“…and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with is scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

Again, we are wise to look to the experience of Asaph in Psalm 73. Amidst personal struggle, Asaph began to wonder why many unbelievers experienced greater temporal blessing than him. He began to actually envy them as he looked upon their prosperity. But then, he says, he went into the sanctuary of God and ‘discerned their end.’

James takes the same approach as he seeks to encourage his brothers in lowly financial circumstances (and us). He knows that if we really understand the end of those who put their hopes in riches, we will by no means envy them. Indeed, we will probably pity them. If we want to live well now, we are desperate to have a clear understanding of what will take place in the end. Who will God exalt on that final day? And who will He humble? If our answers to these questions are clear, they will have a very profound and practical impact on how we live today–and how much we rejoice in the face of present difficulties.

James’ words for the rich man are by no means timid or unsure. In essence, he says that, contrary to the rich man’s inclinations, he has nothing ultimate to boast in. Nothing that will matter when that final day comes. For the one who hopes in riches has no real foundation on which to stand when faced with the living God and an eternity in Heaven or Hell. The winds and waves of judgment will come; and those who have no root will be swept away.

Like a flower of the grass he will pass away. The Sun of God’s glory will expose all things for what they really are. And those who have lived for this life only will not be able to handle the heat.

Not only that, but (and this seems to a primary focus for James) the temporal trials and difficulties of this life will also make the rich man fade away–here and now…before our very eyes. For as James has already made plain, trials will come. And unless your hope is in the One who is jealous to make you mature and complete, you cannot count your trials as all joy. For if you are hoping in riches, what will take place when your riches are taken from you? What will happen when disaster kicks in and exposes your rootless life? Will you embrace James 1:2-4 and look forward to maturity and completeness? Will you really be able to rejoice? To count them all joy? I think not.

We are wise to base our lives on One who is immovable, One who is unchangeable, One who can never let us down. We are wise to hope in His promises–all ‘Yes’ in Christ– for in them we can find strength and encouragement in the face of every difficulty. For then we can have hope when all things earthly are taken from us. When we are displaced. When we are poor. When life is full of uncertainty. For we can know that the Lord is jealous to produce in us steadfastness, to make us mature and complete lacking in nothing, to conform us to the image of His Son. We can know that He is jealous to give us that which is worth much more than silver and gold.

In the day of difficulty, riches cannot help but let us down. But the Lord cannot help but lift us up and enable us to rejoice. “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation….”

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

First, note the context. As we saw concerning verses 5-8, so we find that verses 9-11 also expound further upon James’ words of exhortation and command in verses 2-4. “Count it all joy….when you face trials of various kinds…” As the need for wisdom is a common reality in the face of trials, so our trials are often accompanied by financial concerns. In particular, those whom James was writing to had almost assuredly faced financial difficulty. After all, they were among the Dispersion. They had been displaced and had to find a new way to make ends meet.

Well, James has a specific word of encouragement for them and for us. He wants them to know that even in the midst of their financial lowliness, they are still commanded to rejoice and, because of Jesus, capable of doing so. After all, financial difficulty is surely one kind of ‘various trial’ that many of us have met or will meet.

Second, note that the lowly brother is commanded to boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation…It seems to me that the first man James mentions (the lowly brother) is different from the second in that he is a believer, while the rich man is not. For I can’t imagine him saying that a rich believer will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. And the wording of the text by no means demands such an interpretation. No. It seems that James is encouraging the lowly brother who may be surrounded by many unbelievers enjoying financial security while he seeks the Lord and remains in financial difficulty.

We can all relate right? At least to some degree. For aren’t we all inclined to trust in riches more than we ought? Aren’t we inclined to look to money to give us the security and identity we desire? And, when seeking the Lord and faced with financial concern, aren’t we inclined to wonder what in the world is going on? How can these unbelieving rich people ignore God and find financial security, while I seek Him and find financial difficulty? These are concerns similar to those of Asaph in 73. They are almost certain to arise when we seek the Lord, yet struggle to make ends meet.

But James responds to these concerns by saying, in effect, “Listen lowly brother, don’t forget who you are! Don’t neglect the riches that are yours in Christ Jesus and that will be fully enjoyed when you either die or Jesus comes again. Indeed, don’t neglect the exaltation that is yours now! Don’t fret over financial concerns. Look to things unseen. Count it all joy. For though you may be humbled now, you are the recipient of a true exaltation. The exaltation that really counts. An exaltation that will not pass away. An exaltation by God Himself. In this, rejoice!”

