Dave's Diary

Today we start our new series of devotions in the “Life-Letter of James”, that intensely practical letter written to the early persecuted Church by James, the half-brother of Jesus. James was the leader and pastor of the Church in Jerusalem, and when many followers of Jesus were scattered away from Jerusalem by persecution, James wrote this letter to encourage them and to guide them in the way of faithful Christian discipleship. It has a very practical emphasis and stresses the way of life that ought to flow out of our saving faith in Jesus.

In these devotionals, we’ll be reading a particular passage from James each week, and each day we will also read and reflect on a different Scripture passage that throws some light on the content from James.

Daily Reading: James 1:1-18 and Genesis 50:15-21

James 1:^2 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Genesis 50:²⁰ You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good …

In Genesis 50, Joseph is an example of a righteous man who had most certainly faced what James would later call “trials of many kinds”. His brothers had rejected him, threatened him with death and then sold him into slavery in Egypt. Despite being an honourable man and living to please God, while in slavery Joseph had been falsely accused and imprisoned, incarcerated for years and forgotten by those who knew him.

But God used those years of difficulty to shape and mature Joseph. And when Joseph was finally released from prison, the godly wisdom he had developed through year and years of hardship enabled him to rise to a position of great authority in Egypt. When, after their father’s death, Joseph’s brothers feared that he might take vengeance on them for their earlier betrayal, Joseph says something wonderful:

You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened. You have nothing to fear. (Genesis 50:20-21)

Faith in this reality enables a believer to understand James’ instruction for us to “consider it an opportunity for great joy whenever troubles of any kind come our way“. You see, when troubles come, Satan will try to use them to derail our faith, break us down and tempt us to blame God and turn away from Him. If, however, we will resist that temptation, turn to Jesus and keep following Him with all our hearts, God Himself will use those troubles to mature us into the person He intends us to be – perfectly and completely Christlike.

Holy Spirit, help me to turn to the Lord Jesus by faith whenever troubles come my way. Help me to find my wisdom, hope and strength in Him. Help me to endure, so that I may be formed into His image day by day and become everything the Father intends for me to be. Amen.