“Consider it all joy, my brethren, WHEN you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”-{James 1:2-3}
Trials are PAINFUL! “Many Kinds,” or as one translation says, “Various.”- {v2}.The words speaks of trials of all kinds, different types. They can be of various degrees and lengths. But for the follower of Christ they have Purpose and we can have Divine Perspective when going through them and be able to help one another.
“OPEN BOOK” TEST;
NOTE, he says “When“- {v2}- not “If,” but “WHEN!” Trials are inevitable. If you are not presently in a trial or have come out of one there are trials ahead. That’s not to be depressive about it, it is just the way life is. “BUT GOD…” has told us how we are to handle them and it is like having a test at school, you might be nervous, anxious beforehand and then the teacher comes into the classroom and tells you it is going to be an “OPEN BOOK” test where you can look up the answers! How would you feel? Relieved, excited, thinking you are going to nail this, and if you can’t remember an answer or don’t know it, you can go to the book and read the answer!!
The “Open Book” test is not meant to hinder but HELP you. Imagine having an open book test and closing the book and not knowing the answers and failing and then blaming the book as not relevant, or the author! Hmm, sound familiar? We say with our actions His Word is not relevant as we do not believe He has our best interest at heart in the trial and we…fail again and again… and it all comes down to the fact we do not trust Him. We make the choice to do so. We Have the BOOK but choose to ignore it and continue on our own way, making our decisions based on what we may “feel,” think, what others say, society, but not what God has revealed in His Word. We SLAM the BOOK Close! And the amazing thing is we expect a different answer, and wonder why we fail again and again to respond correctly as God would have us and has given us HIS Way to Handle trials knowingly, not ignorantly but having Divine Perspective!
I once heard the story of a teacher who went for a promotion and his friend was doing the interview. He had TWENTY ONE Years experience, he was quite confident! He took the test and waited and waited for the results, and upon not hearing from his friend called him and asked about the job and was told he did not get the job. He was very upset and said to his friend “I have TWENTY ONE YEARS Experience!” To which his friend replied, “You have ONE YEARS’S EXPERIENCE REPEATED TWENTY ONE Times!” Some of us can be like that, we have trials and respond the same way over and over and not His way, because we fail to OPEN THE BOOK and SUBMIT TO the Author….
Trials are Inevitable but our Choice To READ the Open Book Test and APPLY is ours, alone!
James 1:2-4 Gives us the FOUR COMMANDS for every Trial
- Immediately commence Rejoicing -“Count it all Joy…” not because of the trails, difficulties but because of the second command..
- “KNOWING”- has to do with an UNDERSTANDING MIND. God does not want your or me to be ignorant but INFORMED… He is out to produce ” PERSEVERANCE and MATURE” YOU the verse says.
- “LET”- the Third command speaks of a Submitting will. Submitting to God in the trial, How? by Choosing to rejoice because of what you know and submitting to Him by faith in the trial and the fourth command is…
- “ASK “- And He tells us what to “ask” for, namely “wisdom” the ability to see Life from God’s perspective and to apply His Word to the trial.
These FOUR COMMANDS NEVER CHANGE no matter what the Trial is!
So The TEST comes and God OPENS THE BOOK and says Here are MY Answers and at that stage you and I can choose to SLAM THE BOOK SHUT or OBEY THE BOOK and the AUTHOR!
COMMIT these FOUR COMMANDS to memory so when Trials come upon you, you can speak to yourself the TRUTH and if you forget the HOLY SPIRIT can remind you by bringing them back to memory. And also to be able to help others by giving God’s Perspective for their Trials. For they, like you and me all need help in our trials!
The Trials may differ, of various types but the four commands never change though the type of Trial may vary! You Have the Answer. God sent His Son to the cross for you, raised Him and loves you!
It’s an OPEN BOOK Test. TRUST The Author!