Ought not so to be

 

With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. - James 3:9-10

 

So here is our tongue. It is a fire set by the flames of hell. It cannot be tamed. It is a small member that boxes way above its weight.

 

Here we see an example of how bad it is. We can use the same tongue to bless God and curse men and don’t think twice about it. Indeed, these things ought not so to be. How can we curse man out of one side of our mouths and praise God out of the other?

 

We bless God and curse the one make like God. Indeed, as James writes, these things ought not so to be.

 

Social media has become the perfect platform for this kind of duplicity. Facebook memes praise God and the same poster then mocks and condemns people. We can’t  bless God and curse men made in His image.

 

This just simply should not happen. It is hypocrisy. When we praise God out of one side of out mouths and curse man out of the other, we epitomise hypocrisy. This ought not so to be.

Let us be careful as we wrap up this year and enter a new one that we be careful about how we talk about others and do the things that ought to be.

Untameable

 

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. – James 3.7-8

 

Paul spends a lot of time talking about the perils of the tongue. He called it a fire from hell and here says that it a poison and that it is in fact not tamable.

 

Man has tamed all kinds of beast in the world. He has tamed dogs and sorted of tamed cats. Lions and tigers and bears and elephants have all been controlled by man to do amazing things. We have feld the effects of nature in many ways.

 

There is something that man cannot tame. It is an unruly evil. It is full of poison. No man can tame the tongue.

 

That’s puts us in quite the dilemma. If we can’t control the tongue what hope do we have when God expects us to do it?

 

As usual the word of God has the answer.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips – Psalm 141.3

 

We simple can’t do it without God’s help.

Lord, please help me tame my tongue.

From the pits of hell

 

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. - James 3:5-6

 

Last year in the US there was a massive of wildfires. The source of the wildfires turned out to be a simple gender reveal party with some simple fireworks. Tens of thousands of acres were destroyed by that one little flame that took off and spread like wildfire.

James likens the damage done by the tongue to a fire like that. It would be bad enough if the tongues damage came just from our own flesh.

 

Think about how quickly and how far a fire can spread and the destruction it leaves in its wake and you have an idea about what a careless word or an intentional word can do?

 

Oh how a great a forest a little fire ignites, and the tongue is a fire. It defiles the body, its sets the course of nature in flames, and its source is hell itself.

We need to pay close heed to it and keep the fire at bay with the help of the Holy Spirit.

A little thing

 

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. – James 3.1-4

 

Did you ever think about your tongue? Its an ugly little thing, isn’t it? It is such a small body part. How big an impact could something like that have?

 

That little insignificant member though boxes way above its weight. In most cases it is the member that has the greatest impact. We can do far more permanent damage with our tongue than can even be imagined.

 

I used to hear a saying, and even my well-intentioned parents may have used. ‘Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’

 

WRONG – words cause terrible hurt that can last longer than any break or bruise. We can all still remember things that were said that still hurt today.

 

This tiny body part controls our lives like ship’s rudder of a bit in a horse’s mouth. It doesn’t take much to do great damage. One tug on the bit, one twist of the rudder, and one word off the tongue can change everything.

Oh be careful little lips what you say 

Even the demons believe in God

 

Even the demons believe in God

 

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble – James 2.19

 

I believe in God. Surely that’s got me covered? If I believe God surely, He is going to take me in the end?

 

That would be nice, but the problem is that even the demons believe in God. Several times when Jesus encountered them on earth, they recognised Him as the Son of God. There is a problem though with belief. It can never be enough. Belief must always be mixed with the faith and faith is always going to show itself by works.

 

At least when the demons believe they tremble. They know Who He is and that they are worthy only of His judgement.

Man, however, says ‘I believe in God so everything is okay. As long as I believe in Him He’s got me covered.’

 

I personally think that all men do believe in God in their heart of hearts. The Bible tells us that God has put a sense of eternity in our hearts. It is thinking about dealing with God that causes a lot of folks to try and ignore Him.

Belief in God is a good start. Acknowledging Him as who He is is even better. But it does no good until man acknowledges his sinful state before God and turns to Him believing only does no good.

