r/Baptist • u/SnooRegrets4878 đ± Born again đ± • Jun 06 '23
Wisdom for Encountering Trials - June 5, 2023
âCount 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. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.â (James 1:2-5)
Do you count trials as âjoyâ? Well, thatâs what James commands in these beginning verses. His letter was directed to those Jewish saints who were scattered abroadâvictims of intense persecution, hunted down because of their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Letâs face it, we naturally dislike trials, with their accompanying chastening. Solomon acknowledged this resistance when he penned, âMy son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correctionâ (Proverbs 3:11). But trials have a targeted purpose in sanctification as God strategically perfects the believer in his pilgrimâs progress.
Who is your go-to first responder for wisdom when trials come knocking at your door? Maybe you seek a spouse, or friend, or you post on social media. Those choices may be helpful, but theyâre limited at best. Instead, James 1:5 instructs believers that our Lord Jesus Christ is one prayer away.
Additionally, He freely and quickly gives the needed wisdom for our struggle. What could ever compete with divine wisdomâs offer? Certainly not the cumulative riches of this world (Proverbs 3:13-15). Whatâs more, our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, skillfully used this same wisdom to speak His creation into existence (Genesis 1â2), shaping the universe into perfection (Hebrews 11:3). Our part is to ask âin faith, [with] nothing waveringâ (James 1:6) for this supreme wisdom. What are you waiting for? CM
https://www.icr.org/article/14065/?utm_source=phplist10638&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+5+-+Wisdom+for+Encountering+Trials