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James 1:2-4
Is This As Good As It Gets?
James was the first book of the New Testament to be written. It is a basic
handbook for living the Christian life. It's about developing a faith that
actually works in real life. It is practical and straightforward. People who say
the Bible is a difficult book to understand have never read the book of James,
because James says things in such a way that misunderstanding it is not an
option. He talks about controlling your tongue, controlling your temper, your
attitude towards
wealth, and so on. He says if you don't practice what you preach you're not a
true Christian. Some of the things you'll hear in this series will challenge you
to stretch yourselves to a deeper level of faith, and a deeper level of
obedience. But I can make this promise: At no time in the series will you hear yourself saying, "I just don't get it. What does
this verse mean?" I can also make this promise: If you apply the truths in
this book to your life, there will be an enormous payoff.
If you have your Bible today, turn to the first chapter of the book of James.
(James 1:2-4) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of
many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Even though there is no
question what James is saying in this verse, it bewilders many people. They ask
how they can be expected to be filled with joy over the tragedies that come into
their lives. They'll say, "I just lost my job"
or "My husband left me" or "My father just died--how can I
consider that joy?" They're asking, "What gives? Why does the Bible
say I have to be filled with joy over bad things that happen to me? Should we
fake it?
Wouldn't God know? So why does he tell us to do something that we can't
authentically do? "Today we'll address that issue as we examine these first
few verses in the book of James When John Elway retired from the Denver Broncos,
he left the NFL holding the record for the most 4th-quarter-comeback-victories.
We saw it again and again: the players would be exhausted from pounding each
other all afternoon, Denver would be behind a few points with only minutes left
in the fourth quarter, and Elway would take the field. You knew what the
opposing defense was thinking: "Oh no, here he comes again." No matter
how many times he'd been hit, how many times he'd been knocked down, or how banged up his body was,
he never gave up. His level of endurance made him an opponent's worst nightmare.
Think back to World War Two when Hitler and the Germans were bombing Great
Britain -- it was so intense that the mid-day sky was black as night. Winston
Churchill addressed the nation several times, imploring the people of England,
"We will fight on the seas, and the oceans. We will fight with growing
confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever
the cost may be. We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the landing
grounds, we will fight in the fields and in the streets and in the hills. And
know this, we will never, ever surrender." That kind of spirit sends chills
through an adversary. It's virtually impossible to conquer a nation filled with
people who won't give up; it's virtually impossible to beat a team filled with
players who won't quit. And, it's impossible for our adversary, Satan, to
destroy a Christian who has developed the endurance to press on in the face of
trials.
I remember seeing the movie "Rocky" when it first came out. Sylvester
Stallone was getting pummeled in the boxing ring, and every time he pulled
himself back to his feet, the people in the theatre would cheer.
At one point, he even got a standing ovation--and this was in a movie theatre!
At times it would seem impossible that he could get back up, but then the music
would begin and he'd spot Adrienne in the crowd, and he'd find the strength to
pick himself up one more time. There is power in endurance! And if there is one
character trait we absolutely must develop in our lives--and help our children
develop in their lives--it's spiritual endurance. It's the ability to say
"There is nothing that life can dump on me that will cause me to turn my
back on God. God has proven himself to me so many times, my trust in him is so
solid that nothing or no one can persuade me to turn away."
This kind of endurance will sustain you through your darkest hours, your
greatest challenges, your most devastating losses. This is the kind of endurance
we all need and the book of James tells us it's available to everyone -- but you
have to know how to get it. Most of you are familiar with the story of Job, from
the Old Testament.
You know that at one time in his life Job lost all his sons and daughters in a
freak accident. He lost all his livestock, which was his livelihood. His body
was plagued with boils that caused him to suffer day and night. When it looked
as if things couldn't get worse, his beloved wife suggested, "If I were
you, I'd curse God and just die." (So much for spousal support!) But Job
refused to do it. In fact, he vowed before his wife, "You make your choices
and I'll make mine." In the book of Job, you read how he is heartbroken by
all that has happened, and he
spends a great deal of time asking "Why?" And though the thought of
turning his back on God crossed his mind many times, Job remained faithful to
God. He endured. He persevered through all the seasons of misery. And after it
was over he discovered his faith in God was
stronger than ever before. Not surprisingly, the book of James uses Job as an
example of spiritual endurance. (James 5:11) You have heard of Job's
perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.
