I’ve been reminded many times over the past few months how hard it can be when the theology you have been teaching suddenly becomes something that you have to live out. It is the time when your head knowledge has to grow feet, you have to go somewhere and do something. For example, think about taking a class in sky diving. I imagine (and that is all I will ever do!) that you spend some time in a classroom learning about the mechanics of how to put on a parachute, how the parachute works, when to pull the cord, how to exit the plane…etc. But at some point you are going to get into a plane that you will not be in when it lands. You are going to go up…way up, and then you are going to stand at the open door, look down, and jump!

 A dear family friend gave me a series of books, the first two or three of which are a dramatized story of King Hezekiah’s reign. Hezekiah’s father was an evil king of the southern kingdom of Judah but when Hezekiah became king he led the nation to repent of the idol worship that had taken place. He cleaned out the temple and reestablished the worship of the one true God.  His father had made the awful and sinful decision to align himself and the kingdom with the evil nation of Assyria. Hezekiah knew that this was wrong so he stepped out in faith and believed that God would protect and bless the nation as they obeyed. This was a bold decision but one that did not have any immediate negative consequences. In fact, God honored His covenant and began to bless the nation once again. Several years of prosperity later the Assyrians are on the move and headed right for tiny Judah. They had brutally conquered, pillaged, and taken into slavery every nation that has stood in their path including the northern ten tribes of Israel.

Messengers arrive from Assyria to …..well basically, scare Hezekiah into submitting again to Assyria’s control. Look at 2 Kings 19:1-4 (NASB)

And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD.  Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.  They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver.

This is where the rubber meets the road for Hezekiah. Stepping out in faith is one thing but now the lives of the whole nation hang in the balance. But look at the faithfulness of God:

‘Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, “He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it.  By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the LORD.  ‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’” Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.  So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.  It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place. (2 Kings 19:32-37 NASB)

That’s the past. In the present there are many who are having their faith tested in a mighty way. I can think of three examples that have recently been in the public eye. First, and most seriously, there is the pastor in Iran who is still in prison and facing execution for his faith.

My second and third examples are not in danger of losing their lives but they do face some pretty public pressure here in the states. Tim Tebow has been incredibly bold about his faith in God. Since signing with the New York Jets, public opinion blogs seem to have almost a gleeful anticipation of him falling into some sort of sin as he faces the big city of New York. Kirk Cameron is another public figure who has been bold in his testimony. After an interview in which he was asked about his beliefs regarding gay marriage and homosexuality, he has been made fun of in a video featuring many other former stars of 80’s and 90’s television programs. They are now beginning to sell t-shirts and videos lampooning him and his beliefs.

These men, as well as many of us, have all come to the point in their/our walks of faith where the rubber meets the road and have found and are finding the Lord to be faithful. Brothers and sisters, we MUST be praying for each other!!

Now for the future, guess what….we will all come to a point where the rubber meets the road in our faith. How will you do? Here are some pointers for you….prayer, Bible study and the accountability found in a Bible believing group of fellow believers.

I mean a LOT of prayer, deep crying out to God to reveal Himself to you each day so that you can be more like Him and bring Him more glory. I mean serious Bible study. An article found today on Foxnews.com mentioned that while 82% of Americans claim to believe that the Bible is a holy and important book, only 46% of them could identify whether a teaching was from the Bible, the Koran, or the book of Mormon….in other words, they aren’t actually READING it!! (I wonder how you would do…I wonder how I would do?) And finally if you aren’t involved with a local Bible preaching church….find one and get plugged in!

Be ready for when….not if…. the rubber meets the road for you!

In my Bible, Romans 8:18-30 has the subtitle of “From Suffering to Glory.” This has deep meaning for me this week as I have learned that a friend who has suffered with cancer for a couple of years now has entered into glory. While I grieve with her husband Gil, I rejoice that Sue is with her Savior and look forward to seeing her again someday!

I have been drawn anew into this passage, most of which is pretty familiar to many believers. We cannot possibly fathom the depths of the theology found here. I’ve blogged in the past about how the good that God causes all things to work together for (v.28) is that we are conformed to the image of His Son (v.29). And though that always bears repeating, as I have read through this passage several times over the last few days I am struck by two things. The first one is groaning.

In verse 21-22 we read that all of creation groans for the return of Jesus that will right all wrongs that it has endured since it was placed in the “slavery to corruption” (NASB) at the curse. Verse 23 describes how, as believers, we groan as we are “waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (NASB) Don’t you just feel that anticipation most days!?

