Steadfastness, Patience, Endurance, Hoopne
Linclon Brester
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Linclon Brester
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
James 1: 1-15 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:Greetings. 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Trials are something we all experience. One minute we are going along and things are great, then wham God throws us a trial. The bible says consider your trials pure joy. What does it mean by that? I am supposed to be happy when everything falls apart around me? To understand what that means we need to know something about joy:
Joy is supernatural delight
Joy is found in the person of God
Joy is found in the purposes of God
Joy is found in the people of God...............
Joy is not just happiness, but instead an experience of supernatural delight in the purpose, person, and people of God. If you believe that God has a plan then you can find joy.
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
God leads us into a trial with a purpose. All of God's children are being tested and if you feel that you have never been tested you may need to examine your heart. Everyone experiences times of trials. God shapes us through these trials. God wants to change something in our character through this trial. In these times of trials our greatest problem is our need to control things. Our need to feel that in some way we have a say in what happens to us. If you feel like your life has been a repetition of the same trial over and over again you may be missing something. You may be missing the lesson over and over again. The thing is that in every trial we should approach the situation by asking ourselves some questions:
Examine your heart:
What has happened to me?
Why am I here on this Earth?
How can what's happened to me advance the purpose for why I am still here?
James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
You are still here and while you walk on this earth God has a purpose for you to be here. You have to ask yourself why am I here? If you are still breathing, standing, and living God has a purpose for you. In times of trial we also need to ask ourselves some faith questions.
Do I believe God is in control? Imagine driving down a road without holding a steering wheel. Imagine flying a plane with your eyes closed. How helpless would you feel as traffic is coming at you? How helpless would you feel as the winds buffet your craft? This really is how we are in life. Those of us who truly surrender to the will of God find ourselves heading into oncoming traffic and itching to grab the wheel.
This leads us into the next question, do you believe God is good? If God is good you don't need to grab the wheel or tear off your blind fold. Your car will not crash; your plane is not going down. If God is good this trial is for your benefit not to harm you. If God is good he will show you a blessing through what you are experiencing.
Which of course leaves us with a final question: How long are you willing to wait by faith to see his blessing? Do you have faith enough for a week? How about a month? A year? A lifetime? Every trial is a test of our faith. You must ask yourself that question and pray that you have enough faith.
Sadly not everyone has enough faith. In fact many of us react in the same way time and again. The #1 reaction to trials is lashing out. We lash out at those close us, we lash out at God, and sometimes we lash out at anyone who will listen. This lashing out usually leads to the second reaction. We bail out. We give up. We turn to God and look him straight in the eye then grab the wheel. I am giving up, I am getting out, and God I am taking control. I just don't have the faith to wait...................Sound familiar............Sound like something you have felt.......................
When you decide that you are done waiting patiently for God's work to be done in you. The moment you decide you will fix this yourself; is when you get in between the hammer and the work. If you have ever hit your thumb with a hammer you can imagine the pain that follows!!!
James 1:4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
What do we get if we wait in faith? What will we experience at the end of this trial. The Greek word is Hoopne. It means to remain under. It is translated as steadfastness, patience, and endurance. What we get is simple and powerful we remain under God. We gain faith in his amazing work. We learn as we experience that God is good ALL THE TIME!
Trials are something we all experience. One minute we are going along and things are great, then wham God throws us a trial. The bible says consider your trials pure joy. What does it mean by that? I am supposed to be happy when everything falls apart around me? To understand what that means we need to know something about joy:
Joy is supernatural delight
Joy is found in the person of God
Joy is found in the purposes of God
Joy is found in the people of God...............
Joy is not just happiness, but instead an experience of supernatural delight in the purpose, person, and people of God. If you believe that God has a plan then you can find joy.
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
God leads us into a trial with a purpose. All of God's children are being tested and if you feel that you have never been tested you may need to examine your heart. Everyone experiences times of trials. God shapes us through these trials. God wants to change something in our character through this trial. In these times of trials our greatest problem is our need to control things. Our need to feel that in some way we have a say in what happens to us. If you feel like your life has been a repetition of the same trial over and over again you may be missing something. You may be missing the lesson over and over again. The thing is that in every trial we should approach the situation by asking ourselves some questions:
Examine your heart:
What has happened to me?
Why am I here on this Earth?
How can what's happened to me advance the purpose for why I am still here?
James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
You are still here and while you walk on this earth God has a purpose for you to be here. You have to ask yourself why am I here? If you are still breathing, standing, and living God has a purpose for you. In times of trial we also need to ask ourselves some faith questions.
Do I believe God is in control? Imagine driving down a road without holding a steering wheel. Imagine flying a plane with your eyes closed. How helpless would you feel as traffic is coming at you? How helpless would you feel as the winds buffet your craft? This really is how we are in life. Those of us who truly surrender to the will of God find ourselves heading into oncoming traffic and itching to grab the wheel.
This leads us into the next question, do you believe God is good? If God is good you don't need to grab the wheel or tear off your blind fold. Your car will not crash; your plane is not going down. If God is good this trial is for your benefit not to harm you. If God is good he will show you a blessing through what you are experiencing.
Which of course leaves us with a final question: How long are you willing to wait by faith to see his blessing? Do you have faith enough for a week? How about a month? A year? A lifetime? Every trial is a test of our faith. You must ask yourself that question and pray that you have enough faith.
Sadly not everyone has enough faith. In fact many of us react in the same way time and again. The #1 reaction to trials is lashing out. We lash out at those close us, we lash out at God, and sometimes we lash out at anyone who will listen. This lashing out usually leads to the second reaction. We bail out. We give up. We turn to God and look him straight in the eye then grab the wheel. I am giving up, I am getting out, and God I am taking control. I just don't have the faith to wait...................Sound familiar............Sound like something you have felt.......................
When you decide that you are done waiting patiently for God's work to be done in you. The moment you decide you will fix this yourself; is when you get in between the hammer and the work. If you have ever hit your thumb with a hammer you can imagine the pain that follows!!!
James 1:4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
What do we get if we wait in faith? What will we experience at the end of this trial. The Greek word is Hoopne. It means to remain under. It is translated as steadfastness, patience, and endurance. What we get is simple and powerful we remain under God. We gain faith in his amazing work. We learn as we experience that God is good ALL THE TIME!
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