James 1:2-4:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Most days I wake up and think, ugh, my body isn’t working properly, my mind isn’t working properly, and I need to make wise choices today. I feel that I lack a lot. But this quote from James 1 does not speak to that kind of lack, nor does it speak about physical “testing”, it speaks of Spiritual Testing, the Testing of our Faith.
Sometimes the testing of our faith comes from the fact that our bodies don’t work as they should or as we think they should. We may have asked God for healing, and it doesn’t come in the way we want or expect. When that happens, we are in the middle of a test of faith. Will God heal us? Does He want to? Can He? What’s the delay?
James 1:3 says that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. What would the opposite be? The testing of our faith produces whiny babies. Can we relate? Absolutely. We want what we want when and how we want it. When we don’t get what we want, it is so easy to whine about it and complain, and be afraid and lack trust, and perseverance is opposing our personal goal of getting what we want.
James goes on to explain that when perseverance does what it is supposed to do, we will be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Our western minds think that not lacking anything means that we won’t have any physical, relational, emotional or financial deficit. A search of scripture will reveal that we really aren’t promised that at all. There are a few places where it looks like we may be blessed financially, but Jesus words, recorded in Matthew 6:19-21, put it this way: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Our treasure is to be Him and His Kingdom, not stuff. Yes, God knows we need a place to lay our heads at night, food for our tummies, and clothing to keep us safe and warm. It does seem that more than that, He wants us to be mature and complete. He wants us to be able to stand for what we believe and live it out no matter the circumstance. We may not have a place to lay our head, we may not have food for our tummies, and we may not be clothed in the manner we desire. We still are who we are and whose we are. That doesn’t change. Everything else may change, but we are still children of the Lord Most High.
Our response to lack is what will grow our faith. I think I may have worded the scripture and encouragement in James 1 differently. BarbTranslation, James 1:3-4: “If you lack everything, then you will grow up and realize you don’t need everything and then you will lack nothing. So get on with living! You are citizens of Heaven!”
Today, as you see what you lack, I am praying that you will be satisfied, and let perseverance do its work so you won’t lack a thing!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Most days I wake up and think, ugh, my body isn’t working properly, my mind isn’t working properly, and I need to make wise choices today. I feel that I lack a lot. But this quote from James 1 does not speak to that kind of lack, nor does it speak about physical “testing”, it speaks of Spiritual Testing, the Testing of our Faith.
Sometimes the testing of our faith comes from the fact that our bodies don’t work as they should or as we think they should. We may have asked God for healing, and it doesn’t come in the way we want or expect. When that happens, we are in the middle of a test of faith. Will God heal us? Does He want to? Can He? What’s the delay?
James 1:3 says that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. What would the opposite be? The testing of our faith produces whiny babies. Can we relate? Absolutely. We want what we want when and how we want it. When we don’t get what we want, it is so easy to whine about it and complain, and be afraid and lack trust, and perseverance is opposing our personal goal of getting what we want.
James goes on to explain that when perseverance does what it is supposed to do, we will be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Our western minds think that not lacking anything means that we won’t have any physical, relational, emotional or financial deficit. A search of scripture will reveal that we really aren’t promised that at all. There are a few places where it looks like we may be blessed financially, but Jesus words, recorded in Matthew 6:19-21, put it this way: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Our treasure is to be Him and His Kingdom, not stuff. Yes, God knows we need a place to lay our heads at night, food for our tummies, and clothing to keep us safe and warm. It does seem that more than that, He wants us to be mature and complete. He wants us to be able to stand for what we believe and live it out no matter the circumstance. We may not have a place to lay our head, we may not have food for our tummies, and we may not be clothed in the manner we desire. We still are who we are and whose we are. That doesn’t change. Everything else may change, but we are still children of the Lord Most High.
Our response to lack is what will grow our faith. I think I may have worded the scripture and encouragement in James 1 differently. BarbTranslation, James 1:3-4: “If you lack everything, then you will grow up and realize you don’t need everything and then you will lack nothing. So get on with living! You are citizens of Heaven!”
Today, as you see what you lack, I am praying that you will be satisfied, and let perseverance do its work so you won’t lack a thing!
RSS Feed
