Have I told you how much I enjoy the book of James? He really speaks to me because he is so matter-of-fact. I never have to wonder about what he meant.
Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is tough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. (James 1:2-4)
Well - I don't know about you, but I can certainly state that I am in impatient person, but I loved reading that when times are tough it is a time when God is working on me - to grow me - to stretch me - to challenge me. I love the statement "don't try to squirm out of your problems." YUP! That's me. I have been blessed to be able to compartmentalize things so I can always put it away for a while - set it aside (or . . . to use James' words - squirm out of my problems) but it is more important for me to deal with it head on - let it sit with me so that I can allow my patience to bloom. WOW! I like that - when your patience is finally in full bloom - then (and only then) will I be ready for what comes next, then I have allowed the Lord to strengthen my character and make me full.
If you are reading Power in Praise with the rest of us - you will see the above Scripture in chapter 4. The author follows that Scripture up with some pretty profound comments that I'm going to post here for the benefit of those not reading the book:
"God has a very special plan for your life. It began long ago when He first created you. He formed you lovingly, carefully, exactly to his specifications, every detail just as He wanted it - your looks, your abilities, your place of birth, the family you were to be born into (or the lack of it). Nothing about you or your life has been accidental. In love He reached out and drew you to Himself through circumstances He had arranged just for that purpose. You were given a new birth, new life through His Holy Spirit when you accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior, and were baptized, saturated with the Holy Spirit. And now God's plan is to make you full and complete!"
WOW! I don't know about you - but this blows me away. Nothing about me is accidental - was left up to chance - is just a coincidence. I am who He made me to be. I am where He is meeting me - He is meeting me just as I am. I don't need to be perfect or better or "fixed" more before I can come to Him. He loves me exactly as I am. So many times I hear people talking about wishing they were at a different place, were like others, etc., etc. Well, that is man talking - not God. YOU (and I) are exactly who He expects - He doesn't meet up with us and think, "Gee, I WISH she were someone different! I WISH she had her act together! I WITH she had her act cleaned up! I WISH she was more like so-and-so." NOPE! He meets us with love - His love for us - His unconditional love.
For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be. (Romans 5:2)
How cool is that? God wants us to become something. He meets us where we are but He wants us to grow, to change, to follow His lead, not to remain stagnant.
The author continues, "but most of us think that means we have to embark on a rigorous program of self-improvement, trying to make ourselves more loving, kind, patient, humble, gentle, and disciplined. And the harder we try, the more frustrated we become."
But . . . (and this is the part that I love!!!) . . . "God has to do the changing. He wants us to commit ourselves to Him and trust that He will transform us."
With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity. (Romans 12:1-2)
This is exactly where I was that tied me back into a segment of Pastor's Steve's sermon that I was listening to this morning. He was preaching on
1 John 4:1-6 and how we should be testing the spirit to make sure we understand whether it is the spirit from God or the spirit of the world. He told us that the enemy (and we all know who is meant by "the enemy" - Satan) discredits Jesus and turns Jesus into the "bad guy." He said that men call that which is evil, good and all good, evil. And . . . if you take a stand for God you are evil.
Sadly, this is what is happening in our world today. We are a world of "tolerance" and (Pastor Steve said) "those who are tolerant of everything - it doesn't matter what "it" is - those are the good guys. But we (Christians) are evil because we are intolerant of that which opposes God. And that is exactly what the enemy wants people to know - that we are the bad guys, God is the bad guy, Jesus is the bad guy. But he reminded us that "we do not belong to the world" and that it is the Spirit of God that gives us the ability to live in a strange land."
So to tie these two together - God has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) - He will use us in whatever capacity He wants - BUT we have to allow Him to use us. Remember He has given us free will so if we want to fight it and fight Him, He is not going to force us into doing that which we don't want to do. He is not even forcing us to be intolerant of that which is not of Him - we can be tolerant of the world and all that implies in today's lifestyles - but then . . . we have taken a stand and that stand is against Him. Scripture tells us we are either for Him or against Him (Matthew 12:30) for no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24)