Good morning,
Can
you imagine what it would be like to grow up with a big brother that
you were never able to control? Even though James was a natural leader,
he was the second son and was never able to get the best of his older
brother Jesus.(Mark 6:3) Can you imagine what it was like to live with a
brother who never did anything wrong, never told a lie and who was
never mad at his folks for any reason? To make matters worse, when
their dad Joseph died, Jesus took over the role of the dad and the other
kids had to listen to him. When Jesus finally left home he started
going around teaching and healing people and even was called the Son of
God. (Mat. 26:63) There was no way any of the other brothers could
believe that. (John 7:5) All of the kids worlds were turned upside down
when their big brother Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and
came to life again after dying on the cross. From that time on James
was a part of the growing church and close to the Apostles as they led
the growing congregation through all the early growing pains and the
attacks of their enemies. Can you imagine how James, the brother, felt
when the Apostle James was killed and he was chosen to take the place of
leadership of that special group of people.(Acts 12:16) God gave James
that special role for many years.
When James wrote his letter
to the scattered Jewish believers, he knew what it was to go through
great trouble and big surprises. His counsel was guided by the Holy
Spirit and based on years of faithful service. What did he write
about? He wrote about the opportunity we have for great joy. James came
to understand that when God gives trouble and we rely on God during the
confusion and pain, we will find the peace and joy that God longs to
give us. James tells us that when our faith is tested by the
experiences of life, and we learn to endure the length of time that real
learning requires, we will know the joy of victory over fear. That
process is always a choice on our part. If we listen to our flesh or
the temptation to stay in control of our lives, we will not develop the
strength that is needed to develop a complete trust in our perfect
Savior. Those who learn to see trouble as the gateway to a life of
spiritual adventure will never need anything more than God provides.
Dear Lord, please help us to trust your plans for our troubles as the
pathway to joy, and not the fear of failure with which the enemy
threatens us.
James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when
troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For
you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to
grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you
will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Roy Wisner
