Under Pressure
James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote to Christians in the early Church who endured extreme pressure. They faced increasing pressure over this new and advancing faith in the resurrected Jesus. They found themselves dealing with the increasing pressure to let their faith remain hidden instead of being revealed in and through their lives. James wrote his letter encouraging believers to not let these pressures hold them down but instead to push them deeper into Jesus, especially in the way they lived their lives. It is through the pressure placed on us that we discover what is really in us. Pressure is nothing new. Believers still today continue to be under pressure, but we can learn how to deal with it in a way that advances our faith and ultimately brings glory to Jesus in how we choose to live. The promise of being under pressure is that God uses it to make us mature and complete, not lacking anything.