5 Actions To Propel Endurance During Trials

July 11

~ Today’s Scripture art and mini Bible study were designed to help you learn HOW the Bible says to propel endurance during trials. ~

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My readers are the best – you always have ingenious suggestions for new verses for me to hand-letter and study. Verses I would have never picked without your nudge.

Take today’s verse for example.

James 1:4 (NASB): And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

This verse was not on my radar. But I like to let God guide what I study – sometimes through your suggestions.

So this one’s all on you {grin}.

Ready?

Let’s study endurance during trials.

It may not be our favorite subject. But let’s face it – we only have to be on this planet for about 30 seconds to realize it is necessary. Mandatory even. No one is exempt.

So it would behoove us to know what the Bible says on the subject.

And if you immediately thought: easier said than done, just stick around because we are going to get to our favorite question (How?) in a sec.

In my opinion, this verse is not one of those self-explanatory, zoom-right-through-it kind of verses. It requires a little digging. Or maybe I should only speak for myself. Did you understand it at first glance? Because I read it a few times and still had a furrowed brow look with many questions swirling above my head.

But I am happy to share what I dug up! Let’s unfurrow our brows together.

And if you’re like me, you will find this fascinating.

I like to start with reading the verse in other Bible versions. I usually use THIS or THIS but I will put a few here for you …

James 1:4 (NLT): So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:4 (CSB): And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:4 (ESV): And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Helpful, yes? But questions persist.

So let’s read this verse in context – here are the verses before it …

James 1:2-4 (NASB): Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Consider trials all joy?

Seriously? Just so we can develop endurance?

Is endurance really that important?

Let’s look up the Greek word for endurance (Strong’s #5281) in this verse …

A. in the New Testament, the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

B. patiently, and steadfastly.

Wow, that’s a lot of meaning packed into one little word!

And to answer our own question, yes, this endurance looks like truly important stuff!

We need to develop the things in its Greek definition …

… Not swerve from our deliberate purpose.

… Be loyal to faith and piety.

… No matter what comes.

Why do we need to develop these?

Charles Spurgeon sums it up nicely on Day 317 of Morning By Morning …

“Faith solidifies through tribulations and grows in assurance and intensity the more it is exercised. Faith is precious and its trial is precious too.”

Precious.

Did you catch that too?

Faith is precious.

He also explains further …

“Faith never prospers better than when everything comes against it, for storms are its trainers and lightning its illuminator. When calm reigns on the sea, you can spread your ship’s sails if you wish, but she will not move toward the desired harbor, for when the ocean slumbers the ship’s keel sleeps as well. Yet when the winds begin to howl and waves begin to rise, the ship may rock from side to side, her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sails, but it is only then she makes great headway toward her desired haven.”

Our desired haven – faith.

Do we desire it more than comfort?

Are we overjoyed to build the endurance to get there? We should be!

Why?

Well, get a load of the parallel verses that were listed in my study Bible …

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT): So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

There’s “precious” again!

Our faith is far more precious than gold!

And since gold can stand the test of fire, imagine what faith can do.

But it’s hard to remember that when we’re sitting in the middle of a trial, right?

So that brings us to our favorite question: How?

How can we possibly live out joyful endurance?

Let’s keep digging in our study Bible until we find out.

Most study Bibles have an outline at the beginning of each book, so let’s look at the one for this section of verses …

Rejoice in diverse trials (James 1:2-12)

Attitude in trials (1:2)
Advantage of trials (1:3-4)
Assistance for trials (1:5-12)

Bingo!

Looks like all we have to do is read a little further in James 1 to find the how – the assistance we need for trials.

5 Actions To Propel Endurance During Trials

1 – Pray

James 1:5 (ESV): If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

2 – Don’t Look Elsewhere For Help

James 1:6-8 (NLT): But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

3 – Desire To Be Like Jesus

James 1:9 (CSB): But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

Hebrews 2:10 (ESV): For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

4 – Remember Trials Are Actually Blessings

James 1:12 (ESV): Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Is your main goal to receive the crown of life?

5 – Stay In The Word

James 1:25 (ESV): But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

We may not feel like reading the Bible when we’re smack in the middle of a trial – but that’s when we need it the most.

Promise me you will persevere and “look into it” even when you don’t feel like it. This verse promises you will “be blessed in the doing.” And I can attest that you will – beyond measure.

Let’s recap what we learned.

Christians can endure trials with joy because we know there will be rich benefits.

And not just future eternal benefits.

If we write these verses on our hearts, we will develop endurance and spiritual maturity and BIG FAITH which will bring fulfillment to our right now.

No one asks for trials, of course, but when we endure, we mature and begin to understand that trials are actually gifts from God designed to build our faith.