My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4)
Rob Cruver, senior pastor of Zarephath Christian Church, in Zarephath, NJ recently provided some valuable insight to the James 1 Bible passage. He shared that back in the day when this epistle was penned, Christian Jews were severely ostracised for their new-found faith in Jesus. They were fired from jobs, excluded from events, banished from the temple, shunned by their friends, and rejected by their families. The ‘divers (various) temptations’ that James was referring to was the allure for these believers to tone-down their Christian rhetoric just enough so they could keep their jobs, friends, and families.
Tempting Indeed
Is that not what we are witnessing today? Aren’t Christians willingly toning down their religious presence so as to not be rejected. Isn’t the government regularly chiming-in, “Be as Christian as you want, but just keep it to yourself.” Don’t our well-meaning friends and families consistently echo the same advice?
This is not the counsel of James. He admonishes us to stand firm in our convictions and to try (test) our faith and witness what God will do as a result. In this time of patience, our Lord and Savior is working our perfection and wholeness in us. He will meet every need. If jobs, friends, and families be lost, so be it! God has something better in store for us. It was a tough message for these early believers and it is a tough message for us. The question that remains is do you trust Jesus to keep His word; are you willing to patiently standby while your faith is tried?
Trust Him. He is faithful.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 