James 1:2-3 (NIV) – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
This past year I have been working through a couple of concussions. This last one has been really rough! I couldn’t keep food down and ended up losing 20 pounds, and 4 months into it I still couldn’t walk for longer than 20 minutes without feeling awful.……. You get the picture I couldn’t do lots.
If I am honest at the start of my “bed rest” I was really bitter and didn’t have any joy because it was hard to deal with the fact that I couldn’t do anything and I just felt awful every second I was awake. If you look at this verse it says, “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds”! In the middle of my trial I was doing the exact opposite of what this verse is saying. I was living selfishly, I was living for myself. I lost sight of what Jesus did for me on the cross! In Hebrews 13:8 it says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” This verse is saying Jesus is consistent no matter the circumstance. When life is going good He is the same as when life is really hard!
If God never changes we should be finding our joy in Him in the middle of the hard times and in the middle of the goods times. In the middle of the hard times it makes us have to put our full faith in Jesus Christ and who He says He is. It is actually a blessing in the middle of our trails because it allows us to see how much our Saviour really loves and cares for us!
Go out and shred! But make sure you aren’t looking to shredding for your joy because what happens if you can’t shred anymore? That joy will be gone! Find your joy in Jesus Christ who is consistent!
Challenge
Where are you going to find your joy today?
How will you help others see Jesus in the middle of their trails?
Are you looking to the Lord in your everyday life?
By Michael Dyck | Winter Park, Colorado