Again, James is pointing us to look to things unseen. To look to those things that really matter. In this instance, he is reminding us of all that is ours in Christ Jesus. Sure, the rich might know exaltation now, but would you rather enjoy it now or later? And do you want the exaltation that man gives or the exaltation that God gives? The answer should be plain.

Is Psalm 73, Asaph was in distress as he looked upon the success of the wicked. But then, he says, he went into the sanctuary of God and there he discerned their true end (73:16-17). This is where James points us in the coming two verses. But for now, recognize that in order to fight for faith in the midst of financial difficulty, we must not only know the end of the unbelieving rich, but the end of all those who believe in Christ (us). That is, we need to remember where we are headed. We need to remind ourselves consistently of all that is ours in Christ. We must get our priorities straight by fixing our eyes on the exaltation that is ours now and that will be fully enjoyed in the age to come.

Do you have financial concerns? Do you look around and wonder why many who neglect God enjoy more temporal blessings than you? Well then, James tells you to do yourself a favor by taking your eyes off of temporal things and looking to things eternal. Look to Jesus. Remember your identity as a child of God and the promise of exaltation by and before Him. Put such temporal matters in perspective by bringing your concerns before the Lord and setting your heart on things permanent, on things now yours in Christ and soon to be fully enjoyed in the age to come. For then you will see clearly and then you will rejoice.

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Concerning verses 6-8, realize first that God promises wisdom to those who meet the conditions for receiving wisdom. That is to say that this promise is just like most other promises in Scripture in that it is conditional. That means that one must meet the conditions before he receives the promised blessing.

For example, before one is saved, one must repent and believe the gospel. The two go hand-in-hand to form one condition that must be met before God grants the promised blessing. In this instance, if you and I want to receive faith, we must believe God can and will grant it and ask God for it. That’s it. That’s all. Believe God can and will give us wisdom and ask God for that wisdom, and it is ours. Of course, we realize that the underlying reason why He will do so is because of what Jesus has done. And this should find expression in our prayers. However, James makes things very plain. Believe in God for wisdom. And in turn, ask God for wisdom. And wisdom will be yours. Meet those simple conditions and blessing will soon come.

Yet with that being said, fears might arise. After all, how do I know if I believe enough? Can I really “ask in faith, with no doubting?” That seems kind of tough, indeed, maybe even impossible.

Well, it is here that we must take a more careful look at the text. For though, on the surface, it seems that our requests for wisdom cannot be accompanied by any doubts, that is probably not exactly what James is saying. After all, he was a man like us. Surely, he was well acquainted with doubt. Surely he struggled against unbelief just as we do.

That is why it is important to note that James is probably not speaking of doubts of any sort, but of persistent doubt, indeed, a heart full of doubt that flows from double-mindedness. For double-minded is the word James uses to summarize the man with the kind of doubts he refers to in verse 6. And double-minded means much more than a man who struggles with any sort of doubt. It points more to a persistent mindset that flows from a heart full of unbelief. Indeed, it points to the heart of an unbeliever. One who has not really entrusted himself to the Lord. One who is still ‘playing the field’ so to speak. One who is trying to rely upon both himself and God. One who is just like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

Therefore, if we have entrusted ourselves to Jesus Christ, we must bring our surface doubts to Him and realize that all God’s promises find their ‘Yes’ in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). We must not focus too much on our faith, but on the Object of our faith. We must not continually grow anxious about whether or not we believe enough. For our faith will never, at least in this life, be perfect. And, in the end, it doesn’t have to be perfect. For the Lord loves to hear the cry of the needy and to reward the smallest mustard seed of faith, so that that precious seed might grow.

Some today teach that in order to receive the blessings, we must extinguish all doubts by the very strength of our wills. Well, that’s nonsense. Utter nonsense that will soon make us obsessed with ourselves and oftentimes despairing because we cannot believe as we ought.

Others today say that we should just ‘speak the word,’ or ‘name our blessing and claim our blessing,’ believing that if we ‘name it and claim it’ that blessing with soon be ours. But again, the focus is not on Jesus Christ, but upon ourselves, upon our own faith, our own willpower. We end up praying not in weakness, but in strength. Not in authentic faith, but in a ‘faith’ of our own devising. Not believing in Jesus, but believing in our own believing.

