James 1 (New International Version)
James 1
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance
Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds...those words can be taken with a smile at a surface level that doesn't penetrate into real life circumstances. You can nod your head and say, yep, sounds good! But there's something more to having Joy in the hard times. The following verse affirms that it is through the testing of our faith that we develop perseverance. When I hear testing of my faith I think of generally negative life circumstances that will be coming my way. How will I respond to them? It doesn't say that if you have perfect faith you will be strengthened, it merely says that your perseverance comes about through the testing of your faith. I suppose not losing faith in God is the key here. Completely losing faith in God to be, do, and act upon who He say's He is the opposite of finding Joy in the hard times of life.
Perseverance is an often overlooked aspect to the christian life. Finishing well is just as important as the journey to the finish line. Having joy in the times that life is throwing things at you that you would rather not deal with is developing perseverance to finish well. Perseverance is something to be attained, not immediately given. It's like working a muscle, that muscle get's strengthened every time you go through a trial. After you've exercised your muscle enough the load gets easier and you can hold on during those times without as much strain because of your built up faith.
The Message Bible puts it like this:
"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors"
Perseverance doesn't just come in the form of keeping faith during difficulties. It's also found in sticking to what we know is truth and holding onto that as a way of living life. King Solomon knew the truth's of God's word. He knew that he wasn't supposed to have wives that worshipped other gods. Yet, although the wisest man, he didn't persevere with what He knew to be true and hold to what God had said, in faith, trusting that God knew what was best for him. He turned from the word of God and didn't follow through with what He knew was God's will for Him. In doing so, the Lord in turn took away the kingdom of Israel from the line of David. God was looking for Solomon to finish well.
