“And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:4
Will your trials make you bitter and angry? Or will you trust God and discover the good He has for you?
Perhaps you read today’s verses and wondered how you could ever exalt or celebrate in your tribulations. After all, joy and gladness hardly seem fitting when you’re going through a difficult trial. But if you understand what the Lord is accomplishing through adversity and how He’s mercifully overseeing the events of your life, it’s possible to respond with gratitude and joy.
God’s goal is to develop perseverance in His children, along with proven character and, ultimately, hope. Relatively speaking, this life and its hardships won’t last long. But the glory that awaits us is eternal.
The Lord controls and sets limits on our burdens so they don’t overwhelm us. His goal is not to destroy us but to make us like His Son. And He designs the difficulty according to our areas of weakness so we’ll grow spiritually strong and lack nothing of eternal value
As God matures you, the intensity of trials may seem to build. But you’ll be better able to handle them in a way that brings spiritual benefit while also honoring the Lord. Over time you’ll become more confident that He’s doing a good work in your life. Then you’ll find you can rejoice in Him and increasingly depend on His strength.
Romans 5: 1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission