JOY CAN BE FOUND IN UNUSUAL WAYS!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds.”
(James 1:2)

MEDITATION:
Let’s be honest, sometimes we have to admit that it’s hard to
“consider it all joy”. Sometimes we complain and rather than
being humbly grateful, we get grumpily hateful.

We may be living our life in a rut, but it is our rut, and we have
become comfortable in it. It has become our comfort zone and
whenever anything disrupts it, many emotions can arise in us
(anger, fear, frustration, irritability, etc.).

So, why do the scriptures imply that it is good to have our
comfort zone shaken, which causes us to become uncomfortable?
The scriptures continue with,
    “because you know that the testing
     of your faith produces perseverance. “
     (James 1:3)

We are told that “we know”, however we may not know it at the time,
but when we look back on whatever trial we faced, “we realize” the
benefit of what we experienced. Through trials, we find out a lot about
ourselves. Whenever something seems overwhelming, we discover that
somehow and in some way, we have the capability of enduring and
surviving. Not only do trials increase our own confidence, but we can
now encourage others who may be having the same (or similar) trials
in their lives.

This new found confidence and ability to persevere, increases our
spiritual maturity and makes it possible for us to complete whatever
the Lord wants of us.
    Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be
    mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4)

In some cases, He may just want us to start living out our faith on a
daily basis (which might be preparation for something He has planned
for us later). Sometimes God may start us out in a small way to prepare
us for something else He has for us, as part of His overall plan for our
life.

Think about what that means – God truly loves us and He wants to
be an integral part of our lives. (pretty awesome, huh?) We must keep
everything in perspective and never forget that if we are ‘too big’ to 
serve the Lord in a ‘small way’, then we are ‘too small’ to serve Him
in a ‘big way’.

What does James mean by “not lacking anything”?
It’s a good question, and it is answered in the next verse.
    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 1:5)

We can fill the voids (lackings) in our life with whatever will help
us to become more righteous and pure. If we are lacking in some
area, James encourages us to ask God to provide us with what we
need.

When God saves us, it is not a one-time event, but it is the start
of a new and exciting life which pleases the Lord. We need to be
prepared and expect some significant changes in our lives. If
nothing changes, then we may have to question our commitment
of surrender to Him (and ultimately our salvation).

Satan wants to limit our spiritual growth by planting thoughts in
our minds like, “You are sacrificing enough by going to church”.
The truth is, attending worship services should be considered as joy,
and not as some kind of sacrifice.

Every believer has choices to make and one of those choices is,
    “How will I handle the trials I face in life?
     Will they drag me down or build me up?”

It would be great if starting today we could emulate the faith of saints
who have gone before us. Saints like the great hymn writer, Fannie
Crosby. For most of her life Fannie Crosby was blind, and yet, at the
tender age of eight, Fannie wrote:
    “Oh! What a happy soul am I. Although I cannot see,
     I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be.
     How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t.
     To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot and I won’t.”
     (And do you know what? She didn’t).

ACTION:
How can you apply the truth of James 1:2 to your life today?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which builds me
up and helps me to look at problems in a different light. Going
forward I pray that I will be able to see them in a positive way
that will cause me to grow spiritually, instead of in a negative
way which will have a destructive impact on my life. Help me
to learn from my experiences and to be prepared to encourage
others who might be having the same or similar trials in their
life. Thank You for reminding me that You love me and want
to be involved in my life!”

blog: UTVOLWOODY.WORDPRESS.COM