Perfect and Complete

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-3)

We not only rejoice in times of abundance and favor, but also in times of trials and hardships. It is doubtful any of us would choose joy through suffering, but the Lord has chosen it for us; it is His most useful tool for purifying our faith. This is where the Spirit of God gives us the blessing of an overcoming and victorious life. Remember, it is impossible to please God without faith, and that faith must be tested through trial and fire. So, rejoice through it all. Perfection and completion await.

 

Patience comes from God's expert use of time and experience, and if we allow, He uses those things to produce glory and perfection in us (not that we are perfect in ourselves, but perfectly related to Christ). Through time and experience with God, we are rightly fitted for every good work. This is not born out of any human effort or ingenuity, but by our growing appreciation of God's goodness through every season. 

 

The Lord desires that we lack nothing, because He is all we need, and we feed on His faithfulness always. So, He trusts us with “various trials," and His reputation hinges on how we handle them. Let us prove worthy of that trust. Are you trustworthy?

 

Let's Pray – Dear Father, thank You for challenging me to grow through my trials. Purify my heart, and lead me in the everlasting way, even through difficulty. If Jesus learned obedience through suffering, so must I, and I do so gladly. Amen.