Dead Faith

 

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – James 2.17

 

There has always been a great debate about faith and works and salvation. Are we saved by works? Are we saved by faith? Are we saved by a combination of the two?

 

A lot of folks have tried to divide Paul and James on this issue. Paul say that we are saved by faith alone and James says that works are a part of salvation. That does seem a bit confusing, doesn’t it?

 

It is at first, but if you look at this passage carefully you see that there is a slight difference. The difference is that works are the evidence of faith. They prove that the faith is there. If there are no works then the faith that we think is there is really just dead faith.

 

Salvation comes apart from works, but faith always produces works, always. Those of us who have ever exercised are ordained to do good works. They are going to come if faith is alive and well.

 

Our works reflect our faith. How do my works reflect my faith?

Immanuel

 

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7.14

 

Christmas Day again. The wonderful day when we celebrate the Incarnate Christ. God in a crib. Deity wrapped up in flesh. The immortal One taking on the form of mortality. Immanuel – God with us.

 

On this special day we choose to remember God’s great gift of eternal life. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. God chose to send His Son to live as one of us and die for us and be raised again in victory over sin and death.

 

Who could ever dream of the truth of ‘God amongst us?’ Why would God choose to come live with people who would reject Him? Because mercy wins out over judgement.

 

Today we celebrate ‘God with us.’ Not many phrases mean more than that. God chose to become a man in the form of servant and dwell among us in a sin cursed world so He could show us the way to heaven.

Not only that, He promised to be with us. So on this Christmas Day so many years later He is still Immanuel – God with us.

Mercy wins

 

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. – James 2.13

 

Mercy wins over judgement.

 

What an amazing lesson for all of us! It is easy to judge others and be biased and critical. We can look at others and we can choose to one of two things. One is to judge them and treat as though they are under our judgement.

 

The other way, God’s way, is to show mercy. We all deserved God’s judgement, but He chose to show us mercy. God’s mercy chose to send His Son to die for our sins. All we have to so is to accept that gift of mercy.

 

But there is also a personal application here. James is writing in the context of us and other people and how we respond to them. If God could chose to show us mercy over judgement for our sins, surely, we can choose to show mercy over judgement in regard to others.

 

It is easy to judge others. That is the natural fleshly way. It is tougher to choose mercy, but that is God’s way. It is one of the true marks of a believer. God’s people are the ones to show mercy to those in need instead of just judging them and condemning them and casting them to the side.

How are you and I at mercy? The world sometimes sees us as harsh and judgmental and sometimes we have to judge sin. However, we must always show mercy to those who are trapped in sin. Our cry is love, not hate, and love shows mercy.  If we are going to err here isn't it better to err on the side of mercy and leave the judging to God? 

Almost good enough

 

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. – James 2.8-11

 

Most folks think that we are pretty good people. Most don’t commit any of the great sins. We don’t steal or kill or intentionally hurt people. We love our families, are faithful to our spouses, and we try to be good neighbours. We try to give to those less fortunate and want to help the suffering.

 

Surely, some think, if we do all that we will be good enough that God will let us into heaven. If I put my good works on one side of the scale and bad works on the other surely the good will win out?

 

It doesn’t work that way. Even if there were one violation on the bad side of the scale it would be the same as if I broke every point of the law. God requires total perfection, and I certainly can’t do that.  

 

So, if I offend in even the slightest thing, one offence, one failure is enough to disqualify me from heaven as a law breaker.

 

So close, but never good enough.

That sounds pretty cruel, doesn’t it?

 

And yet God gives hope. We can’t keep the Law – impossible, so God solved that problem by sending His son to live and sinless life do that He could pay the price for our sins. He makes up the shortfall no matter if the shortfall is great or small.

Thank God for His precious gift.

Seeing people God's way

 

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? – James 2.1-6

 

 

If there was ever a story that the western church needs it is this reminder. I’m afraid I am going to have to vent a bit.

