10 13 08 Wise Choices in Uncertain Times

“I, James, am writing this letter. I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ… My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test…If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault. But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt…Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard. After he has come through them, he will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. God has promised it to those who love him... My dear brothers and sisters don't let anyone fool you. Every good and perfect gift is from God…God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first and best of everything he created.” (James 1:1-18 NIrV)

We all know that James, the brother of Jesus, took a while to come to the belief that his brother was the Messiah. That’s pretty logical; who would believe their brother was anything special anyway? James had to be shown the facts. After the resurrection, he not only believed, but as he wrote himself, he was now a bond-servant of the Lord. He was sold-out for Christ and now willing to lead the church of Jerusalem (Acts 12:17, Acts 15:13-21, Acts 21:18, Galatians 2:9-12). As the early followers of Jesus faced many trials and temptations (as new believers often do) James did not commiserate with them as much as he challenged them to endure and instructed them to imitate Christ. Rather than turn to the world and even to our own judgment when facing life’s decisions, we all need to seek God. We must make WISE CHOICES IN UNCERTAIN TIMES!

Like Daniel, when faced with hardships in life, whether emotional pain, physical health issues, or economic challenges we need to trust God in His infinite wisdom and plans for each of us. Daniel kept His focus on God when thrown into the den of lions. His teenage friends stayed focused upon the lord when thrust into the fiery furnace. Jesus stayed focused upon the Father’s will all through His ministry, as He withstood pain and torture for our salvation and for God’s glory! God has a plan for each of His children to succeed, according to His will, and He will care for us, even in the most terrible of times!

We have to “keep on going when times get hard”, as James writes. We can not give in!

God made us in His image! We are the head and not the tail. Let’s trust Him and honor Him and allow Him to work!!!! First thing we must do is seek Him…ask Him…trust Him. The answers are not in this world or the world’s leaders. In fact, we have to pray for them to hear from God as well! It’s not a choice of party, or candidate, or nation, but a choice of whom you and I really trust and are willing to believe. We first ask of God and then obey His wise instruction. We have to wake up and choose today whom we will serve!

Popular choices are not going to work: We must make WISE CHOICES IN UNCERTAIN TIMES! It's one thing to say we believe. it's another to act it out.