This is the second of 13 sessions looking at selected passages from the Book of James. Click here to read the introduction and for an overview.
Session Two
I ran across an intriguing quote the other day, one attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the World War II military leader: “Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.”
The thought that followed, naturally, was that “consider it pure joy” passage from James 1. Surely you know the one; it talks about facing trials of many kinds and how the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Then, there’s that next line,
So what does it mean, really, to be “not lacking anything?” What does it mean to be “complete?” Ask the teens you know, and some might say it means having everything you want; they may believe it’s the result of just hanging in there long enough to see whatever it is come to pass.
Whose who have been around a while—those who already have encountered trials and tribulations—may understand it on a deeper level. They may know “not lacking anything” means our lives will include the spectrum of good and bad and that we can’t completely be the people of love, joy and peace He desires for us to be without walking through them. Outside of time and space, God already sees us as “perfect;” we just need to catch up to His vantage point.
This brings us back to those wrinkles. In our youth-obsessed culture, wrinkles are the very image of imperfection, aren’t they? With Botox and lasers, teens have no reason to think they’ll ever have to look “old,” but wrinkles on the soul are not so easy to cover up. Quitting—throwing in the towel, no matter what the challenge—doesn’t just mean we shortchange ourselves a victory. It means we deny God a chance to prove himself faithful in our lives.
What the Word Says:
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (
How It Applies:
Today’s teens get a pretty strong message about having it all. In the first chapter of James, however, the Bible talks about “not lacking anything” as a mark of maturity rather than evidence of financial success or material things. That level of completion only comes through perseverance in the hard times, holding on to God’s wisdom, steadfastness and provision no matter what the challenge.
Questions for group discussion:
· What does it mean to you to be “complete” and “not lacking anything?”
· In what ways can God use challenging times to mature us? In what ways can He use times when everything seems to be going right?
· Think back to a difficult time you’ve walked through. Looking back, in what ways was God involved (even if you didn’t recognize it at the time)? What did He teach you through the experience?
· Put this week’s verse in context by reading
