Walk It Out - A Study on James Week 1

I really love this song! Listen in preparation for the study. Take the study slowly. This stuff we are about to talk about can help you so much when you face life's trials. Somehow the wrong thinking of, "if I just do this then I will escape suffering" has entered into the thought lives of many people. However it is not truth. Jesus told us in this world you will have trouble (John 16:33).

What kind of trouble are you currently experiencing? If you are not experiencing anything now you will at some point. It is good to be prepared as to how to handle it. We need the right perspective on our trials to overcome them.

James is speaking to these Christians who have been dispersed as we learned last week and he cuts right to it. After his greeting he opens the letter like this, "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" (James 1:2-4 (ESV)).

These people were experiencing various trials from the times and dispersion. Look at the notes from last week for specifics. James challenges them to count it all joy. Now I think it is important to know that I do not believe He is saying count it joy you lost everything you own and have had to relocate so be happy about it. Sin grieves God's heart. He does not expect us to be happy about sinful circumstances that wreck our lives, yet in His great wisdom when He allows it He desires our right perspective about it. God is sovereign and in control of all things so when He allows some adversity in our lives it is for our good ultimately (Romans 8:28-29). We must trust that.

It is through adversity that we learn and grow. It is how we become more like Him. So it is one of those blessings in disguise. If we let it do its work in us we will be better off in the end then we were before it. I do not type these words lightly but it what I truly believe from studying God's word and getting to know Him more intimately. He will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and will bring you from glory to glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

To understand what James is saying let's look at these verses in the Greek. These definitions are mostly from Blueletterbible.org
Count it=means to consider or think
all=means everything
joy= is a cause or occasion for joy
when=whenever or as soon as or as long as
you meet trials=fall into or encompass you
various=variety
trials= adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one's character, faith, holiness/ an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances

I like this break down. Basically it states we are to consider ALL our trials which come in various forms either from our own sin or incoming affliction as an occasion for joy. Do you get this? We must think and consider it. If the affliction is not of our own sinful doing then we may not know the why but we can be prepared to consider it an opportunity. Now why would we do that? The next part of the verses explain that.

" for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
It means as your faith is tested it achieves a loyalty or patient endurance. It shows your faith to be genuine. It is easy to trust God when all things are going great but it is another thing to trust when life is falling apart.

Then the final portion is astounding, it states, "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." As we endure these trials they make us mature in our faith they help us to Walk It Out authentically. It helps us not be light weight Christians but those that stand strong keeping our eyes on Him and feet firmly on the Rock.


Here are some other helpful passages that back this line of thought up.
"Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9).


Does it surprise you that trials taught Jesus obedience while He was in the flesh?


"There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world" (1 Peter 1:6-7).

We all have to endure many trials and it purifies our faith which is so important to God. In fact it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). To truly Walk It Out we need authentic faith that will be strong and hold til the end. In the end God will commend us for it. And wouldn't you like to hear Him say, "well done?"

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance" (Romans 5:3). Again, problems help develop endurance. If we want to be people of strong character then our perspective needs to see our trials in this light.

So in light of these truths, what do you find your greatest trial right now? How is your perspective looking about it? Does this give you hope?

How should we view troubles or trials that come our way?

What does this tell you about the character of God?

What most surprises you or intrigues you about all of this?

I could write so much more about what the Word says about life and difficulty. However that can be for another day and another study. Let's refocus on James and next we will look at the need for wisdom, especially in light of what we learned. That is what we will study next time. This is enough to chew on and really ponder. God is good. He loves us enough to orchestrate events that will make us more like Him in the end. We must trust Him and know we do not have a Savior who is unfamiliar with suffering. He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He knew the final outcome of that vast suffering and this too is how we should view our trials. The end is where true joy and change takes place. We can trust Him.

What are you having trouble trusting God with? How can we pray for one another this week?

"But for you, O LORD, do I wait it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer" (Psalm 38:15).