The Power Of Counting It All Joy

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.