Both errors must be rejected. And we, as believers of single-mindedness, must recognize our weakness and bring our requests before the Lord in faith. Yes, we must believe. But we must not believe in our own belief, but in an Object outside ourselves. We must not look within, but without–to the Lord. For if and when we do so, faith will arise. No matter what kind of doubts we begin with, if we look continually to the One who gives generously to all without reproach; to the One who died so that every promise might be fulfilled; to the One who, in His infinite joy, delights to give to the likes of us….yes, if we look to this One, faith will arise. Prayers for wisdom will be uttered. And wisdom will soon come.

Do you lack faith? Well, so do I. Let us come to the Lord in our weakness then, in confidence that Jesus Christ has paid the price for all our unbelief. Then, as God grants wisdom, we will not boast in ourselves, but faithfully boast in the only One worth boasting in: our great God and Savior.

“If any of your lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Third, note that God is a God who gives (or is giving) to all without reproach.

This means simply that He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve. He doesn’t give to us on the basis of our own merit, but on the basis of Christ’s merit. The gospel is quite evident in the book of James, even if not obvious. For the steadfast love of the Lord is the foundation for statements such a these, a steadfast love that flows from the work of Jesus on our behalf. Of course, if we are ignorant of the extent of our own sin, we will not rejoice and be humbled by such a statement. In fact, we may even take it for granted. We might find ourselves assuming that God would do such a thing–for He does it so consistently.

But should we not fear to approach the Lord of lords day after day with our every need? After all, we continual sin against Him. We consistently trample His glory in the dust with our various sinful motives (many of which we remain ignorant of!). Unedifying words are spoken. Thoughts deep within put down others while exalting self. God is not ignorant of such inner designs. Indeed, He knows us better than we know ourselves. And yet He is giving generously to us without reproach. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve. He loves us. He cares for us. He makes us promises that ought to make us weep with joy! He gives to us generously day after day without reproach.

Are you in need of wisdom? Well then, look to the One who gives generously to all without reproach. Take account of your sin. Yes, do so. But do not exalt your sin over the cross of Jesus Christ. Realize that all God’s promises find their ‘Yes’ in Jesus. Recognize that God not only can meet your need, but indeed, that He desires to and will do so.

For as the final statement in verse 5 makes plain, if you recognize your need for wisdom and cry out to the God who gives generously to all without reproach, wisdom will be given to you. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of question in the matter does there? That is because there is not. Sure, James follows up this statement with a warning (one we will address next), but the warning that follows by no means negates the promise. Realize then, wisdom will be given to you if you recognize your need and cry out to God in faith.

Does it seem too simple? Well, it is simple, but not too simple. Does it seem too easy? Well, it is easy, and yet, at the same time hard. For a clear, consistent recognition of our need is not an easy thing to come by. We are hard-wired to depend upon ourselves. This is why prayer is so often inconsistent and dull. Not only that, but we are also hard-wired, it seems, to think false thoughts about God.

The battle, as always, is to think true thoughts about God and ourselves. For if we do these two things, we will meet the conditions for this promise. First, we will recognize our need. And second, we will know full well (as we have said time and again) that God not only can meet our need, but that He will meet our need in His good timing and grace.

Have we doubts? Well then, let us continually look to the promise. Even more, let our confidence arise as we look to the One who made the promise. For when His character is in plain view, faith will arise, prayers will be uttered, and wisdom will soon come.

“If any of your lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” This is simple enough, yet when we need wisdom oftentimes we are quick to go not to the Lord, but to other people or to books or to sermon series. And these things are all good in and of themselves. Indeed, prayers for wisdom will oftentimes lead us to pursue sound resources. Yet first and foremost, we must ask God.

God Himself is the fountain of all wisdom. For He is infinite and perfect in wisdom. No doubt, He will use various kinds of means to give us wisdom in the face of various kinds of trials. But as this text makes plain, He will do so in answer to our prayers for wisdom. So no matter what our situation may be, before anything else and amidst any other activity, let us ask God for wisdom.

And the beauty of it is that we have plenty of reasons for confidence that the God of the universe will graciously answer our requests for wisdom. For as James moves on to tell us, 1) He [God] gives [or is giving]… 2) He gives generously… 3) He gives generously to all without reproach.

First, God is a God who gives or a God who, literally, is giving. Meaning, He is not a God who gives once in a while on a whim, but a God whose very nature is to give. A God who gives continually. A God who gives all the time. Indeed, a God who cannot help but give!

