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"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [diverse] temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2-4).



James was a man of action! He wasn't one to heap pleasantries upon his hearers, but went straight to the heart of the matter. The kingdom church was undergoing an intense persecution from both the religious establishment of the day and Rome, to which James replies: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [diverse] temptations." His hearers probably counted many things joy, but trials? Hardly! What joy would a believer find in being flogged by a Roman whip? Beloved, James isn't advocating some type of prideful denial in suffering. He doesn't say the trial is all joy, but to "count it all joy." They were to look at the trial with a proper attitude, understanding that it would ultimately work out for their good. As difficult as they are to endure, God has a purpose in trials.



A good example is the Apostle Paul - when he and Silas were mistreated unmercifully at Philippi. What purpose could God have possibly had in allowing such cruel treatment of His apostle? It must have been a bitter pill for Paul to swallow when he was falsely accused, beaten with rods, and cast into prison; the innermost prison, mind you, where conditions were deplorable. Surely there was no joy in such abuse, but Paul left the matter with the Lord, knowing that He was working all things out according to the counsel of His will. Imagine the apostle's joy when the Philippian jailer and his household were saved as a result of Paul's incarceration! If Paul and Silas had not encountered this trial the jailer may have never heard the gospel.



TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS



"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [diverse] temptations." Strong defines the word "temptation" (Gr. peirasmos) that James uses here as "a putting to proof, by experiment of good, or experience of evil, solicitation." Our English word temptation is almost exclusively used today as a solicitation to do evil. The biblical term, however, can also mean a "trial" sent by God which serves to test or prove a believer's faith (See Gen. 22:1 cf. Heb. 11:17). This twofold meaning is clearly exhibited in James 1:12,13:



"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." Since a reward is promised from the Lord, this "temptation" or trial is obviously from the hand of God. It may also be something He allows to come into our life to try us. As the believer passes through the furnace of affliction the experience prepares him for more responsibility in the Lord's service. James goes on to say, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man." Seeing that God will never tempt anyone to do evil, the temptation here is an attack of Satan to cause the believer to fall into sin. The context then is the determining factor as to which aspect of the term is being used.



"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [diverse] temptations." It is noteworthy that James doesn't say, "if" you fall into trials, but "when" you fall into trials. There are some things you can count on in life and trials would be one of them. They are like unwelcome guests that occupy our time and attention. Trials are good instructors, however, because they teach by experience. If there is one thing you can say about experience, it would be this: it gives you the test first and the lesson later.
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James also adds that there were "divers" or various types of trials that his hearers were being called upon to endure. For example, the patriarch Job in one day suffered the loss of his servants and all his flocks and herds. He was still reeling from this news when he received word that his sons and daughters were swept into eternity by a sudden storm. While he was trying to comprehend all this, Satan afflicted him with sore boils from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet (Job 1:14-22; 2:4-8 ). Through it all Job never charged God foolishly or sinned against Him. Essentially, James wanted his readers to understand that trials are unpredictable and come in many different forms.



Years ago I worked in the injection molding department of a large company that produced safety equipment. As a supervisor, I was responsible to keep twenty hydraulic presses running smoothly. Injection molding machines operate under extreme temperatures and pressures to produce a desired product in a controlled environment.



We were one of the companies that molded helmets for all the fire departments across the country. This particular hat was made out of a polycarbonate resin that is nearly indestructible. Oftentimes the back part of the large brim of the helmet would run short. In other words, the hat wasn't filled out properly - it was incomplete. To correct the problem I merely applied more hydraulic "pressure" to the back of the ram to inject the molten plastic into the mold more quickly. This would cause the rim of the hat to fill out properly, resulting in a complete end product.



In like manner, the application of pressure to the faith of these believers, in the form of trials, produced patience. A young man once asked Pastor Win Johnson (former president of the Berean Bible Fellowship) to pray that God would give him patience. Pastor Johnson replied, "Are you sure that you understand what you are asking." "What do you mean?" said the young man. "Well, the Scriptures teach that `tribulation worketh patience' (Rom. 5:3). You are asking me to pray that God will bring trials and tribulations into your life." "OH!!" he said.



Here we see God's perfect order of things. When the believer passes through a trial he must wait on the Lord. As he endures, it causes him to become more patient because the circumstances are always beyond his control. If a kingdom saint, for example, was imprisoned for preaching that Christ is God, in defiance to Caesar who believed he was a god, there was little he could do until Rome decided to release him. Patience builds character and produces consistency in those areas of our Christian life where we are often inconsistent. The end result is that we might grow spiritually or as James expresses it, "that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4).



The will of God for these kingdom believers was that they might be "complete." Like the brim of the fireman's hat that was filled out by applying more pressure, the believer is made complete through testing. I read somewhere years ago, "A Christian is like a tea bag, he's not worth much until he's been through some hot water." Very true! James adds to being complete, "entire, wanting nothing." While trials are bitter waters, they ultimately bring contentment.



THE SOURCE OF WISDOM



"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed" (James 1:5,6).