 

Many of our western churches have forgotten where we came from. While churches all over the world struggle to pay their pastors and afford buildings and meet the needs of their people, thousands of churches have focused on their buildings and fixtures and making a good impression. Pastors live on six (or seven) figure salaries in many cases. Christians are focused on their fancy church clothes and new cars and having the perfect homes while the poor live all around them and all over the world.

 

I know from experience what it feels like to not be among the better off to come to church in an old banger and wearing a cheap suit. It always takes a while to be able to fit in. A big problem in a lot of churches is that we are prone to our prejudices. Everyone wants to be around the rich and popular and, well, clean people. If people don’t meet up to our standard it is easy enough to just dismiss them.

 

God seems to have the opposite view. There are some ways where God prefers the weak and the poor and the base and the foolish instead of the strong and the rich and the noble and the wise. If God uses the least likely in our eyes He is the One who gets the glory.

 

God has a different view of people. We are all the same in His sight. In fact, Paul writes about how God tends to use the weak and the base and the powerless and the foolish as His tools to do His work. The ones we think to be least likely are the ones God sees as most likely.

We must get our eyes off of the exterior and the things we can see and learn to see people through Jesus’ eyes. If we do that there will no room for first appearances prejudicing how we see others.

 

Pure religion

 

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. – James 1.27

 

What is ‘pure religion?’

 

That’s a fair question. If we want to test our religion how do we do it? While James’ words are not exclusive they are a pretty apt description.

 

What does James say?

 

Care for the needy

Keep unspotted from the world

 

That really does a good job of describing the two aspects of our faith. Our faith shows in our care for others and our faith shows itself in holy living. The test is how we treat others and how we live our lives. These are two great tests of being doers of the word. They show how our faith is seen in our works. If these things are not there we need to examine our hearts to see if we are genuinely in the faith.

 

We prove our faith pure as we meet the needs of the needy. We also prove our faith pure as we live differently from the world.

 

How are we doing in this test of pure religion?

A bridled tongue

 

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain. – James 1.26

 

There are a couple of things here that James describes as proof of a man’s religion as being useless and in vain.

 

The first is here where he writes that if a person seems to be religious but can’t control his tongue he is tricking his own heart.

 

The tongue is so hard to control. James will pick up on this theme a little later, but he throws it in here while he is talking about how his readers show their faith.

 

If a person seems religious, but he can’t control his mouth he deceives himself and his religion is empty.

 

Why is that so true? It’s true because our words reveal our true hearts. What comes out of my mouth is the best reflection of who I truly am. Words do matter, a lot. If I go around full of pride and malice and anger and backbiting and filth it only reveals the man I really am.

 

So the only way to bridle the tongue if to get the right heart. Only God’s word working in His Spirit can do that as I yield to Him.

Doers

 

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. – James 1.22-24

 

I love Bible study. I love my devotional time. I love teaching God’s word. I love preaching the word. I just truly enjoy it (when I get off my lazy bum to do it).

 

It’s a good thing to have a desire to read and study God’s word. How else can we know more about God and His love for us and His plans for us?

 

But there is a lot more to it. We have to do something with what we read and study.

 

Here’s how James describes it – if a person is not changed by reading and hearing God’s word He is like someone who gets up in the morning, getting ready to go off to work, after seeing a mess, and does nothing about it.

 

That’s just plain silly, but it is what we do far too often. God shows us our need of change and we just ignore it and go on our way.

 

James makes it real simple. It is not enough to be a hearer of the word. I must also be a doer of the word. Otherwise, I am fooling nobody but me.

 

So let’s be about the hearing, we need that – but lets not forget the doing.

Superfluity of naughtiness

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. – James 1.21

 

 It is way too easy to get comfortable in our sin and get weighed down with the weights and concerns of this world so that we can’t really run the race.

 

I love the King James English here – lay aside all your filthiness and the superfluity of naughtiness. Doesn’t that just really nail what it is like to be caught up in our sinful lifestyle?

 

The Bible talks a lot about laying off and putting on. We live in a world that is full of filthiness and a superfluity of naughtiness. That is the norm. Websites are full of it and our entertainment magnifies it. The best way to be popular today is to be filthy and naughty because the world loves it. Even in the last few days I’ve seen how the filthy and the naughty have come to be expected.