Isaiah 64:4 reads, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” Here is a vision of God that no man would devise, a God who, rather than demanding that His people act for Him, tells them to wait so that He might act for them. A God who is so full in and of Himself that He has no need that man must meet, no lack that man must supply. A God who continually overflows from the fullness of His glory to act for and give to His people.

The various gods of the nations made various demands of man while giving little to nothing. They were not the actors in the relationship. Instead, they received. They demanded continual appeasement. But “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25).

When we pray for wisdom, our confidence lies not in the strength of our request (though as we will see, we must believe), but in the nature of God. Indeed, in the very nature of the One who came down in the Person of His Son to give His life as a ransom for many. Do we have difficulty recognizing that God is a God who gives? Well then, let us look to the Person of Jesus Christ, to His life, death, and resurrection. Let us look to Him until we recognize full well the incredible nature of the giving God.

Second, note that God is a God who gives generously. He is not stingy. He is not cheap. He does not need to be convinced to give something that He does not otherwise want to give. O no! The Lord is lavish in His giving. He is extravagant in His bounty and blessing. He not only gives, but He gives generously.

A good father not only wants to give good gifts to His children, but to give them in abundance. Yet a good father may be limited by His resources. Or by His wisdom (he isn’t sure what is best to give). Or by his own desires (he wants to spend it on something else). Whatever the limitations, however, there are no limitations with the Lord. For He owns all things. He knows all things. And He is so full in and of Himself that He must never look to His own needs before the needs of others. In short, there is nothing standing in the way of God’s generous giving.

And this is true ultimately because of Jesus Christ. Notice the logic of Romans 8:32, “If God did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Are we in need of wisdom? Well then, considering that God has given the life of His Son for us, how difficult will it be for Him to give us wisdom? Will we have to twist His arm? I think not. His generosity is made plain in the cross of Jesus Christ. When the Lord Almighty gives, He gives with unparalleled generosity. Our requests for wisdom, then, can certainly be full of confidence.

“If any of your lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

First, recognize the context. James is still speaking to people who are in the midst of various kinds of trials. Sure, these verses might not, on the surface at least, seem to fit with verses 2-4, but James’ words concerning wisdom actually fit quite well. For as the IVP commentary on the book of James notes, those who find themselves in the midst of trials oftentimes do not know what to do. They may be confused, hurt, full of fear, or even angry. Whatever their response, however, the oftentimes easily recognize their need for divine wisdom.

Various internal struggles come with the facing of various kinds of trials. Surely, when trials are faced, questions arise. Why is this happening to me? Did I do something wrong? How should I respond? And all of these questions point to a need for wisdom. Note: Trials are good not only because they teach us steadfastness, but because they show us our need to cry out to God for wisdom. They humble us and force us to resist the tendency to petition the Lord for secondary matters. The need for wisdom is a primary need. Sure, we could petition the Lord for many other things, but if we petition him for this one thing–wisdom–we oftentimes receive the many.

Second, notice James’ words, If any of you…. Certain situations (trials of various kinds in particular), cause us to recognize our need more than others. A child is persisting in disobedience while you do all you know how to do to discipline him. You have come to the end of your course and recognize the need for greater wisdom. Or consistent difficulties have arisen in your work. Is this an indication that the Lord wants you to move on or to stay and learn perseverance? Or persecutions have come to the area you work in as a missionary. Are they to be embraced or are they indications that it is time for you to leave? Or doctrinal difficulties have arisen in your Church? Are you to keep silent or to speak out? All of these situations, and many more, cause us to recognize our need. They place us in the category of ‘any of you.’

And yet, no matter what our present situation may be, we need wisdom. Sure, our circumstances may not seem that difficult. But might we be handling them might better if we were consistently crying out to the Lord for wisdom? James says, “If any of you…” but we might say that he is addressing all of us all the time. Sure, not to the same degree, but to some degree nonetheless.

Wisdom and humility go hand in hand. Because it is impossible to have wisdom without first recognizing that you don’t have everything figured out. And we never have everything figured out. Therefore, prayers for wisdom should continually flow from our lips. It is usually ignorance and arrogance that leads us to keep our mouths silent and to think that we have things all figured out. But it is humility and wisdom that leads us to recognize our continual need for wisdom. The two go hand-in-hand. Humility leads to prayers for wisdom. And prayers for wisdom lead to greater humility. Therefore take note: we are wise to pray for wisdom in every sphere of life, every single day.

