Ready for Anything

James 1:2-4 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. [3] For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. [4] So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.


Today’s the big day. Kade has been dreading it. He has to go this afternoon and get his shots in order to register for Kindergarten. Of course, he doesn’t want to go. I told him, “Kade, you are gonna get to get your shots today so you can get to go to Kindergarten!” His reply is, “Daddy, I don’t want to go to Kindergarten!” The thing is that, I know for a fact that he really does want to go to Kindergarten...he just doesn’t want the shots.
Isn’t that a perfect picture of us as Believers? We want to join the Lord’s Army, but we don’t want to go through basic training. We want to be like Jesus, but we don’t want the thorny crown. We want to be called Christians, but we don’t want to be treated like Jesus was treated when He was on earth.
The truth is, God allows trouble to come our way for a purpose. When something bad happens to you, God did not cause it. However, He does allow unpleasantries to come our way. And He wants us to see their overall purpose and to have joy when trouble comes. Jesus’ half brother, James, says in 1:2-4 that the reason trouble comes is that it tests your faith, grows your endurance, strengthens your character, and makes you ready for anything. So, God lets difficult things come our way to strengthen us and prepare us for greater things down the road in this life and in the one to come.
Kade doesn’t want shots—and who frankly does? However, he doesn’t see their purpose—only the hurt. The little hurt that a shot produces will protect him from bigger hurts down the road. Also, these shots will allow him to be ready to do something he will enjoy doing—going to Kindergarten (after that, it’s all downhill!).
Today, think of the areas in your life where you are hurting. Instead of complaining (as I often do), begin thanking God for and asking Him to reveal to you their specific purpose in your life. If you begin to embrace life in this way, you will find yourself ready for anything.

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It's Chili Out Here!

“That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. [15] This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. [16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)

We were so excited. After driving by for months and witnessing its construction, the Chili’s restaurant had finally opened. Kristi, the boys, and I made our way from the parking lot to the front door. I was dreaming of the entrée I was going to have while Kristi was wrestling with kids as we traipsed along. I was even singing the song in my head...”I want my baby-back, baby-back, baby-back ribs…” This was perfect. We had a new restaurant, empty stomachs, and plenty of time. This was going to be good.


As we approached the entrance of the restaurant, I noticed that there was a short line of people. I realized that we happened to catch the grand opening! I whispered to Kristi, “This is so cool. We are some of the first people in our community to eat at this restaurant on the first day of its opening. However, my excitement dissipated when we got to the front door. Two men stopped us. They asked if we had an invitation. “Invitation?” I thought. I replied that we didn’t have an invitation. It was then that they told us that the restaurant wouldn’t be open to the general public for a few more days and that this opening was only for those who had an invitation. Although they were more than kind, it was as if they reached in and ripped out my heart like in one of the Indiana Jones movies. I thought it was kind of funny how we got such a cold reception at a restaurant called “Chili’s.” At any rate, we were turned away simply because we weren’t invited and didn’t have the credentials to enter.
Basically, this is the way it is with us and God. You and I don’t have the credentials to enter into His presence. This may seem like a foreign concept to you, but it is true. We treat God like He is our little “worker boy.” We snap our fingers, and He appears when we need Him. When He gets too much, we give Him the boot, and He exits until we need Him again. Frankly, sometimes, we give more love and attention to our artificial Christmas trees than we do God.
Although we may tend to relate to God in that capacity, that’s not reality. Check out these verses…

“’Don’t come any closer,’ God told him. ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.’” Exodus 3:5 (NLT)

“Then he said to Korah and his followers, ‘Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us who belongs to Him and who is holy. The Lord will allow those who are chosen to enter His holy presence.’” Numbers 16:5 (NLT)

“’…I will invite him to approach me,’ says the Lord, ‘for who would dare come unless invited?’” Jeremiah 30:21 (NLT)

Do you get the picture? We don’t have an all-access pass to God on our own merit! We are sinners, and God is holy. The two don’t mix! So, if we can’t approach God in this life on our own credentials, do you really think we can approach God in the life to come after we die? The answer is “NO.” However, there is hope….Jesus Christ died for our sins, and He wants to be your ticket to get backstage with God. Jesus is your all-access pass, your invitation, and your vip card all rolled into one. That’s why the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 4:14-16) says that we can approach God with boldness and confidence because of Christ. But here’s the great question: Have you really given Jesus permission to be the boss of your life? Do you have a genuine, personal relationship with Christ? If you don’t, you never will have access to God in this life or in the one to come. And, if you aren’t careful, you will find yourself stuck on the outside watching the great feast taking place that was meant for you.

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