James 1:1-4 ESV James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. (2) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (4) And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing

Although this James is most likely the brother of Jesus, as E. W. Bullinger remarks, and a leader in the early church, he does not make any of these claims, except that he is a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The humility of someone who could have resorted to name-dropping in order to bolster his authority, but refuses to do so, is a mark of Christian leadership. The understanding that we are but servants of the Living God and ministers to his people should be enough. The resort to titles and degrees to present a show of knowledge and authority is the way of the world. Credentials are important, but the true credentials needed are presented by James, the servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

From all the signs his epistle is most likely the earliest epistle written in the New Testament. It was written to Jewish Christians (the twelve tribes) who had been scattered, possibly referring to the dispersion over the centuries, but probably by the persecution most likely spearheaded by the zealot Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul).

These were difficult times for the early church and, scattered abroad away from the support of the church and apostles at Jerusalem, they would face temptations, trials, and challenges that would shake the foundations of their faith.

The great paradox of verse 2 still confounds our understanding and experience. We often think that this life should be one of comfort, satisfaction, happiness and free of difficulties. Yes we want all joy, but to consider trials of various kinds joyful is beyond comprehension. Most of us think that God owes us His blessing and the mark of His approval is the showering of such blessing on our lives. We want Him to shelter us from all harm, all danger, all problems, all temptations, all illnesses, all disasters, etc. We fail to understand what previous generations of Christians have known: that this life is a probationary period that prepares us for eternal fellowship with God. We want heaven on earth here and now. He wants us to understand that while He is preparing for us a place, He is also preparing us for that place.

Helen Roseveare was an English Christian missionary to the Congo from 1953 to 1973. In 1964 she was taken prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapings. She left the Congo and headed back to England after her release but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital (the other hospitals that she built were destroyed) and served there until she left in 1973. She helped many people from different countries, and helped them when needing food, and drink.

I remember hearing her give her testimony about that time of severe testing she endured during her abduction and retention as a prisoner of the rebels. She did not dwell on the horrors or the pain; she only remarked that she came to understand the profound truth that God does not give more grace than you need, but only grace as you need it. That is why most of us feel that we could not handle circumstances, trials, or suffering that others have. It is because we don’t need that grace at this moment. However, in the circumstances, He provides the grace we need to face whatever situation we face. She writes:

“Together we learned why God has given us His name as “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). His grace always proved itself sufficient in the moment of need, but never before the necessary time, and rarely afterwards. As I anticipated suffering in my imagination and thought of what these cruel soldiers would do next, I quivered with fear. I broke out in a cold sweat of horror. As I heard them drive into our village, day or night, my mouth would go dry: my heart would miss a beat. Fear gripped me in an awful vice. But when the moment came for action, He gave me a quiet, cool exterior that He used to give others courage too: He filled me with a peace and an assurance about what to say or do that amazed me and often defeated the immediate tactics of the enemy.”
― Helen Roseveare, Living Sacrifice: Willing to Be Whittled as an Arrow

James reminds us that we know something about the trials of life. Although they are unwelcome, unwanted, and unappreciated, they are necessary to our spiritual health and growth. They are the exercises of the spiritual life. They are the workouts of the soul. They are spiritual weightlifting for building the muscles of faith. My oldest daughter has really worked hard to strengthen her physical health and I admire her tenacity, both in the discipline of diet and exercise. She runs and I have seen her remark on several occasions that her body is telling her to forget it, but she has refused to listen. It is that kind of steadfast discipline that we need to exercise in the realm of the spirit, if we are to reap the benefits of the trials and temptations of life. They can literally make or break us spiritually.

It comes down to this. Helen writes:

“Could I see that God wanted to transform my life from a somewhat ugly, useless branch to an arrow, a tool usable in His hands, for the furtherance of His purposes?….To be thus transformed, was I willing – am I still willing – for the whittling, sandpapering, stripping, processes necessary in my Christian life? The ruthless pulling off of leaves and flowers might include doing without a television set or washing machine, remaining single in order to see a job done, re-evaluating the worthiness of the ambition to be a “good” doctor (according to my terms and values). The snapping of thorns might include drastic dealing with hidden jealousies and unknown prides, giving up prized rights in leadership and administration. The final stripping of the bark might include lessons to be learned regarding death to self – self-defense, self-pity, self-justification, self-vindication, self-sufficiency, all the mechanisms of preventing the hurt of too deep involvement. Am I prepared for the pain, which may at times seem like sacrifice, in order to be made a tool in His service? My willingness will be a measure of the sincerity of my desire to express my heartfelt gratitude to Him for his so-great salvation. Can I see such minor “sacrifices” in light of the great sacrifice of Calvary, where Christ gave all for me?”
― Helen Roseveare, Living Sacrifice: Willing to Be Whittled as an Arrow

Let trials have their full effect. We want to cut the process short, to exit before the lesson is complete, to run from the pain and suffering that alone will yield the fruit of steadfastness and endurance. Helen testifies:

“It would seem that God had merely asked me to give Him my mind, my training, the ability that He has given me; to serve Him unquestioningly; and to leave with Him the consequences….How wonderful God is, and how foolish we are to argue with Him and not to trust Him wholly in every situation as we seek to serve Him!”
― Helen Roseveare, Living Sacrifice: Willing to Be Whittled as an Arrow