Count It All Joy

Count It All Joy

April 25, 2021

Scripture: James 1:2-4

We all have faced drama in our life

· You don’t have to invite it

· You don’t have to ask it to come

· All we have to do is keep on living, and it will show up, circumstances that are out of our control

· Drama comes uninvited and will stay as long as it wants to stay.

James wants to talk to these believers about it, and as I look back over my life, there were problems, drama, and as a pastor, sometimes it is easy to counsel others, but when it hits home. I struggled with what to say.

A lot of my drama came with my family, and even though I know how to address the situation, I had a loss for words.

But James says to count it all, Joy

· If we are truthful, we sometimes struggle with what James is saying

· To “Count it all, Joy.”

· Here’s what that means: The word “Count” means when you are looking over the affairs of your life of what you have gone through or what you are going through.

· The good times, the fun times, what James is saying don’t skip the difficult times and to “Count it all Joy.” To consider it, to look at it to put it into consideration, don’t skip it.

Vs. 2: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [1]

· Joy means delight, to shout about it

Point One: He tells us what to do- Count it all joy – vs2

· All means--- All - everything

· Put it all in the joyful column

· He not only tells us what to do

Point Two: He tells us when:

· Vs2- When you fall into various trials

· The word fall means when you are out of control when you are surrounded by trouble

· When you get one kid straighten out, then the other kid starts acting up when you pay one bill, then in the mail, another comes. When drama just continues to show up.

· It's a way of life, and James says when things begin to happen, don't get down, don't get frustrated, don't get aggravated, don't throw in the towel; he says to consider it all with a joyful attitude.

· It means when you find yourself getting fired from your job, count it joy when things fall apart in your family.

· He’s telling us as Christians to be mature when things happen in our lives

Point Three: He tells us why – Knowing that: Vs3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

· He says count it all joy because your faith will be tested

· You have to know that there will be times in your life when God has to test your faith.

· Why: Because you don’t know if your faith is legit until your faith has been tested

· You don’t know if it is real until it has been tested

· You really don’t know if God can make a way out of no way until it has been tested

· That God will work it out for you - Your faith has to be tested

· God doesn’t tempt us; He tests us

· Tempting tries to get us to do something bad

· Faith and testing allow us to keep trusting God even when we don’t know what’s going on.

· Testing means I’m going to treat my boss right even he’s not treating me right.

· Testing means when my coworker cussing me out, I don’t cuss them out, even though I want to

· We have to trust God to work it out

o That God is a way maker

o I believe that he is a burden barrier

o I believe that God will tap into my situation even though they haven't treated me right. Instead of me suing them and cussing at them that I wait on the Lord to work it out

o And when God works it out, and I've seen Him work it out, it will boost your faith for the next time that

· But he also says that: The testing produces patience Vs3

o Patient means I will continue to walk with God even though my circumstance tell me different

o Patiently mean I can continue to walk with God I can continue to abide with God even throw my circumstances look strange

o In other words, God wants to put us through a test to help develop our patience so we will trust in God, walk with God while we are going through something.

Vs4. But let patience have its perfect work, not that we are perfect but that we are mature.

· That we will respond in a mature way doing our circumstances.

· But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

God will use our circumstances to make us mature

· To grow us

· To mature us

· To have us trust Him

· It's like when a woman when she is pregnant, she will have morning sickness, she may have pain, she’ll have some uncomfortable moments, but in nine months, something's going to come out that will produce joy

· You may have some pain.

· You may have some morning sickness

· You may be uncomfortable right now

· But don’t give up because that means God is going to do something spectacular in your life.

· Sometimes we need to take I look back over our lives, and then we need to go to the people that didn't hire us that didn't approve the loan and tell them thank you

· Thank you,

· You didn't hire me because God gave me a better job

· Thank you for walking out on my life because I have more peace now

· Thank you, but you didn't give me that loan because I got a better interest rate

· Count It All Joy!!!

· God forgive that I was complaining; I count it all joy in my life

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jas 1:2). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.