 

We though must have no part in it. We must allow the word of God to be extracted in our lives. Just as parts of one tree can be crafted into another and flourish so must the word of God in our lives.

 

That’s not our way though. Our way is to get rid of all that. Our way is to meekly and humbly replace it with the word of God which has been engrafted into our lives. If God’s word is a part of our life there will be no room for filthiness and naughtiness. Lay apart ALL filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, every bit. Let God’s word take its place. 

Swift to hear

 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. – James 1.19-20

 

Of all the wonderful bits of practical advice in scripture this may be one of the wonderfulist and practicalist of all. 😊

 

Three little things would make our lives so much better.

 

Be in a hurry to hear and listen

Be slow to open your mouth

Be slow to get angry

 

 Just me imagine that. What if I could just learn to keep my mouth shut? What if, instead of popping off before the person has finished talking I could keep my mouth shut until they were done? What if I could keep my mouth shut until I think over what has been said and pray and think over it? How would that alone change my life?

 

That would certainly help with the second part. If I am quick to hear I am going to be slow to speak. It just makes sense.

 

And then the last part comes. Let everyone be slow to wrath.

 

Wow. We can be so swift to lash out that we can do great damage before we even know the whole truth because we have been quick to speak and slow to hear. Most of our problems with anger could be solved if we just took the time to hear the whole story before we respond.

 

Think about the number of times you have gotten angry, heard the whole story, and had to sheepishly say ‘oh.’

 

Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath would sure save us a lot of trouble.

Firstfruits

 

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. – James 1.18

 

Of God’s own will he gave us new birth

We gave us new birth through His word

He gave birth to us so that we would bear fruit

 

What a wonderful truth to find in one little verse. God chose to give new birth to a world of people who rejected Him and gloried in their sin. He chose to offer a new spiritual birth to His enemies at war against Him.

 

To make sure we would get it straight He gave us to it through His word and gave it to us in written so that we could not get it wrong.

 

Because we are reborn we have new life and where there is life there is fruit. Where there is no fruit either there is either no life or something is very wrong with the life that is there.

 

We need to ask ourselves if our lives and bearing fruit that is worthy of our new life. Do I produce the same fruit that my lost neighbour produces, or does my fruit set me apart?

 

The fruits that I need to bear? How about love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, and the like. How about goodness and kindness and compassion. Those are the fruits of a life born of the word of God.

Apple trees bear apples. That’s obvious. Being born of the word of God naturally produces the fruit of the word of God. 

The GIft Giver

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. – James 1.17

 

God is the perfect gift giver. He is the only giver of the perfect gift of salvation.

 

But it goes deeper than that. He also dispenses love and joy and peace and mercy and grace and endurance and power to get through our every day lives.

 

I am certain that none of us could get through this life without God’s good and perfect gifts. He is the Father of the light we need. He never varies. There is never even a hint of turning away.

 

God’s gift of salvation and His daily gifts to carry us through life will not change and cannot change because He is the Gift-giver. In Him, unlike us, there is no changing and there is not even a hint of change. He is always there and always ready to pour out his gifts. He is not an ‘Indian giver’ (Actually I don’t like that phrase. It ought to be ‘pale-face giver’ because it was the white guys who made promises to the Indians and then took them back 😊).

 

Need a bit of grace today – the Gift-giver is still giving. Need a bit of love or mercy or strength or encouragement? Same God, same gifts.

So trust Him He never changes and never stops giving.

The LSD of sin

 

But veery man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err my beloved brethren – James 1.14-16

 

Does anybody remember the drug LSD? It was also called acid. It was an hallucinogenic drug popular in the 60s and 70s. It made a resurgence in the mid 2010s.

 

It came along with a handful of negative side effects and had a generally destructive impact.

 

Back in those days, or shortly after, I heard a message from this verse called the LSD of Sin and it has stuck with me ever since. The outline was pretty simple.

 

Sin begins with

Lust – if it is not dealt with here is leads to

Sin – and if is not dealt with here it leads to

Death.

