James 1:2, "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials..."

Think

God works through our difficulties to produce patience and perseverance for hard times in the future! Basketball players love to look at their stats for the purpose of evaluating their play. Even if their stats aren't great, they know they can help them learn and improve for the next game. It's their constructive reaction to the stats that determine their benefits. In today's power-packed verse, James reminds us that God works through our difficulties and hardships for our good. And, our reaction to such experiences determines our benefit. James doesn't say if,  but  when we have trials. In other words, our lives are destined to have tests and trials. Since they are inevitable, how we should react when they come our way? We should evaluate them in a positive light. Why? Because they usher peace into our lives. It's difficult to enjoy trials when we face them head-on, but God wants us to count them as joy. He's not saying we have to enjoy being in the midst of trials, but he is challenging us to see the big picture in order to produce patience and perseverance in our lives.

Act

When you encounter a trial today, whether big or small, remind yourself that God is using it for your benefit.  When we understand the "why" to what is happening, we can handle trials and tests in a better light, and be confident in knowing that the outcome will be beneficial to us tomorrow.

Pray

God, I trust you, knowing that you use every trial and test in my life to produce patience. Thank you for always having my best in mind. In Jesus' name, Amen.