Perfect Results

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Lacking in nothing--having everything. But look back at verse 2...you are going to have to face trials. Again Jesus tells us--now through James, His half-brother--that we are going to have to face trials, tribulation, persecution. Familiar statement--face trials and tribulations. Luke 21:12, 1 Peter 1:6, psalm 143:3, Matthew 5:11, John 15:20 and 1 Corinthians 4:12, to name a few. Going through tribulations makes us stronger--purifies us, like the refiner's fire. When we are purified we will be more mature and complete--I think more useful to The Lord. I can see that over the years, as I have matured in my Christian walk, that I have become more useful to The Lord. I certainly would not have been writing a daily devotional forty years ago! I'm surprised that The Lord has been using me to write this even now. What about you? how is The Lord using you for work in His kingdom? Do you feel led or called to do anything in particular? Pray about that--and for your kids, too. What does The Lord want them to do--they don't have to wait until they aware thirty or fifty to start serving The Lord.

Training Tip - Help your child's find a way to serve The Lord. You may ask--what can they do? Let them bake cookies for the firemen and deliver them, or make get well cards for shut-ins or someone in the hospital. There are countless ways--have a lemonade stand and give the money to a missions project. Get them a pen pal who is a missionary family's child. They can e-mail each other once a week and maybe send packages twice a year--on their own birthday and another day like Valentine's Day or Easter-not a day when others would be sending that child something special. Help your child to "endure" a hardship like giving up a meal so that someone else can have something necessary.

Lord God, may we be like You--lacking nothing, but perfect and complete in our knowledge of you--that we could serve you better.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.