The groaning that really touches me is found in verse 26. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;” (NASB) While we and all of creation groan in anticipation of His return, the Holy Spirit, who knows the mind of God intercedes on our behalf because we often just don’t know how to pray!

That leads me to the second thing that strikes me as I have studied this passage anew is that while we don’t know how to pray because we are bound up in this world of our flesh, there is something that we do know and that is found in verse 28. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB) What a difference it makes in our faith walk when we live in light of that knowledge! Worry and fret are banished….we know that God has a plan. Anxiety and despair disappear….His plan is perfect and for my good!

So while there are many things I don’t know…. (I’m only seeing a small piece of the puzzle, remember? :)) I KNOW that God is ALWAYS working ALL things out to conform me to His image and bring Him glory.

I often use a piece of a puzzle as a teaching or counseling illustration. It’s so important to me that I had it tattooed on my wrist so that I see it every day. Most of you have heard me use the puzzle example but for those who haven’t here is a brief run down. If someone hands you a thousand piece puzzle in a Ziploc bag, with no box, picture or even a description, you would find it close to impossible to put that puzzle together.

Without knowing what the big picture is, all the little pieces make no sense. If you take into account that God has a plan for all of time and eternity, not to mention for the entire world, our individual lives would be a very small piece of the whole picture. I’m not saying that individually we are not important….who has done a puzzle and discovered at the end that one piece was missing….every piece is important but each piece is small compared to the whole…you get the idea.  God knows and sees the whole picture, we only see our little piece. When the direction my life takes doesn’t make sense to me it helps me immensely to know that I am only seeing a small piece and its just my responsibility to play it out in a way that glorifies God.

That all being said, I was reminded this week of another aspect of putting puzzles together and that is how great it is when a few pieces start to fit together and you can begin to see the picture take shape. For the last couple of months, as we have followed the Lord on this new adventure, I have felt like my life was a huge puzzle that had just been dumped out on the table…..just a mass of seemingly unrelated pieces that showed very little hope of ever becoming anything at all. Well finally, this week, a few pieces have started to fit together. We have picked up some work that looks like it will, Lord willing, turn into some more, we plugged into a Bible study that reminds me so much of the dear folks we left behind at our church in NY that it is a balm to my soul, and we have a couple of possibilities ministry-wise for my husband. These are jus t small seeds that will take time to develop and I look forward to sharing more someday but nonetheless, they are there. A few of the pieces are coming together; we may even have a corner or two in place! :) 

I’m not suggesting that everyone go and get a puzzle piece tattoo….I’m sure there may be few of my dear readers who are bothered that I have one (sorry?) :) But I am suggesting that we all need to be reminded that we serve a God who has it all under control….the big picture and our individual lives. He has a plan, one for our good and His glory as He uses the trials and daily grind to make us more like His precious Son. What peace comes from trusting in Him and His plan rather than trying to figure it all out myself….and what joy comes when you start to see how some of those pieces fit together!

Folks….the answer to pray regarding work means that we worked a twelve hour day today and this girl is TIRED….hey there might be another blog there…about how God provides but we still have to do our part, but that will have to wait for another day.  I thank God for each and every one of you. I hope God is able to use me to bless you, because it sure does bless me to know you are out there!! 

Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

So goes the chorus from an old hymn that often plays in my head. I think it’s there today in response to a documentary that my husband and I watched last night. It was on a religious sect and one man said that he was, “…hoping to attain salvation.” The works and depravation that these folk place such high hopes in will sadly fall far short of attaining much beyond the misunderstanding of most of those they come in contact with in this world.

I love the way the New Living Translation puts Ephesians 2:8-9….”God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Salvation is God’s gift. It cannot be earned, bought, or manipulated. It’s a gift I don’t deserve that displays God’s great mercy as He doesn’t give me what I do deserve….death.

I think it’s very important that those of us, or maybe even especially those of us, who have been saved awhile, take time regularly to meditate on the gospel. Oh it’s wonderful to seek to plumb the depths of the deep truths of scripture….but what truth could be deeper than the love that Jesus showed for us when He took the penalty for our sins onto Himself and died on the cross.

I’m so glad that chorus doesn’t say:

Oh, I hope that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I might look on His face,
That might be glory, be glory for me.

Oh friend, I hope you can sing with me…..

Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

Are  you…..So Sure?

