Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 41st. Edition.
Dear Heirs of the Kingdom,
Yesterday, we started on the letter from James. Today we look at chapter 1, verses 2-4. Perseverance (v. 2). James urges his readers to respond with joy, to trials. This is not an academic exercise for the Christian of that day. Persecution was real – and rife. Many Christians confronted the possibility of death daily. It was not so easy for some to earn a living, for fear of exposure. So COVID-19 is not the first trial Christians are facing. When we encounter trials, while we cannot pretend that trials are fun, we should rejoice. Why? Patience (v. 3). When faith is tested, patience is the result. Patience and perseverance are close, but not the same.
Perseverance is endurance against an inner urge to give up; patience is endurance in the face of external opposition. When we persevere and take trials with a positive attitude, the result is the ability to wait out the appearance, unrelenting siege of opposition. Perfection (v. 4). This patience should not be cut short when we do not get results as quickly as desired. We should see the end goal that God has for us – perfection and completeness, having “everything we need for life and godliness,” (2 Peter 1:3). In the last 40 days, we have learned many things as Christians:
We have church services but do not go to church. We pray in prayer meetings where people don’t leave their houses, many have discovered that sharing the little they have with others who are needy, brings them more joy than having plenty. And in the end, we have discovered that we can survive against great odds because our God is with us.
Let us take advantage of the present trial, to build spiritual muscle. Let us allow God to mold us into the image of his Son. Let us rejoice that this COVID-19 trial will be gone, in due course, but we will be left better than we were before it hit us.
Your loving Pastor Chris.