November 2, 2026 -Bad Things Happen
“[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ”
James 1:2-3 NIV
This reminds me of the common question of "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?". Not an easy question to answer only because real understanding of it is very complex. A place to start is to ask, "Are there really any 'good' people?" according to God's standard. As a Christian who has studied the word for many years, I know that I am never going to live up to God's standard. But thanks to Jesus who paid the fine for my sin I am no longer judged by that sin. So, when James says brother and sisters, speaking to the body of Christ, I can count myself as one. I have seen it in my life and in the lives of many saints that it is often the trials and difficulties in this world that help a believer's faith to increase. Just like a muscle the more you work it out the stronger it gets. The more we work out our faith and use it to push through difficult times the strong it gets. In that way we see for Christians that bad things can be used for good reasons by God. Today we celebrated all Saints Day in church. We remembered those in the church who have gone home to be with Jesus in the past year as well and those of years gone by. I thought of those that I knew who lived out this example of counting their trials as joy. They were strong examples of what it means for the testing of faith that produces perseverance.
“[4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ”
James 1:4 NIV
When they reached the end of their lives some after a long life and other much too soon for our liking, they were very much mature and complete lacking in nothing. They trusted God through every struggle and every step and shined a light of joy. I think of my friend Diane who helped me to develop a habit of daily bible reading, lead many bible studies and started our women's conference. She battled cancer for many years. She never wavered in her faith and she was joyful to the end. Her maturity and love for Jesus was a shining example that I still look to in times of struggle myself.
“[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ”
James 1:5-7 NIV
As we mature in our faith we should naturally seek wisdom. Just as we are reading proverbs now and I have been writing on the importance of seeking Godly wisdom, here we see that all we need to do is ask. But we can't just ask, when we ask we "must believe and not doubt". I have recently had days that my prayers are just a bunch of praise, thanksgiving and lament. I have told God how much I trust Him and love Him and want to please Him, but I sometimes just want to quit it all. I am honest with God because I know he already knows what I am thinking and feeling. He is the only person I can be completely honest with. He knows that it would be easier to back away from the difficult work, but what kind of muscle would that build? In the end I always come back to "I trust you Lord and I know that You can and will show me what to do and You will help me to accomplish what You want me to accomplish because above it all that is what I really want." Perseverance is difficult and exhausting but if I am trusting in Jesus and believe without a doubt, He will supply all that I need. If I had said I love you, I trust you and I want to please you then I went and gave up when things got difficult then I would be like "a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." I would not be building my spiritual muscles.
“[8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
James 1:8 NIV
I would be two faced. Saying one thing and living another. How can a person be stable and confident and secure in what they say and do if the heart mind and actions don't line up.
“[13] When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. [16] Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. [17] Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ”
James 1:13-17 NIV
Another area to look at when asking about bad things happening is to look at the fact that we are living in a broken world that is all about encouraging and enticing people to give into their evil desires. It is not God that does the tempting. We are constantly being tempted. Being tempted is not the sin but each step down that path leads to a deeper darker place. Anyone who does not put their faith in Jesus and turn from sin is going to continue in sin and there will be suffering as a result of it. Good things come from the Father but as long as we are still on this broken world there will be bad things that happen. But when they do if in faith you preserver God can use that to help you grow and mature.
“[27] Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 NIV
That is why as Christians we need to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. Yes, even as believers we are still human and will face temptation. And we will even give into those temptations more often than we want to admit but we cannot allow sin to rule in our lives. We must recognize them for what they are, confess (agree with God that they are wrong) those sins and do our best to turn from them. We must not allow the world to convince us that what God says is sin is not sin. That is what happens when we become polluted by the world. We can't tell the difference between truth and lies.
“[25] This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’ “Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! [26] But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” [27] For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. [28] Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs. [29] “ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’ ”
Jeremiah 44:25-29 NIV
When we read the Old Testament, we can see what the result of being polluted by the world is. Sin deserves death. The Israelites suffered the punishment of their sinfulness. That is what they deserved according to the law. Every single person who lives will one day stand before the Father who will judge us. A fair and righteous judge will hold a criminal guilty and there will be a sentence given. It won't matter how sorry you are or how many good things you had done. If you were to have committed a crime and you said to the judge "I am really sorry" or "I won't do it again" or "look at all the good things I have done". If that judge is a good judge, will He let you go? Of course not. Being sorry and doing good things does not nullify the unlawful act. There is still a debt to pay. Fortunately, as Jeremiah has foretold when Jesus came and died on the cross that was Him paying the debt. That is why we can be released from the penalty of our sin. When Jesus cried out "It is finished" while on the cross, the word He used is telestai, which means paid in full. Your debt has been paid in full if you are willing to accept it. It does not mean that life will suddenly become easy. As long as you are living here on this temporary earthly home there will be trouble. But you have the promise that as you preserver in your faith it will "finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".
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