A Message From Steve
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote the earliest recorded letter in the New Testament. His letter begins with a section on trials. That means that the first subject addressed in the New Testament is one that we so often try to avoid: suffering. You and I go through hard times, and it's hard to understand why it is happening. James says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. In other words, when we let God work in us through our trials, we develop endurance. James says the perfect work of perseverance is to make us mature and complete, not lacking anything. He says suffering can be used by God to grow us up in the Lord. When we hold onto him as our only hope, hard times can be holy times. But often we will have difficulty understanding why we are going through these trials. We don't know why this is happening, and we don't know what to do next. That's why James says we should ask God for wisdom. You and I need wisdom to deal with our trials, don't we? Hold onto Jesus as your only hope, and never doubt that he will come through. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." It's okay that we don't understand what's going on, as long as we trust in the Lord. He knows what's going on. Ask him, and he will make your paths straight. He gives generously. He doesn't find fault with us for coming to him with the same problem we came to him with yesterday. He doesn't say, "Why haven't you figured this out yet?" He wants us to ask him for wisdom. When we do, he will give us the wisdom to know the next step to take. This is the promise of God's Word.