MARCH 17, 2015
Unwelcome
Visitors
My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the
testing of your faith produces patience. —James 1:2-3
Read:
James
1:2-12
Recently my wife,
Marlene, and I received a panicky phone call from our son and his wife. The
night before, they had found two bats in their house. I know bats are an
important part of the ecosystem, but they are not my favorite among God’s
creatures, especially when they are flying around inside.
Yet Marlene and I were thankful we could go over to our kids’
house and help. We helped them to plug the holes that might have been used by
these unwelcome visitors to enter their house.
Another unwelcome visitor that often intrudes into our lives is
suffering. When trials come, we can easily panic or lose heart. But these
difficult circumstances can become the instruments our loving heavenly Father
uses to make us more like Christ. That’s why James wrote, “My brethren, count
it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work” (James 1:2-4).
We are not expected to enjoy trials or to celebrate suffering.
But when these unwelcome visitors arrive, we can look for God’s hand in them
and trust that He can use them to make us more like His Son.
Thank You, Father, that You give to us each day what You know is
best. We’re thankful that we can trust Your heart, which is kind beyond all
measure.
Trials may visit us, but our God is always
with us.
INSIGHT: The epistle of James, one of the earliest
New Testament writings (AD 44–47), was believed to be written by James, a half-brother of
Jesus (Matt. 13:55). James didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah until Jesus
appeared to him after His resurrection (John 7:5; 1 Cor. 15:7). Eventually
becoming a key leader of the church in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9), James wrote this
letter to encourage Jewish Christians dispersed by persecution and undergoing
severe hardships to persevere and remain steadfast in the Lord (v. 12).
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
