March 26, 2020
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in James? Here’s today’s reading:
James 1 (ESV)
Greeting
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness..........Continue Reading
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I always love when i come across this as I think this passage i very helpful in staying accountable 🙂
Reading and listening to sermons on Philippians in preparation for our next Women’s Bible Study.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/jas.1.12.niv
Praise be to our Lord and saviour.
19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
This is a great passage for our times speaking about not only trusting God through a trial but also responsibility for our actions during this time. Helping others, loving others, and not getting caught up in the anger and frustration of what is going on around us but rather keeping our eyes on God and His plan!
2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
p12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Regardless of how many times I read James 1:2, I am struck by the wording consider it pure joy when you face all kinds of trials. I mean, it’s one thing to talk about joy, it’s another to talk about pure, complete, unadulterated joy…and about trials…whatever form they take! And the joy is found mostly in the opportunity that trials provide….the opportunity to learn to persevere in faith so we can be ready for anything. It causes us to ask how vested we are in our maturing in Christ because it is clear that God is very invested!
Otherwise there is so much in this chapter. I do like how James differentiates for us the distinction between temptation and sin. It is a process that the proposition of sin comes along in temptation but just because the thought has been presented, it doesn’t mean it is sin because it hasn’t become ours. It is when our desire latches on and we make it our own that the temptation becomes sin.
And it is always good to be reminded that man’s anger cannot bring about the righteous life that God desires. And it is not enough to just hear the word…the point is that it makes a differences, that our behavior, speech, attitude and thoughts are changed because of engaging with the word….
James is writing to Jewish believers who are facing persecution that has uprooted their lives. It is in this context that God, through James, encourages believers to ‘Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds’.
What is my response to trials? The command to ‘Count it all joy’ has to be a conscious act on my part. It is an act that goes against my ‘natural-fleshly’ response. However, choosing joy is filled with benefits as is described through the first part of this chapter.
I spent some time thinking through verses 9 to 11. In context, I wonder how these verses relate to the Jewish believers who are scattered from Jerusalem? I can understand the command to ‘Count it all joy’ and the encouragement to seek wisdom from God. I wonder if the dispersion resulted in economic upheaval for many families? No matter the circumstance, we should never have confidence in riches because it can be taken away in short order. Just consider our economy over the last week where all the economic gains of the last three years were wiped out.
The greater riches is to remain steadfast in the face of uncertainty and trials. The one who remains steadfast is not promised riches in this life but a crown of life, emphasizing that our focus in this life should look beyond the temporal horizon to the eternal shores of that heavenly kingdom. That crown of life never fades or withers.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
I find it comforting that God is at the center of all aspects of trials.
Trials themselves are tests, which indicates they come from God [James 1:2]
God gives you the wisdom to overcome those trials [James 1:5]
God rewards you for overcoming those trials [James 1:12]
Our contribution is faith and reliance on our Lord Jesus Christ. If God was not at the center, we would have no hope.
I am reading James again today. I love how James tell us to count it all Joy in various trials. We don’t have to rely on our own wisdom but God who Is unchanging gives wisdom for all situations and circumstances. All we need to do is ask in faith. I think of the circumstances of the world today and know God give wisdom to deal with all these issues of the virus and way people are responding to the situation they are in. My hope is in the Lord.