Absolute James 1:2-5
Posted on May 21st, 2009.“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:2-5
The first time I read that verse; it fried my brain a little bit. My natural response to trouble is usually to get stressed out and overwhelmed. It’s pretty human to feel that way. James is pointing out a better way to live. He said to see a crisis as an opportunity to have great joy. As with many things in the Bible, this challenge required some rearranging of my thinking. It’s very easy to look at the immediate circumstance rather than the long-term outlook.
Weight lifters take their muscles all the way to the point of failure because only when the muscle fails and tears can new muscle grow. A weight lifter will push through the pain of that moment because they see themselves with that better body with more muscle, and they are willing to pay the price. In fact, without the resistance of the weight, they would never achieve that goal. In the same way, troubles in life grow our faith. They give us resistance to strain against.
In the original Greek, that word “endurance” is translated from the word “hupomene”. The English word “endure”, sometimes translated as “patience”, has a passive connotation. It’s the mentality that we are just waiting for the situation to end—survival mode. The Greek word its translated from, “hupomene”, has in fact a much more active connotation. It’s persistently pressing against the problem with an inability to surrender.
I love that thought! When trouble comes, God is not asking us to sit down and take it. He wants us to press in with an attitude of determination that this thing is not going to lick us! When we have that attitude, our faith will grow, and when our faith grows, so does our power. Jesus said in Mark eleven that if we have even just a tiny bit of faith, we could move mountains!
James transitions the thought by encouraging us to ask God for wisdom if we need it. Wisdom is vital for navigating tough times. We’ve got to be able to make good decisions when in the fire. Help is always nearby when we need it.
Anna
City Church Worship Team
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good word. I know for me, it’s hard to control my emotions and make the right decision in the middle of a crisis. i’m getting better though and asking God for wisdom to make the right decisions even when my emotions are “all over the place”
da best. Keep it going! Thank you