Let patience…….work

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – James 1: 3-4

God’s perfect work of patience in our lives is not merely an effort to help us avoid getting angry at a red light or fussing at someone going five under in the left lane of the interstate.  This is a shallow view of patience.  The perfect work of patience is to bring us to a state of wanting nothing; as a moth to the flame and bait to a fish, so lust is the devil’s tool to ensnare the Christian.  Herein we find the need for patience to have her perfect work.

The plain fact is that trials and temptations happen to us all.  Whether rich or poor, young or old, Jew or Gentile, sanctified or sinner, we will encounter tough times in this life.  We as human have at least two natural instincts in hard times, fight or flight; and both can be detrimental to our spiritual lives.  If you are of the “fight” mentality then you are of the sort who believes that he or she can “power through” so to speak.  I don’t need anything or anybody I can beat this on my own.  The scriptures show us that this attitude will overrun the will of God and you will find yourself in a place of want.  Contrast that with the “flight” reaction; running from the issue and often running to something that will offer immediate gratification.  A flight to a temporary solution for a consistent problem.  Oftentimes these reactions are intertwined in the same person.  Choosing flight for one situation and fight for another, but whether flight or fight or anywhere in between, if you are not in the will of God and waiting on His plan to unfold then you open yourself up to sin and death.  Say for example you get job, work hard, and everyone around you receives a promotion but you; however you deserved it the most.  So you begin to fight and take matters into your own hands telling yourself “this is the way it should be.”  Then the devil swoops in and says “Yes, yes, and you need to do this and that to make it that way.”  You agree and pursue those things, until little by little you are drawn away from God’s perfect plan for your life that would have unfolded given a little patience.  Perhaps you are heart broken and lonely, months go by and you begin to say “God, when will this ever end?  Can have a little relief?  I deserve it!”  The devil sneaks in and whispers “yes, yes, you do and you can find you entitled relief right over here.”  You listen and yield only to find the relief he offered has made your situation worse.  You drifted away from God’s perfect plan that would have come to light with but a little patience.  “Let patience have her perfect work.”

The trying of our faith demands that we have patience, and it demands that we trust God.  Do you believe that God has a plan for your life?  Do you believe His plan is best for you?  When we let patience have her perfect work and wait on the Lord to perform His plan, this will shield us from the temptation of “want” and reinforce to us the need for belief in God.  That promotion doesn’t come and you say “Lord I don’t understand, but you do, and maybe you kept it from me because my heart couldn’t handle the money.”  So you labor on, then by and by you find out that the promotion would have taken you away from a church that needed you.  The heart break doesn’t heal and the loneliness remains and you say “Lord I don’t understand, but you do, I am trusting you to deliver me from this when you choose.”  Then by and by you realize that the pain was to remind you that “His strength is made perfect in weakness” and to teach you a lesson you could one day help counsel others to learn.  The bottom line is that patience will keep you in the will of God regardless, and when you’re in his will, you will lack nothing, and if you lack nothing than you want nothing, and if you want nothing……..the devil has nothing to draw you away from his will; and you continue to stay in his Will letting patience have her perfect work making you perfect and entirely His.  Is there a better existence on this earth?