Today, as we take a closer look at James 1:2-4, we'll consider how Job dealt
with the trials that came his way, and it will help us get a handle on how to
develop spiritual endurance in our own lives. There are three lessons we can
learn here.
Be honest with God about how you feel.
I'm glad James used Job as an
example of endurance, because that prevents us from mis-interpreting James
statement to consider our trials "pure joy." James didn't mean that we
should have a Polyanna attitude toward tragedy, as if we could say, "Oh
boy! My life is falling apart! What joy! What joy!" If James meant
that, he never would have used Job as an example, because Job never pretended to
enjoy the suffering he was going through. In fact, throughout the book of Job,
he pours his heart out to God and he holds nothing back. He makes statements
like...Why did I not perish at birth?...For now I would be lying down in peace.
(Job 1:11) I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil. (Job
1:26) If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on scales!
It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas. (Job 6:1) I despise my own life.
(Job 9:21b) I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my
complaint and speak out in the 1. bitterness of my soul. (Job 10:1) It doesn't
sound like Job was considering his trials "pure joy,"
does it? I want you to understand that when James says to consider your trials
pure joy, he isn't saying that you have to mask your emotions. He isn't saying
that you can't be honest with God about the way you feel.Of course you can. In
fact, that is a very important part of the process
of going through trials. Job was honest about his pain. He didn't eagerly accept
his hardships -- he poured out his hurt and anger to God.
He questioned God's care. He wanted answers from God. Sometimes, we're afraid to
do that. We fear that honestly expressing our hurt to God will push him away.
But the opposite is really true. When we are honest with God about our feelings,
it draws us closer to him. So, what did James mean when he said, "consider
it pure joy"? How can you do that in the midst of a trial? You can consider
it joy not because the experience is enjoyable, but the end result is worth the
price you're paying right now. A good example is childbirth. When a woman gives
birth to a child, she first has to endure labor pains--a kind of suffering more
intense than any man can fully understand. It is a type of pain beyond our
comprehension. The closest we'll ever get to that type of pain is in listening
to Michael Bolton sing. The process of labor is unspeakably
painful, but as any mother can tell you, the pain can be counted as joy because
the end result is worth the price she paid. Now, imagine telling a woman in
labor, "Pretend like it doesn't hurt. If you were a good mother you
wouldn't be in pain right now." No one would possibly say anything so
foolish. Of course being in labor hurts, but you can consider the pain of labor
pure joy because the end result is worth it.
This is exactly what James is saying to us when he says "consider pure joy
when you face trials of many kinds." It's not because the experiences themselves are enjoyable; it's because we know the end
result will be worth the price we paid. You don't have to gloss over
your emotions. You don't have to pretend everything is wonderful when it
isn't. You can be honest with God about what you're feeling. And at the
same time, you can face your trials with a sense of joy that the outcome
will make it all worthwhile. Keeping this in mind will help you develop
spiritual endurance. Secondly...
2. Give God Time To Make His Changes In You.
Listen to what James says...(v.3) ...the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking in anything. In the midst of all his
suffering, Job knew that that was what was happening in his life. He
said... God knows the way I take, and when he has tried me, I shall come
forth as gold. (Job 23:10) God can use the pain in our lives as a
refining process to achieve his purpose for our lives. Think of it this
way: If our purpose as a follower of Christ is to become more
Christ-like--if God wants us to be just like Jesus--he will take us
through many of the same things Jesus went through. There were times
when Jesus was lonely, exhausted, tempted, discouraged and depressed.
Peter tells us we can expect to experience the same kind of suffering
that Christ did. (1 Peter 4:1) Peter and James both go so far as to say
that suffering is necessary in order for us to become the person God
wants us to be. Like it or not, God is more interested in building our
character than in making us comfortable. Look again at verse 4. (v. 4)
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete. You can't come forth pure as gold if you don't go through the
fire! And you can't become spiritually mature and complete without your
faith being tested by trials. But when you go through trials, realize
that the trial itself is not God's purpose for your life; the end result
is God purpose for your life. His goal is to make you perfect and
complete, and the only way you can accomplish that is to endure some
suffering along the way. Some people may say, "I don't like that. It's not fair. Life should be easy." Like it or not, that's the way it is,
and there's no use trying to live in a make-believe world. Maybe you
would like to live in a world where eating ice cream won't make you fat. Maybe you would like to live in a world where if you flap your arms hard
enough you'll fly. Maybe you would like to live in a world where the
Chicago Cubs have a chance of winning the World Series. But the fact is,
we don't. To become the kind of person God wants you to become you have
to endure trials and hardships. But understand: the trials and hardships
aren't God's purpose for your life; the end result--becoming like
Christ--is his purpose for your life. But as you're going through
trials, give God time to make his changes in you, so you become the
person he wants you to be. You'll find that you can endure anything that
comes your way, because you know the end result will be worth the price
you pay. The third lesson we learn is...
