James 1:2-4—Consider it all joy
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Joy. What comes to mind? Birthdays? Weddings? Babies? Promotions? Graduation? Winning the big game? When you first heard “Consider it all joy”, I’ll bet you didn’t think of trials, testing, or having to endure.
Yet James began his letter right off the bat with this attention grabber—“Hey, everybody! Get happy—trials are coming your way!”
Had he lost his mind? I imagine that the original recipients of his letter were struck by the oddness of his greeting. He was writing to believers who had already undergone persecution and the loss of fellow Christians to martyrdom, and the sting of trials and demonic harassment was anything but joyful. Fortunately, however, James had a method to his madness, and I’m sure that the first group to read his message took a close look—and a very sober one—at what he had to say.
And in his remarks about joy, trials, and endurance, James left a trail of breadcrumbs, so to speak, for his brethren to follow so they could find their way through any trial they might encounter.
Imagine a pencil and paper maze from your childhood. Remember those? They always had one starting point and one end point. James 1:2-4 can be mapped out using the same principle. The starting point is called “My Trial” and the end point is “Perfect and Complete, Lacking Nothing”.
An interesting thing about this “trial maze” is that it works for the full spectrum of tests—from the seemingly insignificant irritations to massive worldwide turmoil.
If you remember those grade school mazes, you are keenly aware of the fact that within them several paths interconnect and wind around in every direction, but only one path will take you from start to finish. How many times did you have to start over when you first accepted the maze challenge?
As a kid, after messing up dozens of mazes by coloring the wrong paths, I started scoping them out first before I actually touched them with pencil, crayon, or marker. When I was satisfied I had correctly deciphered the route, I then colored it in with confidence and rarely botched a one after that.
James helped his brethren scope out the trials they encountered—from beginning to end—in a similar way. He gave them the secret to making it all the way through the maze effectively, but they needed two keys. The first key was joy, and the second, endurance.
Key number one. The very minute your trial starts, James wrote, start thinking about it as joy. Consider it all joy. If you look at something as joy, you don’t grumble, pout, or complain. You don’t scream, cry, or smack people. You smile. You laugh. You rejoice.
Fortunately for both James’ brethren and all the rest of us, he didn’t leave us dangling with this thought—face your trials with joy—with no further explanation. Instead, he gave us a second key to use with the key of joy—endurance—and a promise: that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Joy is the very attitude that will undergird you as you apply endurance. Joy lifts you up and empowers you while its opposite—pouting, grumbling, complaining, screaming, crying, or attacking others—brings you low and destroys.
Joy is the force that enables you to sit back at the onset of an attack and think, “Hmm…there’s an end to this trial. Let’s take a look at this maze.” Joy empowers you to resist taking all the false paths that crisscross your trial—pouting, grumbling, complaining, screaming, crying, or biting off heads. Joy is the force that speaks to your heart, “Hey, this may take a while, but there’s a prize at the end!” And with joy leading the charge, the second key, endurance, can arrive on the scene, do her thing, and have her perfect work.
Key number two: Endurance is that force which doesn’t need to look at her watch every 30 seconds. Endurance doesn’t check out the other competitors around her to see if they are faster, smarter, or more adept. Endurance is the force that is willing to remain behind the pack, if necessary, in order to see God fulfill His purposes. Endurance doesn’t give up.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
It is God’s will to bring about a perfect work in your life. But you must first apply two keys whenever you encounter a trial: 1.) Consider it all joy, and 2.) Endure to the end. Then you will be perfect complete, lacking in nothing.
Are you ready for the next maze?
Dorothy
Read MoreJames1:1—James the bond-servant of Christ
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. James 1:1
Much of Christian tradition holds to the belief that James, who wrote the letter in the Bible bearing his name, was a half-brother of Jesus. Although other followers of Jesus were also named James, here are a couple of Scriptures which support the belief that this author likely was the brother of the Lord:
Mark 6:2-3: “And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” The first of Jesus’ four brothers mentioned here is James.
Galatians 1:19: “But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” Here the apostle Paul refers to the brother of Jesus, whom he identifies as James. Notice that this James was not one of the original twelve disciples, but Paul categories him with the other apostles nonetheless. Obviously, James—who along with the rest of Jesus’ family may have once thought that Jesus was in dire need of a family intervention (see Matthew 12:46-50)—not only became a believer himself, but also emerged as an apostle and a great church leader.
Another clue to James’ sibling connection with Jesus is found in the similarity of thought and style shared by the two. None of the other writers of the New Testament letters besides James express their ideas with such striking resemblance to the preaching found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. More than a few excerpts from James’ letter read like a sequel to the Lord’s well-known hillside message.
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…
James identified himself in this greeting, not as Jesus’ brother, but as His bond-servant and the bond-servant of God. By describing himself in this way, he was declaring to one and all that he had given himself over to the will of the Lord to serve Him and to advance His cause on the earth (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1401&t=KJV). He did not wrap himself in accolades; he didn’t name-drop or pad his resume with his unique connection to his Brother, the Lord; he simply identified himself as a servant of Jesus.
… to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Bible commentator David Guzik explains James’ audience like this: “To the twelve tribes: What James means by the reference to the twelve tribes is difficult to understand. Is James writing a letter just to Christians from a Jewish background, or to all Christians? Certainly, this letter applies to all Christians. Probably, James wrote his letter before Gentiles were brought into the church, or before Gentile Christians emerged in any significant number” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide_Jam/Jam_1.cfm).
As you read the Book of James, remember that James’ readership was largely made up of Jewish believers, indicating that they were very familiar with Hebrew laws and customs. But also remember that his readers were Christian; knowing this eliminates any excuse someone might come up with to weasel out of the more “toe-stomping” portions of this epistle.
It is my hope that you will enjoy this verse by verse adventure in the Book of James—but wear your steel-toed boots. James didn’t mess around.
Until tomorrow,
Dorothy
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