What are some signs of a mature christian James 1:4?

Question

Up until recently I have been questioning God and asking him why do wicked people prosper and good people suffer? I have even asked this question on this site.

But lately I have been getting to the point of accepting the things I cannot change and having the courage to change the things I can.

I feel with what I have gone through ( and I know I am NOT the only one) I wan to help counsel people in the form of encouragment? What are ways that I can do this and what are some signs of a mature beleiver in Christ? How can I become more mature?

Answer 1

What did James mean when he said: “Let endurance have its work complete”?

Endurance has a job to do, a “work.” Its assignment is to make us complete in all respects. Hence, by letting trials run their course without using unscriptural means to bring them to a swift end, our faith is tested and refined.

A key reason that we find joy when under trials or tests of faith is that these can produce good fruitage. As James says, bearing up in the face of tests or difficulties “works out endurance.” We can benefit from developing that valuable Christian quality. James wrote: “Let endurance have its work complete, that you may be complete and sound in all respects, not lacking in anything.” (James 1:4) Endurance has a job to do, a “work.” Its assignment is to make us complete in all respects, aiding us to be well rounded out as Christians. If we have been lacking in patience, compassion, kindness, or love in dealing with situations or with fellow humans, endurance can make us more complete. Yes, the sequence is: Tests produce endurance; endurance increases Christian qualities; these are a cause of joy.

Apostle Peter also highlighted why we need not fear or shrink back from tests of our faith. He wrote: “In this fact you are greatly rejoicing, though for a little while at present, if it must be, you have been grieved by various trials, in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being proved by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6, 7) These words are especially encouraging now because the “great tribulation”, the time of praise, glory, honor, and survival, is much closer than some may think and much closer than when we became believers

Answer 2

It would be wise to resolve your major lingering confusions and questions before counseling others in the word. I think that it's fantastic that you want to help encourage other people, and I wish you success when you begin...but I believe that you would be wise to find yourself on more solid footing first. One cannot pass on what one does not yet have, and right now you are still trying to reconcile things in the world with the word of God. If you don't reconcile these things, then you are going to be ineffective as an encourager. Say someone came to you with your very complaints...what would you tell them to encourage them? While, "I know exactly how you feel and I haven't resolved that yet" is a good answer if it's honest, it isn't exactly encouraging. Encouragement is passing on the strength of the trials you have endured, understood, and come to be grateful for, so that others may gain hope from your strength. In order to be in the position of an encourager, you need to have that sort of strength. Otherwise, you risk sending people away empty-handed.

In order to become more mature, I recommend that you continue reading the Bible, study it with the help of others who know it better than you, and seek counsel yourself for your unresolved difficulties and problems regarding God's word and the "evidence" you see against it in the world. (I put that in quotation marks since one who knows God's word and has faith does not see any disproof of it in the world.) Also--and this is an I-could-have-had-a-V8 moment--you gain maturity through experience.

Some traits of a mature believer in Christ are certainty, clarity, humility, direction, purpose, joy, courage, hope, strength, the unwavering ability to answer complicated questions in the spirit of truth to God's word, honor, integrity, lack of complaint, being able to see beyond this world, and always showing gratitude to God through Christ's mercy for these gifts, never claiming that he or she came up with these things on his or her own.

Answer 3

Keep in bible study and prayer. This is so important in these dangerous times. God will give you wisdom. There are many false teachings out there. A mature believer has the discernment to know what is of God and what is not of God. The way we know truth is to be in it...His word...day in and day out.