“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4 (NIV)
In Arizona there is a scientific research facility called Biosphere 2. It is an enclosed miniature version of earth’s biosphere, but this one is about the size of three football fields. The facility includes a rainforest, desert, ocean with reef, and farmland, complete with plants, animals, and insects. Its original purpose was to study whether an entirely self-sufficient ecosystem with human habitats could be built on another planet. While the scientists carried out their original research, they discovered other curious findings. One was that the trees would grow faster in Biosphere 2 than trees on the outside, but these trees would fall over before they matured. The scientists realized that the problem was a lack of wind. Regular trees grow something called stress wood in response to the wind, and this is what allows them to grow tall and strong. The trees inside the research facility had no wind, so they were unable to stand.
God created the earth’s ecosystems as part of his plan, and as a result, everything works together perfectly, including the wind and the trees. And since we know that humans are also part of this plan, we can know that God created us the same way. Isaiah 55:10-11 (NIV) explains that “as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Just as God has a purpose for the rain to water crops, he has a purpose for us humans to achieve his plans. Everything works together for His glory.
So just as trees need stress to mature, we too as humans must endure trials in order to grow strong. We may wonder why we have hardships and temptations, but if we did not experience any stress, we would be too weak to stand, just like the trees in Biosphere 2. James 1:2-4 (NIV) says “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” While in the midst of trials, we need to remember that we are living in God’s plan, and that we could be growing perseverance now so that we can stand strong later.
Walking with you in Christ,
Erin Tabor
Photo Credit: https://www.freeimages.com/photo/tree-1174007
You’d never think a humble loaf of bread could teach us much about the Christian life, but look a little deeper and you’d be astonished. In the Bible study ‘Feasts of the Bible,’ I’m examining what bread offered as a sacrifice can mean. Jewish feasts required many different items God requested. Some of the foods were bitter to represent trials in life, other items were sweet to represent the hope of a Messiah. Normally bread offered up for sacrifice is unleavened, with a very notable exception.