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Topic: Perfected By Trials
[DCLM Daily Manna 8 June 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: James 1:1-15
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Key Verse: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3, 4).
MESSAGE:
“The tree that never had to fight for sun and sky and air and light, that stood out in the open plain and always got its share of rain, never became a forest king, but lived and died a scrubby thing…” So wrote Douglas Malloch in his poem, Good Timber. Similarly, as observed by Mildred Witte Struven, “A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become a porcelain.”
That is the case with our faith. Our text makes it clear that the trying of our faith produces patience which in turn works out our perfection. Our attitude therefore when we “fall into divers temptations” is to “count it all joy.”
Temptation, as used here, implies trials, persecution and, in some cases, affliction. When a Christian encounters such painful experiences, it does not necessarily imply God’s displeasure with him. Often, it is simply a trial of faith which at the end produces a positive outcome.
There is a tendency for an inexperienced believer to misunderstand such situations and succumb to despair. At such times, it takes a good dose of godly wisdom to place things in proper perspective and make right choices in line with God’s will.
Is your faith in the furnace of trial? Once you are confident that you have a good relationship with God, do not despair. Be encouraged that the experience will work out patience and perfection. Even if this is not your present experience, prepare your mind for it. It is part of our spiritual growth process.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Trial is the Christian’s promotional examination.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 11-12
