So we are doing the “James” Beth Moore study right now and today was about James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

These are some good things Beth brought up about this passage:

• “Consider” calls us to a mental exercise. Not an emotion. James is telling us to think, to reflect, and to esteem the unalloyed joys available to us whenever we experience various trials.
• “experience” literally means to fall into, meaning sometimes we don’t even see the ditch coming.
• Trials are takers, they can steal your security, dignity, dreams…etc. But Trials don’t get to steal from followers of Christ unless we hand over the goods.
• Perseverance means “nerving oneself” like a person determined to stay on his feet, holding tight to Jesus, while storm winds try to toss him like a yellow rubber duck on a swelling sea.
• Trials CAN produce a mature and complete faith not lacking anything. Its all how we deal with it and see it. Do we see the trial as it really is….something God is counting us worthy of going through for our own good?

Enjoying this study a lot and yay for James diving straight into the good stuff from the very beginning of this letter.