From My Daily Reading #12: An Opportunity to Celebrate

James 1:2-4

Most of us dread hardship and difficulty.  It’s a natural reaction to try and avoid difficult circumstances if we can.

But James (the half brother of Jesus, and leader of the 1st centrury church) tells us to take a diffferent perspective when trials come our way.

Count it as a reason to celebrate!

Ok, actually it says “count it all joy” in the KJV, and ESV.

Why is a reason to celebrate when we encounter difficulties and hardships?

Because it is an opportunity to grow as a Christian and grow your faith in God.

No matter why you go through a hardship, whether it be because of a choice we have made in error and God is disciplining us and we have consequences to our actions, or if it is simply an attack of the enemy because, Satan wants to derail us in our Christian life, the end of the path can have the same view:

An up close look at what God will do in your life to bring you through the difficulty you are encountering.

Satan wants to use difficulties to drive you away from God.  He will whisper in your ear, “See, God doesn’t care about you or He wouldn’t let you go through something like this.”

But God, wants to use the trial in your life to draw you to Him.

When we look to Him we see that He is bigger than our troubles.

when we call on Him we find that He is a God that is hears our prayers and is able to answer and act.

When we see what God does up close and personal, our walk becomes closer, or worship becomes greater, and our faith grows stronger.

We learn in hardship that God will not fail us or leave us.  We learn in the darkness just how mighty his arms our, and His love is.

God will use what we go through to grow our faith and increase our patience in Him, because he will not fail us.

He had promised, and He always keeps His Word.

So the next time you face a hardship, look to God, call on Him, and then get ready to take the opportunity to celebrate…

Because God is working on you.