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Overwhelming Burdens - Part 1
Life has a way of hitting us from all sides. Before one problem is resolved another is facing us head on. It doesn't take long before our problems start piling up and we find ourselves overwhelmed.
James tell us how to approach our problems in the first 8 verses of the first chapter of his book. Let's look at just who James is and consider if he has the credentials to tell us anything.
- CEV James 1:1 From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world.
This is our first hint as to the kind of man James was. He was a follower of Jesus Christ but didn't actually follow Him until later in life, not old age but as a mature adult. He is addressing followers of Christ all over the world.
The only way this man is identified is by the name James. There were many named James in that day but the only one that would have been known well enough to just use the name James with no other identifiers, especially to a world wide audience, would be James, the brother of Jesus Christ. People much smarter than myself, scholars and theologians debate these things and the overall consensus is that it is James, the brother of Christ.
Im sure that in the days of his writing, the fact of this man being the brother of Christ would have gotten him some attention, some "street credit" I believe is the term used today.
We see right off that James is a man of humility.
Do you think James had any problems in his life?
Imagine being the half-brother of the Son of God. Imagine all of the fuss made of your half-brother while you go by unnoticed. Even as a child when coming home from the temple there was a big fuss and it was all about Jesus. It had to be a hard time for a young boy.
James probably did have troubles and I have a feeling there were times that like us, he felt overwhelmed.
Even as he grew older I feel sure people would make fun because of some of the claims being made by his brother. Perhaps this is where James learned his humility. He did find peace, even with his troubles. The way James describes it, he found peace through his troubles.
- CEV James 1:2 My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble.
Now just how can this be? This sounds crazy. Be happy, even if I have a lot of trouble?
Well, yes. For starters being upset or angry isn't going to get you anywhere. Feeling sorry for yourself is not going to help. James tells us why.
- CEV James 1:3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested.
Who is this testing of faith supposed to benefit?
Many people have this idea that when we are tested it is so God can see how good we are at something. God already knows how good we are at everything much better than we ourselves know so any testing that is done has to be so that we can see where we are for ourselves.
Too many times what we see just might not be what we wish to see.
Where would you be in your life now if everything was just given to you with no struggle or work?
- CEV James 1:4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.
Hurricane Ike had just hit my town and most of the people for miles around didn't have electricity or air conditioning. In Houston, Texas at that time of year is never a good thing. For the most part people were miserable. We were blessed that a cool front came through and did make things cooler but for the most part, it was miserable.
There is a man that I know that never runs his air conditioning, except for the few hottest days of the summer. Other than those days he is happy with his windows open. I'm sure in the heat of a Texas summer even the slightest breeze could bring a form of joy to this man. While everyone else was miserable with the weather, he was fine. Even though he was one of the few in his area that still had power, he still wasn't running his air conditioner.
This man too would have been miserable in the heat except for one thing, he was used to it. He had already dealt with it and had become "climatized".
A person that has their faith tried and tested does this same thing, it brings about endurance. When our faith is exercised it becomes stronger. Just like the muscles of an athlete need to be exercised to be their strongest, so does our faith.
It is so much harder for a rich man to go without than it is for a poor man because the poor man is used to it. He has dealt with skimping and saving and is happy with what he has. His faith has been exercised.
The point being is that these areas of our lives are exercised. Whether it be a tight budget, uncomfortable temperatures or ANY other problem that comes our way, we need to be prepared and the way to be prepared is for all areas of our life to be used, tested and we learn to deal with them. Just as the man in Houston, Texas was comfortable without his air conditioner running because he had become climatized, we too need to become "climatized" to other things that happen in our life. Just as James found peace through his problems, so can we.
If we find ourselves in the middle of a big problem in our life it seems to make all of the other problems seem small, even past problems that we considered as huge can look small in comparison to a current problem. This is exactly what James is telling us. James learned this in his life and felt it important enough to open his writings by telling this to us.
- CEV James 1:5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking.
Wisdom is the use of knowledge. It is how we use what we have learned or what we know. When we pray for wisdom, don't just expect your head to be filled with knowledge like Einstein or something. Sure God will tell us the things that we need to know but just maybe give us a chance to "hone our skills" in real life, real world events and many times this will help us develop even more skills for the future. One way our "skills are honed" is by dealing with everyday events, especially our troubles. It isn't God causing these troubles for us to exercise our faith. It is us being able to receive a blessing from our troubles.
For many of us when we look back at our life it isn't always those moments of "fame and fortune" or those times in "the land of plenty" that are most memorable. For many that time was when a feeling to endure was felt or a problem found its resolution or perhaps when a person either felt love or was loved. Perhaps for some it is the learning to endure or the moment they first experienced a peace that can only come from God.
- CEV James 1:6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.
- CEV James 1:7-8 If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.
A person needs an anchor or foundation ground in morals and ethics. We need to believe the same things in private and in public, regardless of who we are with or where we are at. We need to act the same around all people. We can never expect to get from one place to another if we are continually changing the course. With a good foundation on life a course can be plotted and no matter what comes along, our principals will help us to not just point us the right direction but to help us see God pointing us in the right direction. The right path is not always the path that is pleasing to the eye. Many times it isn't pleasing to the eye or anything else.
James knew that everyone would experience hard times in their life. These first 8 verses tell us how we can make the most from our problems and what is needed, faith and understanding. This is all available to us through Jesus Christ.
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