Count It All Joy…
If you have been a student of the Bible for any length of time you know the scriptures calls believers in Christ Jesus to do hard things… sometimes incredibly hard things. One of those calls comes from the book of James. Many will testify as say the entire book of James is a call to do hard things. They’re not wrong. James has a very unique way of hitting you between the eyes from 200 yards out, yet at the same time, encourage you to keep trusting the Lord who is forever constant. One must be reminded that the book of James was written to believers - it was written “to the twelve tribes of the dispersion,” the earliest of believers who mission in life was to plant churches across the known world.
Well, aside from a brief introduction in verse one of chapter one, James holds nothing back in and in verse two, he writes,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” - James 1:2
Immediately, I (we) struggle with James exhortation. The words “joy” and “trials” don’t seem to mix. They are two words that don’t necessarily go together. Two other words that are hard to read are the words “various” and “kinds.” I’d much rather not deal with any trial, let alone trials of a variety. YET, James exhorts us to “consider our various trials as joy.” If we are to do that then we must define “joy.” What is joy? Is it happiness? It can be, but I believe joy goes much deeper than happiness. While happiness is more often than not dictated by our external circumstances, joy transcends what’s happening on the outside and driven by what’s going on inside… of you. Joy is the internal state of well-being. It says that while everything around me may be falling apart, joy is maintained because Jesus abides within. Joy says that while I may be stricken with hurts, pains, sickness, disease, or sorrow in life, Jesus still rises to the surface. My relationship with God drives the joy of my heart and how I react to the world’s defeats. I don’t mean to lessen what you may be going through, those things are very real. BUT, without a deep abiding relationship with God, all hope in this world — with all its sorrows, it completely hopeless. It’s our faith in God that gives us hope and helps us navigate the trials of life. This is what James tells us in verses 3 and 4.
“… for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:3-4
In other words, the trials we face in life have a purpose - they propose the opportunity to strengthen your faith as you fully rely on God. Trials test our faith. They have a tendency to cause us to doubt and fear. Without a deep abiding relationship with God, those doubts and fears win. HOWEVER, with God on our side — He who is near our broken hearts, mends our broken wings, comforts us with his perfect grace, mercy and love, WE CAN consider all our trials as joy knowing that every battle we face in this is building our faith and confidence in God making us more and more like His son, Jesus.
By the way, I love those last three words of verse 4 — “lacking in nothing.” I can’t begin to tell who what all that means, but I take from it that everything we need to face the the storms of life is found in our relationship with God. I’m reminded of the words of King David when he wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In other words, in the Shepherd, there is nothing else that I need. When I fear, I look to the Shepherd for comfort. When I’m lost, I look to the Shepherd for direction. When I hurt, I look to the Shepherd for healing. When distracted, I look to the Shepherd for rest. When I hunger or thirst, I look to the Shepherd for nourishment. When I doubt, I look to the Shepherd for reassurance. THERE IS NOTHING I LACK WHEN I AM WITH THE SHEPHERD!
I hope this make sense! I’d love to hear your questions or comments below!
YOU ARE LOVED,
PastorPusch
P.S. Be on the look out for a personal testimony regarding James 1:2 soon!
