(May 16, 2025) Dr Richard Winter shares a vital challenge…

The Roman Catholic Church recently elected a new Pope and the eyes of the world are currently on him… Who is he really? What new changes will he bring about? Will he be backed up?

While his name is Robert from Chicago, he will be called Leo 14^th. The world will be inquisitive about his family and his life before his election as Pope. For example, I wonder if his brothers ever called him Bob? No doubt many will wonder if they ever thought he would be elected Pope.

Position
Life in families is always interesting because sometimes we don’t know how our brothers will turn out. Come with me to another family from the first century… to Mary and husband Joseph’s.

• Yes, that’s the family into which Jesus was born.
• Did Jesus who was fathered by God Himself ever have other brothers and sisters?
• Yes He had! Four half-brothers and at least two half-sisters (Matthew 13:55-56).
• And, according to John 7:5, they were not believers.
• These scriptures put paid to the teaching Mary was forever virgin!

I mentioned Pope Leo above, wondering if his brothers ever expected him to be a Pope. Did Jesus’s brothers ever truly believe He was divine and would be their Saviour?

One early disbelieving brother, James, had to change his mind when he saw what Jesus did! All those healing miracles, demons being cast out, the blind seeing, a child being bought back to life…!

Perhaps as Jesus moved in the supernatural, James thought ‘Well, God answers prayers so if you pray God can do anything. And, after all my brother Jesus is a good man and God answers his prayers. But… that still leaves questions in my mind! Was Mom really impregnated by God before we came along? Is that the truth, Mom?’

The one thing that changed James’ mind about His half-brother was Jesus’ death by crucifixion and His resurrection three days later just as He promised would happen!

Profile
Here’s a little bio of James…

• Half-brother of Jesus, he was the writer of the book of James.
• He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem according to Acts 15.
• His nickname was Old Camel Knees, because he had such a deep prayer life that his knees were calloused from many hours of prayer.
• Church tradition indicates he was martyred in 62 AD when he was thrown from the temple wall.
• His epistle was written about 50 AD, the earliest of all of the New Testament epistles.
• James had really changed into a devout believer!

James wrote his letter to the Jewish believers who were scattered beyond the land of Israel by persecution. The theme is practical Christian living, which is easy to see since it has more than 50 instructions. It’s essentially God’s instruction manual for making mature Christians.

When you read James you get to do a self-evaluation on how you are growing in your relationship with the Lord and your Christian maturity. So let’s start with an instruction that seems counter or contradictory to normal life.

Persevering
James 1:2 says, ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials…’

Joy? That’s not the reaction most people have! The attitude is one of ‘Come on James, tell Jesus to give us another miracle… you know He can do that.’ So what’s with this joy thing when we face many trials in this world? Trials in relationships or just the family, health or finances… you can make your own long list… and don’t forget trials from Satan!

Let me ask you… how are you feeling when life is taking you down, down? Some may claim God is punishing them for the things that they have done wrong… but it is more likely that most trials are the reflection of living in a fallen world where sin abounds. And James is not suggesting that you throw a party when something difficult happens, or that you put on a ‘plastic Jesus face’ so you can pretend everything is fine when nothing is fine!

Christians who study God’s word will know that we have a good God who will see us through! Which is where joy comes in, because we know that no matter what we face, God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:4–6… God conquers all including death).

God knows everything about your life and where you are and why you are there and what you need… scripture says so repeatedly—

• ‘The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry’ (Psalm 34:15).
• ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10).
• David’s comforting statement in Psalm 11:1Message… ‘I’ve already run for dear life straight to the arms of God.’

If you are going to run anywhere to preserve, run into Gods arms— that’s where you take your refuge— with God wrapping His protective arms around you!

Trials come for three reasons:

1) Maturing
Paul put it this way after he had learned a thing or two about trials (and he had many! Whipping, imprisonment, shipwreck, public castigation, rejection from those whom he had grown up with)— ‘Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:3-5).

Trials build character in our lives and develops a deeper walk with God that we aren’t able to gain through other means. Someone has said that, ‘Character is forged on the anvil of adversity.’ God grows us, matures us, refines us, and deepens our walk with him through trials.

Billy Graham gives this illustration about difficulties and being stranded with no known way of going forward. He said remember: When ships were powered by wind in sails and a new mast was needed a ship’s carpenter needed a timber to make a mast for his vessel, he did not cut just any tree in the valley, but went up on the mountainside where the trees had been buffeted by the winds. These trees, he knew, were the strongest of all.

Hardship is not our choice; but if we face it bravely, it can toughen the fibre of our souls. Trials toughen you up!

2) Correction
Correction is normal after we know what caused a particular trial. Sometimes the trials we face are brought on by our own bad choices; we know we are disobeying God and that He isn’t pleased with our choices, but somehow we think He’s just going to look the other way.

God is actively involved in bringing correction when people make sinful choices. There are many biblical examples of people whose trials were a result of their own sinful choices. Here’s a couple:

• The Prodigal Son squandered his life on wild living until he ran out of money and hope, and it was only when he had to forage for food in the pigpen that he woke up to God’s correcting work in his life (Luke 15:20-24).
• Jonah disobeyed God direction and tried to run away… only to find himself in the belly of a great fish (Jonah 1:17 doesn’t say whale!). But on his miraculous release from his horrifying ordeal, he obeyed God and did what his Lord wanted of him (Jonah 3:2).

3) Direction
Sometimes a difficulty can actually be the way God redirects our lives, and it could be that He has other purposes that we can’t see until hardship moves us in a different direction.

One example of God’s redirecting work is Paul. He was on a ship sailing in the Mediterranean Sea heading to Rome when God redirected him to the island of Malta, where he was used by God to bring healing to a large number of sick people (Acts 27–28).

The storm didn’t come because Paul had done something wrong; it was just the tool that God used.

No matter what form trials may take or for what purpose, God’s promise is that He will bless the person who perseveres. This is why joy is associated with trials!

Practice
Back to James again— in James 1:12, he wrote: ‘Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.’

So we have the instructions, what then do we have to do? The answer is: Put God’s word into practice— it’s what we do that counts! It’s the conclusion to James’ teaching on trials and persevering! Do it. Do it. Do it!

The only thing worse about hearing God’s word is not putting it into practice. To not hear the word is ignorance— but to not act on it is disobedience, which is evidence of being self-deceived. James encouraged readers this way: ‘But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it— he will be blessed in what he does’ (James 1:25).

This is why we have joy when we face trials.

Proposition
I close Part 1 with some thoughts to consider.
Look back on your life—

• Spend time thinking about experiences you’ve had in past times regarding trials.
• Did God use difficult times bringing correction to sinful choices and disobedience?
• How were you able to persevere… did you intentionally put God’s word into practice?
• Were you able to see the Lord’s hand in the situation, working behind the scenes?
• Close this reading time (and, I trust, study time) with prayer by asking—

(i) The Holy Spirit to help you recognise God at work in the midst of all trials.
(ii) That you’ll really understand He is about the business of maturing us.
(iii) That He corrects when that is what is needed, directing and redirecting.
(iv) That the Lord wants us to develop a deeper love for His word.
(v) That we might know it and put it into practice.

Got it?
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Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlinerConnect@gmail.com  Link: Hiding From God? Haven’t You Got it Yet
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