Opportunities

The New Driveway

When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4 (NLT)

A storm is on the way!  Now we will see if our new driveway will stand the test.

Three Biblical writers (James, Peter & Paul) exhort us to look at the storms and trials of our lives with joy and to endure them with patience because it is storms and trials that provide opportunities for growth and spur us on toward maturity.  Our goal as Christians is to grow into maturity, to grow in love, to grow into his image. 

No matter what comes against us, what difficulties and disagreements we face, trials present for us opportunities. Every test is an opportunity to trust God or to trust in ourselves.  Tests can give rise to opportunities to assert self-will, to become resentful or angry, fearful or anxious.  But they also provide opportunity to throw ourselves completely on God and trust that he will work it for good. 

As we grow we come to realize that no matter what difficulties we face his love will win.  We see that difficulties are the breeding ground for new hope and new love. Every trial becomes an opportunity to surrender our way to God's, to present ourselves as vessels of his love trusting that his love will never fail.

There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to 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.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,

 for we know that they help us develop endurance.

And endurance develops strength of character, 

and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)