Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience– James 1:2-3

What a strange command this is, to count (perceive, think) it a joyful thing when difficult and dark trials come your way. Trials, by their very nature, cause pain; why would we be joyful to find ourselves in the middle of such an ordeal?

Thankfully, James gives us the reason for the command so that we can better understand and appreciate it. Know this, James says: this test of your faith is working (present tense) patience in you.

What is so great about patience? A good question, since James seems to think that, if we trade comfort and painlessness for trials and patience, we come out ahead. What makes patience so precious or valuable that it is worth the pain we have to go through in order to get it?

Simply put, patience means contentment with one’s current situation (see verse 4).

Now there are many people who have good health, plenty of money, popularity, and everything else a person might think of as the key to happiness – and yet they are miserable. Why? Because they have not found contentment.

On the other hand, we find men and women in the New Testament who are perfectly happy in the midst of miserable circumstances. Paul and Silas sing in prison, John rejoices in exile on Patmos, the apostles are thrilled to suffer for the sake of Christ.

Why? Because these saints learned to wait on God’s perfect timing, wisdom, and power to accomplish His perfect purposes. This gave them total contentment, a patient and joyful spirit, even in the worst situations.

Are you neck-deep in a trial of your own? Count it a joy to learn contentment in the school of Christ.–Baptist Bible Hour

Living in a fallen world it is impossible to escape provocation. In other words– you are going to be mistreated and hurt. While we can’t avoid that we can respond in such a way so as to not make matters worse. Rather than returning evil for evil, we are to “overcome evil with good“( Rom.12:21) as Jesus did. This enables us to view the offenses as opportunities rather than obstacles. Thur we do our part in living “peaceably with all men“(Rom. 12:18).

I realize that this isn’t the stuff you like to read. And, believe me, it’s not what I want to write. Duty, however, compels me to sound the alarm– over and over. Our country is in a place its never been before, and it didn’t just happen. There is a well organized, richly funded, demonic inspired group of people doing everything in their power to destroy the America we know and love. Let this then be our confession and prayer, ” O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”–2 Chron. 20:12–Think about it!

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”–Eph 2:19

If grace has touched your heart; if the love of God has come into your soul, it has placed you among the saints of the Most High, and given you every privilege which God ever did or could give to them. And what are their privileges? To be washed in the atoning blood of the suffering Son of God, to be clothed in the justifying righteousness of his perfect and meritorious obedience, to be consecrated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to have the love of God as their enduring portion, peace in believing, supplies of grace as needed, support and strength as they pass through this valley of tears, comforts abounding in proportion to the abundance of afflictions, everlasting arms beneath in death, a mansion of eternal bliss for the soul when the body drops into the grave, and a glorious resurrection of the body at the appearance of Christ in glory.

All that the love of God can give; all that the blood of Christ has been a channel for communicating; and all that the Spirit of God can reveal to any heart, or has ever brought with power into the soul of any saint—all these things become ours when we become fellow-citizens with the saints of God; not indeed always or often by vital enjoyment, though we get sips and tastes, drops and crumbs; but as Abraham was given possession of Canaan when he had not so much as to set his foot on, yet was it his as much by promise as it became his children’s by strength of hand. Does not the Apostle declare this, in the broadest and clearest language, where he says, “All things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours?” and why all yours? “for you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”–J C Philpot