I love roller coasters, but it hasn’t always been that way. When I was a kid I was terrified of them until my cousin talked me into riding one…just once she said. I survived the ride but was ready to get off.  Unfortunately, the safety restraint got stuck and they couldn’t get us off. The attendants said this had happened before and if we just go around again it usually would release. Three or four times later it finally let us off! The up-side was that I now loved roller coasters!

I should qualify that statement. I love amusement park roller coasters. The roller coaster that is my life these days I am often not very fond of.  The last couple of weeks before our big move from NY to FL I realized that I had a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the feeling that you get when the roller coaster is climbing to the top of that high plummeting drop-off. You know it’s coming and part of you is excited, but part of you is terrified.

I saw this status on facebook….”Life is like a roller coaster, it has ups and downs but it is our choice to scream or enjoy the ride.”

There have been a few times lately that I have heard screaming in my head. I look around to see who it is and realize it’s me. Those are the times that I am just looking at the circumstances and have taken my eyes off the One who controls those circumstances….the One who, when I do keep my eyes on Him, makes the ride enjoyable.

This is what the LORD says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.  (Jeremiah 29:10-12 NLT emphasis mine)

I know this promise is for the nation of Israel but the principles apply to us as well. After all, God tells us through Paul in Romans 8,

 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. (28-30 NLT emphasis mine)

So as I have come home to FL I can enjoy the ride…..Even when the quick turns and ups, and downs come fast and unexpected, if I keep my eyes focused on God and the knowledge that He is working all things for my good as He conforms me to the image of His precious Son.

Steven Curtis Chapman always has such a way of putting things in words….

I watch you looking out across the raging water, so sure your only hope lies on the other side 


You hear the enemy that's closing in around you and I know that you don't have the strength to fight  but do you have the faith to stand and... 

Believe Me now, believe Me here, remember all the times I've told you loud and clear I am with you and I am for you so believe Me now, believe Me now 

I am the One who waved my hand and split the ocean. I am the One who spoke the words and raised the dead 
And I've loved you long before I set the world in motion. I know all the fears you're feeling now but do you remember who I am? 

So believe Me now, believe it's true I never have, I never will abandon you. And the God that I have always been I will forever be so believe Me now. 

I am the God who never wastes a single hurt that you endure My words are true and all My promises are sure. 
So believe Me now. Oh, believe Me now.  (Believe Me Now by Steven Curtis Chapman on his All Things New album)

So let’s stick our hands up in the air and delight in the ride!

My mom has a devotional calendar sitting on her kitchen window sill and when I was visiting her last month one of the days’ devotion spoke about God as I AM. The first time God reveals this name to us is in Exodus 3 when He speaks to Moses out of the burning bush. In the book of John there are seven I AM statements recorded that Jesus used to refer to Himself.

I AM the Bread of Life (6:35,41,48; 5:1)
I AM the Light of the world (8:12)
I AM the Door of the sheep (10:7,9)
I AM the Good Shepherd (10:11,14)
I AM the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6)
I AM the true Vine (15:1,5)

Sermons have been preached and books have been written about each of these titles. Bread, the necessary food for my spiritual life. Light, to guide me each step of the way. Door, the entrance to my eternal life. Good Shepherd to guide and protect me. Resurrection and the Life, He who conquered death that I may live. Way, Truth, and Life…the only way, truth and life. The true Vine, where I must abide if I am to live and produce fruit.

These are all deep and wonderful truths and yet the one that lingers in my heart and offers me such peace and comfort is that He is I AM. In Revelation He is called the One who is and who was and who is to come. Yes, He is the God who was. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all of the saints of old. He loved them, guided them and protected them. He is also the God who will someday come and reign victorious over all. Hallelujah and praise Him for those wonderful truths!

The best part is that He is the God who is! He is I AM, not just I was or I will be….I AM! He is with me, He encompasses me protecting me and hemming me in on all sides. I can hardly contain my absolute glee as I allow that truth to soak into my weary soul. How precious that I am a child of I AM!!

We live in topsy-turvy times. My life right now is especially so. God is here in the midst of it…I know He is. I see glimpses of His hand in my circumstances at every turn. And yet….sometimes, worry sneaks up on me. I’m going along fine, deciding what to sell and what to keep, sorting, organizing, packing boxes and…BAM! The questions start in my head. Where are we going to live? What if it we can’t find work? Why is this happening? Before I know it worry has slithered its way into my head and boy, does it have a firm grip!

The first seven verses of Psalm 37 have helped me a lot.

1 Don’t worry about the wicked
      or envy those who do wrong.
 2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
      Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

 3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
      Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
 4 Take delight in the Lord,
      and he will give you your heart’s desires.

