James 1:1–5
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:
To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.
Greetings.
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him.
It is because the meaning of life in the United States is the pursuit of pleasure and personal freedom that suffering is so traumatic for Americans. All other cultures make the highest purpose of life something besides individual happiness and comfort…
In older cultures (and non-Western cultures today) suffering has been seen as an expected part of a coherent life story, a crucial way to live well and grow as a person and soul.
But the meaning of life in our Western society is individual freedom….In this worldview, the only thing to do with suffering is to avoid it at all costs, or if it is unavoidable, manage and minimize the emotions of pain and discomfort as much as possible. — Tim Keller
Vital Truth: God is
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We forget that every trial is a message from God—and intended to do us good in the end. Trials are intended: to make us think, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Bible, to drive us to our knees. — J.C. Ryle
God is more committed to our
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Wisdom: Seeing life the way God sees it and Choosing Obedience
Action Steps
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God’s Goal in your Life: To Know Him More Deeply