I was thinking through Derrick's sermon yesterday and this morning, "Great Expectations". As he talked through the expectation of power and trials from Acts 5, my mind went to a few of my favorite verses in James.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all, and it will be given to him." (James 1:2-5)

While serving in Omaha, my then-boss (now Director of a Church Planting Center in Texas), John Herrington, read those verses on many occasions from the Phillips paraphrase:

"When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character, men of integrity with no weak spots. And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God--who gives generously to all men without making them feel guilty--and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him."

Often times, to be honest, when trials come, my first thought is not "Hey! That problem is my friend!" Actually, I accept them in the exact opposite way. I do often view them as intruders and do not recognize the work God is trying to accomplish in my life to be drawn closer and to become more like Himself. The challenge this week, then? To "take every thought captive", and to view trials through God's eyes more than our own, knowing that He is refining our lives through those opportunities to become more like His.