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No one really likes jogging...
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Who is Jesus? Mark 1-8

No one really likes jogging...

 

James 1:2-4

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

I hate running. I hate the pain. It’s like a test. I don’t enjoy it. And I think everyone who says they like jogging is lying. But I push through because I know that the results are good. The pain will go, but my endurance will have increased. James says that the trials of life are much the same. As we persevere through various kinds of trials, our endurance or steadfastness increases. We grow stronger. 

Now, I want to be careful. The pain of jogging should not be compared with far worse things you have endured or may be in the midst of right now. Having said that, I hope you would agree with the principle. And that this is a truth well worth being reminded of. But that’s only a part of what James is saying.

Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds? What!? As I run, the last thing I am feeling is joy. And I doubt, that you have counted it all joy as you are confronted with the ravages of a sinful world. But let’s not forget that this James is the half-brother of Jesus who watched his older brother be crucified on a cross. He has been through some hard things himself.

So how do we count it all joy? Well, it’s there. Joy comes from certainty of the end result. The ‘full effect’ as he calls it. That we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. The joy of knowing that what you are enduring will be worth it. James sees a day when the trials are over and we will be complete. We won’t need various trials anymore because we will be lacking in nothing. Hard as it may be to hear in the midst of a trial, we can count it joy because we know that the pain will lead to a greater end.

Pray today that God would help you endure the various trials that you will find in life and pray that He would help you see the hope that you in the day when you will be lacking in nothing.

Tim Canosa

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