The epistle of James was written in difficult times for early Christian believers, and so it is not surprising that the first topic the apostle discusses is that of problems and trials.  James immediately launches into this topic in the second verse of his letter by saying “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). He then continues this subject through most of the first half of his first chapter, closing the topic with the summary “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial” (vs. 12).

Yet within what James says we notice something that might seem odd at first. The apostle tells his readers who are undergoing trials that they should pray (vs. 4) – as we might expect. But, contrary to what we might also expect, he does not encourage his readers to pray for deliverance from their trials or even for strength to survive the difficulties. Instead, James says that if we lack wisdom, we should pray for it.

At first this instruction to pray for wisdom might seem unrelated to the matter of trials, but if we look carefully at the context we see it is not. Directly after saying we should rejoice in trials, James says the reason we should rejoice is because: “the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (vs. 3). It is then that the apostle continues “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God” (vs. 4). 

We should notice the connection there. After saying that trials can lead to our not lacking anything in verse 3, James then says if we lack wisdom, however, we should pray for it.  Bible readers often misinterpret this part of what James says by taking the command to pray for wisdom out of context – as though he counsels us to pray for wisdom in general. But why would James single out wisdom as the one thing we might be lacking? The answer is because it is the one thing  we may need if we are suffering. If we keep his context in mind, we see that the apostle is not speaking about wisdom in general – rather he is addressing the issue of the specific wisdom we need when we are suffering.

So often, when we go through trials and suffering, we do not see the overall perspective. When we hurt it is hard to see beyond ourselves.  But James tells us to gladly accept the suffering God allows us to go through. That does not mean we should somehow try to enjoy the trials themselves, but that we should ask God to help us see what suffering gives us  – if we let it. And we do this through wisdom. We do it by wisely looking beyond the trials we are enduring and keeping in mind God’s purposes in allowing suffering to fall on us. And James knew that trials would come to all of us. That is why he writes “my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials …” –  not “if some of you face trials,”  but when you all do.

The fact is, we will all suffer as Christians – just as those around us who are not believers also suffer; but in our case, it can be to a greater purpose.   Peter tells us exactly the same thing: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed”  (1 Peter 4:12–13).

Of course, this does not mean we cannot pray for help with sicknesses and other trials or that God will not rescue us out of them in due course. James and Peter both emphasize these things (James 5:14–5; 1 Peter 5:10), but James and Peter both tell us we should rejoice in trials while they are present because of what they can lead to – what God can accomplish through them if we stay close or move closer to him when we suffer – in order to better hear what we need to hear and to better see what God is trying to accomplish in us. 

James also gives us examples from the Scriptures to remind us of this truth:  “Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:10–11).  Having given us these encouraging words, James reminds us, once again, of his basic point:  “Is any one of you suffering? He should pray” (James 5:13). But James does not call us to pray primarily for deliverance when we suffer – he calls us instead to pray for wisdom to understand why God allows us to suffer, to see what we need to learn and change, and to see what God will accomplish in the end. 

​​We all know the apostle Peter’s admonition that we “grow in grace and knowledge” (2 Peter 3:18), and most of us try to strike a balance in seeking both in our lives. Yet we often tend to gravitate toward one or the other –  focusing on the development of our Christian walk or our biblical understanding.

Some Christians spend a great deal of time in study of the word and may even fall into the ditch of seeking knowledge at the expense of growing in grace*. Those who make this mistake may become involved in some of the more obscure aspects of the Scriptures such as prophecy, and this becomes their main focus.  On the other hand, there are other Christians who move toward the opposite extreme of neglecting the responsibility of study of God’s word when they fall into the ditch of believing that “all you need is love.” 

Clearly, as Peter tells us, we need both grace and knowledge, and this is a principle we find often in the Scriptures. The apostle Paul elaborated on it when he wrote that our goal should be: “… that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). But what we may fail to understand if we tend to gravitate in one direction or the other is how the two areas of spiritual growth interact. Growing in grace can actually increase our spiritual knowledge, and growing in knowledge can increase the fruit of grace in our lives. If that sounds counterintuitive, consider the following scriptures.

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1, emphasis added).  Here, in the very opening of his letter to Titus, Paul stresses that furthering knowledge of the truth leads to godliness.  This concept is simple enough – we cannot please God without knowing what it is that pleases him –  but it is a concept that we should always keep in mind if we are to be truly growth oriented. 
 
