Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Stability in the Christian faith is a key component of James’ letter. It might be wise to remember that this little letter from James to the churches was written to those of the church Dispersion, or as some versions state it, those scatter abroad. So the audience for the letter are those who are risking their very lives reading the letter. This is why it is so important that James first and foremost address their steadfastness. The word means to remain under. In this case it takes on the meaning of remaining under your oath to follow Jesus despite the outside afflictions and trials. James is making the point that these very trails will be used by God to produce in them the very steadfastness needed to continue to remain under more trials. It might sound like circular reasoning but think of someone who goes to the gym each day to lift weights. The discipline of a daily workout, lifting weights, ensures that you will be able to lift even more weight later. This principle of trail produces endurance for more trials is available only by faith. The one who is not coming to God by faith to live in these trials is not steadfast. In fact, James states that he is double-minded, unstable in all his ways. When we fail to live in faith in the midst of trials we become wobbly and wonky in our faith. We begin to teeter under the pressure and succumb to the weight. Again, going back to the gym analogy: When you don’t go to the gym enough and are forced to carry heavy weights throughout your day, you stumble and fall because you are weak. The trials we have in life are our work-out routine. God puts us into His gym through trials. He expects us to approach these moments through faith. As a result we become steadfast and not weak like those who have no faith. Enjoy your work-outs. They produce steadfastness in trials. They are gifts from God and are to be treated and approached with joy because, as James goes on to write:
James 1:17-18 (ESV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
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