Your Trials Complete You. They Do Not Destroy You.

Beloved,

We have another wonderful Wednesday before us, another Wednesday full of the wonder of what God is going to do with us in this day that will prayerfully bring Him more praise, honor, and glory. Day after day, we rise, we get active, and we sleep to rise again. Throughout the day, we find things that make us happy and things that may make us less so. Some things are difficult and some things are easy. We gloss over the easy things and we can make mountains out of the difficult things.

Do remember that all things still work together for good for those who are called by God according to the purpose He has for our lives because we love Him.

And, for all that we go through, it is all because God wants us to be teleios. Teleios? Teleios is Greek for complete or whole, lacking in nothing.

Our scripture tells us that our trials and tribulations come to make us stronger.

Would it not be easier if God just made us stronger by a word spoken by Him like how He spoke the world into existence?

It would; but, you would not be what God would have you to be.

Therefore, God sends us trials. In a trial, you are judged. In a trial, truth and lies are revealed. In a trial, you show how and where you stand.

The trials of life are tests, not temptations, that God sends to help us to be more effective for God.

And, God wants you, as part of the Body of Christ, to be effective for God.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, put it this way in James 1:2-4, "My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing."

God wants you to be teleios.

Now, the frustration can come when you think that teleios means perfection. It does not.

When you are teleios, you will learn that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you; but, you may be able to accomplish little that really matters apart from Christ. That subtle distinction, that your wholeness and your completeness is found in God through Jesus Christ as guided by the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference.

You will be teleios when you learn to fully, wholly, completely have trust, faith, and belief in God.

And, God, as a loving Heavenly Father disciplines us as disciples of Christ to make us teleios in Him in a way that we will never be apart from Him.

Beloved, if you are going to have victory, then you are going to have to vanquish someone, something or somewhere. God wants you to have victory in Him.

If you are going to be a champion, then you are going to have to defeat someone, something or somewhere. God wants you to be a champion in Him.

If you are going to be more than a conqueror, then you are going to have to conquer someone, something or somewhere. God wants you to be more than a conqueror in Him.

And, for those reasons, God sends trials to complete you so that you will be lacking in nothing, not to destroy you. God wants you to be teleios.

Beloved, part of you being teleios is battling the trial of your faithfulness. As we have begun the last third of the year and journey towards the holiday and Holy Day season of the year, I am praying that you will increase your desire and willingness to come and gather with the church family. Be teleios.

I am praying that you will increase your desire and willingness to invite others, family, friends, acquaintances, strangers who pass your way to come and gather with us. Be teleios.

And, I am praying that you will encourage each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to increase your desire and willingness to gather together and to invite others. Be teleios.

For, when we are all striving to be teleios, I truly believe God will mature us as a church family, grow us as a church family and bless us as a church family.

Let us be teleios.

And, remember, God loves you and I love you too!

Be blessed,

Rev. Cain