Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial…
James 1:11 - 20
“For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (NASB)
I am not sure about you, but I think there is a little sun and scorching wind going around. Unfortunately, I am seeing some of the beauty of the field blowing away. I am not sure if you have felt the full day sun and the strong winds and you are withering away, or if you are seeing some of what was beautiful blown away. The truth is, there is a lot going on right now. We are not seeing the flowers of the field. We are seeing the dirt underneath. And there are a lot of people facing pressures that they have never seen or felt before.
I want to echo the brother of our Lord Jesus, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial … .” It is not easy to persevere under trial. The word persevere means, “stay in place beyond an expected amount of time”. The idea is that the person of endurance can stand strong against the pressures of life. The person of God is able to handle the heat of the day, the strong winds, and really anything that is thrown at them. But where is the Christian to stand? How do we know when a person of God is doing as James suggests?
As I think of the standing in place under trial or temptation, I am reminded of Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the man who built his house upon the rock (Luke 6:47-49 & Matthew 7:24-27). In this short parable we see an important truth: those who come to Jesus, hear His Words, and do them, are like a person who builds their life on a strong foundation. A strong foundation gives the house the ability to stand the trials and tribulations of life.
Now, back to our James passage. Where do we stand in the heat and scorching wind? On the foundation of Jesus Christ, His Word, His teaching, and our doing of His words. We are to stand strong with Jesus no matter what pressure or trial comes our way. And if we come off that foundation, we need to recognize that it is the sinfulness in our hearts. James 1:13-15 teaches that the thing that leads us astray is the lust that remains in our hearts. If you find yourself acting like the world during this time, you have sin left in your heart. If you find that your kingdom has shaken, your foundation may not be the Rock. If you are unable to persevere during this tribulation, there may be some things you are chasing that a Christian should not be chasing.
Brothers and sisters, let me remind you that the Kingdom of Christ is strong, glorious, and not in turmoil at all. Jesus is seated on the throne. As believers we represent that Kingdom. If all the governments of the world fail (and they will), we have nothing to fear. If currency no longer holds value, we have nothing to fear. Church, remember our mission is as imperative today as it always has been! Our orders did not change on account of COVID, our orders did not change on account of face masks, our orders did not change due to civil unrest. We as believers have a foundation that is secure and an unchanging message. If you have gotten off that foundation, confess, repent, and get back on! Do not let the lust of your heart lead you away from what is most secure and important, Jesus Christ.