Strength for the Journey – Day 25
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
Strength for the Journey
40 Scriptures to Shape Your Faith
Day 25 | James 1:2-3
Strength for the Journey
40 Scriptures to Shape Your Faith
Day 25 | James 1:2-3
James 1:2-3
"Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (NASB)
James doesn't say trials ARE joyful. He says to CONSIDER them joyful. Some translations say "COUNT" it all joy… that's a decision, not an emotion. You don't have to FEEL happy about the trial, but you can CHOOSE to see it through God's lens and TRUST that He sees you (El Roi, “The God Who sees me”) and that He will work it out for His honor and glory and for YOUR benefit.
Trials usually arrive UNEXPECTEDLY. James says we "ENCOUNTER" them… like an ambush on the road. Financial loss. Illness. Failure. None of us wake up and hope for a trial so our faith can grow, yet James says that's what happens. Testing doesn't DESTROY faith, it REVEALS it and helps REFINE it. Like fire purifying gold, trials burn away the impurities and leave what's REAL.
Notice the outcome: ENDURANCE. The testing produces endurance, not escape or instant relief. ENDURANCE… the God-given capacity to remain FAITHFUL under pressure.
I’ll bet most of you reading this today can think of examples of what James is saying here. The hardest seasons of life often lead to the deepest growth in faith… times when we draw closest to the Lord and grow in Him.
Now only a nut WANTS trials… they’re painful and hard. But if you can lift your eyes, even slightly, and whisper, "God, I trust You're doing something here for me," you're on the path to “Counting it JOY.” That's not denial; that's FAITH.
Quote: "Trials are not obstacles on the path to spiritual maturity; they are the path."
— Rick Warren
Prayer: Lord, when trials come, help me COUNT them as opportunities for growth. Help me remember that You are “El Roi,” who sees me. Amen.
"Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (NASB)
James doesn't say trials ARE joyful. He says to CONSIDER them joyful. Some translations say "COUNT" it all joy… that's a decision, not an emotion. You don't have to FEEL happy about the trial, but you can CHOOSE to see it through God's lens and TRUST that He sees you (El Roi, “The God Who sees me”) and that He will work it out for His honor and glory and for YOUR benefit.
Trials usually arrive UNEXPECTEDLY. James says we "ENCOUNTER" them… like an ambush on the road. Financial loss. Illness. Failure. None of us wake up and hope for a trial so our faith can grow, yet James says that's what happens. Testing doesn't DESTROY faith, it REVEALS it and helps REFINE it. Like fire purifying gold, trials burn away the impurities and leave what's REAL.
Notice the outcome: ENDURANCE. The testing produces endurance, not escape or instant relief. ENDURANCE… the God-given capacity to remain FAITHFUL under pressure.
I’ll bet most of you reading this today can think of examples of what James is saying here. The hardest seasons of life often lead to the deepest growth in faith… times when we draw closest to the Lord and grow in Him.
Now only a nut WANTS trials… they’re painful and hard. But if you can lift your eyes, even slightly, and whisper, "God, I trust You're doing something here for me," you're on the path to “Counting it JOY.” That's not denial; that's FAITH.
Quote: "Trials are not obstacles on the path to spiritual maturity; they are the path."
— Rick Warren
Prayer: Lord, when trials come, help me COUNT them as opportunities for growth. Help me remember that You are “El Roi,” who sees me. Amen.
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