We are living in some really difficult times here in Thailand these days. The political tensions in this country are very high. As I thought about and prayed about what to share with you, the Lord led to share some Biblical wisdom from the Book of James that speaks to this whole aspect of how should respond to difficult circumstances in our lives.
The Bible teaches very clearly that God allows problems to come into our lives for a purpose. We do not have problems by accident. There is someone who created you and is still in the process of shaping your attitudes, your character, your thoughts, your emotions, your speech, and your actions. He has not finished shaping your life. So He allows problems to come into your life to teach you things about yourself and about others. There are many, many purposes of problems that we could talk about today, but we want to limit our discussion to those that the Apostle James identifies for us in this first chapter of James. James points out 3 purposes of problems in this passage. Today we want to look at the first purpose and we will look at the other purposes in the days to come. The first purpose that God has designed for problems in your life is to purify your faith.
Three purposes of problems in your life:
1) Problems purify your faith.
Notice what James 1:2-4 says,
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
James uses the word “testing”, as in testing gold and silver. You would heat them up very hot until the impurities — the dross – would float to the top and could be wiped off.
Many years ago I worked full time in a company called Brock Manufacturing as one of their purchasing agents. Our job in the purchasing department was to purchase all of the materials that the company needed to make very large metal storage bins that you see all over the world. They are normally on very large farms or companies where they store grain from corn. I remember going to visit one of the companies that we bought our steel from in Gary, Indiana. The company was call Gary Steel Company. It was the largest factory I have ever visited in my life. It was over a mile long. They took the iron ore from its rock like state, placed it in huge melting pots, and heated it up to extremely hot temperatures and began the melting process. The iron ore rock began to melt and the impurities in the iron ore would float up to the top and another machine would wipe the “dross” or “impurities” from the liquid iron ore before they let the liquid cool down and it became what we know as metal. The only way to remove the “impurities” from these hard rocks was to heat the rocks up to very, high temperatures.
In the same way, the only way for God to remove the “impurities” in your heart, your thoughts, and your life, is to bring some “heat” into your life through trails.
Job is recorded in the book of Job as once saying, “When God has finished testing me I shall come out as gold.” (Job 23:10b)
You see, God has a purpose for problems that you are facing in your life. They are not there by accident. James says the first purpose of your problems is that they may purify your faith.
Someone once said, “Christians are a lot like tea bags. You don’t know what’s inside of them until you drop them in hot water. What’s inside comes out for everyone to see.”
By God’s design, your faith will develop when you respond to things that don’t go as planned. By God’s design, your faith will develop when you do the right thing, even when you don’t feel like doing what’s right. By God’s design, your faith will develop when you love that person who has been mean, hurtful, and unfriendly to you. The Bible says, problems purify your faith. Tomorrow we will look at the second purpose for problems, but today, let’s recognize that God has something good in mind for the problems that you are facing today. Take a moment and thank Him.
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In your prayers remember to pray for God’s Work here in Northern Thailand. Please remember to pray for the teaching ministry of Pastor Michael at Baan Athitaan Church. One of the most significant things that Pastor Michael does while serving in Thailand is to faithfully, boldly, gently, and clearly teach God’s truth every Sunday morning to over 21 different people groups mostly from the heart of the 10-40 Window. Reaching, Teaching, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving God’s World in compassionate ways is what NTIM and Baan Athitaan Church are all about. www.gontim.org