James 1: 2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Do you count it ALL joy? I don’t. It seems I only count some things as joy. In my flesh, a root canal is not joy, nor is financial hardship. The word ‘joy’ doesn’t even enter my mind when there is family stress and strain, or when I’m so tired I can’t see straight. But regardless of what I think, God tells me to count it all joy. But why? God in His goodness tells us that the trials test our faith and produce patience. I need patience desperately, how about you? In general, all of us have such a hard time ‘waiting’ for things we need, for things we want, or for things to change.

Look at the next verse. Patience is not the end all. It has more of a purpose along our journey than we may initially realize. We are to let patience have its perfect work. The ‘let’ part here means that we cannot fight the work in progress. Patience from ‘joyful’ trials will yield Perfection. Wow; if that isn’t foreign to our flesh, I don’t know what is!

Could it be that in and through our trials and our persistent dependence upon God, we rid ourselves of what we want or expect, when we want or expect it? I believe that this is the life lesson He wants each of us to KNOW personally.  In it, nobody will see our perfection, as if we ourselves were responsible for it. Instead, others will see the Perfect and Complete God living in us! Nothing else will show His perfection as clearly; nor convey how completely He provides.

For Today: Friends, our blessings don’t produce patience, but our trials do! We are easily joyful with what we like, but now God’s Word has challenged us to be joyful with what we don’t like. This takes faith, obedience, and endurance. It’s impossible otherwise.

Discontentment over our trials will never result in patience. If joy is not our response, patience will not be the result, and we will lack many things rather than lacking nothing.

      Do you want to be made perfect and complete?

Christ has the ability and power to accomplish this in us, but it is for His honor and glory and not for ourselves. Therefore, when the supernatural takes place; others will know what we too will discover. The Perfect God is at work.