James 1:2-3 – Being Tested

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2-3)

James’ words can be very reassuring, and he opens his letter with this encouragement. He probably knew firsthand about troubles since Jesus’ family and followers would have endured a lot of heartache and fear following Jesus’ death and resurrection. They would have been very open to attack for their faith.

Context (James 1:2-18): What a great chapter for us, even though it was originally written for James’ Jewish brothers and sisters scattered abroad. It’s all about faith and endurance. James tells us how to approach God, what being faithful looks like, how easy it is to fall into bad habits, and how God rewards our faithfulness.

When we’re tested, we find ourselves crying out to God for mercy or worse yet, blaming God for our predicament. We might wonder how God could have allowed such a thing to happen to us or our loved ones. James 1:13a says, “God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” We can look to Jesus’ example of his encounter with Satan in the wilderness. Jesus never fell into the trap of sin.

God doesn’t tempt us, but he is there to help us. The apostle Paul told his friends in the Corinthian church about God’s role in those times of temptation. In 2 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” That verse gets misquoted and misunderstood often.

For our purposes, reflecting on James’ words, we can understand the joy when we celebrate the God who cares so deeply for us. He provides a way out for us. Always. The assurance God has our backs should make anyone jump for joy.

Arming ourselves with this memory verse can help us in the future. The promise sounds great now, but what about when we’re facing our temptation or trial? Acknowledging that we’re “building endurance” can be a hard benefit to cling to in those times of testing. What does this verse say about those times? We can find joy in our time of testing because we will grow, and God can still be honored. Anytime we can bring glory to God is an occasion for joy.

Have you ever thought about your trials as preparation for something greater? Most of the time, we don’t know how God is going to use our pain until maybe years later. I marvel at how far I’ve come when I look back at painful times in my life. It’s easy now to look back and see how God has shaped my life to not only to benefit me but to help others. It’s an honor and privilege to serve him, and I’m so thankful I’ve listened to the call over the years. There have been painful times, but you serve in those moments, too. It’s that “joy” James was talking about that keeps you going.

Let this be your closing thought for the day. Imagine the possibilities God has opened up for you already or will in the future, which use your past pain from life lessons to make you a better person able to help others. How great will it feel to be able to steward those scars and teachable moments into something life-changing for the kingdom?

Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for always being there by my side when I am tempted and tested. Help me remember to claim that joy when those times do happen. Please bless all the people in my sphere of life who are struggling today in their own time of testing. I pray they will draw near to your promised joy. Use me, Lord, for your purposes. Give me the wisdom to be more devoted and focused on your desires for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.