ENDURANCE!

ENDURANCE!

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

           The word “patience” is translated from the Greek hupomone which means “cheerful endurance.” The word assumes that there is something to endure; a hardship to deal with. Most of us have hardships and circumstances that we can’t overcome. Endurance is not a choice but “cheerful” endurance is and most of us spend our time being anything but cheerful while waiting.

2 Cor 12:7-9

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

           Paul had an “unsolvable” problem. He prayed three times for relief and removal of this physical problem and each time God said no. He was forced to release the circumstance to God who provided grace instead of healing. Grace or “charis” is defined as: “divine influence on the heart with its reflection in the life.” Oh, how we need God to influence our heart so that we might reflect this influence in the way we live our lives. All too often we let others know that we are resisting God’s influence on our heart because there is no change in our lives. In his paraphrase of our text, J. B. Phillips sheds some light on the process of endurance.

"When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the PROCESS go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence." (James 1:2-4 – Phillips Translation)

           Once we release our grasp, our anger, and our control of the situation, God is then free to go to work. The process of endurance has a product and that product is the maturing of our character with “the right sort of independence.”

Dear Lord, today there are many things broken that I can’t fix. There are circumstances beyond the reach of my control. Help me to cheerfully endure so that the process of endurance might produce the product of character. AMEN