Yet knowledge is only half of the equation for spiritual growth. Notice what Paul states in his letter to the Colossians regarding those he taught:

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3, emphases added).  In this profound scripture Paul shows the opposite truth to that he stressed to Titus. Here, we see that being united in love forms the basis of knowledge and understanding of Christ.
  
The fact that we can only have true knowledge of God  if we live in love is also repeatedly stressed by the apostle John (1 John 1:10-11, etc.). Notice one example of this teaching: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). It is through knowledge of Christ’s sacrifice that we come to understand and to be able to emulate true love in our lives.  John reiterates the connection between love and knowledge a few verses later: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). 

We need both grace and knowledge, love and truth, or however we might categorize these two primary aspects of Christian growth. And we need to remember that not only are both vital, but also that growth in one often leads to growth in the other. 

Once we understand this principle we gain insights into many biblical stories. In the Old Testament, for example, we see Job, who evidently walked perfectly before God (Job 1:1, 8), yet who still had to learn lessons (Job 42:5).  In the New Testament we see many examples of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who had knowledge but who needed to grow in love (Luke 11:42, etc.).
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Our lives need to exhibit both grace and knowledge, but fullness of growth in one of these areas often involves continuing to grow in the other. 
 
* In this context, grace refers to our walk before God (as in John 1:14) rather than the grace he extends to us.

“… We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light”  (Colossians 1:9-12).

The more we grow spiritually, the more we desire to please God; but how do we most effectively do that?  The New Testament mentions a number of ways in which we should please God – that we cannot please him without faith (Hebrews 10:38), without “walking in the Spirit” (Romans 8:8), etc. But in his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul makes a statement that summarizes the many answers to that question (Colossians 1:9-12).  Paul tells us he prayed that believers “… may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…” (vs. 10, emphasis added), and he then follows this thought by speaking of four specific ways that, taken together, please God in “every way.”

Paul’s statement is almost startling in both its reach and its simplicity. No other passage in the New Testament claims to tell us how to be completely pleasing to God, so we should look very closely at the characteristics the apostle tells us fulfill this goal.  The four things are:

1. Bearing fruit in every good work (vs. 10).    Paul makes it clear throughout his epistles that although good works do not save us, God expects us to produce good works as a result of being saved (Titus 3:8, 14, etc.).  Throughout the New Testament the expression “good works” primarily refers to works done to help others (Hebrews 13:16, etc.), but it also includes our obedience to God (1 Thessalonians 4:1, Hebrews 13:20-21, etc.). We should also notice Paul’s stress in Colossians 1 is not that “some” good works will please God, but that we are urged to “every good work” – to as many good works as possible! 

2. Growing in the knowledge of God (vs. 10).  Paul next cites our ongoing growing in the knowledge of God and his ways as being central to our ability to please God. It is only as we come to know God that we can learn to properly love, fear, trust, and obey him (Psalm 147:11). Knowledge itself is of no use without application (1 Corinthians 13:1-2), but growing in knowledge can enable us to better grow in good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The first two points  Paul gives for how to please God correspond directly with the apostle Peter’s summary admonition that we should “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, emphasis added). Paul also stresses these same two characteristics elsewhere in his writing (Philippians 1:9), but in Colossians 1 he goes further to add two more points that we need in order to fully please God:

3. Being strengthened by God (vs. 11).  This is not strength for its own sake, of course, rather  “… that you may have great endurance and patience” (Colossians 1:11, Ephesians 3:16, etc.). Given what Paul says in this verse, there is no question that this strengthening is actually something God must do in us: “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might,” yet we must make this possible by asking God’s help and trusting him in faith to supply his strength. In that sense, this characteristic includes the quality of faith itself, as the basis of our strength, endurance and patience (Hebrews 11:6).

4. Giving thanks to God (vs. 12). The final characteristic that Paul tells us is pleasing to God is deep gratitude on our part: “… giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” In fact, thankfulness is a theme to which the apostle returns numerous times in this short epistle (Colossians 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2) – in this way reinforcing our understanding of its importance in God’s eyes.

So Paul’s four summary characteristics of believers who truly please God are not what many of us might guess. Humanly, we might suppose that never-failing obedience, great sacrifice, frequent or long periods of prayer, or any number of other things that relate to our own lives might be what please God. But Paul’s four characteristics do not focus on our lives – they are all primarily outward looking toward others and God himself.    
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Perhaps we should not be surprised that the things Paul says greatly please God are all expressions of our love for others and love for God.  That is basic enough, but the four specific characteristics Paul enumerates are worthy of our careful staudy – if we truly want to please God, they are among the highest goals for which we can aim.  

