Day 1"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience". (James 1:2, 3)
Scripture Reading: James 1
Not many people want to be looked upon as a person who is immature. Many, if not most people however, do not really know how to be mature, or what true maturity is. James teaches us many things in his short letter, one of which is the signs or proofs, or maybe outcomes of maturity. James is a letter that we might subtitle, "Time to Grow Up."
I believe the first characteristic of the mature Christian as stated in the book of James is found in the first six verses. The mature person faces suffering with a right attitude. Suffering and trials mature us if we allow them to, by not letting them go to waste, but taking advantage of them to do the work in our hearts that needs to be done. Job 23: 10 says, "He knoweth the way that I take, and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
The word count in verse two of our text teaches us that we are to expect trials, but if we accept them with the wrong attitude, they will not have the effect upon us as God would desire. Notice James says, "... when ye fall ...." In the original it speaks in the term that you will, or ... when ye fall, and you will, trials will surely come, you will not live without trials coming but when they do come.... count it joy.
This is the hard part is it not? We do not think of trials as bringing joy into our lives, but we are to count it joy, because God is working in our hearts to grow us, to mature us to what He wants us to be so that we will be complete, able to do that which He calls us to do. Paul tells us in the book of Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son ...." God is working in us to mature us so we might be like his Son, Jesus Christ. So count it joy!
Is it not very sad when we see or have a child, who because of a birth defect causes that child the inability to mature mentally or socially as usual? Is it not more so when a person is born again and does not grow in Christ, but remains a babe and does not mature because he or she refuses to allow the trials of life to do their work, but rather rebels against them? Verse four tells us that Gods purpose in these things is to make us"... perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
If you do not know what to do when trials come, and remember, they will, verse five and six tells us to ask for wisdom of God so that the trials of faith will have their perfect work, maturing us to be the men and women, young people of God that would be pleasing in His sight. There are some things in life, good things in life which will never be attained in any other way except through trials. If look at my life, the most maturing took place through trials, not the peaceful times. Submit to the Lord, he desires to mature you. It's the only way to peace, joy and complete contentment in life.