James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy...
Rebecca Lightfoot
One of the most significant desires of the human soul is to know TRUTHS about life & our existence.God not only knows these are our deepest needs, these are also the needs in our lives that HE most desires to fill!This is what James1:2-4 addresses by saying,”consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature & complete,not lacking anything.”.A fundamental element of all of our lives is faith!Whether or not we are aware of it,every moment of our lives;.every decision we make,is based on a faith in something or someone!When whatever we have faith in is not based on SOLID TRUTH we can become insecure;anxious;fearful;timorous;ambivalent;distrustful;suspicious;uncertain,or a combination of these things that leads to a total lack of the peace and joy that God desires for us to have in this life.This is why God addresses our faith in these verses of James!God’s great love for us motivates Him to Sovereignly use every experience in our lives,good & bad,to draw us to have REAL discernment&wisdom about TRUTH,so our deepest desires can be “answered&satisfied” TRUTHFULLY,with TRUTH...so our faith may be purified by testing (taking measures to check the quality, performance, or reliability of (something), especially before putting it into widespread use or practice)!As the process of our faith being “tested” continues through life’s challenges,our faith CAN become increasingly mature/strong as we grow stronger in TRUTH,and purify our lives from UNtruth...,IF we earnestly persevere to know REAL TRUTH,& seek REAL FAITH in REAL TRUTH!IF we do persevere,we will reap the blessings of knowing genuine PEACE&genuine JOY that God greatly desires for us to have and ONLY HE has the power and authority to give!The pathway to this genuine peace & genuine joy that God wants us to have is TRUTH about everything! ONLY GOD knows everything!And the DOOR to these TRUTHS is Jesus Christ(John14:6-7,”Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.”).Since the fabric of our faith in the world we live has been weaved with a lot of UNtruth, as we persevere in seeking&following Jesus Christ on the path of our lives,our faith will be stripped of UNtruths, & renewed and transformed into a mature FAITH founded on SOLID TRUTHS...a FAITH that is STABLE and able to sustain us through all of life’s storms with a Peace & Joy that surpasses all temporal understanding!David absolutely came to know these TRUTHS in his life when he writes in Pslam51:6-12,”Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.Cleanse me with hyssop,& I will be clean;wash me and I will be whiter than snow.Let me hear joy & gladness;let the bones you have crushed rejoice....Create n me a pure heart,O God,& Renew a steadfast spirit w/in me...Restore to me the joy of your salvation & grant me a willing spirit,to sustain me.”!Dear Lord,I know that there are many UNtruths that I have allowed to take me on tangents away from the very Joys that You desire me to have.I pray David’s prayer...that You “create in me a pure heart,O God,& Renew a steadfast spirit w/in me...Restore to me the joy of your salvation & grant me a willing spirit,to sustain me.”!