More thoughts on James 1

This morning I spent some time going back over the book of James and really looking into it. What really got to me this time was when I found out that the word for ‘trials’ that is used is the same in Greek as the word used for an obsticle that stands in your way.

I don’t know why I never thought of that before; maybe it’s just the way my brain works but this really got to me because in about a month, I will be stepping into the position of an assistant pastor and youth pastor for a church in Virginia, a quarter of the way across the country from my home in Michigan (where I have lived all of my life). I didn’t consider this a trial of any kind because all throughout the process of interviewing with the church, I have felt an enormous amount of peace. But when I woke up this morning in the middle of the night, I came to the realization that I have never given a sermon for a church before and have very little experience leading a church, which would come in handy in an assistant pastor position.

But when I went to my Bible and began to read, God made me keenly aware that

1. He is in control and it is not MY ministry but HIS; just as He gave Moses the words to say to Pharoah, He will give me the words to say and the wisdom (wisdom is also talked about in James - mainly in regards to asking God for it and that also was of great help to me this morning).

2. I should rejoice in the fact that I don’t know exactly what I am doing because it will bring all the more glory to HIM when He does a work in me and through me.

Praise God that He has created us for a relationship with Him and called us for His purpose. Praise God that He has given us the rules to live by and then gave us His Son in death so that we could be saved in spite of our inability to earn salvation (which is impossible). Praise God that He has called us to do a work for Him - that He has given us the opportunity to do HIS life-changing work in people’s lives and that He has promised to give us Wisdom when we ask for it.

I praise God today because of answered prayers and for moving and doing a work in me and in my life when I was not aware of what exactly was going on. God has called me to this new endeavor and I will follow because I have said all along, ‘here I am, Lord, send me’.