Faith is Serious Business

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Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-7)

God does not test our faith, but our faith in God is definitely tested by this world. The test question is “Is your faith serious?” It is not about having faith in God, it is about trusting that He WILL work on our behalf. We know that God CAN do anything, but WILL He? James instructs that we see the value of the trial, knowing with certainty that our God will strengthen us through it. It is not about God doing our will. It is about having faith that He will do what needs to be done and having confidence that we will survive it.

We rejoice because we have faith that God is working through the trial to bring about His plans. We rejoice that we are being strengthened in our faith, becoming steadfast and ready for the next trial. We rejoice that we may be able to use what we are learning to help others. We rejoice because we know that the trial is temporary. We have many reasons to rejoice, but this takes a serious faith not just lip-service.  

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10)

Faith as a belief in God and faith that God will bring us through trials are two different things. Believing in God and in His Son Jesus, asking Him to come into our hearts and forgive our sins, is the first step in living the abundant life that Christ promised. This acceptance of Christ does not automatically produce the second kind of faith. Faith is provided by God to accept Him and following that, faith is provided through His Holy Spirit to have confidence that He is working on our behalf whatever this life throws at us.

The more we practice this second faith (trust, certainty, conviction) and the more we ask for this faith from God, the more we will be able to feel it in times of trouble or uncertainty. We don’t rely on feelings to know that God is near but when trials come, faith can settle our hearts and minds and take away fear and worry.

Many of us have heard the bamboo story which supposedly illustrates persistence and not giving up, but there is another point to the story, faith.

There is a bamboo that must be watered constantly for five years before anything appears. Then in a matter of weeks, it grows to over 80 feet tall. Persistence in watering this plant is very important, but the person watering the plant must also have faith that it will eventually grow.

That faith is easy if you have seen it happen before, but the first time that faith would be very difficult and after five long years, might falter. Once the bamboo grows, faith that it will happen again becomes easier. The more we see the results of our faith, the stronger our faith will become in the next trial.

When things are going well for us, our faith is not stretched. We may be thankful to God for taking care of us. We may not go so far as to say we don’t need God because all is well, but our faith does not grow. Standing strong through a trial is the time our faith will either grow or die.

We could look at faith as similar to working out at the gym. We work our faith muscles until they hurt, but we see results and because of that, our faith grows stronger. In this world we will have struggles and more and more as the return of His Kingdom draws near. We need our faith to be strong. We need to be serious about our faith (belief) in God and we need to practice and ask God to strengthen our faith (seriously knowing) that He is working for our good through all the difficulties of life.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

Prayer: Dear Lord, we believe that You have redeemed us, and we know that You can do all things. Through your Holy Spirit, give us the faith that You WILL work all things for our good.  We rebuke the powers of darkness that make us feel worried and afraid. We know You are with us and in us. Help us to be serious about our faith in You. Without You, we would be in misery like the world. Let us rejoice even in our trials because while we wait for your Kingdom to return, we also know that Your kingdom is within us and we have nothing to fear. Amen



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