Daily Devotional

Just like the Beatitudes (Poor, Meek, Mourning, Persecution, etc.), the Epistle of James’ first statement is full of dissonance. If the early church was run by public relations folks, they would have put the kibosh on this type of full disclosure Christianity.

Does Jesus or any of the New Testament writers promise the Chirstian a trip down easy street? Our life with Christ is not designed to be trouble free (Just look at what happened to each of the apostles). Only one, John, lived to a ripe old age, all the rest suffered martyr’s deaths. I do not believe that the wealth and health proponents spend a lot of time in the Book of James. In a fallen world trials are inevitable. 

However, doesn’t this sound a little nutty: Be full of joy when you have trial in your life? Life is not about being happy. If you think that Jesus’ goal is to create the greatest amount of happiness for you then you have been reading a different Bible. Let us be honest – it would be goofy to be happy about trials. If happiness is not necessarily at the end of my personal trek, what are we going after?

What is this “joy” that we should seek? It is a joy that comes from knowing that God is in control and you are in the center of His will. This pure joy equals peace and confidence in the final outcome. He will never waste an ounce of sorrow that you go through for His kingdom purposes.

Who wants to go through trials? No rational person chooses trials. What is meant by trials in this context? They are situations where we find ourselves full of difficulties and challenges. They represent our external environment. Often, they can look hopeless to us, especially when we consider our human resources in dealing with them.

Can words other than trials be substituted into the verse and have it continue to make sense?  Sometimes the words testing or even temptations can add a slightly different sense to the verse. Certainly, these trials provide a type of testing to us at a very fundamental level. When faced with a trial how we react and deal with it is a type of testing of our current view of our relationship with Christ in our life. Who do you lean on and/or trust as we face a trial? We often yield to the temptation to take control ourselves and fail to rely on God in these times. Trials can be both tests and temptations. 

Notice it does not say “if” you face trials but rather “whenever” you face them. This gives the sense that we will face trials and note the fact that the word is plural. Trials are designed to make you—but when handled wrongly, they can break you. The person with the victim mentality focuses on asking “why me?” rather than asking “what now?”. The “what now” questions are the right ones to ask. What does God want to accomplish in me through this trial?

God is not a God of anarchy. He does not put you in situations where things are spinning totally out of control. At the same time, He understands that we mature best when we are moved just outside of our personal comfort zone and learned to rely on Him. Too often we rob ourselves of the lesson God wants for us by retreating back into our comfort zone by any means necessary. 

The goal is to mature you as a Christian. If you accept you are part of God’s army, think of this life as a kind of extended boot camp. What are the armed forces trying to accomplish with you in boot camp? It is designed to prepare recruits for all the elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. It gives service members the basic tools necessary to perform the roles that will be assigned to them for the duration of their tour of duty.

How does this relate to what God is doing in our lives? Our tour of duty is the rest of our lives. God is using these trials to prepare us spiritually, mentally, emotionally and possibly physically to be ready to handle the roles He has for us. God is a God of purpose and has a reason for the trials we face.

Verse 2 says we should face them with joy. For a fuller explanation read on to verses 3 and 4 of Chapter 1. James never leaves us hanging. He always provide explanation.