Let us ask ourselves then: Am I making such petitions daily? And if not, how can I make it my habit to do so? Consistent prayers for wisdom should be the habit of every Christian. May the Lord grant us the grace to make them just that.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Who among us does not want to become mature and complete, lacking in nothing? And yet, as usual, while we desire the end, we are inclined to despise the means. But I ask you to simply imagine for a moment what it would be like to be mature and complete lacking in nothing. What would it be like to be free from your selfishness and self-pity and pride and laziness and impatience and lack of discipline and whatever other sin you can think of? What would it be like to be free from the things that hinder your fellowship with God and other people? What would it be like to overflow consistently with the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Can you imagine it just for a moment? Can you think of the joy?!

I ask these questions, because vision is needed. Clarity of vision is necessary. For James knows full well that we as human beings can endure and rejoice in any difficulty if we see clearly what that difficulty is designed to bring us. That is, if the end goal is precious enough to us, we can endure and rejoice in whatever the means. Human history and personal experience makes this psychological reality very plain.

Therefore, James wants us to lift up our eyes to who we can become, so that we might face the trials of today with utmost rejoicing. A basketball player cannot rejoice in pushing his body to the max day after day without a clear vision of his goal. A woman cannot rejoice in the pains of labor if she loses sight of the joy of a baby soon to come. Do you then, have a clear vision of maturity and completeness? And if you possess such a vision, do you think more about the goal or about the trials? Do you think more about the end, or about the means?

Much of our trouble in life flows from our lack of vision. We become so mired in the day to day difficulties of life that we lose sight of who God wants to make us and the place He has prepared for us. We despise the means because we lose sight of the end. We do not want to train because we have forgotten about the big game. We forget about maturity and completeness and therefore, grumble in the face of difficulty.

And yet God calls us to look beyond the means to the greater end, to look to things unseen.

“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that re unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

The thinking is the same right? Clarify your vision. Clarify your goal. And look to that goal day after day so that you might embrace the various kinds of trials that will inevitably come. Do you want to become mature and complete, lacking in nothing? Do you want an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison? Then look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. Keep the eternal weight of glory in view. Think consistently of maturity and completeness. For then, and only then, will you be able to look your trials in the eye, so to speak, and say, “You are well worth it.” Then and only then will you have the strength to count your various trials all joy.

O Lord, make us a people of vision! Help us, O God, to focus on the end, so that we might embrace the means to that end. Clarify our vision of maturity and completeness. Capture our hearts with a vision of that eternal weight of glory that you long to give us, so that we might look to the things that are unseen and embrace every sort of trial as all joy. O God, grant us such grace in the name of your Son. For it is in His name that we pray. Amen and Amen.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

“…for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Notice first the words, for you know. Recognize that in order to embrace your trials of various kinds as pure joy you have to know something. You have to be intellectually aware of a reality that is not seen on the surface, a reality revealed, a reality made known to us. Note: it is vital for us to fill our minds with Bible truth. For we cannot live as we desire until we think as God would have us to. If you and I want to be people of maturity and completeness, we need to know a great deal. We need to be diligent students of the Scriptures. Intellectual knowledge must never be despised; for it is, according to this verse, the means by which we can rejoice in the face of trials.

Second, note the words testing of your faith. Realize that all tests are designed for at least two things. 1) to see if your faith is genuine and 2) to deepen your faith…to really make that faith your own. This is the sense in which James is using the word here.

Tests, then, must never be despised, for the man whose faith is never tested cannot know if his faith is real. We never know what strength lies inside us until we are forced to muster up every ounce of strength within. We must face obstacles that we have never faced before if we would know what really lies inside of us. Therefore, tests must come to the Christian. Indeed, tests are a token of God’s love.

Not only are tests designed to reveal faith, however, but as James makes plain here, tests are designed to strengthen faith, to make it the kind of faith that perseveres. A student takes a test not only to see what he knows, but to help him really know what he knows. To help his knowledge sink in just a bit deeper. A weight lifter puts on a few extra pounds not simply to see how strong he is, but to grow stronger still. So the Lord uses trials of various kinds as means to strengthen us into people of perseverance. He uses tests to make you someone you are not right now, but someone who you want to become. He uses tests to push you to the brink, to not only see what you are made of, but to make you the man or woman He created you to be.

