We began a new series yesterday at The Community on the book of James. Some verses that I began to understand as a teen were our focus. My aunt had given me a tape of one of her Pastor’s sermons. It was from the same Scripture. It has run through my mind and heart ever since.
The concepts aren’t easy because it asks us to be full of joy when we struggle. That doesn’t seem right. It is foreign or is it? Humanly speaking having joy when things are bad isn’t reality. From God’s perspective it is right on and very possible.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind 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.
When trouble comes your way, choose joy.
When your faith is tested, let it work in your life.
When you find yourself enduring the toughest things, let your endurance grow.
The outcome is worth the struggle. That is what God says. Yet as humans we must likely want the easy road. We would rather choose what will obviously go easy.
When we choose the hard things, we might grow even more. That is what God is sharing with us about struggles. Go through them. Let God work in you during them. See what the return will be if you let God work in the middle of the toughest times.
Choose joy when trouble comes.
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