The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

James 1:2-8, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Certainly, we all face life’s trials. And if we are honest, we hate having to face them, whatever they are and from wherever they come. Negatives always produce negative thoughts, don’t they? James, however, says that we should view and consider trials as all to be joy when they befall us. The temptation is present to simply ignore James’ way of thinking. (He can’t be serious!)

Yes, he is serious! He knows how to turn lemons into lemonade. James says, “…the testing of your faith produces endurance.” I know that when I pray, some of the things for which I’m praying simply do not come to pass. At the same time, their failure to appear causes me to pray all the more. That’s called “endurance!” And endurance has a perfect result. That “perfect result” is the LORD’s provision. When we receive it, we understand why it’s called “perfect.” When we learn all of that, we commence to understand what “wisdom” is.

Doubting is the lack of assurance that God knows what He is doing! Doubting produces spiritual motion sickness; and in the end, we have no knowledge of whether we are going or coming. We suffer both from not knowing and from total instability. The way back is simply trusting the LORD!

If this has been your problem (and it’s a “sickness” that’s always going around), try the LORD’s remedy: “…ask in faith without doubting. The LORD wants the best for all of us. He often lets us stumble and drift about until we come to the end of ourselves. Sometimes, we think He’s not even where He can be found. But that is not true. He loves us and wants us to follow His lead. We’re the problem. He’s the solution! Stabilize yourself! Trust completely in Him! He has not programmed you to fail.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom