Life Ministries

James 1:1-8
Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, p. 11. -
    Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peace-fully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.  The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in…The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
    Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do…she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
    A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
    How often are we like “Chippie”? Something comes along in our lives and before we know what happened, we feel like we’ve been sucked up; spit out; and left to dry!
    In this first part of James, he gives us a look at 3 legs to the journey that is Christian maturity. The first leg of the journey of Christian Maturity is...THE PATH. (vv:2-4) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
    James told the Jewish believers what the path looked like. (It was bound to be filled with trials.) What kinds of trials have you been through? Wouldn’t it make more sense to you if James had said; “Consider it joy if you don’t have to go through these things?” The lessons we learn from these trials is perseverance/patience. God is still using trials to test the believer…and help us to grow and mature - both physically and spiritually.
    The second leg of the journey is....THE PERSPECTIVE. (vv:5-11) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord”
    Wisdom allows us to see our trials from a different perspective...HIS. Imagine you and me standing before the Father and we see all the trials, tests we’ve had in our lives that He gave or allowed in order for us to grow stronger, & mature, develop our faith. INSTEAD...we got angry, bitter, cynical, critical, and envious because of them. Wisdom helps us see things from an elevated view.
    Have you ever listened to a traffic report from a guy in a helicopter? Why is he better qualified to help you than someone in the car ahead of you? The traffic reporter can see things you can’t. He is seeing the big picture, knows what is coming up around the bend......and he gives you accurate information because he see’s farther, clearer than you do in the middle of the traffic jam. He may tell you to take an alternate route. (Seems longer, out of your way, bumpier road.... but he’s trying to steer you clear of major problem that laying down the road.) Wisdom allows you to trust God in the middle of life’s jams because you know He has a good handle on things. He is in control even when we are not and don’t understand.

    With the path and perspective, it’s reassuring to know that there is something in store for those who take the journey.  The third leg of Christian Maturity is....THE PAY OFF. (vv:12)
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” God not only wants to bless us with things that He can do FOR us, God wants to bless our lives with what he can do TO us AND IN us, which are far more valuable…THAT YE MAY BE PERFECT ( which means complete, whole, and mature)

In What Forms Does Suffering Come? -
1. The Lord may providentially allow suffering to come into your life for reasons of adding fertilizer for your spiritual growth thereby enabling you to bear greater fruit. (Heb. 12: 8- 12)
2. Suffering may come as a result of our own mistakes, immaturity or lack of spiritual wisdom. (Gal. 6:7)
3. Suffering may come through physical ailments. (James 5: 16)
4. Suffering may come so that God’s greater purposes could be accomplished through our lives. (John 9: 1-4)
5. Suffering may come through the persecution of the ungodly or carnal believers. (I Cor. 10: 13)
6. Suffering may come through emotional disturbances that have not been given over to the Lord’s control. (Phil. 4:6-8)
7. Suffering may come through a social disturbance. (I Cor. 13:4-7)
8. Suffering may come through our attempts to accomplish God’s will in our power. (2 Tim. 3: 12)
9. Suffering may come through economic hardships that bring everyone to a greater sense of dependence on the Lord for our provisions. (Matt. 6: 11)
10. Suffering may come as a result of a sin of omission that we are somehow overlooking in our responsibilities. (Matt. 7:7)
11. Suffering may come through our employers, supervisors or spiritual authorities for our correction and to create in us more of a humble attitude. (I Pet. 5:5,6)
    A famous evangelist told the following incident: I have a friend who in a time of business recession lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his precious wife died; yet he tenaciously held to his faith -- the only thing he had left. One day when he was out walking in search of employment, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. ’Where are you going to put that?’ he asked. The workman said, ’Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I’m shaping this stone down here so that it will fit in up there.’