I Commend You TOO

PERSEVER, AND DON'T QUIT (James 2) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,a whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faithg produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be maturei and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-mindedm and unstablen in all they do".(James 2:2-8) Jesus came to live among men and to be an example to us, as to how we should live a life pleasing to God. And in so doing He was the greatest example of perseverance under trial. Look at (Hebrews 12:2) which says, “[Fix] our eyes on [him], the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”. James 1:12 says this, “Blessed is the one who perseveres.” What I see in each of these verses is HOPE, in enduring. Friends when we endure and honour God in doing so, we will be strengthened in both body and soul and our joy will be completed. We will have joy down deep in our soul even though we have gone through emence troubles, being challenged to the core. Friends I know navigating this life is difficult and it is hard, but as the saying goes anything that comes easy isn't always good for you. So when it is hard, we tend to lean towards seeking wisdom from God, and we learn to trust Him that He will bring good out of those trials because we have trusted Him. What does the verse say, 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. (Romans 8:28) Wow, what a verse, only to trust and persevere. What does it mean to me to persever under trial? It means standing strong when the storms of life come, having patience and faith and a deep trust in God, that He has it all under control. It is remaining steady and patient when life hurts or feels heavy, and the enemy is roaring like a lion. It is in those trials that groth happens. These hard tests begin to build spiritual maturity and gives us a strong character. in and through it all our hope builds as we trust God, knowing He sees our faithfulness and will keep His promise to reward it. So in order to fullfill this task, we need to ask for wisdom, prayong daily for guidance in the moments that we feel weak. In those times He will bring to our rememberance, how Jesus faced the cross and overcame Satan by rising from the dead, giving us hope for the future As my mom used to love singing that wonderful old song, "One Day At A Time", and I was so glad when I heard her singing it, because it was a gentle reminder that God's is holding me in His hands and that I needed to focus on living rightly each day, and never, ever, ever give up. That if we grasp on to our anchour in the storm, we will remain firm and will weather the storms that come. The reward will be heaven one day. For me that will be enough, when I hear well done thou good and faithful servant. Even though we do not do it for the reward, but rather for our love of the Saviour, He promises a reward for faithfulness. James reminds us how beautiful it is when we persevere, especially for anyone who has faced and or is facing persicution for the faith they have in Jesus, James says,“Consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”(James 1:2-3). Pure joy? Really, when have I, when have you, counted perscution or trials real joy. No one likes those words, "perscution", "trials", "struggles" those are the words and situations we try and shy away from. But James is looking forward to the future to the truth that God has everything under control, and the future is in His hands. Believing the word that tells us He is able to bring good out of every trial. He adds, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because . . . that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (v. 12). Such encouragement,(Matthew 5:3-12) has Jesus putting forth the same seniment, that happiness comes from the joy of standing stron in the Lord and His power. That happenes is from the joy that is within. Yes, my friends, "whatever comes" this includes all things thta may come against us, spiritual battles and life’s hard challenges that at the beginning kind of sets us back on our heels, intil God sustaining power fills us as we call out to Him, and out of His love for us trusting Him His love and mercy, His grace and power comes in and reward us with the beauty of His joy and we are fulfilled, and we feel peace in the storm. Quote from former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life." Father God, it really helps me to know that YOU are able to bring good out of my trials, my resisting temptation, and the struggles I face on a daily bases. Lord Jesus, I look forward to one day meeting you face to face and reaching out with my healed righthand and shaking yours. But today, Jesus, I want to thank you for persevering on that day that you went to the cross for me and for the whole world. Because of the cross you have made me complete, You have brought me the greatest JOY and Hope a man could ever want. THANK YOU, It Is In Jesus Name I Pray AMEN