The Invisible Joy
Hey There-
Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. I know my Family and I did. 'Course who has a problem with getting together with family and being thankful for what they have... and eating? Yeah, thats what I thought. We've always gotten together with friends since we've moved up to Alaska on our own in '98 and its been really interesting getting used to not having "real" family around. But after awhile, the friends you join together with become family. What a blessing when that happens.
James 1:2-5 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
I think this is a passage of scripture that has people destraught and angry, and if not that, atleast confused at our great God. I have one friend that took 2 years in a Bible school that told me he just didn't like James -and stayed away from it- because it didn't make any sense. How... How can you say "thanks a ton" when your heart is screaming that its not fair? I for one spent many years screaming the "its not fair" part of life... and making sure that God knew why I didn't think it wasn't fair. Like He needed the tip.
This is one of those things that no one can give you a "step one, two, three" ordeal on how to find joy when your faith is tested. Because each life is different, and each faith journey is a little wackier. (Yup! I said wackier.... if you've been a Christian for very long, you know what I mean.) But when God ALLOWS something that is so stupid and crazy that you just have no idea where there could be hope in this... God gets pushed into the situation. Because who do you turn to? God. How crazy that this could be hope. But it is.
Endurance is a hard thing to "grow." Yet God asks us to turn to him and watch our faith grow while the endurance grows at the same time. As we look at it it looks like Hell on earth, or something close to it. But the thing is, we were put on this earth to glorify God, and we can not glorify God while we are imperfect. The trials and tribulations make it so that our endurance and faith become stronger and make us look to him. What a rollarcoaster, but this my friend, is what you signed up for, when you became a Christian. It's totally worth it.
The last verse, I had to tack on just because it shows you that God is never leaving us in the dust to do this on our own. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. What an awesome promise, and God also talks about letting the little Children come to him. No matter how old you are, thats still you. This is a hard race, your endurance, your faith is a frustrating thing to come out with at times. But the thing is, God's grace is sufficient. The joy you have is what He has given you, and amazingly, what you go through, when you keep your eyes on Christ, even in the hard times you will have more joy.
Talk atcha later~Cass
Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving. I know my Family and I did. 'Course who has a problem with getting together with family and being thankful for what they have... and eating? Yeah, thats what I thought. We've always gotten together with friends since we've moved up to Alaska on our own in '98 and its been really interesting getting used to not having "real" family around. But after awhile, the friends you join together with become family. What a blessing when that happens.
James 1:2-5 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
I think this is a passage of scripture that has people destraught and angry, and if not that, atleast confused at our great God. I have one friend that took 2 years in a Bible school that told me he just didn't like James -and stayed away from it- because it didn't make any sense. How... How can you say "thanks a ton" when your heart is screaming that its not fair? I for one spent many years screaming the "its not fair" part of life... and making sure that God knew why I didn't think it wasn't fair. Like He needed the tip.
This is one of those things that no one can give you a "step one, two, three" ordeal on how to find joy when your faith is tested. Because each life is different, and each faith journey is a little wackier. (Yup! I said wackier.... if you've been a Christian for very long, you know what I mean.) But when God ALLOWS something that is so stupid and crazy that you just have no idea where there could be hope in this... God gets pushed into the situation. Because who do you turn to? God. How crazy that this could be hope. But it is.
Endurance is a hard thing to "grow." Yet God asks us to turn to him and watch our faith grow while the endurance grows at the same time. As we look at it it looks like Hell on earth, or something close to it. But the thing is, we were put on this earth to glorify God, and we can not glorify God while we are imperfect. The trials and tribulations make it so that our endurance and faith become stronger and make us look to him. What a rollarcoaster, but this my friend, is what you signed up for, when you became a Christian. It's totally worth it.
The last verse, I had to tack on just because it shows you that God is never leaving us in the dust to do this on our own. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. What an awesome promise, and God also talks about letting the little Children come to him. No matter how old you are, thats still you. This is a hard race, your endurance, your faith is a frustrating thing to come out with at times. But the thing is, God's grace is sufficient. The joy you have is what He has given you, and amazingly, what you go through, when you keep your eyes on Christ, even in the hard times you will have more joy.
Talk atcha later~Cass
posted by Cass | 7:15 PM
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