What Really Matters
James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” This passage has been a familiar one to me in the ministry. I have shared it with many people. I have believed it and not doubted it. When it comes to practicing the Scriptures you believe, well, it can be trying. Practice what you preach, right?
I am convinced the word all in our text means all. In this context, it must mean difficulties and trying moments in your life. The Scripture is clear when you meet trials of various kinds and they can vary tremendously in our lives. What may be a trial to one is not necessarily a trial to another. But we do know and trust the Word of God, that these trials will work something out in us and for His pleasure and glory.
Can we learn some things from a trial? Defined, a trial literally means “a trying,” and we often may use the phrase “I’m trying to see if this works.” But we see something in this text that goes completely against what the average human response is, count it joy when you encounter trials. What? How? In fact, count it all joy. Yes, but if you will read the remaining verses, you will see the result, and that’s glorious.
Troubles come in waves. They come throughout our entire life. Many of us have endured sickness, death of family members, and other trials that arise in this life, and as the book of Ecclesiastes emphasizes, this is “life under the sun.” In 2015, I was diagnoses with POEMS Syndrome, a rare plasma cell disorder. The Lord saw me through that. All of us have been met with trials of various kinds. Trials aren’t new; life is full of them. Job 14:1 “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.” As we read the Psalms, we find that the Psalmist never says God keeps him from trouble, but He delivers him from trouble. God is a sustainer in times of trials.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he includes the fact that trouble will come, even in the bliss and joy of marriage. “But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you” (1 Corinthians 7:28). Let’s face the facts, life is full of trouble in one sense or another. But for the Christian, this life is not where our hope and joy lies.
Given the current crisis in the world from a virus, it has literally much of the world in some sort of panic, lockdown and many facing a trial in their lives. The type of trial will produce, in accordance with vs. 3-4, “steadfastness,” and this will result in “perfect and complete lacking nothing.” I don’t think we count our trials as joy, but we count it joy that God is faithful through our trials. He is the rock and refuge for us. He is our hiding place. What is something we can learn from the current crisis in our world today?
Church Gatherings Should/Will Be Seen Differently
In the American church, being able to gather publicly without threat of persecution has literally been the normal for much of this country’s existence. I have seen over the years, people come and go from fellowships over the dumbest and most selfish reasons. I’ve seen this personally from the point of pastoral ministry and as a member.
Many Christians in America have taken for granted the joy of gathering together for worship. It seems that the gathering of the church for worship is the easiest to put aside. We would rather have a birthday party, ball tournament or some family reunion on a Sunday, rather than Saturday, because Saturday is “my” day.
It shouldn’t be so easy to not assemble together. I am aware of circumstances that prevent that at times. I worked for Delta in the 90’s and I had to work weekends, usually missing an am service or pm service. But what I’ve seen over the years is the ease of scheduling things that prevent people from gathering as to not hinder their personal time.
Now, many want to go and gather at the church but can’t. It seems the events they placed higher and more important than gathering together for worship are gone. Just like that. No parties. No ball games. Gone.
When the church is able to gather again, we should be more grateful for the ability to do so. Maybe the complaints about who does what and who doesn’t do what will subside. As we sing and worship together in the church again, maybe our attitude of worship will be about who God is and not what we want.
In many countries that are hostile to the gospel, public gatherings are near impossible or are done so under the threat of punishment. Yet, even under the threat of persecution, they meet in homes or somewhere. Imagine for a moment if the church in America would value the worship of God in this manner?
The Value Of Things Should Be Rearranged
Counting it all joy does not mean we rejoice in the trial. It means we rejoice that God is with us in the trials. During the current crisis of COVID-19, many things we take for granted are not easily available. Basic necessities that we always thought would be there are limited or even unavailable. The value of spending time together as a family should be revisited. All the things that distracted us from spending time playing games, walking in the woods, fixing the lawnmower, fishing or working in the yard together should have a proper order now.
John MacArthur makes this comment “The purpose for trials in life is so that you – not God, He knows where your faith is – so that you may know the strength or weakness of your faith and so that in enduring through the trial you may be blessed in this life and rewarded in the next life.” Trials often put into the proper order things that really matter. Often an event occurs in someone’s life for the purpose of pointing them in the right direction towards God. If a trial causes a believer to rethink what his priorities are, then vs. 3 is a present reality, “testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
I keep Colossians 3:1-2 in mind, “If you have then been raised with Christ, seek those things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of Christ. Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on earth.” Through trials, those unnecessary things we had our attention on are moved aside, and our focus becomes the joy we find in God’s refuge.
In conclusion, may we see the value of eternal things – not temporal. God in His providential wisdom, through trials, removes the useless and vain things in our lives. We bless His name because in Him we find joy, even in all the trials that come this side of heaven.
Share