James: More GraceSample

Can a gap develop between what we know and how we actually behave?

Yes. Very easily!

All through his letter James calls on these Christians to act in line with what they say they believe. He begins here with the issue of how they respond to the various trials that come their way. Every trial we face puts our trust in Jesus under pressure. They test our faith. Is our faith real? Will it last?

• What do these believers already know about the outcome of such tests (v. 3)?

Experiencing a trial is like going through a testing assault course. Nego- tiating the course will have many chal- lenges, but if we keep going, we will be stronger and more resilient as a result.

The more we persevere in our faith through trials, the stronger our trust in Jesus will become and the more we will keep going. We will learn to persevere whatever happens. Trials can actually help us stay Christian.

All this is not news to James’ readers. They know this (v. 3).

But knowing this should not be a fact filed away somewhere gathering dust. It should change how they respond to trials.

• How should these believers think about having to face trials (v. 2)?

We must not misunderstand James here. James does not say, ‘Feel pure joy ... whenever you face trials.’ James is not talking here about trying to feel something. He is talking about deciding to think something. The word ‘consider’ in verse 2 carries the idea of counting or reckoning. It means deliberately deciding to think in a certain way.

Imagine you are writing down all the experiences of your life. There are two columns on the piece of paper, one headed ‘Joy’ and the other headed ‘Difficult’. You have to decide where to record each experience. As you think about each one, you have to decide, ‘Should this experience go in the “Joy” column? Or should I put it down in the other column?’

James is saying that, in their thinking, believers need to put trials down in the ‘Joy’ column. And they need to keep putting trials back into the ‘Joy’ column in their minds, for it is very easy to stray from thinking like this. We should do this, not because these trials feel joyful at the time, for they probably won’t, but because these testing times can help us stay Christian. James will go on to tell his readers why staying Christian is so very important.

Pray

Pray that the testing of your faith would produce perseverance.