Head: Know God’s Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God’s Way

Read James 1:1-18

Head

Welcome to the book of James! James was written by Jesus’ half-brother, James. In verse 2, James tells us to be joyful in the hard times we go through. That might sound crazy, but do you know why we should be joyful? James goes on to tell us that when our faith is tested, we learn to preserve and have patience. The more hard times we have, the more we can put our faith into action. We learn to trust God more, knowing He carries us through everything! THAT’S why we should be joyful! Each hard time helps us look more and more like Jesus!

Heart

Have you ever had a plant that struggled to live? You spent every day lovingly watering it and making sure it got enough sunlight. What happened when you gave it more love and care? I bet it eventually started to perk up! It became stronger and stronger until it was beautiful and healthy. That’s how it is when we go through trials. God lovingly waters us with His love and His Word, and it causes us to thrive! We get so strong that a little time out of the sunlight doesn’t completely destroy us, but it reminds us to look to God, where our source of water comes from! We know He sustains us. That’s a reason for joy!

Hands

So, while God sustains us in our trials, we have to put our faith into action! We need to pray and ask God for wisdom and do the things His Word tells us to do. This week, if something hard comes up, I challenge you to joyfully walk through it. Pray and ask God for wisdom. Read His Word and do what it says. Thank Him that you can rely on Him and trust that He’s going to help you through whatever is going on.

Prayer: Father God, we love You! We are so thankful we can joyfully walk through hard times knowing You are there with us. Help us to grow and build our faith every single day! We love You. Amen.