1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2. My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations.
3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.
4. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let them ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and does not reproach; and it shall be given.
James 1:1-5
What’s the Deal?
Let’s face it, no one enjoys trouble. For that reason, many of us cannot grasp the admonition by the Apostle James to count it all joy.We hold to the view that all troubles are bad and the sooner we get them over with the better. A few hold the martyrs view of troubles and think that they will earn some badge of honor or compliment from people regarding their dedication to God. Neither of these views satisfy the meaning of the text. For that reason, it is absolutely critical to not look at this Scripture passage with religious awe, but to ask God for wisdom to respond to situations in the manner that is prescribed. In other words, you and I must learn to deal with temptations by considering them to be ALL JOY. Much to our surprise, we will discover that the Riches of God in Christ are often buried under the struggles and trials of life. We must learn to deal with it. With that in mind, it is good to know what we are dealing with.
First on the agenda is to determine how the text applies to believers in Christ. If you will note, James has a specific audience that he addresses in the salutation. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. He is writing to Jews who believe in the Messiah. He is also writing to Jewish believers who are going through some form of suffering or struggle. History tells us that these Jews who were scattered throughout the Roman empire were going through persecution because of their faith and because they were Jews. They faced both racial harassment and religious persecution ordered by the Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. According to the online source jewishpersecutionhistory.weebly.com, during the time the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., over 1 million Jews were killed in Judea, many more were sold into slavery by the Romans, and the remaining Jews were scattered throughout the Roman Empire in order to guarantee no future revolts by the Jews. Messianic Jews were among those who were scattered in that diaspora or displacement. That was the backdrop to James letter as he encouraged them in their faith. In times like that, what else do you have to hold on to except your faith. Through faith you can deal with it.
This was nothing new for the natural descendants of Abraham. Only now, they were receiving encouragement from apostles and Church leaders. The message of hope and encouragement was more than a morale booster, it was sound teaching that would instruct the believers as the battled against spiritual forces and continued to witness the Power of God. Acts 5:41 points to the joyous attitude that the apostles had as they faced early persecution by the religious leaders of Jerusalem. They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name. When all out persecution started against the believers in Jerusalem the Bible says they were scattered but they kept sharing God’s Truth. Acts 8:4, Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. This was the manner in which they dealt with persecution and hardship. Were they crazy? No, they simply did not allow their problems to overtake their faith. Paul wrote in Romans 5:3, and not only so, but we glory in tribulations (trouble) also: knowing that tribulation produces patience. They dealt with it.
So, for James to write this to believers was not a new doctrine. It was standard practice for the Church of Jesus Christ. No matter what the circumstance or what the cost, the believer was to count it all joy when you fall into various temptations. Deal with it.
So What – Now What?
Just because you are facing a dilemma does not mean you cannot access God’s Riches in Christ Jesus. The fact that you are facing difficulty does not mean that God is punishing you or that you are alone to fend for yourself. What it does mean is that you are being tested for a reason and you must stay in the game or forfeit. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you were taken out of the contest before God, your Heavenly Coach, had an opportunity to show you some new plays or prove your ability? With that thought, let us explore several outcomes when the believer learns to deal with it, by counting it all joy. This first message will introduce the trust preparedness. How is the believer prepared for the temptation?
It is not wise to wait until the storm hits to go out and buy an umbrella. So, as God’s children, we can expect the Holy Spirit to equip us prior to the onslaught of difficulty. The good news is that the One who is working in us is greater than the forces that are working against us. This is why James can boast of the joy. Joy does not show up after the conflict is over, nor does it parade in during the conflict. Joy is present before the fight starts.
