Consider It All Joy

Mark Dunagan
12/11/16 - Sunday Morning

Consider it all Joy

One of the greatest blessings we've been given from our Heavenly Father, is the ability to sustain a level of joy that greatly exceeds any present crisis. While we sometimes have little to no control many of the circumstances that challenge us, our Creator teaches us how to chose an eternal perspective so that we can, through His strength, use every circumstance to grow spiritually and experience a sense of well being, if we are willing to apply His instructions (1 Peter 2:19-20; 4:14-16). 

Consider it: 1:2

How refreshing to realize we do have control over how we perceive what is happening to us. We can change our perspective to a more happy state of mind, no matter what. The aorist tense here is used, that is the idea of, "do it now, and make it your final decision". Rather than having the shallow reactions of fear, anger, envy or being driven by any number of other purely emotional responses to hardship, we are to remember something above all those natural inclinations: the fact that such trials are a invaluable opportunity for our own personal growth (Romans 5:3-5).

All Joy: 1:2

Joy is the total opposite of complaining, murmuring or feeling sorry for oneself during our trials. What is there to rejoice over in such trials?  1. If we cooperate, something priceless  will result in us, that is, "praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6-8).  2. We will learn a lot, especially from Scripture, during such times and it is a learning that can be of immense benefit (Psalm 119:71).  3. We are being given the rare privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus during our brief pilgrimage here (Philippians 1:29).

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance: 1:3

When we know for certain that our faith is being refined and that such is intended as a blessing, we can endure each trial with more wisdom and grace. If I continue to trust God we will discover we've developed a very strong and powerful level of patience and endurance and it takes more and more to fatigue us in this spiritual fit state.

Let endurance have its perfect result: 1:4

Here we have another choice – sticking with God through thick and thin in order to achieve the ideal outcome. Sadly, many people do not allow themselves to grow. Instead of trusting God and holding on to Him, they quit, compromise, opt for a quick sinful fix, or retreat into becoming a secret disciple. The word “let” reminds us that we have the choice whether testing brings about improvement or disaster in our lives. Trials do not inherently bring improvement, they only bring progress when we allow growth to happen, taking the high road instead of these sinful coping mechanisms. The inspired Apostle James is essentially saying, "Allow the test to run its course and do not give up or quit in the middle". 

So that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing: 1:4

Here, the word "perfect" means, not mean sinless perfection, but "fully developed in a moral sense" (Arndt, p. 809). See Colossians 1:28; Hebrews 5:14; 1 Corinthians 14:20. A mature, tried and proven character is all possible because of a tenacious clinging to what is good (Romans 5:3-4). What this means is if one is the type of person who tends to quit when the going gets tough he or she robs his or herself of the opportunity to mature, and will thus always be lacking something absolutely essential in one's character and will never find the strength, peace, patience and happiness one so desperately desires.

But if any of you lacks wisdom: 1:5

“Wisdom is a practical thing. Wisdom is not philosophic speculation. Wisdom is wisdom for life.” (Commentary on James, William Barclay, p. 53). In addition, “wisdom” is inherently connected with a right attitude toward God and His word (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33). “The wisdom he speaks of here is not merely information, or simply education. The wisdom spoken of here is the ability to judge and evaluate sorrow and joy from God’s standpoint, to view from God’s perspective what comfort and pain mean, understanding wealth and poverty on a divine level” (Commentary on James, Draper, p. 17). 

Let him ask of God, who gives to all generously: 1:5

God is the source of all real wisdom. We are only kidding ourselves if we think otherwise. In addition, God deeply desires to grant us such wisdom. God gives generously and God gives without parading His liberality. Here we are reminded that simply coming to God for help, realizing that we do not have all the answers within ourselves, this is the real first step in becoming a wise person (Proverbs 1:7) if we dedicate ourselves to the following conditions:

But he must ask in faith without any doubting: 1:6

The doubting under consideration here is not regarding having questions about what a verse does or does not mean, or where I might doubt my own abilities. Rather, it is doubting whether or not one can trust the power, goodness, grace, and wisdom of God – whether or not God's written solution is the right way or not, and whether or not God has the power and wisdom to handle a situation.

Being a double-minded man": 1:8

The term “double-minded” means literary having two souls. “Double-headed people who stagger helplessly here and there in their thinking, doubting, hesitating” (Arndt, p. 201). We often talk about the person who has one foot in the world and one foot in the church, those who are trying to please God and at the same time be a friend of the world (James 4:8) – people who act as if they have two minds, directing them in contradictory directions, so that they make no lasting stand for anything.

"Unstable in all his ways": 1:8

The term unstable” means “restless” (Thayer, p. 22). “Unsettled, fickle, and hence unreliable. The man who cannot trust God cannot be trusted by others” (Commentary on James, Roberts, p. 50); “Uncertain about everything he does” (Gspd). The doubter is the person who is trying to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Ponder for a moment the statement, “in all his ways”. Unbelief will affect every area of our lives. The failure to trust God will result in our being unreliable, and unpredictable.

The brother of humble circumstances: 1:9

In keeping with what has been previously said about trials and wisdom, James passes to the subject of poverty and wealth. Both circumstances can bring their own temptations (Proverbs 30:8-9), and wisdom is needed to live godly in these, as well as all other, situations. “The last chapter (section of verses) talked about the double-minded man who was unstable in everything. Such a man has the wrong view of life. He thinks that if he is poor, he is forsaken of God and if he is wealthy, he is blessed of God” (Draper, p. 25). The poor Christian, instead of resenting his social status, blaming God, wallowing in self-pity, and thus giving into various temptations, needs to realize how highly God has exalted him. Every Christian has been raised up with Christ and placed in a heavenly place (Ephesians 2:6), and has been given access to every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). The poor man also needs to glory in the fact that he possesses wealth that cannot be touched by external circumstances (Matthew 6:19-21).

And the rich man: 1:10

The rich Christian needs to rejoice, because God has shown him his true spiritual poverty and the temporal nature of his wealth (Luke 12:15-21). “The great peril of riches is that they tend to bring to a man a false sense of security. He feels that he is safe; he feels that he has the resources to cope with anything; he feels that he can buy anything he wants, and buy himself out of any situation which he may wish to escape or to avoid” (Barclay, p. 55). 

In the midst of his pursuits: 1:11

In the midst of all his great plans, activities and endeavors, the rich man can either die or lose everything – so much for the idea that as long as I am working hard, and as long as I am busy and trying to stay ahead, I am safe (James 4:13ff).

The Truth about Temptation: 1:13-17

• God does not entice anyone to sin. He is only a giver of good things (1:17). He wants us to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and is on our side of this struggle for our soul, having given us everything we need to conquer the enemy.
• Temptation at its most basic level is the same for all: it is when we are tempted and carried away by our own lusts (1:14). Those lusts are our own, and were not inherited from Adam. You and I are responsible for their existence and their extinguishment, for choosing to feed them or replace them with noble desires.
• The progression is clear and it can be quick (remember David and Bathsheba, Eve and the forbidden fruit, Achan and the forbidden items). May we determine to never downplay the power of addictive mental habits and their relationship to our undoing. Determine to dwell upon only things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
• Stop lying to yourself (1:16). We cannot blame anyone else for our sins. Being successful against overcoming sin and its eternal consequences, starts with admitting that what is tempting for me is a desire that I have fed over the years. Whatever sacrifice is necessary to stop feeding it and to instead center my heart and mind on things that are good for my eternal soul, this will be the best decision I will ever make in this life and the best gift I can give myself.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net