I have often heard it said, "Faith is a verb." It is active, doing something, alive. In the Bible, James says, It's not enough to talk about the Christian faith, we must live it. Faith is a verb! Genuine faith must produce good deeds. We must not only hear and understand the truth, we must put it into action. Otherwise, it's just dead!
The writer of James wasn't James the Apostle, he was Jesus' half-brother, a leader in the Jerusalem Church. James is one of the first New Testament letters, probably written around AD 45-50. It was a difficult time, a time when Christians were being persecuted and scattered all over the Roman world. There was no central, established church for these early believers, so they were living in Christian communities, in homes, worshiping together all over the place. James was writing to them to encourage them in their faith during really hard times.
Trial. Troubles. Difficulties. We all face them, don't we? So did these early Christians. And James was teaching them something very important.
This past Thursday, we had a full schedule of classes at our Jiu-Jitsu school. We had taken off a few days for some rest and hadn't been back to the school since before July 4th. As I arrived, look to the ceiling. Gapping before me was a hole with water pouring out, flooding the floor. The students were arriving for class in 15 minutes. I could either shut everything down and be angry or I could simply take it one step at a time, be patient, and get some help to teach the class. We remained calm, said a prayer, and helped each other get it cleaned up. It was all about how we reacted under pressure.
Have you ever been under pressure and NOT reacted well? We all have.
There's an important spiritual lesson James wants us to consider:
We can't really know the strength of our character until we see how we react under pressure.
Being kind, patient, and polite to others is easy when everything is going well, but will we continue to show these traits when everything blows up, or when someone treats us unfairly?
You see, here's James's message: God wants to develop you into full, healthy, happy, holy human beings! That's it! And that doesn't mean God simply wants to insulate you from all pain or hardship. Enduring through difficult times helps us mature and grow as Christians.
It's like a great steak on the grill that has marinated overnight. Enduring trials marinate you, season you, give you experience, depth, and help you become a well developed, fully cooked, and ready to be eaten steak! I joke a bit, but that is the message.
James says, "…the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." That's practical advice.
Let's break it down to real life. God wants us to practice reacting to difficult situations using the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Maybe you've encountered one of these situations?
Needing to be patient with a coworker who is too sharp with their words.
We need to love and forgive someone who has hurt us in the past.
We speak peace into a political situation, using kind words that build up, rather than tear down and stir up conflict.
We trust God's faithfulness when we lose a job or change careers.
We opt to be gentle and self-controlled instead of lose our temper.
When we react in these ways to difficult situations, we develop the life-skills to see our blind spots and anticipate mistakes before we make them. We continue to mature and grow as a Christ-follower. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we see them as opportunities to grow!
Once we choose to respond in this way, then what do we do?
Look at verse 5, "If any of you lacks wisdom (maybe you aren't sure how to move forward, what choice to make, or what direction to go), if you lack wisdom - YOU SHOULD ASK GOD!
Ask God for wisdom to help you solve the problem and to give you the needed strength to move forward.
James is saying we all will face trials. We don't get through life without them. This doesn't mean God authors all hardships or evil. Just that Jesus-followers will face difficult times. James says, "WHEN you face trials," not IF you face them.
And when they spring up, consider it a source of joy because I can mature and grow through them. As a word of caution, he is NOT saying, pretend to be happy, fake it till you make it. No. We are to regard our hardships as times of learning and growth, times of building perseverance.
We might not control the situation. But we can control how we respond to it.
We can control our words! Yes! Our behaviors! Yes!
JOY springs from a deep sense of well-being because we know we are God's child. And do you want to know something beautiful? We can have joy even when we are facing the hardest of times. We can have joy even during times of sorrow, anger, pain, frustration. Joy born out of our troubles is more of an attitude, a choice we make, rather than simply a feeling.
We choose to live with genuine joy while at the same time being true to our emotions and situations in our lives! We choose to live with joy while not denying our normal emotions.
When you face trials in life, here are some action steps:
Remember to have JOY.
You have true JOY because you are God's child. Nothing can change God's love for you. You are unique, gifted, and precious. You have God given emotions; learn to be aware of them and learn that emotions like anger can coexist with true Joy! Use it! "Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2. Ask yourself, "How can I GROW in the Fruit of the Spirit in this situation?
James would say, you mature and grow in the Fruit of the Spirit by practicing them in the trial! It is in the midst of difficulty and serious trial where our true character shines.
3. Be PATIENT with yourself.
I don't know anyone who has gone through life without mistakes. We all make mistakes. Some of you beat yourself up too much. Every time you make a mistake, you tell yourself, "Oh well, I'm no good at this Christian thing. Who am I fooling?" Stop saying such things. That is not who God made you to be! Be patient with yourself. Embrace the growth process. Give yourself time and space. Let it finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete.
留言