James 1:2-5,12,16-18
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. --
Whenever we are going through difficult times, God wants us to realize that He wants us to grow strong spiritually, depending more and more on Him. And if we can't figure out why things are the way they are, or God's purpose in allowing it, then we should ask God, and He will show us His purposes, He will help us understand, to connect the dots to see the connections between our troublesome situation and what we need to do in it; and to get through it to the other side.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. --
This "crown of life" is His own, eternal, shining being Who allows the Sun to reflect a portion of His brightness.
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. --
James did not want his hearers to be mistaken or have an inferior idea of how our God exists.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. --
Our God is the Father, the Progenitor, the Creator and Maker of all "the heavenly lights," the stars and sun and moon, and has caused His light to shine from them. He is Light, there cannot be any shadow in Pure Light.
He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created. --
God's plan was to have beings of light to be like Himself, to shine forth His light for His glory. He created Angels to be beings of light, but sin was found among them, with no way to redeem them. Then He created Mankind, with possibilities of both life and death. When Adam sinned, he was able to let another take his place in death, so he could continue to live. Now that Jesus Christ has come to be our Sacrifice, He was the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt to the eternal God in time, and rise from the tomb because Death had no authority over Him. Now we have received that eternal Life, the Life of God our Father; and when we are resurrected when Jesus returns, we will also be beings of Light, like our Father, like Jesus (see Revelation 1:16, His face shining like the sun).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
