Trials are things or situations no one wants to experience, yet we will all have them. James gives instructions to the Jews who were dispersed all throughout the region, to encourage them to stay connected to the body of Christ, the church. One instruction he gives them is how to suffer. Not what you want to hear as a new believer, but the facts are the facts, and we will face many trials in this life. Therefore, we need to know how to properly handle them.
James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting”.
They must have been going through many problems both within and without the church because he begins by telling them in James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers, (different kinds) temptations (trials). The word temptation is not talking about an allurement to sin. Never are we to count it a joy to be tempted to sin. The word temptations here is better translated as trials. It can be by persecution, poverty, or a disastrous event marked by great loss of any kind. These events try our faith and show whether we will adhere to our faith or cave into the situation. It shows who we trust and where our strength lies. Is it in ourselves or is it in Christ?
First, we need to understand we will have trials in this life. There are three different categories of trials. The one you are going into, the one you are in, or the one you are exiting. That is life. We all face them. The difference is how we handle them.
Second, James says we need to “count it all joy.” The key word is “count”. It is a financial term meaning “to evaluate”. When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us. This helps us understand how a Christian can have joy amid trials. This Christian lives for the things that matter most. It is all in your perspective. It is an honor to be tested by the God of all gods. You can get excited about what God is trying to do through you. Do we desire trials? No, but we don’t get “down in the mouth,” and bitter about being in them. You are not to consider it as a punishment, but more of a test. Job was tested and tried but his goal was to come forth as gold.
Job 23:10 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Third, determine in your heart and mind that nothing is going to keep you from obeying God. Because of his love for you, he died for you. Because of your love for him, you will obey. Cultivate a grateful heart within yourself and continue to press forward. Keep your eyes focused on Him and stay away from those who were like Job’s friends and his wife.
Job 16:20 “My friends scorn me: but mine eye fourth out tears unto God.
Job 2:9 “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Peter says in I Peter 1:7 that our faith will be tested, and it should yield results that prove it is real and genuine. If we have endured the test or trials with the right attitude it will yield results that bring honor and glory when Christ returns.
I Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”
If you will endure trials following these guidelines you will be able to have a deep-seated awareness of God in your life. You will be able to have joy that no trial can alter. Keep these three reminders;
- Know they will come.
- Keep the proper perspective.
- Obey at any cost.
As you go through trials in the right way you will grow spiritually. Becoming a mature Christian is our goal on this earth, and we should be getting closer to that goal, through each situation. It takes an entire lifetime as we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
