Abiding in Christ Through Trials with Joy

"He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a king of firstfruits of all He created. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you." -James 1:18, 21

When you see 'therefore' in scripture it means the author is saying everything based upon that I have just written you...do it! This will help you do the next part I tell you.
In the last post we looked at the joy of abiding, I want to build on that more in this post. I was considering going toward talking about the agape love, but I became a little overwhelmed in it, and God led me this way so I could catch my breath. He's too much for this little feeble dust like human to think about. That's why I call Him my God, and my Savior.
James in his epistle tells us that we should, "Consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds." That doesn't mean being happy, but simply being joyful. You see trials are meant to test us in which way we will go through life. Will we chose life or death ultimately in the end? If we abide in Christ it will lead to life. James lays it out very clearly in chapter 1 what each path holds. For a visual I painted this amazing diagram for you:

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

13-15 Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

16-18 So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

All of us will face trials and testing, and in those times our true character and beliefs come to light. We may be tempted to shake our fist at God, or we can pray and ask Him for wisdom (v.5). God will always hear His children and give us everything we need to take us through...not out, not over, not under, simply through. I read a neat quote today, "Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in responsibilities, but I've experienced God's grace enough to know that if I did drown He would enable me to breathe underwater." Abiding in His grace. It's knowing we can ask Him for anything we need to get through the test and trial. He didn't put us on Earth and say 'Good Luck! I hope you manage well.' No!! He's given us countless gifts and tools, and will give us many more if we just ask. People want to throw grace around, when they've given into temptation, they write Grace over it and keep going in a downward spiral toward death, and this is never really what God intended I don't think. I don't think I really have the right to put definitions and stuff on things that are God's, but these are just my observations in life. The joy of trials is knowing that in the end it leads to Jesus, and that we are able to identify with our Savior. It's what produces fruit in our lives. Apart from Christ, it's depressing. The trial won't grow us, or better us, it will embitter us and sufficate life out of us.
Endure to the end, dear Christ follower. Keep following Christ in the face of everything God allows to pass through His hands to you. It's for a good reason. Let His Word continue to come alive in you. Don't follow the false teachings that try to make you feel good and trick you into thinking that life should be a flower and unicorn experience where you shouldn't be going through trials, and since you are you must have some kind of unconfessed sin or hidden hatred. That's not for another to point out. Stay in a tight relationship with Jesus. This life is what God gave you uniquely...don't waste it, don't throw it away. I love what a friend of mine says, "We're running a marathon, not a sprint." Sometimes I think we sprint through life and circumstances. We want it to be over quickly and hurry up and get through this. Endure, keep the pace, slow and steady wins the race; perseverance.
Essentially, the message is this again: Abide in Christ and live. Become unattached; apart from Christ and die.