Big-picture living

My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. James 1:2-4 The Passion Translation

John Maxwell, in his commentary about James 1:1-8 says,

'James is vitally concerned with big-picture living. After his brief greeting, he jumps into how to handle problems.'

This morning I have had to remind myself about big-picture living and not to get caught up in the moments of my recent thoughts of, 'What is going on here? That is just wrong. Why don't people understand?'  

The big-picture living perspective reminds me to look at the end goal - Where are we heading? 

And ask these questions;

What can we learn from this incident? 

How does it fit in the big-picture? 

Why did it happen? 

How we will handle it when it happens again? 

If we can't answer these questions we can ask God to give us wisdom to see as He sees.

And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won't see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. James 1:5 The Passion Translation 

And then there is the issue of the heart to be addressed - with this God-given wisdom, what attitude are we going to have about this incident today? Is it going to be an offense that becomes a stronghold? Or can we shift into 'big-picture living,' forgive and fully believe that God will get us through?

Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You're up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you're in that condition? James 1:6-8 The Passion Translation

Something to think about. Something to pray about. What issues in your life right now are taking up too much time being mulled over and over? Ask God to help you see the bigger picture - what is it that He is wanting to build into your life? to change in you? to help you live with confident faith?

Confident faith. Who wants it? I know I do. Here is something Jesus said about faith,

Jesus responded, "If you have even the smallest measure of authentic faith, it would  be powerful enough to say to this large tree, 'My faith will pull you up by the roots and throw you into the sea,' and it will respond to your faith and obey you." Luke 17:6 The Passion Translation

 

Let's pray, Jesus, please forgive us for getting caught up in the 'small stuff'. Help us to do 'big-picture living' and see things the way that You do. Give us wisdom. Show us where we have taken offense, and help us to forgive. Please help us to live more and more from that place of confident and authentic faith. In Your Name we pray and live, Amen.