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Real Devotional 1

by David Joynt on May 01, 2022

Real Devotional 1

JAMES 1:1-2a | 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2a My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind,

Trials are not optional for disciples of Jesus. Notice that Jesus does not say “if you face a trial…” or “should you face a trial…”. He says whenever you are facing a trial. Life involves nearly continuous temptations and tests. Much unnecessary anxiety for believers comes in assuming that life should be as we want it. The desire for a life that is easy, comfortable, and successful will be frustrated in a broken world. We have an enemy who is out to disrupt and destroy us, and disappointment is a chief weapon in his arsenal. What is more, you and I are called into the hard and difficult places. We are to bring light into darkness, truth to confusion, forgiveness where there is bitterness, peace where there is conflict, love where there is hate. Our Christian vocation will put us to the test!

What trials have you faced?

Is there a pattern to them?

Tags: trials, pattern

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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