Your Daily Devotional for March 11, 2006

March 11, 2006

 

Building Blocks to Spiritual Maturity

By Dr. Paul Chappell

 

"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

James 1:3-4

 

"Patience" in Greek is a compound word meaning "to remain under." It means steadfastness, constancy and endurance. In the New Testament, it is the characteristic of a man who has not swerved from his purpose despite trials and suffering. A Christian that remains under the weight of God's work builds endurance into his or her life, just like a weightlifter that bench presses to gain strength.

 

James says in verse 4 to ".let patience have her perfect work." "Let" means allowing God to complete the work He intended to accomplish in and through us. God cannot build us up without our cooperation. We can listen to the most eloquent sermon and the best object lesson, but it would amount to nothing if our hearts are closed. We must realize that God wants us to submit to Him so He can mature us. We're a work in progress and have areas in our lives that will need growing. God never does a sloppy, half-baked job. His desire is to see us complete and perfect, a finished product. Perfect here does not mean sinless perfection. It means lacking nothing, having all the parts and having completed all the tests.

 

It would be silly to take our clothes out of the washing machine when it hasn't finished its cycle. But that's what we sometimes do during a season of testing. We pull ourselves out of the wash cycle when it gets too uncomfortable for our taste. The natural response to adversity is to try to get out of it. But God's goal for our lives is spiritual maturity. As we accept God's work in us, the quicker we grow. Spiritual growth comes about when we have victory over trials.

 

God will never give you a burden that would be more than you could bear. That's His promise for us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

 

The strongest Christians I know are those who have had the most trials in their lives. Lee Roberson felt compelled to establish Camp Joy after burying his little daughter Joy. It was during this trial that God gave him the vision to reach more people for the Lord Jesus Christ. Camp Joy, for over 45 years now, opens its doors to 3,000 campers every summer.

 

Let's strive to have a faith that God can test. Let's not be easily taken down by trying circumstances. Let's allow the Lord to build some endurance in us so that we may one day be lacking in nothing.

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