Word@Work James3 - James 1:4
Published: Thu, 02/12/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
I'VE STARTED, SO I'LL FINISH
James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (NIV)
Perseverance may sound dull but without it, nothing gets finished. There are enough bright sparks who can have a thousand ideas to start a hundred projects, but without the long term view, nothing is achieved. That is part of the purpose of management, to see the end from the beginning and ensure that there is enough resource and effort applied at each stage. It is a basic military fact - if you go faster than your supply lines, you will not have enough ammunition or food to sustain the army: defeat or retreat are inevitable. In business, those most at risk of failure are those that grow too rapidly, and outstrip their resources. The finance community knows that 'boom' can be as stressful as 'bust', if you are not prepared.
But James is not an MBA tutor in business projections. He is Jesus' brother who does not want to see Christians start well and then give up. He wants them to keep growing in Christ, all the way until they meet him! Opposition (ch James 1:2-3) may tempt us to give up on Jesus; but on the other hand it may spur us to trust Him for more - and that is what Jesus wants. As in every sport, the tougher the training, the better the level of fitness to handle both the expected and unexpected challenges. The gym work-out will test muscles against the force of weights and resistance. But it cannot be done instantly (or the muscles would tear), however over a period of time, the whole body grows stronger. Neither can Christian maturity happen overnight, it takes time and lots of opposition.
Although we would probably prefer to have an easy life, the Lord allows the trials and tests so that our faith in Jesus can grow stronger. The Andre Crouch song agrees, "If I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know that He could solve them!" Those who have experienced Christ's power to deal with the impossible, will more gladly face an uncertain future and not panic when the next problem comes. Insolvency and redundancy have an answer in Christ: so do restructuring and relocating ... all common in the business cycle. Professionals who face ethical dilemmas, workers accused unfairly and middle management scapegoats are all under immense pressure to give up, panic or (worse still) think up a clever short term solution. But God's hand is in it all. Keep on trusting Him and see how your faith grows; and also stimulates those around you, to seek your Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please help me to persist when under pressure and to keep going when I feel like giving up - so that I may keep on referring to You as my wisdom and depending on You as my strength. As I win through in today's tests, please encourage me to risk more for You and Your Gospel, until I see you face to face. In Your Name. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
Perseverance may sound dull but without it, nothing gets finished. There are enough bright sparks who can have a thousand ideas to start a hundred projects, but without the long term view, nothing is achieved. That is part of the purpose of management, to see the end from the beginning and ensure that there is enough resource and effort applied at each stage. It is a basic military fact - if you go faster than your supply lines, you will not have enough ammunition or food to sustain the army: defeat or retreat are inevitable. In business, those most at risk of failure are those that grow too rapidly, and outstrip their resources. The finance community knows that 'boom' can be as stressful as 'bust', if you are not prepared.
But James is not an MBA tutor in business projections. He is Jesus' brother who does not want to see Christians start well and then give up. He wants them to keep growing in Christ, all the way until they meet him! Opposition (ch James 1:2-3) may tempt us to give up on Jesus; but on the other hand it may spur us to trust Him for more - and that is what Jesus wants. As in every sport, the tougher the training, the better the level of fitness to handle both the expected and unexpected challenges. The gym work-out will test muscles against the force of weights and resistance. But it cannot be done instantly (or the muscles would tear), however over a period of time, the whole body grows stronger. Neither can Christian maturity happen overnight, it takes time and lots of opposition.
Although we would probably prefer to have an easy life, the Lord allows the trials and tests so that our faith in Jesus can grow stronger. The Andre Crouch song agrees, "If I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know that He could solve them!" Those who have experienced Christ's power to deal with the impossible, will more gladly face an uncertain future and not panic when the next problem comes. Insolvency and redundancy have an answer in Christ: so do restructuring and relocating ... all common in the business cycle. Professionals who face ethical dilemmas, workers accused unfairly and middle management scapegoats are all under immense pressure to give up, panic or (worse still) think up a clever short term solution. But God's hand is in it all. Keep on trusting Him and see how your faith grows; and also stimulates those around you, to seek your Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please help me to persist when under pressure and to keep going when I feel like giving up - so that I may keep on referring to You as my wisdom and depending on You as my strength. As I win through in today's tests, please encourage me to risk more for You and Your Gospel, until I see you face to face. In Your Name. Amen.
Why not share Word@Work with your friends - they can subscribe at http://www.beaconlight.co.uk/email
If you value your free Word@Work - a donation will help us to maintain and develop the ministry - thank you!
Your next Word@Work will be sent on
All the 'back copies' for the series in Mark and Ephesians can be found on www.beaconlight.co.uk/email
W@WJames3 | Word@Work © Dr Paul Adams 2009 | Provided by BeaconLight
Contact us at wordatwork@beaconlight.co.uk
Contact us at wordatwork@beaconlight.co.uk