They are characteristics that Paul himself urged us to continually seek: “... we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (1 Thesallonians 1:4).

Something to think about:  

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:3)  is a verse often quoted in relation to Bible study.  It certainly is an appropriate scripture to think about in that regard.  We only understand the deeper things of God's word to the extent that he opens our mind to see them, and we do need to ask to see them. That may seem like a very basic principle, but it's always one we must remember.

Yet that is not the only meaning of Jeremiah 33:3.  If we look at the context of this particular verse it actually has nothing to do with study of God's word, but it is concerned with a situation in which God reminds the prophet that he will answer the prayer to understand deep or problematic aspects of life if he is asked.  The context is one of the suffering the nation of Judah was experiencing as a result of its sins. God tells Jeremiah in this context: “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever” (vs. 11), and we see that the understanding God promises in verse 3 has to do with that situation.

God allows individuals – and sometimes nations – to suffer when they sin or as a result of the sins of others – but he promises to help us understand his purpose in this, his underlying intent and his love that lie behind the suffering.  It's an essential part of learning to have faith in the God who controls all outcomes.  He offers to help us understand these troubling and often disheartening aspects of life when we suffer – but we need to ask in order to hear.  

So don't forget Jeremiah 33:3 (chapter and verse numbers don't come any easier to remember than this one!). It's a verse we can apply in many aspects of our lives, and especially when we, or others, suffer.

​“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen …”                     (2 Corinthians 4:18).

When you look up on a starlit night, what do you see? For those of us who live in the glare of modern city lights, it may not be much. 

But some three thousand years ago, under the clear desert skies of ancient Israel, King David thought that he could clearly see God’s invisible hand in the starlit heavens: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).

Like King David, most who will read this will probably  also  see God’s hand in the creation – that the vastness of the  heavens and everything in them could come from nothing, without cause and design, seems unimaginable to us.  Yet although some people feel they see the clearest evidence of God in the creation and in events in their own lives and in the lives of others, other people see nothing meaningful there at all.  It certainly isn’t a matter of wishful thinking or lack of education or intelligence on the part of those who feel they see an unseen God, as some cynics would like to believe.  The fact that there are equally intelligent and emotionally mature people on both sides of the “Is there a God?” debate demolishes that fiction.

So why is it, then, that some people see God where others see nothing?  The apostle Paul gives at least part of the answer. After affirming that:  “… since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ...” (Romans 1:20), Paul goes on to show that many people do not see God because they do not want to see him (vss. 21-23).  Not wanting to acknowledge God’s authority in our lives usually means we will not see it. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah put the situation this way:

“If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD.  O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it” (Isaiah 26:10-11 ESV).

Isaiah’s point is that whether or not people are faced with blessings (“favor”) or punishments (“the lifted hand”) – the “carrot or the stick” – in their lives, those who do not want to see God’s presence will not see it.  But there is a lesson in this for those of us who do acknowledge God’s existence and presence in our lives.  We do have to look and continue looking, with spiritual sight, to keep that which is not physically visible clearly in our minds.  That is what the apostle Paul meant in saying “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen …” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

But the word Paul uses for “look” or “fix our eyes” connotes much more than just “looking.”  The Greek word skopeó that he used essentially signifies that on which we focus intently – as with a point of aim or a target we intend to hit (it is, of course, the root from which we get words such as telescope, microscope and rifle scope).  It is that kind of ongoing focused “looking” and “seeing” that helps us to recognize God’s presence in our lives and to live accordingly.  As the Book of Hebrews tells us of Moses:  “He endured, as seeing him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 ESV). 

A thread that connects all these biblical writers is that they all show it is only as we look that we see God.  It is only as we fix our spiritual sight on the unseen that we succeed in our Christian walk.  Illogical as they might sound to the world in which we live, Paul's words remind us that we must constantly  “fix our eyes not on what is seen.” 

We are especially pleased, this week, to carry an extract from the fine new book God’s Love Letter: Reflections on 1 John by Will Vaus.  The short extract is on the Apostle John's message to the early Church regarding forgiveness, knowledge and strength.  You can read the extract here and the book is available on the author's website.