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Listen
to the Word "Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
(James 1:2-3)
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Speaking of "pure joy," sweet tea is one of my
favorite delicacies. You have probably noticed that when you add
sugar to tea, the sugar settles to the bottom. The only way to
make the tea sweet is to stir it. It is the stirring that causes
the sugar to permeate the entire pitcher of tea.
You are the
pitcher of tea, and your faith is the sugar. That faith is in you,
but it doesn't really transform you until there is some stirring.
That stirring is what James refers to as "trials of many kinds."
God uses the trials you experience to change you and make you
stronger. When your life gets stirred up, God uses it to build
your perseverance. In fact, it is impossible to develop
perseverance without that kind of stirring. The only way to
develop a "never give up" attitude is to survive something that tempts
you to give up. God is so good that even your trials can be reason
to rejoice, because those trials strengthen your perseverance.
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