Growing in Christ

God desires for us to grow, to become like Christ, to be strong, to be the light. Growing takes time, but if we are committed to change, through prayer and dedication we can do it. You can't try to live the Christian life; you will fail every time. In our own strength, our righteousnesses are like a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). Believers are raised up in Christ, and cannot be mature without communicating with God through prayer and reading His Word. God will choose a method for us to be strengthened and grow in our faith in His Word, thereby conforming us to the image of His son. We must be willing to submit to this process.

Testing & Temptation

According to James, who is pinpointed by Bible scholars as having been the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, Believers are blessed if we endure temptation (James 1:12; see also 1 Peter 1:6-7 and Psalm 119:71). The issue is not will we be tempted, but rather will we yield to the temptation when it does happen. The Bible tells us that even Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11), though He was perfect. Jesus's reaction to temptation serves as an example to Believers in how we should behave when faced with temptation. If we know what is right but choose not to do it, we are committing a sin. If we lack the wisdom to know what is right, then we must ask God for guidance. Each time we choose to do the wrong thing, our sin brings us further and further away from God. Conversely, each time our faith in Christ is tested and we withstand the test, our faith grows stronger until ultimately, we will become mature and complete in our faith (James 1:2-4) and our final reward from God will be eternal life through Him.

James's words recall the trials of the tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 20:4-40). God brought them out of Egypt and vowed that if they followed him, He would lead them into the Promised Land. However, the tribes sinned against God repeatedly, turning their backs on Him in favor of worshipping false idols, and God caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years until those twenty and older died out. God allowed them to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:22-24).

The lesson of the saga of the trials and tribulations, tragedies and triumphs of Israel is clear: God punishes those who sin repeatedly against Him, but if we follow Him fully, we will be richly blessed. As Believers in Christ, we must be rigid and singular in our adherence to God's word in order that the temptations of this world will not sway us away from Him.