Book of James

James 1

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Divers simply means diverse or various temptations. So many times when we find our weaknesses tested we scream "why!" or that it's not fair. Sometimes we feel like a failure, mistaking temptation for sin. But even Christ was tempted.. feelings of the flesh become aroused or greed or selfishness pulls on us body mind and soul.. but it is our reaction to that temptation that determines whether we have sinned, not the temptation itself.

Some times it is tempting to question God in such instances and to consider why he would allow us to be exposed to that thing that he knows could break us and bring our ruin. But once again, we need to consider the truth of the matter, and that truth always lies in the Word of God and the life of Christ. It was not God the Father who tempted Christ to sin or to be selfish.. it was Satan, enemy of God and the children of God. Isn't it just like Satan to try to convince us that it is God's fault or that he is unjust in his testing of our faith. But such tests are not orchestrated by God, they are an attack of the enemy.

Yes, God oversees all, and Satan must approach the throne of God to obtain permission to attack us (see Book of Job) but there are parameters that God operates in that we do not fully see or understand. There are laws and a greater good that remain in play coupled with the mercy and protective nature of our God. We wonder and ponder such things, but we are to never doubt the goodness and righteousness and motive of our God.. he is always working for our good and fighting for each of us.. he keeps his promises and his love is zealously committed.

It comes to mind about fasting, when I think of the strengthening and training that occurs in such temptations. That, after all, is why God allows us to go through things at times.. he knows what snares the enemy has placed along our walk, he knows our weaknesses, and he knows what to allow us to go through (even though such difficulties were never his plan, and always break his heart). Sometimes those temptations we face, will bring failure in our life or hurt or challenge.. but always as part of the process, never as the final result. Victory is always the final result no matter how difficult the testing or the attack, IF WE HOLD TIGHT TO CHRIST. Even in our sin, even in our grief, our pain, our torment and torture, and lack of understanding, even as we question God as to why.. we must trust in the core of our being that God is present and active in the situation.. he is right and good and has the final say despite the enemy's attempts and our selfishness and smallness.

We are gonna fail in the process of life.. in the process of the task.. it is our nature and our limitation as human beings.. but our success comes from trusting God to step up and infuse us with his Spirit and his nature to make up the difference, to fill in the gaps, to equip us with weapons and faith that he creates from the nothingness around us. That is the light that suddenly appears in your darkest hour. there is no explanation, there isn't even a way to put it into words fully, there is only the smallness of saying there was nothing but blackness saturating the situation.. and suddenly the voice of God spoke from no where and yet every where.. and there was light.

One minute we were on the ground, gutted and gasping a final breath.. and in that final breath a hand reaches out to touch us.. healing surges through us physically and spiritually (though not always emotionally at first because we are often in shock from the attack). We find ourselves rising to our feet without even realizing it.. we make the decision to trust the voice whispering to us as it holds us up and nourishes our hope. We step because there is nothing else left to do but to step. We move forward because that's where his spirit pulls us and encourages us to go. Inches and less than inches, until a full step is achieved, no matter how long it takes, no matter how unsure we are, no matter how numb and confused our heart feels..

When we trust that name, Jesus, we know him when he speaks to us, no matter how disoriented we feel or how broken and shattered we are. It is a process that involves much as we move forward and regain our strength, though many scars remain. We have learned many things about our enemy, about our own weaknesses and strengths, and about our God and how he refuses to abandon us in our hour of need, in our most broken moments, in our failure, in our sorrow and our grief, in our confusion and willingness to give up.

If we hold onto him, if we refuse to take our eyes off of him, if we resign that we will let him allow our death before we doubt him or give up on him.. we win.

period

plain and simple

There is no but, no maybe, no sometimes.. it is his promise and he is not a man that he would lie. All men lie.. but Christ is God and Man.. he is what we can be, truth and goodness and justice at all times.. our example.. the only begotten, who offers us adoption to be like him, who pieces together our imperfection with his perfection because of his great love and mercy and power. He changes us. We become like him. Not through anything we do of ourselves, but because he offers and we choose to receive. Our part is just to believe him, to trust him to keep his Word and his promises, to trust that he loves us as much as he says he does, to know without having to see, by faith.. in our heart, in our head, in our being.

Temptations come, testing comes, we fail in the process, but he causes us to win and to fail less often along the way. There is an end to this journey. And God says we win. It's up to you what you believe and whether or not to give up. Just know that he will never be the one to give up.. you can walk away and spit in his face and nail him to a cross.. but as long as there is breath in your body, he will always hold out forgiveness and love and hope to you.

He loves you.
Jesus loves you <3