James 1:2-6
2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
It’s certainly not news to anyone, but problems are simply a part of life! As you study the book of James, it is interesting that these believers were experiencing many of the same problems that we experience in our own lives as well! Notice James’ description of the issues God’s people were facing:
- Problems are Inevitable
- It’s not “if” we fall into trouble, but when we fall into trouble (vs. 2)! 1 Peter 4:12 reminds us, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
- Problems are Unpredictable
- My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Problems are not just inevitable, they’re unpredictable! No one falls on purpose, and we usually don’t see it coming!
- Problems are Innumerable
- “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” Problems in life are diverse! There are many, and they come in all shapes, sizes, varieties, and intensities!
4. Problems are Impartial
- James is writing to believers, his “brethren.” Being saved does not exempt us from problems in life. The rain falls on the just, and the unjust!
5. Problems are Purposeful
- Yes problems are inevitable, unpredictable, innumerable, and impartial, but I’m so glad that for God’s children, problems are purposeful!
- God doesn’t take pleasure in your pain, He supports you in your pain! He is near to the broken, and He is strength for the weary.
- With God, problems always have a purpose! Pain can be productive, trials lead to a testimony, and suffering can accomplish something!
So what do trials accomplish in our lives? How are problems purposeful?
First, Problems Fortify My Faith
– “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
– It is the trying and the refining of our faith, that purifyies our faith!
Job 23:10 – But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Second, Problems Purify my Patience
– “The trying of your faith worketh patience”
– Paul reminds us in Romans 5:3, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.
Lastly, Problems Clarify & Complete my Character
– But let patience have her perfect worth, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
– Problems are not meant to crush us, they are meant to conform us! God’s Goal when problems come our way is that Christ would be formed in us!
Romans 8:28-29 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Trials abound in life, and though God doesn’t spare us from them, He supports us in them! Being saved doesn’t exempt you from trials, but it encourages you in trials! And though the Christian life doesn’t exempt you from trials, it is Christ that takes you through trials!
As you face the challenges and trials that lie ahead, what’s your approach to problems?