 

It really is a pretty impressive lesson. The best place to deal with temptation is when we are distracted by our lusts. At that stage no damage has been done. Lusts are natural, but they don’t have to control us.

 

When sin comes things get a little tougher. Forsaking sin is a lot harder than fleeing lusts, but we can repent and ask forgiveness and be restored.

 

Eventually though, if we don’t deal with sin, it results in a kind of spiritual death. This can’t be the loss of salvation, but, as David put it in Psalm 51, we lose all the joy of our salvation. That is nearly as bad.

 

But let’s not go down that road. We all recognise when lusts cross our paths. That’s the moment to pray for strength and run way from the temptation as fast as we can. Don’t get caught in its trap.

The crown of life

 

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. – James 1.12

 

I wish I knew more about the crowns that we are promised in the word of God. All I know for sure  is that they are some kind of reward for living for God and that we will one day have the joy of casting them at Jesus’ feet.

 

God has promised a crown of life to all those who love Him. Enduring trials is a true test for loving God. If we don’t love God we are not going to survive the trials. So as we learn to love Him to carry us through the trials we prove our love for Him.  

 

Somehow at the end of our days if we have shown our love by trusting Him He will give each of us this crown of life.

 

Revelation 2.10 also mentions the crown of life in the context of tribulation:

 

Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life

 

This word translated ‘crown’ simply means a reward. For those who love God through testing and trial will receive this special reward. We already have eternal life, so this is a separate reward intended as a motivation to stick with it through the testings and receive this eternal reward.

 

What blessing to be able to look for a special reward from God.

Rich and poor

 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. – James 1.9-11

 

Let the lowly brother, the poorer brother, the one who doesn’t have much, glory in his exaltation and let the rich man glory in his humiliation.

 

What? That sounds kind of backwards, doesn’t it? How are we supposed to do that?

 

We do that at the long-term prospect of our current situation. What does that mean?

 

The poor can rejoice in that one day they will be lifted up and exalted in God’s sight. It is humbling to not have much – but that is all going to be changed one day when God lifts up the poor.

 

The poor look forward to the day when they will be exalted. The rich must realise that all they have acquired will be gone one day. One day we all we made level so there is no need to envy the rich or look down on the poor.

 

What a wonderful day it will be when power and class and wealth and fortunes and possessions and everything means nothing. One day we will all be in the same position before God.

So let’s be sure that we get our focus there instead of here. 

Stability

 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – James 1.6-8

 

Doubt is a great struggle. Doubt is a human emotion. It is a part of our nature. It can be a good part of our nature because he keeps us from falling from just anything that comes our way.

 

But doubt can also be a faith wrecker if we are not careful. If we leave our doubt unchecked and don’t deal with it and learn to trust God instead of trusting our scepticism it will overrule our faith.

Then we become totally unstable and anything that comes along will knock us over and destroy and our faith can become shipwreck. The slightest little battle or setback or unexpected issue can virtually destroy us if we have no anchor and if our houses are built on sand.

 

Where do we find this stability?

 

We only find it in the word of God. Everything else is prone to failure. The word of God is our only surety.

This world is a pretty unstable place. Lets find our stability in God’s word and trust it as our rock and our anchor.

What do I do?

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. – James 1.5

 

What do we so if we just don’t see a way though a trial or how to deal with it or what to do next. What if we accept the fact, but just don’t have the wisdom to make the application?

 

Boy have I ever been there! There have been many times when I have just been clueless about how to deal with a tough situation. I remember the anxiety and fear and worry that comes along to knock me off my feet. I just flat out don’t know what to do.  

 

So what do I do too often? I let worry and fear and anxiety take over and get frozen in my fear.

 

How do I fix this? It looks pretty simple. If any man lacks wisdom in these situations let him ask God. God answers liberally and He is not going to upbraid us for asking.

 

When we don’t know what to do or how to handle it ask God for help. The situation may not change, but God will show us the way through. He does that though His word. That means if we want help we need to do our part and spend time with Him in His word. I can’t even tell you how many times I have seen God do this for me. There have been times when I have been praying about a tough situation and within minutes had someone share an passage with me that was exactly what I needed.