I have heard it said that the reward for passing a test in God’s classroom is the facing of a harder one. It isn’t the whole truth, but it is truth. The Lord loves us so much that He will not allow our faith to atrophy. We will never ‘arrive.’ If a man lifts the same weight and performs the same exercises year after year without every challenging himself, his muscles will not grow stronger, but weaker. They will adapt, for they, in order to grow stronger, must be pushed. And so it is with faith. Testings are necessary. They are a must. Trials of various kinds are our friends, our helpers, our servants. For they are designed to 1) show that we are real and 2) make us who the Lord longs for us to become.

Third, note that the proper response to the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. This is one aspect, one quality, that the Lord is jealous for us to possess. And this is a quality that must be learned. After all, I have not known anyone who was naturally inclined to face trials of various kinds with all joy. No child emerges from the womb with such a perspective. No baby is born as a child of steadfastness. O no! Sin is real and it has made us people who want to cruise, people who want to simply relax and gently lounge our way to Heaven. And yet, those who lounge, those who cruise, cruise not to Heaven, but to Hell. Hell, not Heaven, is our default destination.

So steadfastness must be learned. And trials of various kinds are our teachers. They are designed not to hurt us, but to help us become all that we desire to become. They are designed to make us people of steadfast faithfulness, people of perseverance. People who are not rattled at difficulties large or small, but people who persist in the face of trial, indeed, people who rejoice.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

“Count it…” Realize that this command to rejoice in various kinds of trials is not a command to rejoice in them as joys in and of themselves. As these set of verses make plain, James is calling us to look beneath the surface of things, to go deeper, to see things with spiritual clarity, to see things as they really are.

James is not telling us that various kinds of trials are ends, but they are means to a greater end. Therefore, they can and should be counted all joy. He is saying, “Of course, suffering isn’t joyful in and of itself. But it can be counted all joy, because you can realize that it is the means to becoming a person of perseverance, a person of completeness…indeed, to becoming all that the Lord created you to be.”

Practically speaking, when we face trials of various kinds (and we face them every day), it is necessary to view them in two ways. First, they are not good. Second, they are good.

Though these two statements might seem to conflict, in Christian experience, they can coexist. For the first statement is a recognition that things aren’t as they are supposed to be. After all, we were not, in the very beginning, created and placed in an earth full of suffering. No. The Lord created us and placed us in paradise, in perfection. And it was us, via Adam and Even, who corrupted our perfect selves and this perfect place. Our sin has led to the corruption of this place and our longing for a better day. So no. Suffering is not good. It isn’t the way things are supposed to be. And because of what Jesus Christ has done, we are promised that one day it will all be wiped out!

Yet at the same time, here and now, suffering is good. Various kinds of trials are blessings as they are means to the greater end of becoming the people we were created to be. Yes. Redemption has come in Christ Jesus. One day sin will be eradicated entirely. All things will be made new. There will be no trials of various kinds. But that day has not yet come. And right now, the Lord is interested in reversing the fall in us, as it were, and in making us people who reverse the effects of the fall in all creation. He is interested in making us reach our full potential. Indeed, He is jealous to make us all He created us to be. And in this fallen world, He uses various kinds of trials to accomplish just that. Therefore, they can be counted all joy. They can be seen in a different light and embraced not as ends in and of themselves, but as means to the greater end of Christian maturity.

“…all joy…” Having said all of that, notice also that we are commanded to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds. Not a little joy. Not partial joy. But all joy. Full joy. Pure joy. Deep and abiding joy. Joy that cannot be taken away. James is honesty telling us to, even or especially in the face of trial, rejoice!

“…when you meet trials of various kinds…” But note that James does not limit this rejoicing to a certain kind of trail. And notice that he doesn’t use the word if. Instead, he tells us to rejoice or count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds.

Of course, this doesn’t include trials we bring upon ourselves. Oftentimes we sin and must face the consequences. These are excluded, yes. But I can’t think of much else that is. For these terms are all-inclusive. They include everything that a Christian might face during the course of his walk with Christ on this Earth. Are you sick? Is your work difficult? Is someone speaking ill of you though you have done them no wrong? Are you having difficulties as a parent or as a friend? Is traffic tight? Is your computer down or your Internet not working?

Well then, first, James (and the Lord) wants to make sure that you are not surprised. For he uses the word, when. “…when you meet trials of various kinds.” Therefore, don’t be caught off-guard by these struggles. Don’t think they are anything out of the ordinary. No. On the contrary, they are ordinary. Or even less than ordinary in a world affected by sin.