 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
      Trust him, and he will help you.
 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
      and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

 7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
      and wait patiently for him to act.
   Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
      or fret about their wicked schemes. (NLT)

Notice that this passage is bracketed with two admonitions to not worry. In the middle is four steps that can us get the upper hand on this joy-robber.

1. Trust in the Lord and do good. (v. 3) God promises to provide my needs. He promises that He will work all things together to make me more like Him and bring Him glory. Lack of trust in these promises makes me fretful. Faith and works go together so I need to continue to serve Him while I wait on His timing.
2. Delight in the Lord. (v. 4) To delight in Him is more than just being thankful for what He does for me. It speaks more to reveling and finding great joy in who He is.
3. Commit everything I do to Him. (v. 5) “Commit” means to” throw my burdens.” Doesn’t that sound great? I can just picture taking a big load of stuff that bogs me down in worry and chucking it over a cliff! But actually it’s better than that because the burdens aren’t just thrown off me…they are given to Him!
4. Be still in the presence of the Lord. Ah, peace and rest. That’s what my worried soul yearns for! This brings to mind Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (NASB)

Trust, delight, commit, be still….take these to heart my friends and find peace for your weary soul!

In Genesis 16 we have the story of Abram and Sarai becoming impatient waiting for God to give them their promised child. Taking matters into their own hands, Sarai follows the cultural tradition and gives her maid Hagar to Abram to father a child with. The plan backfires when Hagar becomes pregnant and begins to treat Sarai badly. Sarai responds with bad treatment of her own and Hagar runs away.

In verse 9 the angel of the Lord tells Hagar to go back to Sarai and submit to her and then promises to bless her child. Hagar then declares: “Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”  (v. 17 emphasis mine)

In Hebrew, the name she uses is El Roi (pronounced EL raw-EE). What a beautiful name…..the God who sees me. Hagar had had it. She took off, not knowing where she was going, just knowing that she had to get away from where she was. I’ve been there……. times where I’ve had it, and am ready to take my ball and go home. But the God who sees me knows just where I am and gently comes along and tells me that blessings await me if I will obey Him, stay in the game and submit to what He has for me.

Let’s be honest, that’s hard to do sometimes. But knowing that I serve El Roi is such a comfort. He knows about all of the struggles and the disappointments. Not only does He know, but He cares, He loves, He controls, and He blesses.

I will delight in serving El Roi!

There’s a dream in my soul
A fire that’s deep inside me
There’s a me no one knows
Waiting to be set free
I’m gonna see that day
I can feel it
I can taste it
Change is coming my way……I was born to be somebody

Those are lyrics to a song and if you recognize them you are almost definitely under thirty, I would even venture a guess that you have not even hit twenty yet. The song is by Justin Bieber (my kids just groaned here). If you are significantly over thirty you may not have a clue who I am talking about….don’t worry, I promise that lack on your part will not affect your life in the slightest!

As far as the world is concerned Justin Bieber has managed to fulfill his dream of being somebody. According to his website he is a self-taught musician who plays the drums, piano, guitar, and trumpet. He started singing at the age of twelve and after winning a local talent contest began posting his song videos on YouTube. He was discovered in 2008 and by June of 2011 he was ranked number two in earnings of musicians under thirty. (Yes, I went on his website and yes, I now know more than I need to or want to about the boy…I did however, refrain from joining Bieber Nation or purchasing his new fragrance Someday…”the new fragrance for her that gives back”….what does that even mean?)

I believe that God places in man’s heart a desire to “be somebody,” to be significant. I looked up the word “significant” in a couple of different dictionaries. Basically it means “having meaning,” “having or likely to have influence or effect,” “important or of consequence.” What a blessing the” significant” Christians that God has brought into my life are to me. By the world’s standards they wouldn’t amount to much, but they have had “influence or effect” on me. They have most definitely been “important or of consequence” to me.

I have spent a lot of time recently thinking and praying about why some Christians are significant and some really are not.  While some of those who have been significant to me have been pastors or teachers, many of them are just regular sit-in-the-pew Christians. One thing stands out in the lives of these “somebodies” and that is they all have disciplined their lives to do the main things really well. They have made it a priority to spend time in the Word, in prayer, in witnessing, in giving, and in being accountable to fellow believers. Those are just the basics but they do them really well. In the book of Acts we have recorded a short instruction that Barnabas gave to some new believers….it sums it up quite well.

When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose (11:23 ESV emphasis mine)

“Steadfast purpose.” What does that mean?

Steadfast carries the meaning of being unmovable and unshakeable. It is someone who stands firm in their faith no matter what circumstance comes their way. A purpose is an end to be attained. So someone with a steadfast purpose moves forward no matter what because they know that their eternity is secure.  Their faith is so deeply rooted in the reality of who God is, what He has done for them, and His immeasurable love for them that they simple stand firm come what may. These folks are usually highly significant to those around them

A believer without “steadfast purpose” has a tendency to live their life like a pinball game. They simply react to what happens around and to them. Their walk goes up and down based on circumstances and feelings. When things go bad they will initially run to God, begging and pleading for the bad things to stop happening. If things get better, their faith walk slips back into neutral. If things don’t get better fast enough they get frustrated and think that God must not love them enough or be powerful enough to help them. With no discipline to stand firm and no clear focus on an ultimate purpose, they flounder. Sadly, these people are rarely significant Christians.

I want to be somebody, I want to be significant, not by the world’s standards, but by God’s. I want to have influence and be of consequence in other believer’s lives and the lives of those who need to hear the gospel. In order to be significant, I have to discipline myself to do the main things really well. I must “remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.”

Dear Lord, I want to count in other’s lives for You!

The second half of James chapter two always reminds me of an old Rich Mullins song….

It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine 
Faith without works baby it just ain't happenin' 
One is your left hand, one is your right 
It'll take two strong arms to hold on tight 
Some folks cut off their nose just to spite their face 
I think you need some works to show for your alleged faith

Well there's a difference you know b'tween having faith and playing make believe 
One will make you grow, the other one just make you sleep 
Talk about it, but I really think you oughtta 
Take a leap off of the ship before you claim to walk on water 
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing 
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine

James 2:20,21 say, “You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? In 2:24 he says, “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”

But wait a minute! Are James, Jesus’ half-brother who wrote the book that bears his name, and Rich Mullins saying that faith alone is useless?  Doesn’t that go against what the rest of the Bible says, especially what the Apostle Paul writes in several places (see Romans 1:17; 4:5; Titus 3:5; and Ephesians 2:8-9)?  It would be a contradiction if they were talking about faith in the same way, but they aren’t.

James is not talking about faith in how it applies to us, as believers, being made right with God. In that sense he completely agrees with Paul and the rest of God’s Word. In 2:23 he says, “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.”Abraham’s offering up of Isaac is the ‘work’ James mentions. This event occurred many years after Abraham exercised faith and was declared righteous by God (Gen. 12:1-7; 15:6). Abraham obediently offering up Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith.

Even in Paul’s writings you can see the correlation of faith and works. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” So yes, saved by grace through faith…not works….check. But look at verse 10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We are saved to do good works, which is how we demonstrate the genuineness of our faith—just like Abraham.

True saving faith involves the whole person. It is not just an intellectual belief that affects our heads. Even adding an emotional (heart belief) to the equation doesn’t get us there. After all, the demons believe and tremble in fear (believe = head, fear = emotion). True saving faith affects and involves our will. Warren Wiersbe put it this way, “The mind understands the truth, the heart desires the truth, and the will acts on the truth.”

James is such a practical book. It has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament. The theme of the book is maturity. A mature believer demonstrates his faith by his works. I think that’s why the book starts out by talking about trials. Nothing has the potential to grow me up in the faith more than trials.

In verses 2-4 he tells us to be joyful when trials come. Yikes. But then he tells us why—“because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Another word for perseverance is endurance. In the physical world how do we gain endurance? Can we learn to endure by reading about endurance and others who have endured? A little, maybe…..but we really grow in endurance by enduring!

As endurance grows in our life it produces maturity. Did you notice that I said, “Nothing has the potential to grow me up in the faith more than trials”?  Trials producing maturity is not a given. It depends on how I respond to the trials. How I respond to them depends on what I want the most. Do I want maturity in Christ more than my own comfort? If I do I’ll be joyful for the trial. Do my wants and desires center more around the there (Heaven) and then (eternity) than they center on the here and now? If they do I’ll focus on the ultimate value of the trial and submit to it because of the joy set before me!

If I want to be known as a mature Christian I have to show my faith by my works and I have to face trials with joy. Those are two tough assignments and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all that James tells us to do. (You notice I didn’t even begin to go into his discussion about controlling my tongue!) How do I do all this? The key is in 1:1 (NLT). James knew his place, “a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” A slave, a purchased or redeemed one, no longer his own—he is “in Christ.” That, my friends, is where the power is…..in Christ!