As I shared with you yesterday, 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. Yesterday we looked at the first purpose and found that Problems purify your faith. Today we want to look at the second purpose God has in mind with these trials and difficult times in our lives. The second purpose is to purify your faith.
Three purposes of problems in your life:
1) Problems purify your faith.
2) Problems shape your character.
Let’s take a look at what the Bible says in James 1:2-4.
“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
I want you to notice the phrase that James wrote “…the testing of your faith produces endurance.” Endurance is a character quality that God wants to develop in your life.
Endurance is the ability to keep on going and not give up even when it is difficult. The Greek word here is literally “the ability to stay under pressure.” As human beings, we don’t like pressure and we sometime do everything we can to avoid it. We run from it, we take drugs, drink alcohol, go to pubs and bars, anything to can do to get away from pressure. But those are not the ways God wants us to respond to problems and pressure.
God wants us to respond to problems and pressures in the ways that reflect the love, grace, and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus as He lives in and through us. God wants us to respond to problems and pressures in ways that reflect the fruit of the Spirit of God in our lives.
When problems come, those around us should see us respond in ways that are loving, joyful, peaceable, patient, kindness, good, gentle, humble, reflecting self-control over our attitudes, our thoughts, our speech, and our actions. Problems provide an opportunity for God to shape our character. God has a purpose in mind for our problems. Yesterday we saw that problems purify your faith. Today we see that problems shape your character.
By God’s design, your character will develop when you respond to things that don’t go as planned. By God’s design, your character will develop when you do the right thing, even when you don’t feel like doing what’s right. By God’s design, your character will develop when you love that person who has been mean, hurtful, and unfriendly to you. The Bible says, problems shape your character. Tomorrow we will look at the third 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 pray and tell God that you are willing to let Him shape your character through the problems you are going through right now.
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In your prayers remember to pray for God’s Work here in Northern Thailand.
Please remember to pray for our growing ministry to Chinese students that come to Thailand to study at two universities here in Chiang Rai. Over the past 16 months we have seen many Chinese students come to know Jesus. God is using our “English Corner” ministry at the university, our church, and our English language school as a tool to reach and disciple these folks.
God has now opened a door for our first “mission trip” into China through our language school in about 6 weeks.
We are also praying for God to raise up an ethnic Chinese person who speaks English well to come out and serve as our “Chinese Ministry Coordinator.” Please pray for the finances and personnel needed to really impact these precious Chinese for Jesus.
Reaching, Teaching, Discipling, Equipping, Training, and Serving God’s World in compassionate ways is what NTIM, Baan Athitaan Church, and Grace Language School are all about. www.gontim.org