How often do we struggle in the face of various trials because we are somehow caught off-guard by their presence? It happens to me time and again. Yet the Word makes it plain that rather than being surprised when trials come, I should probably be surprised when they don’t come. For they are a normal part of life–especially for the Christian. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that should take us by surprise. Sin is that real. We can’t help but run into its effects at our every turn. Therefore, various kinds of trials should never take us by surprise.

Second, James wants us to know that the command to count it all joy applies to trials of various kinds. That means everything really. These are the big things and the little things of life that God, in His infinite wisdom uses to make you more like His Son. Sure, it might seem a little messy, but that is because we are so finite. The Lord knows what He is doing. And, in the end, so do we, for he tells us in the coming two verses.

Steadfastness…maturity….completeness….lacking in nothing. Is this what we desire? Well then, we have ample reason to count our trials of various kinds as pure joy.

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.”

Now take note of 3) James’ audience and 4) his greeting.

Third, his audience. “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” Here it seems obvious enough that James is writing to Christian Jews (“the twelve tribes”) who had been dispersed from the city of Jerusalem by some sort of persecution. We know from the book of Acts that after the stoning of Stephen, many or most Christians left the city because a great persecution arose. James, however, remained and, in the end, was probably stoned to death for His faith in Jesus Christ.

Note then that the people James is writing to are people who are well acquainted with suffering already. For even if they had found a ‘safe’ place to live somewhere within the Roman Empire, they were still displaced. They were not home. They no longer enjoyed the comforts of their normal cultural and historical setting. And if you have never spent a lengthy period of time away from your home in another culture, you probably don’t realize how much comfort and security and happiness you derive from the familiar place you call home. Well, these people may not have realized it either, but after moving away, after facing persecution and being forced to become exiles once again, they surely missed the only home they probably ever knew.

Combine all that with the reality that Christianity was not normally well received in the Roman Empire during that period of time, and you know full well that James was writing to a people who were familiar with suffering. Indeed, immediately following his greeting, James exhorts his audience to count it all joy when they face trials of various kinds. This was at the forefront of his thinking. When he began to speak, these words spilled right out.

So these were a people who had faced and were facing various kinds of trials. Not simply persecution. And not simply missing home. But all the various trials of life. They were an exiled people, a displaced people, a people without a homeland as it were. And it is precisely here that we are forced to realize that James’ audience is not limited only to these first century believing Jews. For we who believe in Jesus are also among the Dispersion or diaspora. We are exiles longing for the coming of our true home. And we too are called to live our Christian lives where the Lord presently has placed us.

You see, these believing Jews may have been forced out of Jerusalem for their faith. But certainly we know that the Lord had a purpose behind it. Maybe, just maybe, the Christians in Jerusalem though they could take over the city, creating a Christian city as it were. But the Lord said no. It is time to go out. Be displaced. Spread the message by living as you ought where you are.

So yes, James was speaking to dispersed, first-century, believing Jews. But, whether he realized it then or not, he was also writing for us. Therefore, we are wise to listen well.

Fourth, James’ greeting: “Greetings.” Now that might not seem very special up front, but there is a whole lot beneath that simple English word that makes “Greetings” a lot more powerful. The Greek word is χαίρειν or chairein. It means literally to rejoice, be glad, or be delighted. Used as a greeting, it means something like, “Joy be to you.”

I like that personally. Indeed, I would like to start my emails to everyone I know with such a greeting. “Joy be to you.” “Be delighted.” “May rejoicing be yours.” That’s a nice way to get things started.

Yet before we go too far, let us remember who James was and is writing to. Let us recall the various kinds of trials that will be mentioned in the very next verse. Let us remember dispersion, despair, difficulty, and death. All these are being faced by James’ audience. Indeed, they were probably being faced by James at that very moment. Yet here he is, telling them to rejoice, telling them up front, with his greeting, that joy can and should by theirs! That’s a bold move, but one he certainly had great reason for.

We will see his many reasons for such a greeting throughout this letter, but suffice it to say now that no matter what we are facing, no matter what kind of trial is presently ours, we can know joy and we can give joy-filled greetings. Though we may be scattered from home, exiles going about our life’s business in a foreign land, Jesus Christ is seated on the throne. God is working all things out for our good and His glory. Yes, we may (and ought to) be longing for our true home, where righteousness dwells. But this longing ought not to cause despair, but instead, a hope-filled rejoicing. O God, grant us the grace to become a people of unshakable joy.