I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-04)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-04)

PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance should be a characteristic that everyone (and especially
believers) would like to own. It means that we continue pursuing an
objective regardless of the obstacles that get in our way. Perseverance
is not something that can be developed in a passive manner; it is
acquired through actions, determination, and consistency.

In the life of a believer, perseverance can be defined as “bearing up
under trials with faith and faithfulness”. We have a “faith” that the
Lord is with us, and will help us endure situations that arise. We
exercise our “faithfulness” by showing that we have endurance
and determination to trust the Lord in all things. So, how do we
improve our own perseverance? James says it is developed through
the testing of our faith.
    because you know that the testing of your faith
    develops perseverance. (James 1:3)

In other words, James says that when our faith is tested, we should not
lose heart, but continue to believe in the Lord’s presence at all times.
When we are in the midst of problems, we should have confidence that
He will limit our burdens to the amount we can manage (with His help).

Whenever a believer does not maintain their faith during bad times,
not only do they fail to develop perseverance, but they also miss out
on opportunities to grow closer to the Lord and increase their reliance
on Him in all things. The Lord may allow a situation to occur in our
life as a way of helping us to develop our perseverance.

However if we try to run from the problem and fail to absorb what He
wants to teach us, then He may have to test us again. If we react in the
wrong way when we are ‘re-tested’, He may test us once again. In fact
He may continue testing us until He sees us respond in a manner that
will increase our spiritual maturity.

Perseverance (patience) is not necessarily something that is given to
believers, but rather an attribute that is developed over time through
various experiences. Patience is similar to a muscle – you have to use
it in order to see it grow. This means that believers should recognize
difficulties as opportunities to flex their ‘patience muscle’.

Unfortunately many believers are programmed to resist, blame, and
complain whenever they have difficulties. What they are not trained
to do is, thank the Lord for an opportunity to grow their patience.
This is something that matures over time as our fellowship and trust
in the Lord increases.

ATTITUDES
James implies that we should be more concerned with
our attitudes than we are with our circumstances.
    Perseverance must finish its work so that you may
    be mature and complete, not lacking anything.(James 1:4)

Why would he suggest focusing on our attitudes? Because
our attitude controls our response to adversities, and our
correct response is what leads us toward Christian maturity.

In verse 4 he says that the only way we will achieve complete spiritual
maturity is to allow perseverance to “finish its work”. In other words,
we should embrace the development of perseverance in our lives and
avoid anything that will inhibit its growth (work).

How can we do that? We can start by being aware of how we react
to problems when they occur. If we focus on the Lord and ask Him
to teach us what we are to learn from a situation, then we show that
we have a desire to develop perseverance in our lives. On the other
hand, if we fail to consider God’s involvement in our situation,
then we are probably hindering the growth of perseverance.

So, how long should we continue with our efforts to develop
perseverance? James gives us a hint when he includes the phrase
“not lacking in anything”. When will we reach the stage of life
where we are “lacking nothing”? Wouldn’t that be when we are
in the presence of the Lord in heaven?

According to a verse in 1 John, we haven’t reached the point of
lacking nothing on this side of heaven – we still have sin in our
lives which prevents us from reaching total spiritual maturity.
    If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves
    and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

As long as we are here on earth we should continually strive
to develop the characteristic of perseverance. Does that sound
discouraging? It shouldn’t. As long as we are maturing spiritually,
we are developing a closer fellowship with the Lord and unlocking
opportunities to receive His blessings.

Think about how we deal with our own children as a result of our
love for them. We withhold some things from them until we know
they are mature enough to receive them. The Lord loves us so much
that He withholds some blessings until we are spiritually mature
enough to receive them. What an awesome God we serve!

WISDOM
Another characteristic that all believers should desire is ‘Godly
wisdom’. The scriptures have many things to say about wisdom.
For example, look at this verse in James.
    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. (James 1:5)

One question we need to settle from the outset is,
“Are wisdom and knowledge the same thing?”
The short answer is, no they are not.
So what is the difference?

Knowledge can be defined as what we know and have gained
through education. Wisdom is best defined as what we do with
the knowledge we have. We can have a vast amount of knowledge,
but if we do not use it wisely, then we show a lack of wisdom.

There are many folks in the world who have a limited education
but still possess a lot of wisdom (often referred to as ‘common
sense’). However, even ‘common sense’ can be devoid of
wisdom from a spiritual perspective. In other words, a person
may know what to do and what not to do in order to avoid problems,
but that doesn’t mean they have a relationship with the Lord.

As a result, their view of right and wrong fails to include what
God considers as rebellion and disobedience. They may know
some things are wrong from a worldly view, but fail to consider
the seriousness of them from God’s perspective.

