The Perfect Work of Patience

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

James 1:2-4

Yesterday the sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney included this exhortation and encouragement for all followers of Jesus Christ.  God allows trials and adversity of all kinds to accomplish His good purposes.  Instead of being annoyed, frustrated or worried about the outcome we can count it all joy to face trials which test us.  Just like a student sits an exam because he is included in the class, God tests and disciplines us because we are His children He loves.

A precious metal is placed in a crucible and intense heat is applied because it is a precious metal which requires further refinement to be even more valuable.  A child of God can know the various trials He allows are not for our destruction but an opportunity for the fruit of the Spirit of joy (among others) to be manifested in our lives.  In contrast to the works of the flesh Paul wrote in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  The testing of our faith produces patience which can be described as cheerful endurance and continuance.  Our joy is according to the knowledge God intends to perfect and complete us so we can rejoice in the process as well as the result.

We understand a baby needs time to develop in the womb to survive and be a healthy infant.  Slow cooked BBQ needs to be cooked well past being "done" for tough cuts to become tender.  Bread and cakes need to be baked through to have a soft and spongy texture.  The process isn't just something to be endured but can be celebrated because without it there will be no fresh sourdough or delicious chocolate cake in the end.  It is good to recognise God's ends can be different than ours:  we are focused on finishing a task or ending suffering but God uses adversity to refine our faith.

Solomon spoke the uncomfortable truth in Ecclesiastes 7:2-5:  "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. ⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. ⁵ It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools."  It is God who enables us to endure because He is the God of all comfort and is able to comfort us in all affliction (2 Cor. 1:3-5).  In the trial and affliction is when we realise afresh how much we lack and how we are insufficient in ourselves to endure.  This leads us to learn to rely upon God, seek and enjoy rest in Him--and not merely to seek strength or power from Him.