Temptations and Patience

	Jam 1:2	My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
	Jam 1:3	Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

When I fall into temptations, I am often worried and becme uneasy.

James, who identified himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, advises me to count it all joy when I fall into divers temptations. So rather than complaining about divers temptations I fall into, I need to count it all joy.

I looked up the word temptation:

Lexicon Results for peirasmos (Strong's 3986)
Greek for 3986
Pronunciation Guide
peirasmos {pi-ras-mos'}
TDNT Reference	Root Word
TDNT - 6:23,822	from 3985
Part of Speech
n m
Outline of Biblical Usage
1) an experiment, attempt, trial, proving a) trial, proving: the trial made of you by my bodily condition, since condition served as to test the love of the Galatians toward Paul (Gal. 4:14) b) the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy 1) an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances 2) an internal temptation to sin a) of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand 3) of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness 4) adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one's character, faith, holiness c) temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men 1) rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves

James ...

Each brother in the church decided to memorize a chapter from James and I started to memorize James chapter 1.

James 1:1 reads:

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Who was James? James said that he was a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If someone asks me who I was or if I were to introduce myself, what would I say about myself? I will probably say, "I am a quality manager at ...", "I am a husband and a father", etc.

More than all these titles and designations, however, I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what others may say about me, I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

	Luk 23:42	And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
	Luk 23:43	And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

This is the conversation between one of the malefactors and Jesus.

The malefactor might have not known when God's kingdom would come and most likely did not believe that he deserved a special consideration at God's kingdom. So he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."

I have had a terrible back pain. Even now, as I sit in a chair with a rolled-up towel in the back, it hurts. Groans come out of my mouth automatically.

Maybe that is why I think I understand the malefactor a little better this moment. I pray the same to my Lord, but with confidence and conviction:

Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Jesus replied:

Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

I do not know whether Jesus wispered to the malefactor or yelled at him. I do not know how far they were apart nor how noisy the surrounding was. But Jesus said unto him:

Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Jesus wanted the malefactor know that it was He who was saying this and so he said, "Verily I say unto thee."

Verily is Jesus saying to me this moment as well, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

I looked up the meaning of the word paradise:

1

Strong's Number: 3857

Greek: paradeisos

is an Oriental word, first used by the historian Xenophon, denoting "the parks of Perisian kings and nobles." It is of Persian origin (Old Pers. pairidaeza, akin to Gk. peri, "around," and teichos, "a wall") whence it passed into Greek. See the Sept., e.g., in Neh 2:8; Ecc 2:5; Sgs 4:13. The Sept. translators used it of the garden of Eden, Gen 2:8, and in other respects, e.g., Num 24:6; Isa 1:30; Jer 29:5; Eze 31:8,9. In Luk 23:43, the promise of the Lord to the repentant robber was fulfilled the same day; Christ, at His death, having committed His spirit to the Father, went in spirit immediately into Heaven itself, the dwelling place of God (the Lord's mention of the place as "paradise" must have been a great comfort to the malefactor; to the oriental mind it expressed the sum total of blessedness). Thither the Apostle Paul was caught up, 2Cr 12:4, spoken of as "the third heaven" (ver. 3 does not introduce a different vision), beyond the heavens of the natural creation ( see Hbr 4:14, RV, with reference to the Ascension). The same region is mentioned in Rev 2:7, where the "tree of life," the figurative antitype of that in Eden, held out to the overcomer, is spoken of as being in "the Paradise of God" (RV), marg., "garden," as in Gen 2:8.

I say unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me" and my Lord wispers to me, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

When thou art converted ...

	Luk 22:31	And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat:
	Luk 22:32	But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

If I knew that someone close to me were to betray me, what would have been my response?

Jesus knew that Peter would betray Him but Jesus was concerned about Peter more than Himself and prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail.

What does it mean that "thy faith fail not"? Didn't Peter's faith fail when he denied Jesus publicly? Was Jesus praying that Peter would not deny Him? If so, that would have meant that God did not answer His prayer. So the only alternative is that Jesus prayed that when Peter would deny Jesus, he would still have faith to be converted and to "strengthen thy brethren". Faith here seems to mean the faith of repenting and coming back to God.

Jesus knew Peter's weakness. Jesus did not expect that Peter would do what he said in the following verse.

Luk 22:33

And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

This was not the faith Jesus was expecting from Peter. Rather what Jesus expected from Peter was that Peter would be converted. Here is what the word convert means:

Lexicon Results for epistrepho (Strong's 1994)
Greek for 1994
Pronunciation Guide
epistrepho {ep-ee-stref'-o}
TDNT Reference	Root Word
TDNT - 7:722,1093	from 1909 and 4762
Part of Speech
v
Outline of Biblical Usage
1) transitively a) to turn to 1) to the worship of the true God b) to cause to return, to bring back 1) to the love and obedience of God 2) to the love for the children 3) to love wisdom and righteousness 2) intransitively a) to turn to one's self b) to turn one's self about, turn back c) to return, turn back, come back
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count Â? Total: 39
AV - turn 16, be converted 6, return 6, turn about 4, turn again 3, misc 4; 39

Here are the verses where epistrepho was used to mean turning to God and not a physical act of turning or returning:

Mat 13:15

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Mar 4:12

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.

Luk 1:16

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

Luk 1:17

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luk 22:32

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Jhn 12:40

He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Act 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Act 9:35

And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

Act 11:21

And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.

Act 14:15

And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

Act 15:19

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

All these verses except Luke 22:32 seem to use the word epistrepho to mean a once-a-lifetime conversion. Here is Luke 22:32:

Luk 22:32

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

So can I say that Peter had never been converted even though he had been following Jesus for more than 3 years? If so, what is this faith Peter had, which Jesus refers as thy faith?

I need to consider this more as I do not have the answer yet.

Lord Jesus, You know well my weakness and my sinfulness. Like Peter I am prone to deny you in my daily life and you know this so well. Yet thank you for your continual prayer that my faith would not fail and that I would return to you and strengthen brothers and sisters. Amen.