Over the last several weeks, we’ve been playing Mario Kart 8. Sometimes, we’ve raced the same courses repeatedly; sometimes, we’ve raced entirely new ones. Some of our students came into this series with an idea of how to play the game already. They may have had experience with the game itself or simply the basics of racing games. Others came in fresh with no understanding of how to play the game.
It has been interesting to see how, no matter their starting point, all the students have improved at the game. Some of them have grown leaps and bounds over the others. But why? What can we attribute to this growth, and how does it apply to our individual walks with God?
One simple word: Consistency
The old phrase, “Practice makes perfect,” may be cliché, but it’s accurate. The more the students played Mario Kart, the better they got. Now, not all of them grew at the same pace, and we’ll talk about that next week, but this week, we want to focus on the concept of consistency.
One of the phrases we heard various forms of over the last few weeks and still hear is, “How do I do this? I don’t now know what I’m doing.” This is a common thought that many have when they are new to something, become stressed, or the situation they are in is simply more difficult than before. In the book of James, the writer is addressing a group of Christians who have been scattered across the region because of religious persecution. James knew these individuals were facing tremendous pressure, and some of them were saying to themselves, “How do I do this? I don’t know what I’m doing!” Let’s examine what James says though
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.
James 1:2-3 (New International Version | NIV)
James first tells them to “consider it pure joy” when they go through hard times! This sounds absolutely insane to normal people. But James is looking at the result of making it through these times.
Ask: What does “testing of your faith produces perseverance” mean?
James is encouraging the readers to keep in mind that each time they go through a difficult situation, they learn to have more faith in God. They can have more faith in Him because each time they make it through a situation, they are now equipped with the memory and experience of how God took care of them. In our game, Mario Kart, each time we raced a track, we learned the way certain tracks curve and twist. We learned to see where road hazards were and where power-ups were. Each time we did that, the more comfortable we became with these tracks and had more confidence in each new race.
The longer we are consistent in our walk with Christ, the more our faith in Him helps us to get through various situations in life.
Part of this journey, however, is being humble enough in the beginning to know that you need help and brave enough to ask for help.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:4-5 (New International Version | NIV)
Ask: How many of you knew exactly how to play Mario Kart the first time you picked up the game?
The reality is none of us did. We may have had an idea, but we didn’t really know. Some of you didn’t know that your character affects how you play the game. Some of you didn’t know how to pull up the menu that told you how each item you choose for your vehicle affects the way the vehicle drives. But the longer we’ve played this game together, the more questions you were able to ask and the more opportunities you had to learn. Some of you, after our first discussion about identity, went home to research the best combination for the type of playstyle you wanted to play.
In our walk with God, the more we are consistent with being in the scriptures, prayer, and community while walking through various difficult situations, the more we can ask for help and grow. James says very clearly that if you need wisdom in a situation, you should seek it. There’s no shame in saying, “Help, I don’t know what to do.”
We can ask for help in various ways.
- Through Prayer.
- Through Reading the Bible
- Through instruction and encouragement from people in the church.
Here’s the thing about seeking wisdom from God, though: when He provides wisdom, we need to trust it and see it through to the end. It may not make sense at first, and it may not seem to be helping at first, but we must trust it through to the end.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
James 1:6-8 (New International Version | NIV)
The original readers of James’ letter are in a very tight spot. They are surrounded by many who don’t just believe in Jesus but don’t believe in the one true God at all. Because of this, they are being pressured to put their trust in various demonic forces and deny what God has for them. For some, it may seem more manageable or may “make sense” in the natural to just fall in line with the rest of the world. But God’s called His people to a higher standard. This standard seems foolish to an unbelieving world, but if we are genuinely to accomplish what God has for us, we must put our complete trust in what God has for us.
Questions:
- Who have I put in my life to help me stay consistent in my walk with God even in difficult times?
- Is there something in my life that I’m currently struggling with that I need wisdom in?
Adventures in Student Ministry 