Coffee: Devotion (James 1:1-12)

James 1:1-12

New International Version (NIV)

James 1: 1-12 (Photograph by Cris Bautista)

¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ 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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Devotion (Photographs by Cris Bautista)

Insights from the Group Discussion

1. It is very difficult to face our problems with joy (for we are humans and have adapted such nature) but the Lord tells us to do so as it strengthens our faith and makes us more Christ-like.

2. Whenever we face problems, we must believe that God is much larger than them and that trusting Him will provide us the drive to persevere under trials.

3. Enduring trials not only glorifies God because it is He that supplies us with courage but also makes us mature and complete as an individual worthy to be imitated.
4. Any one who perseveres under trials will be rewarded by the Lord.

Coffee: The Story of the Carrot, Egg and Coffee Beans

EK Encarnacion shared this inspirational story about FACING TRIALS:

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a gas burner. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed a carrot, in the second he placed an egg, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he got up and turned off the burners. He fished the carrot out and placed it in a bowl. He took the egg out and placed on a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her he asked. “Darling, what do you see?” “A Carrot, an egg, and coffee,” she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrot. She did and noted that it was soft. He then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. She asked. “What does these mean Father?” He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile from the beginning. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or coffee beans?” The father continued, " Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity wilts and becomes soft and loses strength? Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff? Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a harsh spirit and heart? Or are you like the coffee beans? The beans changed the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain. When the water becomes very hot and unforgiving, the coffee beans gave off a strong and rich aroma. If you are like the beans, when things are at their worst or in the midst of trials, you get better and make things better around you."