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Episode 2
Pre-Intro/Recap
Welcome back everyone to Episode 2 of Responding to Practical Issues in Life. In Episode 1, we talked about the practical issue of trials we face in life. And we ended by saying that trial is an opportunity for us to see the reality of our faith condition, and then leverage on it to become better in applying our faith in our trials.
Therefore, every time we face trails in life, we must ask ourselves: What must I do to pass the test? That will radically change the way we view our trials and the way we stay through the trials. Because James said the testing of our faith produces something. And we ended Part 1 by asking this question: What does the testing of our faith produce?
TRIAL (PART 2)
This is what James said: “…the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (v3). That’s right. It produces perseverance. What is perseverance? Perseverance is the tenacity or the ability to keep doing or keep moving forward and better under pressure or under stress. But listen to this. Perseverance is not the goal of trials. In other words, the end goal or the reward for passing the test of faith through trials is not perseverance – it is not to make us more patient Christians or Christians with high level of tolerance.
In fact, perseverance simply stands in between the reality of our trials and the reward of trials. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Question is: What is it then? What is the end goal of trials? Which leads us to the third truth or point of our message on Trial. And that is this – The Reward.
III The Reward
This is what James said in verse 4: Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “Let perseverance finish its work” (let it finish its work). In other words, don’t give up half-way. For if you do, you will not see what it can do for you.
For instance, just as anyone who loves running, they gain endurance and stamina to run long distance by suffering and pushing himself through a mile at a time. In the same way, we gain the ability to trust God more and more by suffering through trials. Each experience of the trial grants us the opportunity to trust God on a deeper level.
So, James is basically saying this: Don’t give up. Don’t walk out of the examination hall half-way through your exam. Hang in there. Stay on. Let perseverance finish its work, but perseverance is not the end goal, perseverance is not the reward. Remember, perseverance is the means to the reward. Because James said:
Let perseverance finish its work so that… The phrase “so that” is a purpose statement. So, what’s the purpose? So that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Mature, complete, not lacking anything. What is James saying? This is what he is saying: that spiritual maturity, spiritual wholeness, spiritual vitality, or spiritual stability is the reward for passing the test of faith by persevering on through the trials.
What is this spiritual maturity or completeness? Let me show you three definitions of spiritual maturity or completeness that James is talking about:
Spiritual maturity is marked by being comfortable with the unpredictability of God. (Erwin W. Lutzer). [Spiritual] maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty. (John Huston Finley). Through spiritual maturity you will see… wiser ways to endure unavoidable hardships with grace, and opportunities to turn your pain into lessons of service and healing for others. (Bryant H. McGill).
Family story
Have you seen anyone or know of anyone who has gone through intense trials one after another, and as a result God just expands their faith muscles and increases the capacity to endure hardships with peace and joy still existing in their lives?
I know of a couple. God blessed them with 5 children. But their blessings also became their trials. The first son had an accident while he was a small baby. He became a special need due to the head injury during the accident. Their fourth child was a girl, but she had some kind of GDD (Global Developmental Delay) and due to poor medical facilities and interventions, she became a special need as well.
Ten years ago, they had their first grandson. They were overjoyed. But it became a nightmare when he became a victim of cerebral palsy due to some negligence of the hospital.
Three in total with special needs in their family circle. That son is 46 years old, the daughter 37 years old and their grandson 10 years old. So you can say that this couple have been facing this trial for the past 46 years. They are still facing the trial even today. And it looks like they will never get out of this school of faith.
And wait, did I mention that one of their daughter-in-laws had a miscarriage? It was a baby girl. They lost a granddaughter whom they never had a chance to cuddle, love, cherish and see her grow.
Sometimes I wonder, how they still believe and trust in the goodness of God with all that they have been through and still going through without any end. I’ve heard stories about many people having great faith through trials, but for this couple I got to know them personally.
I have seen their faith in God becoming more solid and steady over the course of facing trials after trials. As a result, I can confidently say that nothing can deter them, nothing can take away their confidence in God’s love, grace and mercy for them and for their family.
How can I be so confident? Well, because I personally witnessed it for the past 42 years. How is that possible? Well, you see because this couple, they are my parents.
Do you know what I learnt from the trials of my parents and my family? It was not the triumph over trials that grew us spiritually. Well, in the first place the truth is we never did overcome our trials. So yes, we never had the opportunity to grow that way. Instead, we grew spiritually by going through the trials together as a family; by going through the trials and learning to trust in the goodness of God one day at a time – one trial at a time.
Yes, it was by going through – not avoiding it – but going through the trials – those unexpected, unwelcomed and unwanted trials – it was by going through those trials and in the midst of that, deliberately choosing to trust in the goodness of God. That, my brothers and sisters, that somehow expanded and stretched the faith muscles of my family members.
My dear brothers and sisters, I’m not saying that because my parents, my family experienced spiritual maturity by going through trials, you too can experience that. No, that’s not the basis.
The basis is God. The basis is who God is. The basis is that God is faithful. He is good. He loves us. And I like how this article puts it: Because of God’s nature and his relationship with us, randomness is transformed to intentionality; destructive events and circumstances become formative and trans-formational; hopelessness loses its “lessness” suffix; and apparent judgment is rightly seen as loving discipline. This is not really a “fresh” perspective on our trials, simply the accurate one. (The Community, CRU Singapore, 2007)
Because of who God is. That is the basis. So, take heart in His goodness, in His love fully lavished for you through His only Son Jesus.
Conclusion
Trials will never stop coming your way. But you can stop them from destroying you and your family. You do that by considering your trials as something to be joyful about. Because it is a test of your faith in God. God is allowing it, and if He is allowing it, He will not leave you alone. So learn to ask this pertinent question: What must I do to pass the test?
And as you wrestle along, it will produce the spiritual stamina for you to keep going, to keep trusting God on a deeper level in each trial you face. We will never get out of this school of trial, and precisely because of that we have the opportunity to expand and grow our faith in God.
Don’t walk out of the examination hall half-way through your test. Deliberate choose to trust in God and in His love for you. And sooner or later you will see that your trials, your heartaches, the rain and the storm that come your way are actually God’s blessings in disguise. Amen!
God willing, in the next episode I will talk about the issue of human anger. So, stay safe and stay tuned. God bless and goodbye for now.
Discussion Questions