Hey there, spiritual gardeners!
Today, we’re diving into the purpose of trials in the life of a believer, as described by James in James 1:2-4. Brace yourselves for a wild ride into the world of spiritual growbags!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2–4 (NIV)
The point James makes is simple: trials teach us perseverance (v 3). They put us in challenging situations that require grit and determination. And perseverance leads to a fantastic outcome: becoming “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v 4). Basically, trials are like spiritual growbags that help us become well-rounded Christians and grow into the people God intended us to be.
It’s like working out at the gym, where muscle growth requires some discomfort. Our faith needs the pushback of trials to grow spiritually. It’s through trials that we learn to cling more tightly to God’s promises.
This might be a humbling lesson, but it’s also a great encouragement. There’s a purpose for our trials – they’re not for nothing, and they’re never wasted experiences. As F.B. Meyer, a British pastor and friend of D.L. Moody, once said, “Trials are God’s vote of confidence in us.”
Remember, James isn’t saying suffering is inherently good. Instead, he’s emphasizing the good that God can accomplish through suffering. Trials offer an opportunity to gain the most valuable thing on earth: a faith that is complete and lacking nothing, and maturity and depth in our relationship with God.
So, fellow spiritual gardeners, let’s consider trials as pure joy, knowing that they help us grow a deeper and richer faith. It may not be easy, but with God’s help, we can shift our perspective and see the bigger picture, trusting that He’s using trials to make us more like Jesus Christ.
What do you think about the reasons James gave for viewing trials as pure joy?
PS: Some of you asked about the rules for the Bible Reading Challenge. It is here
Sup everyone! I agree with the reasons James gave for viewing trials as pure joy. Sometimes I am in the thick of it I forget to rely on God’s strength rather than my own, but reading this it is a good reminder that just like working out, spiritual training is very important. Pushbacks are really when I cling on to God even further and am reaffirmed that Christ is my Rock. I pray that my faith in Christ would be complete and lacking nothing and my growth in Him would deepen each day.
I agree with James that persevering in our faith through trials does make our faith mature and complete. I would also compare it to working out at the gym. Unless you put your body under a certain amount of stress, you cannot become stronger. I have seen people workout for years and make very small, if any, gains in strength. This is because they do not embrace the discomfort and thus never stress themselves to grow in strength. Likewise, I have found that trials as much as we may not want to endure them, have the same effect on my faith. Understanding the process does allow us to consider trials as pure joy because we know the end goal.
It’s interesting- the word perseverance is defined as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.” So it would seem at first glance that James’ reason for viewing trials as “pure joy” would be somewhat circular. I mean, would we need perseverance if we didn’t experience trials? But then he goes on to explain that perseverance works in us that we “may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The testing of our faith produces a perseverance that drives us to deeper communion and great trust in Christ, qualities that produce a stable, godly, and righteous character. The word “complete” here can be translated as “all the portions whole.” So, God uses our trials to produce in us a perseverance that makes us (a broken people with broken lives) whole? This has been my experience as well!
I’ve shared before that one of the most difficult experiences of my life was the death of my brother, almost 30 years ago now. It led me into a life of addiction and darkness, and eventually, to a point of “pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization,” (as the Big Book calls it.) But looking back at it now, I can connect the dots and see that in time, God used that experience to draw me to Him! Who knows what would’ve been, but I do know that had I never spiraled downward like that, I would not know (or recognize) the grace of God as I do today.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal,” (2 Cor 4:16-18).
I liked that Bumble clarified that James is not saying that trials are good, rather he is emphasizing the good that God can accomplish through suffering.
James has a very positive outlook on what can come out of our trials. I like the reasons that James gave because as Bumble said in his sermon this past week, it seems like many are lacking perseverance nowadays. When comparing the free lives we live here to those who suffer persecution on the daily, I realize that we are very blessed and have it very easy. That being said, when something in my life does not go as planned, I tend to grow disappointed and discouraged rather than having James’ mindset of persevering through and seeing the good that may come out of being resilient. When I look back at old trials, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness in my life and how my faith has grown. God’s presence in my trials has been proof that God is real. Just as we cannot grow if we are not challenged, if we don’t have trials that lead us no choice but to trust and depend on God, our faith will not grow.
May I have James’ view that trials will mold and refine me, strengthening my faith and myself to be more like Christ.