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Thursday June 16, 2016

 

As we study the trajectory of the Israelites in the Old Testament, their behavior pattern becomes visibly simple. God would bless them, they would say thank you, and shortly thereafter, they would forget about God. God however, in His immense patience, would grant them many opportunities to return to Him. It was not until they found themselves in great distress however, that they would decide to return to God. Again, God in His immeasurable grace would take them back once more, He would restore them again, and after a brief period of restoration, they would perform the same cycle repeatedly.

 

Christians today engage in the same behavior and trajectory of the people of Israel. Is it not true that when our world falls apart, we run to God? Just like when we are in financial, physical, emotional, or relational distress; we wait things out a little bit, but eventually we smarten up enough to run to God.

 

James 1:2-4 NIV

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

James, in the New Testament, explains to the Jewish people, that the challenge before them is to learn to look at their trials and tribulations as evidence that God is testing their faith. The same is true for us today; we need to look at our trials, whether health related, financial, or relational, as an indication that God is using our difficulties to test our faith for the purpose of producing perseverance. Why however, would God want us to persevere in trials? We would much rather that God would deliver us from trials. James continues to explain, that if we allow perseverance to run it’s course, we will end up becoming mature and complete Christians lacking nothing. Simply stated, God will eventually turn our circumstances around so that we will no longer engage in the same up and down pattern of behavior and so that we would no longer ignore or forget about Him.