 

God wants to help in times of need. We wants to teach and carry us through trials to shape and mould us and He promises to show us what to do. All he have to do is ask and then let Him answer in His word.

Let patience work

 

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – James 1.4

 

2020 has surely been a year of learning patience. We have waited to be able to travel. We have waited to be able to shop. We have waited to be able to go to church. We have waited on governments to tell us what we could and could not do.

 Most of us have experienced the need for patience when going through trials. They can seem to last forever. They are no fun. 

I remember the testing my little sister had to be put through when she was a baby. Her feet were turned in. Every night my parents had to put her feet in a brace that forced her fee to turn out. Actually, it was a pair of baby shoes tacked to a board in opposite directions.

She hated it.  My parents hated it. I hated it. I wanted to take them off when my parents turned away.

 But patience has a work to do. The work of patience is to mature and to get us ready for the next thing that comes along. As a result of the patience of that trial that Phyllis had to put with and the test of us learned to adapt to her walking problem was solved and her feet turned out fine. 

I could go and tell the story of a pastor’s little girl who was terribly burned in a fire and after dozens of surgeries was still disfigured but through it started a ministry to reach children who were disabled in various ways. I personally know of many examples about how trials bring patience and patience brings maturity.

 Counting trials as joy is a faith choice. It will never be easy, but God will strengthen us to do right and trust Him in those trials.

All joy

 

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. – James 1.2-3

 

Nobody but nobody likes the notion of trials. Trials are pain and they usually cause pain or great grief. The last thing we would naturally think about in a trial is to rejoice.

 

I look back and can remember the beginning of many trials.  Two really stick out above all the others. One day I sat with Matt in a consulting room of Tallaght Hospital when the doctor told us that Michelle had a form of leukaemia that could very well kill her before the week was out. The other was the night Beth phoned us and told us that she has Stage 3 breast cancer.

 

I must admit that my first response in both cases was not to rejoice. I was crushed in soul and spirit.

 

There are a lot more, but this are the ones when joy was the furthest thing from my mind.

So how are we supposed to rejoice in times like that?

 

Trials of our faith grow us – but often there is something in between. God uses trials to teach us to wait on Him for the next trial to come our way.

Our joy comes as we learn to see what God is doing and we trust Him to bring us through the fires and bring us purified as gold.

Thank God for the lessons of patience learned in these trials. May I learn to rejoice in future trials. 

Made complete

 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. – Hebrews 13.20-21

 

May the God of all peace, who raised the dead and shepherds the sheep, make us complete in every good work through His blood.

 

Complete in Christ – what a blessed thought that is. One day this is all going to be done. Everything is so halfway and transitory now. Nothing feels final because nothing is final.

 

One day though it will all be complete. We will do His will, He will do His good pleasure in us.

 

Sometimes this old like can seem like a never ended series of struggles – but it won't be that way forever. It will all be made complete in Him one day, and as we’ve seen so many times, what a day that will be.

 

Ben Everson’s great hymn says it better than I ever could:

Complete in Thee,

No work of mine

Could take, dear Lord,

The place of Thine.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And I shall stand

Complete in Thee.

 

Yea, justified, oh, blessed thought,

And sanctified, salvation wrought.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified I, too, shall be.

 

Complete in Thee,

Each want supplied,

And no good thing

To me denied.

Since Thou my portion, Lord, will be,

I ask no more,

Complete in Thee.

 

Yea, justified, oh, blessed thought,

And sanctified, salvation wrought.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified I, too, shall be.

 

Complete in Thee,

No more shall sin

Thy grace has conquered

Reign within.

Thy blood shall bid the tempter flee,

And I shall stand

Complete in Thee.

 

Yea, justified, oh, blessed thought,

And sanctified,  salvation wrought.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified I, too, shall be.

Dear Savior, when before Thy bar

All tribes and tongues assembled are,

Among the chosen I shall be

At thy right hand,

Complete in Thee.

 

Yea, justified, oh, blessed thought,

And sanctified, salvation wrought.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified I, too, shall be.

Thy blood hath pardon bought for me,

And glorified I, too, shall be.