I’m returning to an earlier post thought because I wanted to revisit ‘lacking nothing’. Those are the ending words in James 1:4. Lacking in nothing. Wow! Can you get your head around that? How do we place ourselves in a position that we lack nothing? One of the beginning steps is to NOT consider the material, carnal things only. ‘All these things’ (Matthew 6:33) will be added. How? As you seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.
Probably the quickest start to understanding and appreciating ‘lacking nothing’ is to begin with verse 2 so that there is a context.
“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
We need to ‘consider’ how we react, feel, and think about trials. These are the times that determine who we are in trials and how we act to resolve them. If we look at a trial as a test, an opportunity to grow then we can change our perspective to one of joy. Joy is a terrific attitude to cultivate, especially in trying times. How we purpose in our hearts – this is truly critical. Taking only one example, Daniel, of a man who purposed in his heart… what do we discover? Daniel 1-8-16 demonstrates that Daniel purposed in his heart and continued to stand in it. He wasn’t looking for prestige but to honor God, and the end result was promotion, not immediate but it did occur. This speaks to our attitude. Once we get the proper attitude, the word tells us to ‘be assured’.
As long as we live in this life we will be tempted by the devil to put aside our life in Jesus. You may not think you are or could be tempted. Wrong. Daily we need to build ourselves up in the things of the Lord. We won’t lack when we know who we are and whose we are. We WILL be assured. Being assured, in my world of definitions, is based in confidence. Without a solid ground of confidence we walk on slippery slopes or shifting sand. Neither of those 2 positions provide stability. Our testings are meant to shore up those areas that we aren’t strong in before we have to face them. If you remember your school days, the teacher’s tests were designed (should have been) to discover what it is you know and don’t know. Knowing and growing in those areas we aren’t strong in is our defense because lack can be dangerous.
And what do tests prove? James tells us tests produce. It produces endurance, the result being our becoming perfect and completely developed – lacking nothing! This is what we can look at that shows we passed the test. If we feel that we aren’t prepared, that we are lacking… what is it? The ‘what’ leads us into the area(s) that we need to grow in. And the end of this is the result of our success – ‘that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing’.
We live in difficult times… so did the first century Christian. And we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), so don’t discard what you’ve gained. Continue to build yourself up and read again: Romans 8:28, John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Peter 5:7, James 4:7-8… these verses can begin your journey of understanding that you really lack in nothing.