We deal with the struggle because the Holy Spirit has produced the joy fruit in advance and has equipped the believer for the fight. My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations … Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience … But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
There are two key words in these verses that deal with trust preparation. Count it all joy when … this would be the moment (second) the conflict starts. You either have the joy or you don’t. In other words, you need to have your weapons of war before you land in the foxhole. The second term that deals with trust preparation has to do with Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. To know that joy is there or should be there even before the conflict starts is precious. To know that God would never bring you to the struggle without giving you the resources for the struggle. That proves that our Joy comes from God, and it is not given at the last minute, nor is it thrown in as a lifeline when we are about to go under. We have joy in advance and that is how we deal with it.
What is Keeping You From Dealing With It?
Prior to giving an example of counting it all joy, it would be of great benefit to list some of the barriers that prevent us from the joy of dealing with it. A common barrier is fear and anxiety. It is possible to have faith in God and then talk ourselves out of God’s joy, by allowing fear to dominate the moment. This happened to God’s people in the Valley of Elah in the Old Testament. The Philistines and Goliath the giant taunted Israel to the point that they did not realize they had the resources of faith to destroy the enemy. It was not until young David showed up on the scene and said, “is there not a cause.” He did not get the joy at the last minute, he had joy when he arrived. David dealt with the giant. We can also bring that same joy to our battlefields in life.
Another barrier to joy is tradition. Tradition is based on what has been done will always be done, amen. This is not the case with life. Life happens and you cannot depend on things remaining constant. Notice the immediacy of trouble. Things happen all at once and traditions are thrown to the wind. James reminds us that God’s joy is fully prepared to meet every obstacle that life throws at you at any time. Count it ALL JOY. count it all joy when you fall into various temptations. The Joy of the Lord has been time tested, road tested, and storm tested. Saints down through the ages have dealt with all kinds of hardships through their reliance on God’s Joy.
The third barrier is compromise, where many believers face the challenge of going along to get along. Those who compromise are more interested in public opinion. We must admit that all of us have this deep desire for acceptance. We want people to like us and to welcome us, so compromise becomes the attitude of choice. Let’s just all agree and sing Kum Bah Yah together and everything will be alright. That approach never works because while it may gain the world’s favor, it conflicts with God’s plan and purpose. Even if God did grant His Joy, it would not be implemented because of the weakness of the flesh. If the believer is to truly deal with life successfully, it can only be done by counting it all joy when you fall into various trials and temptations. We have to deal with it or it will deal with us.
This is How to Deal With It.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a situation where compromise was not even considered. They were well aware of the king’s edict. They knew the consequences of defying the command to bow down to the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had made. They knew that death could be the outcome of their struggle, but they were prepared. They were able to deal with the situation because of the One that had dealt with them. Prior to their deportation from Jerusalem, they made a vow to be faithful to God. In return, God had given them favor in the eyes of the people. This did not mean they could just go along to get along and compromise their faith. When the day finally arrived for them to be tested because of their faith, I believe God gave them “Joy.” They did not stand in arrogance, nor did they stand in fear. They were confident that “God was able.” They dealt with the situation by standing up for what they believed in. When asked by the king if it was true that they would not bow to the image; then Nebuchadnezzar followed by asking, “who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered with boldness, “we don’t need to answer you on that point … if our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from your fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king … but if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, or worship the golden image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18. The text does not say, the king backed down or the king threw them into prison. No, they were thrown into the fire, but something went with them into the fire. They had a deep trust in God and God gave them a joyous attitude. That is how they dealt with it. When they dealt with it, God said, let Me go down and join my boys. They need me to regulate the thermostat in the furnace. They need Me to vacuum the smoke and keep them comfortable in the furnace. Since the furnace is there, I’ll turn it into the place of great deliverance. Now, God was dealing with it.
The question we close with is how you will deal with your struggle. Yours will probably not be a fiery furnace, but it is a trial nonetheless. I highly recommend the Joy of the Lord as your strength. It was recommended by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It even has the endorsement of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If it worked for them, it will work in your time of conflict. It will work perfectly under every circumstance and bring you into the realm of patience that God designed for all His children. Deal with it. Deal in Joy and reap the benefits it offers. Just deal with it and watch God deal with you.