Friday the 20th

James 1:  ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

 

Ahhh another school year has started, and times they are a changing. It does not matter if you have kids, your kids are no longer kids, or you never plan on having kids, this time of year always makes for hectic times. If you have kids, the money pit opens up and has to be fed, the schedules around the house change, responsibilities are shifted, and time becomes ever so elusive. If you do not have kids, then you still have to deal with the traffic, change routes, and of course deal with all of the stressed out people who do have kids, and are living on their last nerve! My point is that this is a season that comes every year, and one that can get the best of us if we let it.  This scripture reminds us that these are good times to be in! Yeah, I know….”are you crazy, Brian, these are not good times!) but they are, not only are they good times, they are important times in our faith. These are times that test our faith. The pressure of the day press down on us like a wine press, and we feel as if we are trapped. What will you do, where will you turn? If you are thinking about now that you cannot do it on your own, then you are half way there, because you can’t! Not only can you not do it alone, you are not expected to. These are the times when we make sure that we have Christ in the drivers seat. It is not sheer stubbornness that will pull you through, it is reliance on your faith that will! When time gets small, and the world gets big, it is time to put your faith in the God that is bigger than any world out on display. This is the time when prayers are answered, needs are met, and gaps are bridged, but only if you are making the prayers, needs, and gaps known. If you don’t hand them over to the Lord, they will stay your problems for a long time! Faith is not a short term dividend. It is a long term retirement investment. It is the continued reliance on your faith, and God’s grace that will take you through any tough time. Perseverance is the key. It is not just never giving up, but never giving up on God. The road to spiritual maturity is not just a short trip through one or two seasons, it is a journey through many years of many seasons, and I promise you the more you trust in the Lord, the shorter those seasons get! So as the weight of the world starts settling on your shoulders this year, shrug it off and give it to the Lord. We are not built to carry that heavy of a load, that is why we were given His Son. Turn your pressures over to the One who carried all of our sin, then you will find the strength to persevere, you will find that you will not be lacking anything!

 

God Bless,

Brian