James 1:1-8

James 1:1-8

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Joy?  For real?  Recently my testing has not brought much joy.  However the past year has brought so much change in my life that I understand why there should be joy in my life when tested.  Compare it to going to the gym.  No pain.  No gain.  Faith, like a muscle, must be exercised to grow. 


⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

It's the not doubting that I struggle most with.  Not that I think he can't help, but I doubt that he will.  Which according to this verse is exactly why he does not act.  When we turn to God we need to believe that he can and will act and that he has our best interest at heart.

My the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen