Trying of Your Faith Works Patience
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience James 1:3.
Just after Belinda and I moved into our new home it was decided that certain shelving units needed stripping. The old varnish needed to come off so that new paint could be applied. So on numerous weekends, holidays, and leave days I worked. It was a long and slow process. The abrasive solution weakened and softens the wood so patience was needed otherwise permanent damage could occur.
God is patiently working on our lives. He lovingly strips away our pride, our selfishness, and our defenses to expose our raw nature. This is a slow and often painful process. A process we don’t like to see, we don’t like to see the ugliness of our old nature. We like to believe that we are better than that. Yet, are we?
The more that we recognize our own sinful nature the more glorious is the redemptive salvation of Christ, our Lord. The more willing we are to bow the knee and proclaim the fullness of the glory and the honor and the majesty to Christ our King. The more that we see ourselves for who we truly are and therefore the more that we can see our need for Christ our Savior.
The trying of our faith strips away any falseness, any self-righteousness, any pride, and any self-reliance that we’ve trusted in. Our faith is tried and we learn patience. No, our old nature is not remarkably changed in a day but in a lifetime and even then we still will not measure up to the worthiness of Christ.
I may desire Christ to be formed in me… even to the point of self inducted depression… but in reality this is self-righteousness. I am the clay and not the potter, a follower by faith, by hope, by patience, and not by sight.
Christ loves us enough to allow suffering so that we can comfort those who suffer. How else can we know compassion, mercy, and forgiveness?
This you know and this you’ve shown me and by this I’ve been comforted and encouraged and strengthened.
We are therefore confident that: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
and
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
Just after Belinda and I moved into our new home it was decided that certain shelving units needed stripping. The old varnish needed to come off so that new paint could be applied. So on numerous weekends, holidays, and leave days I worked. It was a long and slow process. The abrasive solution weakened and softens the wood so patience was needed otherwise permanent damage could occur.
God is patiently working on our lives. He lovingly strips away our pride, our selfishness, and our defenses to expose our raw nature. This is a slow and often painful process. A process we don’t like to see, we don’t like to see the ugliness of our old nature. We like to believe that we are better than that. Yet, are we?
The more that we recognize our own sinful nature the more glorious is the redemptive salvation of Christ, our Lord. The more willing we are to bow the knee and proclaim the fullness of the glory and the honor and the majesty to Christ our King. The more that we see ourselves for who we truly are and therefore the more that we can see our need for Christ our Savior.
The trying of our faith strips away any falseness, any self-righteousness, any pride, and any self-reliance that we’ve trusted in. Our faith is tried and we learn patience. No, our old nature is not remarkably changed in a day but in a lifetime and even then we still will not measure up to the worthiness of Christ.
I may desire Christ to be formed in me… even to the point of self inducted depression… but in reality this is self-righteousness. I am the clay and not the potter, a follower by faith, by hope, by patience, and not by sight.
Christ loves us enough to allow suffering so that we can comfort those who suffer. How else can we know compassion, mercy, and forgiveness?
This you know and this you’ve shown me and by this I’ve been comforted and encouraged and strengthened.
We are therefore confident that: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
and
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
posted by Michael Byrd at 9:00 AM
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