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02-02-2008, 09:22 AM
Can This Be "Joy"?
by
William C. Brownson
+ + +
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind,
consider it nothing but joy . . . . (v. 2)
+ + +
Sometimes trials come in bunches, don't they? They assail you like
the robbers who beat up that traveler on the Jericho road. Some of
you know what that's like. It feels as if you're on the beach in a
storm tide. One wave after another smashes you down in the sand. You
struggle up, only to be battered by another.
James, this wisely practical disciple of Jesus, says an amazing thing
about these multiple trials. "Count them all joy!" What? Did we hear
him right? Not just "bear them bravely" or "keep getting up," but
(can you believe it?) celebrate them!
"Wait a minute, James. Are you trying to tell us to deny our
feelings? To put on a happy face when we're crushed?" No, James is a
realist. He knows how painful and heart-breaking life can be.
But James knows something else too. He knows what God can do in us
through times of buffeting. He has seen sufferers learn endurance and
develop character. He has watched them become more like Jesus. So he
doesn't say "Enjoy trials." No one can do that. He says "count them
all joy." See them that way. Receive them as from God's hand, as
love-gifts to enrich your life.
Hallelujah, Lord! Thank you for every trial that brings us nearer to
you.
by
William C. Brownson
+ + +
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind,
consider it nothing but joy . . . . (v. 2)
+ + +
Sometimes trials come in bunches, don't they? They assail you like
the robbers who beat up that traveler on the Jericho road. Some of
you know what that's like. It feels as if you're on the beach in a
storm tide. One wave after another smashes you down in the sand. You
struggle up, only to be battered by another.
James, this wisely practical disciple of Jesus, says an amazing thing
about these multiple trials. "Count them all joy!" What? Did we hear
him right? Not just "bear them bravely" or "keep getting up," but
(can you believe it?) celebrate them!
"Wait a minute, James. Are you trying to tell us to deny our
feelings? To put on a happy face when we're crushed?" No, James is a
realist. He knows how painful and heart-breaking life can be.
But James knows something else too. He knows what God can do in us
through times of buffeting. He has seen sufferers learn endurance and
develop character. He has watched them become more like Jesus. So he
doesn't say "Enjoy trials." No one can do that. He says "count them
all joy." See them that way. Receive them as from God's hand, as
love-gifts to enrich your life.
Hallelujah, Lord! Thank you for every trial that brings us nearer to
you.