James 1:3 paraphrase “you know successfully passing the test of your faithfulness will produce perseverance.”

Mama says green beans are good for you. That is true, but it is only true if you eat the green beans. James says it is good for you to consider trials as pure joy. That is true because being joyful is always better than being sad. James also said we should consider trials with pure joy because they are an opportunity. That is true, but only if we seize the opportunity.

The testing of our faith is an opportunity to produce perseverance. Tests do not always produce good results. If every time my faith is tested, I give up, then I am not producing perseverance, I am producing a quitting attitude. I am not producing a winner I am producing a loser. Most locker room posters contain some wisdom. A famous poster reads, “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.” What is true in the locker room is also true in the boardroom, classroom, workplace, and in church.

Remaining faithful to a difficult task is not a characteristic of children. Perseverance is a mark of maturity. Perseverance is not a natural or inherited trait. We develop perseverance by repetitive faithfulness. It does not take perseverance to complete an easy task. If the trials you face today are no more difficult than the trials you faced as a new Christian something is wrong. A Christian’s life is not an easy life. It is not supposed to be. Christians are in training. If there are no trials, there will be no opportunities to develop the trait of perseverance.

The work of the church is seldom easy. The world has thrown many obstacles into the church’s path. The church needs people that persevere. Trials are an opportunity; seek them out. Rejoice in every opportunity to grow in Christ.