The Power of Counting It All Joy
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - The human desire is to have every aspect of our life be smooth, without trials, tribulations, hard-times, disappointments, and sadness. Too often, we see trials in a negative light, or we assume that there is no way joy can exist in midst of trials. So often we consider the hard times as God’s curse upon us or His punishment for our sin, rather than what they really are and that is opportunities to joyfully mature into Christlikeness.
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURE: - James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”.
Now one of the first things I notice in these verses is the number 5. The number 5 represents in scripture God’s grace. Grace is mentioned 318 times in Scripture, 3+1+8 =12 which is Divine Government. Five is the number of grace, and multiplied by itself, which is 25, is 'grace upon grace' John 1:16. The Ten Commandments contains two sets of 5 commandments. The first five commandments are related to our treatment and relationship with God with the remaining one concerned with our relationship with other people. There are 5 primary types of offerings God commanded Israel to bring to him. 1.) Burnt Offering 2.) Sin Offering 3.) Trespass Offering 4.) Grain Offering and 5.) Peace Offering. There are five books of God's Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) commonly referred to as the Pentateuch ('Penta' means five). The 4 Gospels plus Acts equals five books that, as a set, can be designated as "the New Testament Pentateuch." They reveal Jesus' teachings concerning the Law and the Prophets. The apostle John wrote 5 books centered on the grace of God and eternal life (the gospel of John, 1John, 2John, 3John and Revelation).
So, understanding that in this verse what stands out to me is the Grace of God in these 5 things.
KJV says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”.
The ESV says, “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”.
1.Patience/Steadfastness = endurance, 2. Perfect Work/Full effect, this is hope. 3. You may be perfect = Spiritual maturity, 4. Entire/Complete, 5. Wanting nothing/Lacking in nothing.
When you understand these 5 things and how they present the Grace of God then you will be able to count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.
DEFINITION: - Power is the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality, the ability to influence other people.
Understand joy is a state of mind, it is not a feeling of happiness. Happiness is predicated on outside factors. EXAMPLE: - If it is raining, then you may not be so happy. If you team lost, you don’t feel so happy. If the doctor said you have Covid you will not feel happy. However, joy is peaceful confidence in knowing God’s good and perfect will is being carried out as the result of whatever trial you may be going through. This can be hard to understand at first but let’s try to open this up a little.
These 5 things:
1.Patience/Steadfastness = endurance. Patience/Steadfastness does not mean passive tolerance, but active perseverance and endurance. This requires subjection to present conditions an abiding, contentedly, in adversity. Paul said in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”. Only when we finally accept the trial and stop fighting against it will patience be perfected. Steadfastness is a compound word meaning to stay, abide, or remain. It pictures someone carrying a heavy load for a long time. But endurance (as virtuous as it is) is not even God’s ultimate goal. His bigger purpose is that this steadfastness will have “its full effect” by moving you toward completion, maturity in Christ -Romans 8:28-29 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”.
2. Perfect Work/Full effect, this is hope. After we undergo our trials again and again, and find God being there with us no matter what and still working in our lives, we have an expectation (hope), that all will be well, no matter the trial, and so we are more patient when the next trial comes along. Since he brought me through that and never left me I know and have this hope that He will do the same through this one.
3. You may be perfect = Spiritual maturity, not tossed to and fro by everything that comes your way. To become Christlike.
4. Entire/Complete, = having no deficiency, to express the final and entire attainment of what is treated, leaving nothing beyond to be desired or hoped for.
5. Wanting nothing/Lacking in nothing. There is no intent that we should be free from care, but rather that our whole lives might be without fault or flaw: a perfect sacrifice, as it were, offered up to God.
COUNT IT ALL JOY: - Now, to count it all joy what does this mean or rather what does it not mean. It does not refer to being happy about the trial itself. Nor does it deny you the ability or the right to grieve. It is not at all saying that No matter how painful your loss is, or how hurtful your trial has become that you need to just put on a happy face. Never let anyone see how much you are hurting. No. True joy is not a spiritual mask that we put on trying to make people believe that we are so Holy that things don’t bother us. So, then what does James mean in saying “Count it all joy”?
First count it all joy is a divine command which calls for a certain attitude of mind. It is not saying that you to deny the reality of your sorrow. Trials are hard, Loss hurts, Sadness and grief are a part of life and many times life is painful. But the trying of your faith is designed for your growth, not for your failure, to produce endurance and spiritual maturity. Therefore, it is our Christian duty to pursue joy when you meet trials of various kinds. Jesus said it best and shows spiritual maturity at its best, when in the Garden of Gethsemane he said, “Father let this cup pass by me but not my will but thy will be done”. That takes spiritual maturity to be able to say not my will by thy will be done.
He pursued the joy of what He was facing. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.
Second the word count is a financial term, and it means to evaluate. We must evaluate the way we look at trials and strive to view trials from God’s point of view – not my will but your will be done.
UNDERSTAND: -Trials are part of the Christian experience. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble”. We must be prepared and not caught off guard when a trial comes upon us. 1 Peter 4:12-13 says, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy”.