The spiritual wisdom James is talking about is, the kind of wisdom
that is a gift from the Lord. It gives us the ability to evaluate the
“goods” and the “bads” of life from His perspective.

For instance, it is good to treat our neighbors with respect,
but it is better to have concerns for their spiritual condition.
It is good to take care of our family, but it is better to be a
spiritual leader in the home. It is good to read the bible, but
it is better to meditate on God’s Word and to be able to
understand what it really means.

Spiritual wisdom gives us the ability to see things from a
spiritual (as opposed to a worldly) perspective. Why is that
important? Because the desire of believers is (or should be)
to be more like Jesus, which includes having a desire to
develop His characteristics in our own life. He has spiritual
wisdom and when He blesses us with it, we develop a new
awareness of how to use the talents and gifts we have received
from Him. We need spiritual wisdom in order to apply the
instructions of God’s Word to our own lives.

Could the Lord refuse to give us spiritual wisdom? Of course
He can. If we have not confessed our sins and turned our lives
over to Him, then we should not expect to receive the wisdom
He gives to only His children (those who believe in His Son
and have committed to following Him).

But what if we are believers, could He still choose to withhold
the gift of spiritual wisdom? According to James, the answer is
‘yes’. James says we are to ask for wisdom, so if we choose not
to ask for it, then we can’t expect the Lord to bless us with
spiritual wisdom.

What are some attributes of Godly wisdom? Here are a few:
    – Knowing God’s Will and having the self-discipline to obey Him.
    – Knowing the attributes of Jesus and having a desire
      to develop those characteristics in our own life.
    – Discovering the spiritual gifts God has given us and
      having the determination to use those gifts in serving Him.
    – Understanding and appreciating the mercy and grace of God
      and being thankful for the blessings He has given us.
    – Knowing the value of exercising patience
      so that we can love others better, and love God more.
    – Knowing how humility is much more
      valuable than arrogant pride and egotism.
    – Appreciating the value of friendships with others.
    – Understanding the importance of prayer, bible study and worship.
    – Discovering the treasures God has for those who love Him.
    – Having an overall desire to know and fellowship with God.

Of course Satan can convince some believers that the Lord has
already given them more than they deserve, so they should not
ask for, or expect, anything else. See how clever he can be in his
attempts to deceive those who belong to the Lord? Don’t ever
think that just because you are a child of the Lord’s, Satan will
leave you alone. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Satan doesn’t need to waste time deceiving, or trying to lead
astray, those who already belong to him. This means he can
devote the majority of his efforts trying to discourage believers
and rendering them ineffective in serving the Lord.

There are probably many believers whom the Lord planned to
use as servants in His earthly ministry, but they have allowed
Satan to deceive them. As a result, they have missed out on the
blessings available to those who actively serve the Lord.

Speaking of Satan’s attacks on believers, if he can convince us
that prayer is futile, then he has been successful in deceiving us
in such a way that causes a large and growing gap in our fellowship
with the Lord. We can guess that one of his main targets
is to persuade believers to stop praying altogether.

If we are believers and still have a lot of sin in our life, the Lord
may choose to withhold spiritual wisdom from us. We have no
way of knowing when and to whom He will give spiritual wisdom,
but we do know from reading James that we have to ask for it. It is
not something we can anticipate receiving by doing nothing. When
is the last time you have asked the Lord for spiritual wisdom? Do
you continually ask Him, or do you only ask Him a few times and
then wait?

If we truly want to be more like Jesus then spiritual wisdom is not
just something nice to have, it is something we need. We all have
blind spots in our lives (those areas where we are unaware that we
are not behaving as Jesus would). It could be something as simple
as being rude to others. Was Jesus rude to others? No. Regardless
of His mission, He always had time to stop and listen to the concerns
of others, and then respond; He was never rude to them. Spiritual
wisdom gives us an awareness of that type of blind spot in our life,
and creates a desire in us to make the changes necessary in order
to be more like Jesus.

Look at what Job (a righteous man) had to say about wisdom
and understanding. He tells us that the fear of the Lord is
‘wisdom’ and shunning evil is ‘understanding’.
    But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding
    dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found
    in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me”; the
    sea says, “It is not with me.” It cannot be bought with the
    finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. It cannot
    be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis
    lazuli. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it
    be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of
    mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of
    Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure
    gold. Where then does wisdom come from? Where does
    understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every
    living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.
    Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached
    our ears.” God understands the way to it and he alone knows
    where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees
    everything under the heavens. When he established the force
    of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a
    decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he
    looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested
    it. And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord – that
    is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:12-28)