When persecution drove the Christians out into the wider world, many of them had good reason to doubt their faith. Have you ever thought about that as the goal of your life?” He says He wants us mature, complete, not lacking in anything. We are able to endure and remain faithful to Him.įrancis Chan said in the video, “What God wants to do is not just to make you happy. Similarly, as God tests us and we go through the heat, we reflect His nature more. for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” The word for testing ( dokimion) was often used to describe precious metals put through extreme heat to remove impurities, becoming so pure you could see your reflection in it. But James instead tells his readers why trials should provoke joy: “. Human nature hasn’t changed in two millennia.
“The twelve tribes in the Dispersion” at the beginning of the letter described both the Jews who’d been exiled from Israel and also the Christian believers who’d scattered from Jerusalem after persecution settled in to stay.Ī people sent packing due to their faith were familiar with suffering, which makes James’s opening exhortation imminently practical for them: “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds.” Suffering was part of life, but God wanted His children to greet trials with a counter-intuitive response. If the thought has ever crossed your mind, you’re in good company with James’s audience. If it was the right way, then why would God let you experience suffering or hardship like this? Or you’re worried that you’ve got it all wrong, that Christianity isn’t the right way. Why would you need wisdom? Maybe you’re facing challenges.
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