Perfect and Complete

 The book of James starts off by commanding us all to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. I am afraid most Christians never come to the place where they decide to do that, because they do not see how that will benefit them. The truth is that if they would do that, it would produce the greatest benefit they could every receive. They could end up being perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

That is why we need to pay close attention to what James is saying to us. (James 1:2-4) As Christians, we are commanded to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. Then, we are commanded to let patience have its perfect work, so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking  nothing. Yes, that is what it says, so it is possible to be perfect and complete.

Our family has had a year of "various trials." I am not saying that I was jumping up and down happy about all that happened, but I received them in the joy of the Lord, knowing that God was allowing them for a reason. Watching Chris die was very excruciating at times. It was harder to watch the one I loved so much suffer than it would have been for me to go through it myself. However, it did produce patience in me that I did not have before. I tried to let patience have its perfect work in me to make me like Jesus.

I am not claiming that I did everything well. I am sure there were times when I wasn't as patient as I should have been, but overall patience worked in Chris and in me, so that we were more perfect and complete than we had ever been. Now, she is complete and perfect in heaven. I am here, and God has worked through the trials to make me perfect and complete, so I can do whatever He has for me to do. This could not have happened without the trials, so I do count the trials joy, even in the midst of the pain.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read James 2-4.