JAMES 1-8 TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS

JAMES 1: 1 - 8

TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS


      2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  6) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt" (not only believing in the existence of God, but also believing in His loving care),"because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  7) That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.  

JOYFULLY ENDURING TRIALS

   Those words don't sound right when said together:  joyfully enduring trials.  The news reports are always revealing someone's trials:  the husband, whose wife drowned their five children; the mothers, whose sons were tortured and murdered; the father who lost his job and his family was evicted from their home; the families of the 911 killings; etc.  Then, there is the story that isn't reported in the news.  MY daughter has cancer, MY husband was in a car accident, I lost MY job.  Joyfully enduring trials--what in the world could James possibly be thinking?!?

   But there it is.  The Life Application Study Bible explains in their commentary.  I will start with 1:2-4.  "We can't really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure.  It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly?  God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain.  Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth.  Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times.  Ask Him to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them.  Then be patient.  God will not leave you alone with your problems; He will stay close and help you grow."

   "Wisdom means practical discernment, it begins with respect for God, leads to right living, and results in increased ability to tell right from wrong.  God is willing to give us this wisdom, but we will be unable to receive it if our goals are self-centered instead of God-centered.  To learn God's will, we need to read His Word and ask Him to show us how to obey it.  Then we must do what He tells us."  Life Application Study Bible James 1:5

MY COMMENTS

   The ability to tell right from wrong:  that means there are absolutes!  In the present age, many believe that everything is relevant.  God says there are absolutes and He wants us to know what they are.  How can we have the courage of Rachael Scott if we aren't in His Word constantly?  (She was the first victim of the Columbine Massacre on April 20, 1999.  She was killed for her faith in Jesus.)  We are living in the last days, and we really need to be prepared.  We need to focus on the spiritual because that is the only thing we will leave this world with.

   Now is the time to accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins and be assured that your name is written in The Lamb's Book of Life. Click this link:   http://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html).

   What are your thoughts?  How have you endured through trials and temptations?  We welcome your comments. Let us know if you do NOT want your comments published.

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