Consider it All Joy

My personal bible study time for the month of May leads me into the book of James. The first part of chapter 1 really spoke to me this morning.

James 1:1-4 says "consider it all joy 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.

This really spoke to me this morning. As I think about the various trials I have faced in my life (even the ones brought on by my own sinfulness) I have definitely been strengthened in Christ. The testing during trials has strengthened me in a big way by considering Christ as the ultimate treasure in my life. When times are bad and difficult I am learning more and more that Christ is all I need and that I belong to Him. That has caused me to rejoice at times knowing that God has used my trials to strengthen my faith and to treasure Christ more.

As I prepare for my Sunday lesson in I Peter, I am reminded of the preciousness of Christ and the treasure He is to me. Here are some reasons why Christ is to be treasured whether we are on a mountain top or in the depths of a valley from I Peter 2:4-12:

1. Verse 2:4 - Jesus Christ is precious and choice in the eyes of God the Father!
2. Verse 2:5 - Jesus Christ has provided believers with unhindered access to God the Father!
3. Verses 2:6-7a - Jesus has pardoned the sins of those who believe in Him!
4. Verses 2:7b-8 - Jesus Christ will punish sinners who do not believe in Him.

This was some good truth for me to chew on this week as I am a sinner forgiven of much and given so much by God. It is only because of grace we are saved and I am thankful to Jesus Christ for saving me.

This passage has encouraged me to treasure Christ and to continually:
1. Pursue Christ (verse 2:4) daily in all I do keeping Him and the cross at the center of my life.
2. Proclaim Christ (verse 2:9) to everyone I meet so that His excellencies would flow off of my lips as an overflow of my heart for Him.

I pray that my life would be marked by treasuring Christ and radical pursuit and proclamation of Him in good times and bad causing me to "consider it all joy when I face various trials" because Christ is my treasure that cannot be taken away. What a privilege it is to know Him and be known by Him.