial to build into us perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to stick with a greater good, even when the pressure increases. It is easy to throw up your hands and give up when the pressure of a trial increases. But when we don’t give up, the trial actually matures us in our walk of faith.

We know from strength training that you must push past the initial mental block in order to reach a goal. To build muscle strength and endurance you have to repeatedly tear the very small muscle bundles, rest and repeat. The Lord allows trials in our lives and uses them to make us stronger in Him. If we stay focused on what He is doing in our lives the process continues uninterrupted. But if we waver, the process takes much longer and requires additional trials.

There can be no class warfare among believers. The rich need to recognize that their wealth is temporary, and use it to benefit others. How many millions of dollars in investments are needed? How many cars, houses, boats, or toys are needed? Sometimes relief from a trial will involve the provision of someone who has more wealth.

We know this: when the trial has finished and we were faithful, God has a reward waiting for us. So it is important to not blame God for the trial. This is also true when temptation comes our direction. Don’t blame God for the temptation. Temptations arise from inside us. They pull us away, off center from God’s purpose for our lives.

When we allow temptation’s desire to linger too long in our mind and spirit, it gives birth, it comes to life. The temptation itself is not the problem. The problem becomes what we do with the temptation. Do we allow our mind to stay on the temptation, mulling it over and over in our thinking? If we do, we are walking the path of death. We must chose to put our minds somewhere else, rather than allow temptation to grow and come to life. Death can result.

The Western church has fallen into the same trap that some of the early Jesus-followers experienced: listening, but not doing. We in America have more books on prayer, but we don’t pray; on overcoming temptation, but we still yield; on every kind of spiritual exercise, but we are still weak and anemic. Obedience is what is lacking. Obedience in the little things, like taking care of the most vulnerable among us and staying unstained by sin by allowing the continual washing of God’s Word.