James 1 In times of testing, we can sit idly by or seek God’s comfort. We can seek understanding, and we can, through it all, be joyful. The fruit of our testing is endurance. It is also seen in how our heart has been touched and our motivations altered. We are no longer seeking just self-interests; we strive to assist the most vulnerable of citizens, the orphans and widows. James tells us: But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and deceive yourselves. In our quest to do that, we are often tempted to leave that behind and to seek that which benefits ourselves as opposed to that which the Lord modeled. So the first opportunity given to us is to reach beyond ourselves, without wavering, without doubting, and into the fray of the most needy of all that we might prove that our religion is true and without fault.

The question is, are we ready? Are we willing to see the test of our hearts first and foremost? Are we prepared to reap what we sow in the lives of those God brings to us?