We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Jacob Reed.
Bible Reading:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
James 1:2-18
Word:
God is a creator. Everything we see and hear and feel was made by Him. He gave us birth through Jesus. He created this truth: that trails will make us more complete. He is the author AND PERFECTER of our faith. What that means for you and I is that He has set in motion our training plan, and like any coach, He delights in seeing us grow through the process.
This is why when our day is not as comfortable as we would like it to be, we can smile and say “It’s a James 1 kind of day.”
Look at the author of this book, James. His path of endurance was finished when he died a grueling martyr’s death for not wavering in his faith. He lived exactly what he talks about here in this passage. He had been through the trails, strengthened his faith, grown in endurance, asked for and received wisdom. And because of this he was unmoved by the things the world threw at him. He pressed through to obtain a crown of glory.
So God’s plan for us is that we were born through the word of truth (Jesus)- our faith is tested and made perfect in trails- we can have wisdom in the trails by simply asking Him with unwavering faith- and we are rewarded when we ENDURE to the end. We can also know that without Him and His wisdom we are powerless to truly finish. We know this because every good and perfect thing is found ONLY in Him.
You aren’t working on perseverance, perseverance is working on you. Many times we push through to a certain point, where it’s uncomfortable enough, and yes, we can build some endurance through that. But if we allow God to carry us to the finish— we can truly be changed by the training plan He designed.
Prayer:
Skillwork:
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