Count It All Joy – Freebie Friday

Friends, I’ve wrestled with James 1:2 several times over the years. How can we be expected to rejoice and “count it all joy” while our circumstances look and feel dire?

James—a devoted servant of the Lord Jesus and His half-brother—answers with this:

“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” ‬‬

JAMES‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭AMP

James makes it clear that trials and tribulations are certain in life. It’s not a question of if, but of when, and when we do experience them, we can be just as certain that our faith will come into play.

Trials don’t produce faith; they expose it!

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.”

Charles Spurgeon

So, the testing of our faith through difficult circumstances reveals to us and those around us where our faith and hope truly lie.

We have to know that trials and temptations don’t cause us to sin; our own flesh and free will do. Tests of faith act like a microscope into our souls, revealing the depth of our sin and weakness. When we can then confess our sin and need, we can allow God to get to work in our hearts, changing us from the inside out.

The stain of sin has to be revealed in order to be cleansed.

It’s also important to note that God doesn’t use adversity and pain and this fallen world to break our faith in Him, but rather to …

… break down our barriers to Him,

… produce patience and perseverance (James 1:2-4),

… place His mighty power in full view and show us He’s sovereign,

… help us realize our deep need for Him (2 Cor. 12:9-10),

… lead us to lay down our worry and need for control,

… reveal sin and sanctify us,

… condition us for servanthood,

… shape our endurance into a beacon of hope and truth for others,

… develop godly character and hope (Romans 5:3-6),

… allow us to share in Christ’s suffering so we can become more like Him.

That is why we can rejoice in all circumstances!

Unspeakable loss and pain don’t prohibit a steadfast and genuine joy; rather, for believers in Christ Jesus, they all can (and should) coexist in the same heart. For us, pain is inevitable but never beyond God’s power to use for good, which can be so hard to understand while enduring it. Although we may not be able to see the entirety of God’s plan, we can trust Him.

Life is hard but God is good!

Now, read that again … then claim it and proclaim it!

“And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”

ROMANS‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Count it all JOY, friends!

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