Amazon.com
eBook & paperback
Volume 9 ... #6
Perfection Through Patience
James 1 … 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 apostle is saying that trials of this life give us an opportunity to develop patience. Therefore we rejoice in these trials, knowing a work of God in us is being accomplished in the trial.
And James goes on to say the following:
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
*****
To endure the trial and receive full benefit from the trial, you may need wisdom … Ask God for wisdom and it will be given you.
I find it very important to endure the situation and often I will feel myself getting frustrated and my flesh will want to lash out at the person causing the trial.
At that point, if I will pray, God always helps me to endure with patience.
Often I find myself saying, “Please help me to wait patiently.”
There is often the temptation to tell someone off … I frequently pray to God, “Please don’t let me do that.” (God always stops my flesh when I pray such.)
The “delay” which tries us is often needless and we are aware of that and it tests us further to know the person behind the delay could end the delay but neglects our need. Anger and bitterness often tries to surface and take over. (works of our flesh)
I find prayer to be critical in keeping my body under control in such trials.
So often these are little trials but bring big disturbance to us if possible.
For example: December, 2016 … the heater on my car stopped working. That was on a Saturday. Monday I took car to my mechanic and left car with him. I told him it would be fine if he couldn’t get to repair the car until the next day.
I didn’t hear anything at all from him on Tuesday. When I would go to mailbox in front of my house I was careful to carry phone so I would not miss his call. I was slightly stressed throughout the entire day and night, being sure I had my phone with me.
Wednesday, I went through the same type of stress, waiting for his call, not wanting to miss his call.
I prayed often during this time for God to keep my flesh under control and God did that but it took many prayers to keep control.
At 5 pm on Wednesday, I called mechanic. I asked him if he had an opportunity yet to look at my car. He told me what was wrong with car and he would call me the next morning. (When car was ready, he would have to bring it to me.)
I usually sleep with phone turned off so I will not be awakened. But not wanting to miss mechanic’s call, I turned phone on. I’m sure I didn’t sleep as soundly as usual. And I awoke earlier than usual. There was no call that morning.
(continued in prayer … often people tell you they will do something and do not do what they say. This is another temptation for us to become upset and let our flesh get control and tell them off. We do not want to live this way. So when tempted we pray and depend on God to help us deal with our own flesh.)
Mechanic called shortly after 1 pm on Wednesday asking me, “Are you ready for your car?” I told him I was and he came and picked me up.
It was over!
But unlike some previous experiences, there was a victory over my flesh through many prayers and through a desire to control my own flesh and an understanding of the temptation caused by this situation.
The next day, my computer would not connect to the internet. I called the man who does my computer work and he tried to walk me through the problem. This was a Saturday so I would be without internet until he could come to my house on the following Monday. I scheduled an appointment.
Wisdom from God came to me: I realized I would be able to do the writings you are now reading even without the internet. I could put the writing onto a Word Document on my computer and when I got my internet back, transfer this writing to the blog.
There was a way to allow me to continue doing the work the 3 days the internet was down. And that is what I did. So waiting for Randy to come get me connected was much less a problem for me.
All trials allow us to be perfected in patience.
James 1
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Let patience have her perfect work … endure the trial of life through prayer and by doing the wisdom shown you from God until the end of the trial.
Control your own body, your own flesh, through prayer. Also we must recognize the temptation and choose to overcome by prayer rather than giving into resentment that these things are happening to us.
I believe this is what Paul was talking about when he spoke of “keeping his body under”, in the following scripture.
I Cor. 9 … 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
*****