James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

Welcome back to our study in the book of James.

You may think it odd that I would be starting with the opening verse that we are going to be studying this week.

I have to tell you, God is too cool. It seems a lot of times when I am teaching on a subject, the Lord will allow me to go through some of the things I am teaching on that week.

I have to tell you this is true for this weeks study.

If you have been following along in all these studies each week, then you know that I update the studies once a week, usually on the weekend.

Well some of you may have went to the study and found it has been the same for the last two weeks.

That’s where this weeks verse comes in.

The lord has allowed me to go through a particular trial the last week.

You see, last weekend my computer crashed. Bad, yes, but even worse is I do not have any of it backed up on floppy or CD.

Glory be to God, all the material that is on the website I can access. But everything on my computer is a different story. Including the devotionals (a years worth) I do each week, along with three books I am currently writing, not to mention our personal finances and a lot of other things that, God willing, I will be able to recover.

Now I’m not telling you these things to feel sorry for me or even to boast in what the Lord is doing in my life. I tell you this because as devastating as it is, I still have joy in my life and in what the Lord is doing.

You see with a new study just starting out, means a new me and how the lord is dealing with me personally and with this web site.

I have no fears even if I am unable to recover everything off my old computer’s hard drive.

You see, through this I was able to get a new computer that is better then the one I had.

That is an interesting thing also which I must also tell you about.

When I determined that I was unable to fix my old computer I told my wife I needed to get a new one right away. The loving wife that she is, had no problem with this.

So after work this week I went shopping for a computer, as I did and even before that I asked the Lord to guide me and allow me the best deal.

So I searched the internet and went to a few places, the one I wanted was fairly inexpensive but it would have taken a week to get. But because of the studies here, I didn’t have a week to wait.

So I went somewhere else and still the one I wanted was still fairly inexpensive, but still it would take a few days to get. Finally I found one that was less expensive and I was able to take it home right away.

When I got it home my wife asked me, “Did you get what you wanted?”

My reply was, “I didn’t get what I wanted, but I got what I needed”.

In this the Lord has taught me that I don’t need the fastest, top of the line computer. I was able to get the lest expensive one which fits better for us financially.

You see, we think we need or deserve the best of everything. After all the world tells us we deserve the best and should have the best. But God knows what we need, and what may be the best in the worlds eye’s is not what we really need.

Think of your children, if they had it their way they would have cake and ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner. Now cake and ice cream are not bad for them, but it’s not what they need. We as adults know they need good nourishing food and a little cake and ice cream for dessert afterwards every once in a while .

We look at the neighbors and see what they have and want the same thing, but God knows what we need. So we may not always get what we want, but God always give us what we need.

So what does all this have to do with this weeks study? Nothing, but it may be just what you need to hear this week.

So back to James.

I’m glad you asked that.

The KJV calls “trials”, “temptations”.

In the Living bible it reads as follows.

So how in the world can we be happy when we are tempted or go through trials?

Well, in the world there is no joy or happiness. Sure there may be a temporary or false joy that the world gives, but it never stays and it’s usually a covering for the pain we are enduring.

Some people go out shopping when they are going through problems, some will drink or take drugs, some will eat, some will go find a new boyfriend or girlfriend, some will move and/or change their jobs, some will…, well you get the idea.

But if you think about all these things, or other things people do, you realize that they are only a temporary fix or a covering for the problem.

But God has a better way.

God allows us to go through various trials and temptations to help us grow a His children, and one thing He teaches us is patience.

So how did God teach me patience in what happen to me?

Well I could have went out and paid more money for a computer, but had to wait a week before I could get it. The patience came in when I decided that this is not what the Lord had for me. So with prayer and patience I continued to look until I knew what the Lord had for me.

If I wouldn’t have been patient in the Lord, you wouldn’t be reading this right now and would have to wait another week.

You are right, it is just a computer and even though there may be a lot of lost work, it’s not life threatening or what most would call a real trial.

Allow me to share another, very personal thing in my life that happened about ten years ago. Over ten years ago my dad went to be with Jesus.

If any of you have lost a loved one then you know what I am talking about.

My dad lived in another state and he had a triple bypass heart surgery, he lasted about a month before he passed away.

But one week before he died (physically) he called me on the phone. Because of what he went through with the operation, when he talked he was talking as loud as he could but I could only hear a whisper. At that point I knew my dad didn’t have much longer to live.

One week later he died, I was upset because I just lost my dad for a short time, because I know that I will see him again in heaven, but the Lord allowed me to have a peace I just can’t explain. The tears were few because I knew my dad was no longer in pain, and in fact when someone goes to heaven, they are totally happy and with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

That’s where the peace and joy comes in during these times.

But maybe there are other trials you are going through even right now. It could be financial, or problems in your marriage or with your kids. Maybe you are being attack at work, or even in your neighborhood.

There are a few misconceptions that people have when they are going through a trial or temptation.

The first is why is God doing this to me?

We will go over this verse more in detail when we get to it, but we must understand that God does not tempt us. It doesn’t mean that God wont allow us to be tempted.

Another misconception is that satan is attacking me. Now don’t get me wrong satan is the tempter.

But it’s not always the case which we will also see as we continue on in James.

A third is that you are being punished by God or you have done something wrong that’s why you are going through what you are.

This may be true, but then it may not.

If you go out and drink and drive, then get in an accident then you brought that on yourself.

But if you are just out in your car and someone else crashes into you because they where drinking and driving then you did not bring that upon yourself.

So still we don’t know how to have joy during these times. If you read through verses 2 - 4 this may give you a better understanding.

As I have said before, the world says we need everything and we need it now.

When we go through trials it can cause us to take our eye’s off of Jesus and others and put them on ourselves.

But in order to have joy in your life you must remember the word joy.

What does joy mean?

Jesus

Others

Yourself

You see if you try to have joy any other way then you no longer have joy.

Jesus

Yourself

Others

Yourself

Jesus

Others

No matter how you arrange it, unless you put Jesus first in your life, then put others next and have yourself as last then you will never have joy.

Why is this so important when you are going though trials?

If you put Jesus first, then you are putting your trust in Jesus and that He will get you through whatever you are going through.

If you put others next then you will always have friends there by your side to help comfort and support you.

Then when you put yourself last, you don’t have time to think or worry about your trials because you are focused on Jesus and others.

Another key thing James is speaking of here is not ordinary everyday trials or temptations, but the ones that test your faith.

We wont go to it, but I would encourage you to read the book of Job.

Here is a man who was the perfect example of what James is talking about.

Ok we will go to a little of Job.

Satan was not just attacking Job, but he was attacking Job’s faith in God, but if you read it through, we find that Job was a man of faith.

We always say and think that we would like to be like Jesus, perfect and complete.

It’s during these times of trials and temptations that we become more like Jesus, because as we go through them we become strengthened spiritually.

So as a Christian we should have joy, because as Christians we have the Holy Spirit in us, and part of the fruit of the Spirit is Joy.

But perfect peace comes from the Lord.

To end this weeks study, I have one question for you. When you are going through trials and temptations, are you trusting in the world or the Lord to see you through.

If you said the world then you will never have joy. If you said the Lord then know that’s where your joy will come from.

This weeks study was an introduction to trials, next week we will study this more as we continue on in the book of James.

May the Lord grant you His perfect peace which surpasses all understanding!