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Count It All Joy
Chapter summary.
James writes to Jewish Christians everywhere (1:1).
He encourages them to greet trials with joy, aware of their potential benefits (vv.
2–4).
Anyone who feels a need for guidance in such situations may ask God.
But when a person asks, he or she must be willing to do what God directs, rather than waver between obedience and going one’s own way (vv.
5–8).
As far as financial trials are concerned, rich and poor must each find life’s meaning in something other than material circumstances (vv.
9–11).
It is particularly important if we are to persevere to know the difference between “trials” and “temptations.”
Temptation comes from within and is a response of man’s sin nature to circumstances.
God has nothing to do with temptation.
All that God brings into our lives is a good gift—and that includes trials (vv.
12–18).
Whatever happens we must be committed to a righteous life (vv.
19–21) and practicing God’s Word (vv.
22–27).
Key verses.
1:3–4.
It’s easier when you know.
Personal application.
Don’t blame God or the devil for feeling tempted—or for giving in to temptation.
Key concepts.
Joy » Philippians.
Wisdom » Proverbs 1–4, James 3. Prayer » 1 John 3. Wealth » Deuteronomy 7, Deuteronomy 8. Poverty » Leviticus 25.
Righteousness » Romans.
Humble » 2 Kings 22–23.
Father » Luke 12.
One of the best tests of Christian maturity is tribulation.
When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess.
Trials not only reveal our faith; they also develop our faith and Christian character.
The Jews to whom James was writing were experiencing trials, and he wanted to encourage them.
The strange thing is that James tells them to rejoice!
The word “greeting” in v. 1 can mean “rejoice!”
How is the Christian able to have joy in the midst of troubles?
James gives the answer in this first chapter by showing the certainties Christians have in times of tribulation.
Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker that reads: “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!”
It is easier to smile at that statement than to practice it, but the basic philosophy is sound.
In fact, it is biblical.
Throughout the Bible are people who turned defeat into victory and trial into triumph.
Instead of being victims, they became victors.
James tells us that we can have this same experience today.
No matter what the trials may be on the outside (James 1:1–12) or the temptations on the inside (James 1:13–27), through faith in Christ we can experience victory.
The result of this victory is spiritual maturity.
If we are going to turn trials into triumphs, we must obey four imperatives: count (James 1:2), know (James 1:3), let (James 1:4, 9–11), and ask (James 1:5–8).
Or, to put it another way, there are four essentials for victory in trials: a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will, and a heart that wants to believe.
Count—a Joyful Attitude (James 1:2)
Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.
God tells us to expect trials.
It is not “if you fall into various testings” but “when you fall into various testings.”
The believer who expects his Christian life to be easy is in for a shock.
Jesus warned His disciples, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33).
Paul told his converts that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Because we are God’s “scattered people” and not God’s “sheltered people,” we must experience trials.
We cannot always expect everything to go our way.
Some trials come simply because we are human—sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies.
Other trials come because we are Christians.
Peter emphasizes this in his first letter: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12).
Satan fights us, the world opposes us, and this makes for a life of battle.
The phrase “fall into” does not suggest a stupid accident.
Translate it “encounter, come across.”
A Christian certainly should not manufacture trials.
The Greek word translated “divers” means “various, varicolored.”
Peter uses the same word in 1 Peter 1:6—“Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.”
The trials of life are not all alike; they are like variegated yarn that the weaver uses to make a beautiful rug.
God arranges and mixes the colors and experiences of life.
The final product is a beautiful thing for His glory.
My wife and I once visited a world-famous weaver and watched his men and women work on the looms.
I noticed that the undersides of the rugs were not very beautiful: the patterns were obscure and the loose ends of yarn dangled.
“Don’t judge the worker or the work by looking at the wrong side,” our guide told us.
In the same way, we are looking at the wrong side of life; only the Lord sees the finished pattern.
Let’s not judge Him or His work from what we see today.
His work is not finished yet!
The key word is count.
It is a financial term, and it means “to evaluate.”
Paul used it several times in Philippians 3. When Paul became a Christian, he evaluated his life and set new goals and priorities.
Things that were once important to him became “garbage” in the light of his experience with Christ.
When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us.
This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials: he lives for the things that matter most.
Even our Lord was able to endure the cross because of “the joy that was set before Him” (Heb.
12:2), the joy of returning to heaven and one day sharing His glory with His church.
Our values determine our evaluations.
If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us.
If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to “count it all joy.”
If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trials will make us bitter, not better.
Job had the right outlook when he said, “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
So, when trials come, immediately give thanks to the Lord and adopt a joyful attitude.
Do not pretend; do not try self-hypnosis; simply look at trials through the eyes of faith.
Outlook determines outcome; to end with joy, begin with joy.
“But how,” we may ask, “is it possible to rejoice in the midst of trials?”
The second imperative explains this.
Know—an Understanding Mind (James 1:3)
What do Christians know that makes it easier to face trials and benefit from them?
Faith is always tested.
When God called Abraham to live by faith, He tested him in order to increase his faith.
God always tests us to bring out the best; Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.
The testing of our faith proves that we are truly born again.
Testing works for us, not against us.
The word trying can be translated “approval.”
Again, Peter helps us understand it better: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth” (1 Peter 1:7).
A gold prospector brings his ore sample into the assayer’s office to be tested.
The sample itself may not be worth more than a few dollars, but the approval—the official statement about the ore—is worth millions!
It assures the prospector that he has a gold mine.
God’s approval of our faith is precious, because it assures us that our faith is genuine.
Trials work for the believer, not against him.
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