James 1:1-8, Trials
Click on this reference to read James 1:1-18
James keeps the introduction simple and humble. He addressed this writing to the scattered 12 tribes. He could have made note that he was the brother of Jesus as well as the leader of the temple of Jerusalem but he introduced himself as a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.
James 1:2-4 - How hard it is for me to consider it all joy when adversity comes my way. Often my reaction is groanings and complaints and tell others my troubles and how unfair it is for me to suffer these problems. James teaches us to value these adversities because they make us stronger and build endurance. When I was a boy my mother used some stramge remedies. A sore throat might call for a spoonfull of sugar with some turpentine on it. There was no way that sugar could make up for the awful taste of turpentine. I hated it, but it worked. James teaches us that we may have to swallow many of life’s bitter pills to achieve the endurance that will will see us through. Like you, I have endured problems and they continue to come but with the passing years they are easier to bear. It seems that when I walk close to God, He helps me carry the load.
James 1:5 - Here James shows us how to tap a resource that God provides for our help. He will provide wisdom for all who ask. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge. God gives wisdom to all who ask but I think we must take that wisdom and use it ourselves to find the knowledge we need to get us through our problems.
James 1:6-8 - God will supply all our needs but there is a condition, we must ask in faith. Jesus tell us in Matthew 17:20 that even if our faith is as tiny as a mustard seed we can command mountains to move. Do you remember when some girls wore a necklace with a tiny mustard seed imbeded in clear plastic which acted as a magnifying glass. It was one of those that made me realize how a little faith can acomplish a lot. If you have a little faith then ask “with no doubting” and it will be given to you. I think it might take a microscope instead of a magnifying glass to find my faith, but even so, God has answered so many of my prayers. Here James teaches us about the double minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Have you ever been double minded? I have, I have been that wave driven and tossed by the wind. That wind was sin and Satan was blowing me away from God’s word. I have found that the only way to get out of those troubled waters to fix my eyes on the source of light, the lighthouse, Jesus.