Lesson Two: Facing Trials, pt1

Summary of Chapter 2 on Facing Trials, pt1:

James 1:2 "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, 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; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

It is not easy being a Christian. For the Christian Jews during the days of James, being a convert to faith in Christ would have been harsh. It seemed scandalous to others that they claimed an executed criminal as the Messiah and many of them were killed and persecuted for their beliefs.

In every age, Christians have faced trials of all kinds for the sake of Christ.
But why would God allow such trials to come to His beloved children?

The Word tells us: because tested faith develops perseverence, which leads us to maturity - it makes us more like Christ.

[Matthew 5:11-12 -Great is our reward in Heaven; Romans 5:3-5 perseverence produces character, which produces hope; Hebrews 2:10 we are made perfect through suffering, etc..]

So... suffering is apparently the way in which God produces maturity in us and how we are made more like Christ.

Why do you think trials are so effective at making us mature and nothing else is so effective?

2 Cor 1:8-9 "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (emphasis added)

2 Cor 12: 7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

And that is how James can start off by writing: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." He knew what Paul knew -- the reason for trials and suffering is to make us mature disciples and to bear witness to the glory of God. By removing our strength, our talents and abilities, and our performance from the equation, God's Grace and power becomes the focal point to us and to those around us.