Listening In Action

Read: ‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Right away as you read these verses they scream trust.

You see as human beings, oftentimes we get caught up in the act of doing too much, whether it’s for the church or not. We can get carried away in putting all of our focus on the doing part, that we completely miss what God was trying to do in the midst of our actions. That’s where the “mature” part comes into play. Speaking from experience, we can get carried away in the motions, that we think we have it all together and under control, when we don’t, and that’s okay. God didn’t call us to be perfect, He calls us to persevere, and to stand firm with our heads up high. In both the good and the bad, showing that we truly trust Him in our all. The test of faith comes in, and we are faced with temptation, trials, and tribulations. That’s what a united church community is there for, to call us out, in a loving manner of course.  To be surrounded with those who speak truth, especially when we don’t want to hear it.

When faced with a test, how you respond is important.  It’s not ‘if’ we are faced with trials and troubles, but ‘when’.  As you’re reading this right now, you may even be going through one. Perhaps you just got out of one or there is one on the horizon.  Persevering through grows your endurance, coming out stronger on the other side.