The Prize Awaits Us

James 1:2
I have been pondering over the weeks of what I should encourage others and myself in. It has come accross so vividly with a highlight in our lives of troubles, That the book of James is to be where I should be headed.
James is a book that seems to jump from one subject to another.
In James 1:2 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"
Is this possible you may ask? Can we be so happy when things are pulled out from under us? But James gives us a promise here, that I believe is instructed by the Lord. The bible says in verse three "that the trying of your faith worketh patience." Wait a minute James. Are you telling me that this horific thing that has happened to me is trying my patience" I ask. Isn't this what we think from the natural being we are? Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Let us continue to verse three:
"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing."
Let me try to put it together: we should be joyful through our many trials, so that patience can have a perfect work in us, and as we are patient and the work in us is perfected, then we are not going to lack anything entirely.
Many Christians seem to get bitter or upset by what is happening today. Noone says that we need to be not human. But as Christians we need to have that assurity of expectation that the waiting on the Lord is going to reveal His purpose. Some things we are not going to know this side of heaven, But is that not a great expectation that we can look for?
Letting the patience have her perfect work is seeing the Joy of wanting nothing entirely.
Let me give a simple illustration. My boys received a computer each. One was given before christmas by surprise. The other one, my son had to wait for it. To him it was a trial in a kids sense; in that he wanted it so bad. He received it the other day. Now he is wanting nothing. You see, we do not understand our trials sometimes; just like my son did not understand the trial of waiting. But as we have patience and wait. God will reveal it to us.
I must say this. Every circumstance is different, but God is working in us to conform us to His image. So we may need to ask Him what he is wanting to teach us through the trial. In the meantime count it all joy.
There is A prize at the end ie, WANTING NOTHING ENTIRELY.
Todays Encouragement. There is a Prize. God is asking us to wait.
Philip Barrington