SAY WHAT?!?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything." James 1:2-4.My Thursday night Bible Study has just started into the book of James and I was somehow elected to teach the first chapter - I think because the Lord has a great sense of humor! My life has been FULL of "trials of many kinds" lately. I have been robbed, my transmission went out in my car which is costing me a bundle and ministry has been VERY MESSY. I must confess that I have been, most of the time, not very joyful. To be truthful I have been whiney, resentful and pretty peevish. And, we won't even get into the matter of the tongue which I had to deal with later in this same chapter!But, I do want to just share with you this little tidbit that the Lord has impressed on me this past 10 days as I was studying this chapter. The first question we all ask is WHY should I be joyful in these circumstances?? Why be joyful when someone has accosted me and stole my money and my identification and my credit cards? What is there to be joyful about that I have to dip into my savings account to pay for a new transmission? And, what is there to rejoice about when people say untruths about you and question your motives and report "rumors" about what you have said and done??? Well, the answer to that is in v4 - because if you walk through them in faith the Lord uses them to "make you MATURE AND COMPLETE, LACKING IN NOTHING. Who wants that in their lives - everyone raise your hand!! It is when we can look at things with an eternal perspective of the outcome of God's refining work that we can have PURE JOY because we know that He is working in our lives to make us lacking in nothing!! But, so often we think of "something and nothing" in worldly terms meaning not lacking; comfort, ease, money, fun, power, etc., etc., etc.!! I don't think that is what the Lord has in mind. I think it is more; faith, patience, perseverance, humbleness, servant's heart, etc., etc., etc.!!! As it also talks about several times in this chapter, I think we become so polluted by the world's thinking that our views become very distorted.I have been trying to look at all of these things in my life with much more of an eternal perspective and I must admit that it is a little easier to see the good that the Lord will bring about through all those circumstances. This morning I found myself humming "Blessed Assurance," an old hymn. The third verse says: Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. I am so glad that He is Faithful and true to His Word and WILL finish the work that He has started in me!