Bible Study Guide for James 1:2-3

One of the great truths in life is that bad things happen to everyone and how we handle those hard times will be the defining moments in our Christian walk. What kind of statues could you build for the difficult times in your life? What are the deciding moments in your walk with God?

For me it was a car accident. The car accident was one of the moments when my life was changed. I was a junior in college and was driving home after a snow storm. I hit a patch of black ice and the rest is history or at least my car was history.

That accident happened over 15 years ago and I can still remember God speaking to me when I looked back at my wrecked car - are you going to get serious now?

Until this point, I was contemplating a possible career in radio instead of ministry and I was coasting through college without a lot of cares. I was doing what I wanted to do and suddenly everything changed for me in that one moment. Out of that one difficult night a number of new commitments were made in my life and I was changed by a trial that looking back I am thankful for

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:2-3

When life hits you with a curve, you have a choice to make; you can either become bitter or you can become better. The trials that you and I face are the curves that life throws our way. How we choose to deal with them speaks volumes about our Christian character and commitment. Hard times are precisely that - hard. If life were always easy we would never appreciate the reality of heaven.

Why should we be joyful in the face of trials?
Joy is a deep sense of well being that comes from a personal connection with God. Joy cannot be deterred by sorrow, tears, anger or pain. Joy is not just a feeling we have but a decision that we make - you choose to be joyful or you choose to be miserable. Those are the only two options in life. The sad thing is that there are a lot of miserable Christians walking around because they choose to be miserable.

The biggest problem with trials is the road they can lead us down. If you choose to become angry or bitter - your trials will lead you down a road of temptation and turmoil. If you choose to become joyful - your trials will lead you down a road of triumph. We can either choose to be overcome by life or be over comers in life.

James says to be joyful when you face trials of many kinds but what is he driving at? What exactly does he mean? The understanding that James is conveying is that a person has been so overwhelmed by hardships or difficulties that they have become surrounded by them. In other words, wherever they look they see nothing but problems or hardships all around them. Literally they are surrounded. Have you ever felt like this? For most people in these kind of situations joyful is the last way they would describe it.

What is the value of perseverance?
Perseverance is at work in our lives when we experience trials. We are most like Christ when we endure hardships and trials. Jesus suffered for us not just to provide salvation for us but also to provide a model of how to handle hardships. Jesus suffered emotional rejection from those He was closest with; even His own family thought He had gone mad. Jesus suffered physically through beatings, scourging and crucifixion. Jesus shows us that suffering and trials do not have to overwhelm us but that we have strength from heaven to help us through.

How does faith get tested?
James is extremely profound in what he says for our reason to rejoice. Trials literally prove the value of our faith. Faith is worthless unless it is proven within our lives. Trials are the litmus test for our faith. The proving of faith produces or shapes our lives with perseverance.
The testing of our faith fits us with an "armor" of loyalty to Christ. The whole purpose of going through hardships is to make us stronger for Christ; but only if we allow it. Hardships will reveal the consistency of our faith.

What do we need to do?
Surrender where you are right now in your life. Give God all of your strengths and all of your weaknesses. Give Him everything!

The work of perseverance begins during the trials we experience but it does not end there. Perseverance or patient endurance works through every area of your life. Sooner or later every area of your life will be touched by some type of trial, some form of need or some hardship. Unfortunately that is just the way life is.

Through hardships we gain strength when we stand firm in Christ and overcome through His strength. We overcome not by what we can do but by what Christ can do through us.

Today you have a choice to make: trials will always be a part of your life. If you're not going through them now, there are some just around the corner. How you face the overwhelming tides of life will reveal the nature of your commitment to Jesus and will be a witness to others.