During times of intense testing the believer may be uncertain how to deal with the crisis in a Christ-honoring way. This would have been especially true of this group of believers. Thus James instructs his hearers, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." With the diminishing of Israel's program it's doubtful that the apostle is referring to the supernatural gift of wisdom. Thankfully the wisdom of God was still at their disposal, but in another form. Like believers today, when these saints were faced with a major crisis it was their tendency to deal with it in their own strength. They rolled up their sleeves and did their best to manage the crisis only to discover it was bigger and more complicated than they realized. We can all relate to that! It didn't take long for them to see that they needed divine assistance.
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When they didn't know which way to turn, James tells his hearers, seek the wisdom of God, if they lacked wisdom. It is generally agreed that wisdom is knowledge properly applied. Here it is important to distinguish between human and divine wisdom. Human wisdom says, "Haste makes waste!" On the other hand, divine wisdom rises to a higher standard, a spiritual standard! It says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12).



When Solomon ascended to the throne, God spoke to him in a dream. The Lord said, "Ask what I shall give thee." Instead of asking God for long life or riches, he requested that he be given wisdom to lead the great nation of Israel. Solomon prayed:



"And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" (I Kings 3:7-9).



Remember, DNA testing wasn't an option; consequently most judges at the time would have found themselves between the horns of a dilemma. Not Solomon; he simply demanded that a sword be brought to him and instructed that the child be divided in two and each mother be given half. When the true mother heard the king's order she begged him not to take the child's life, but to give the child to the other woman. When Solomon saw the compassion she had for the little one he knew she was the mother. "And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment" (I Kings 3:28 ).



This type of wisdom was at the disposal of the kingdom saints. But they had to ask God in faith, not wavering. Without faith it is impossible to please God. For those who would respond in faith, God promised to "liberally" or generously fill their cup with wisdom to assist them in their hour of need. The same will also be true of the future Tribulation saints whom James is addressing providentially. As we will note throughout our study, the epistle of James runs parallel to the earthly ministry of Christ recorded in the Four Gospels. The Lord promised the little flock:



"Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:21,22).



James echoes the same: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God....But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering [doubting]."



These weren't idle words; God always honors His Word. Around the time James was penning these words, the twelve apostles of the kingdom were suffering persecution at the hands of religious leaders in Jerusalem. In response to Peter's prayer for boldness the place where they were assembled literally shook beneath their feet (Acts 4:29-31). Because they were under the control of the Holy Spirit whatever they requested in faith, not doubting, they received - whether it was to move a mountain or the need for wisdom - God honored their request. In all probability this was accomplished through a special measure of wisdom that would be granted by God for a specific trial or by simply opening the eyes of their understanding as to what was already revealed in the Prophetic Scriptures. The primary source of wisdom is the Word of God.
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When everything in life is going along as smooth as silk, it is easy to have faith without doubting the Word of God. It's when adversity stalks you like an unwelcome predator that doubts arise in the heart. Faith and doubt are usually both present when the phone rings at 2:30 in the morning and the bearer of bad news tells you: "There's been an accident. I'm sorry - your loved one isn't coming home!" When things become more than you can bear, look to Him in faith. God is the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort who will comfort us in our time of need.



Even the faith of the apostles was shaken at times. Doubt was a temporary setback even for them. You will recall how one evening the Lord and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm came up. At the beginning of the voyage the Master retired to the stern of the boat where He fell asleep on a pillow. As the waves broke over the bow and the boat began to take on water, the disciples were paralyzed with fear and doubt. Their faith began to waver, with the wind-driven waves. Having done everything humanly possible to save themselves, they finally looked unto Jesus who was the author and finisher of their faith. Did they really think that ship would go down with the Lord on board? Little wonder the Lord responded, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" (Matt. 8:26).



"A double minded man is unstable [restless] in all his ways." I must confess that I tend to be a perfectionist. I like things to be done right and on time; therefore, if I have a choice, I always choose people to work with who aren't afraid to make hard decisions. Essentially, I like all my ducks in a row. Indecision drives a perfectionist crazy! A doubled minded man is one who can't make up his mind if his life depended upon it. If you think about it, someone who is indecisive ultimately allows the circumstances to make the decision for him. In other words, a decision is actually made by default! For example:



A family friend has given you an all-expense paid tour of the Mediterranean, but you are undecided whether or not to go. You really don't like to fly. Then there are the unforeseen expenses. But the Mediterranean is beautiful this time of year. Of course, there is also a terrorist concern. The day of the departure you are packed, but still undecided. The tour leaves without you - their departure made the decision for you.



James wanted these kingdom believers to be decisive in the face of adversity. They were to call on God in faith who would freely grant them wisdom to endure the circumstances.

Blackeyedpea:

My trails and tribulations are what brought me back to the cross. No they aren't over, but they keep me focused on seeking Him and His righteousness first, along with His perfect will and His perfect timing for everything in my life.     

Thank you so much for sharing these reminders and words of wisdom. Just what I needed to hear!!!

God Bless, Eva

Hello Sister Eva,

I'm very happy to hear that these studies are helping you. They are helping me also. We all have our trials to go through, and the Bible tells us that they can be used to bring us closer to CHRIST and stronger in HIM. So, our trials can be positive.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 15:5-7 NASB
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

Brother Tom:

No doubt about it, your posting from God's Word has helped me this week. I firmly believe that ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord (that's me), and are called according to HIS purpose (I'm daily working on this one). 

My trails and tribulations have definitely done both, brought me closer the Christ and have made me much stronger.

Thank you,
Love in Christ, Eva