3. Keep your eyes on the prize
Have you seen this bumper sticker? "Into
every life some rain must fall, but this is ridiculous!" That bumper
sticker strikes a chord, because just about everybody feels their life
is particularly difficult. Do you know why that is? Because everybody's
life is difficult! Everybody experiences problems. When you look at
others, their life may seem easy compared to yours, but the fact is, we
all have trials and tribulations. Bruce Springsteen says. Every fool's
got a reason for feeling sorry for himself And turning his heart to
stone...(Better Days, by Bruce Springsteen © 1992) We have all problems.
Real problems. And if we spend our lives looking only at our problems,
it's easy to be overcome with self-pity. It's easy to want to give up.
It's easy to decide that endurance isn't worth the effort. But James
reminds us that even though our current situation may seem like a
nightmare, God promises the end result will be more like a dream come
true. He said...(v. 12) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,
because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love him. In the movie "As Good As It
Gets", Jack Nicholson plays a brilliant writer with an
obsessive-compulsive personality who can not enjoy any aspect of his
life because of the emotional turmoil he lives with day after day. The
title of the movie comes from a scene where Jack is walking out of his psychiatrist's office, into a waiting room full of people who are,
presumably, waiting to see their psychiatrist. Before he walks out the
door he stops and says to everyone in the room, "What if this is as good
as it gets?" Have you ever wondered that? Maybe during the midst of a
crisis? What if my life is like this from now on? What if things will
always be this way? What if this is as good as it gets? Job wondered
this very same thing. He said...I have been allotted months of futility,
and nights of misery have been assigned to me. When I lie down I think,
"How long before I get up?" (Job 7:4-5) Job was asking, Is this as
good
as it gets? Is this all I have to look forward to? If you're going
through a trial right now, the Bible makes you a promise: This isn't as
good as it gets. It gets better. There is a prize waiting for you if you
endure. When Peter talked about suffering he said...In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for w little while you may have had to suffer grief
in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:6) Notice that phrase "for a little
while." It doesn't last forever. It may seem like a nightmare now, but
what God has in store for you is more like a dream come true. This
happens two ways. First, if you're going through a trial right now, God
will see you through it and make your life better here on earth. God
intends our life on earth to be a series of trials and victories, trials
and victories, as we journey through the process of becoming like
Christ. And as go through each trial, God will bless us in this life
more and more. We see this in Job. (Job 42:12) The Lord blessed the
latter of Job's life even more than the first part. But there's a second
way that God has promised us this isn't as good as it gets. He has
promised us eternal life with him, forever, in heaven, where we will
experience unending joy, unending peace, unending happiness. We talk so
much about how God wants to give you a full and abundant life here on earth--and we certainly don't want to miss out on that--but neither do
we want to overlook the fact that this world isn't all there is. God has prepared a place for us with him in heaven for all eternity. And life
there will be more wonderful than we could ever imagine. So remember,
this isn't as good as it gets. It gets better. Just keep your eyes on
the prize. Your life may seem like a nightmare today, but God will make
the end result more like a dream come true.
Conclusion
One of the most important aspects of becoming an authentic
Christian is developing the characteristic of spiritual endurance. The
only way it will happen is if we learn to persevere through trials. The
trials will definitely come. The question is, what will you do when they
arrive? Will you run for cover. Will you turn your back on God and give
up? Or will you endure? God promises that the end result is worth it.
The experience itself may not be enjoyable, but the end result is worth
it. The trials may be difficult to endure, but the trials aren't God's
purpose for your life, the end result--your becoming like Christ--is his
purpose for you, and the end result is worth it. Your life may sometimes
seem like a nightmare, but God promises to make it more like a dream come true, so the end result is worth it. No matter what you're facing
now, remember: It is worth it to endure. You have made a decision to
follow Christ. Stick to that decision. Let's sing this song...
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back...No turning back
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