"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 1:4-5
Patience is the ability to bear trials without grumbling; perseverance. James tells us in the scripture that trouble will come, but don't worry one bit. Rejoice because all it's doing is perfecting you to become a complete person in God, lacking nothing! It is my desire to be whole and complete in God, but we have to go through some things. I parallel that to how can you relate and truly understand the word of God and other people if you have never been through anything. What we cannot do is allow the devil to come in and deter us through that process, because a lot of times when we are being tried, we justify or try to find our own way out instead of waiting on the Lord, which in turn causes us not to experience that transformation in God, because we did not learn the lesson. And we all know when you do not learn the lesson we must be retested!
The story of Job is probably one that we automatically think of when we hear the word patience. We have often heard, "I just need the patience of Job." Job endured A LOT! Job wasn't your typical person. He was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil (1:1). Job had a beautiful family, a nice home, a great job, and was a model Christian with a powerful prayer life! What more could you want in life? But that old devil just insisted to God that no one loved God from pure motives. He figures all people want God for are his material blessings. The more powerful point in this story for me is that God allowed Satan to strike Job. He was robbed and his servants were killed (1: 14-15), his sheep were burned from a natural catastrophe (1:16), ALL of his children were killed (1:18-19). Mind you, this all happened in a matter of minutes. It wasn't like he had time to recover from one thing before the next one happened! But Job didn't hoop and holler and question God. He immediately fell to the ground and worshiped God!(1:20). How many of us could do that? As the story went on, Job did complain and he had a bit of self righteousness going on, but he repented and acknowledged his own ignorance and insignificance. Once Job acknowledged God's sovereignty over his life, then he restored all of his worldly goods twofold!
God is a compassionate and merciful God. He intended all Job endured for his good! He doesn't want us to suffer. All God wants us to do is submit ourselves to him COMPLETELY. We want to hold on to what we THINK we can control and give God what is most comfortable for us. God wants to do it all. That's what he is there for. Let's allow God to do his job because we cannot!
I'll leave you with this: " By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls." Luke 21: 19
Be blessed and have an awesome day!
Love you all,
Tarrah
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