PURPOSE: - Purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. To have as one's intention or objective. An end, aim, designed, or intended, effect.
Trials are like training exercises for an athlete. They build endurance and stamina. The athlete looks forward to physical and mental challenges because of the benefits that follow. If we were to walk through life on easy street and never face hardship, our Christian character would remain untested and underdeveloped. One song writer put it like this “If I never had a problem how would I know that God can solve them. Through it all I learned to depend upon His word”.
Trials develop our spiritual muscles, giving us the stamina and endurance to stay the course - Romans 5:2–5 says, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.
When trials come, they teach us to depend on God and trust Him. Faith that is tested and tried becomes genuine faith, strong faith, unshakeable faith, uncompromising faith and unmovable faith. 1 Peter 1:6 & 7 says, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”.
Trials have the potential of producing something good as well as bringing something out of us. WATCH THIS: - When trials and pressures weigh you down it causes what is in you to come out. Now that can be good things or bad things. What are you talking about Bishop? When trials and pressure weigh you down hate comes out, bitterness comes out, ugliness comes out, pride comes out, there may even be some words that come out, frustration comes out, doubt comes out, questioning God comes out and that’s o.k. because God is not intimidated by your question or your disbelief. He is not on Prozac; He is not sitting on His throne in heaven saying, “Oh Me – they are questioning me what am I going to do”. As a matter of fact, this is exactly where He wants us to be because it is here that we understand that unless God does it - it can’t be done. It is here in all your worry that He proves He is a comforter. It is here in all your depression that He proves that the Joy of the Lord is your strength. It is here in all your confusion that He gives peace that passeth all understanding, it is here in all your disbelief that He proves with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.
When we consider there is a bigger picture, we can look at trials differently and count it all joy. Even though joy is contrary to our normal reaction, when we change our attitude our mindset toward troubles from dread, despair, and destruction to positive expectation, faith, and trust in God then joy will prevail.
God’s purpose of trials is to conform us to be more like Jesus. So that on the other side of your pain, you will be able to say with humble confidence. Job 23:10 says, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold”.
Sometimes God also uses trials to chasten us. Hebrews 12:10 says, “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” Trials help to purge our spiritual shortcomings and mature our faith. They promote joy because they produce holiness in the life of steadfast believers.
Now that we understand the purpose of trials, now we need to embrace it.
EMBRACE IT: - We embrace trials not for what they presently are, but for the outcome God will accomplish through them. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
MY STORY: - When I was first starting my Chaplaincy training and having to write the verbatims I was talking with a Chaplain at my job who told me something that really stuck with me. We were talking and I was complaining about how hard the verbatim writing process was he looked at me and said “Yep verbatim’s suck – but Embrace the suck” at first I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but when you embrace the bad stuff, the hard times, the trials and tribulation it cause you to grow stronger and able to stand during the next trial that comes with the confidence that we will come out of this even better.
When Joseph was sold into slavery by his 10 brothers in Genesis 37:1–38, he could not see the beautiful, life changing and lifesaving outcome that God would accomplish through his years of suffering and perseverance in Egypt. After his ordeal with Potiphar’s wife, Joseph spent years forgotten in prison. Eventually, God’s plan came to fruition, and Joseph was raised up to the second most powerful position over Egypt. Through many trials and tests, Joseph’s faith grew in God, and he embraced the bad believing God would bring him through. Not only did Joseph rescue his family and the nation of Israel from starvation, but he saved all of Egypt, too.
After coming through the trials victoriously, Joseph understood God’s good purpose in all he had endured. Joseph was able to see God’s sovereign hand in it all. Mature and complete, Joseph spoke these words of forgiveness to his brothers in Genesis 50:19–20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives”.
CLOSING:- There is no timeline as to how long a trial my last; however, as we endure trials and continue to follow God, we are letting patience have its perfect work in us, which will ultimately lead to eternal perfection. Someone maybe saying OK Bishop but how do we do this?
First remember as I mentioned earlier, endurance is not passive but active. You can’t just sit by and say woe is me, but you must:
Remember that as we go through trials, we need strive to live the same way during times of persecution and affliction as we do during times of peace, comfort, tranquility, and safety. Continue to praise God during the trials, to seek His face, read His Word, and call on the name of Jesus.
We need to ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him”. Lord I don’t know how I am going to make show me the way Lord.
We need to trust God even though we can’t trace Him and remember as Job said in Job 23:10 “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold”.
This is the ultimate Power of Counting it all Joy - Romans 5:3-5 says, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.
James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him”.
The Crown of Life, however, is a reward for special acts of service and perseverance under trial. It is not eternal life, for that is a free gift that is given to all those that accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Eternal life cannot be earned or kept by good works. Jesus gives the crown of life to those who persevere in faith through temptation, tribulation, and persecution. Therefore, the crown of life is a reward for a life well-lived on this side of glory. It is an honor that Jesus bestows upon those who endure the trials and temptations of this life.
That is the ultimate Power of Counting it all Joy.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
