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Episode 1
Series Introduction
Did you know that there is power in the problems or issues we face in life? The power is this. The problems or issues in life can either build you up or destroy you completely. What is the determining factor? That’s right, it is not what kind of problems or issues you go through, rather how you respond to them.
In this series, I will address 5 practical issues that all of us wrestle with. Each issue will be divided into two parts. This means there will be ten parts all together.
In addressing the 5 practical issues, I will use the Book of James in the New Testament to show us how we can respond in such a way that we experience the transforming power from the issues we wrestle with.
So, let’s get started. And I’d like to begin by addressing the issue of going through trials and tragedies in life.
TRIALS (PART 1)
Introduction
None of us are immune to trials and tragedies in life. That we all know, right? In fact, it is even more apparent today with the Covid situation. But here’s something that we might struggle even more. And that is this: Sometimes we go through trials because we are followers of Christ.
And when that happens, a lot of things seem to make no sense or little sense. Why? Because the God we worship is the God who is Sovereign, all powerful and all good. And if that’s the God we believe and worship, question is: Why does He allow trials and tragedies in the lives of those whom He loves and cares? Why does the God who is all powerful and all good makes the people He loves and cares, suffer?
Context of James
This was exactly the situation of the Jewish believers that were scattered across different regions during the time of James, the half-brother of Jesus. They were going through a lot as followers of Christ – pressures and persecutions from everywhere and everyone around them. As a result, the Jewish believers were discouraged and demoralised in their newfound faith in Jesus. And some of them began to even compromise their faith.
And this is where James, the half-brother of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote his letter to these Jewish believers to encourage them in their faith. And his key message was simply this: Sometimes God does His best work, ironically, in the darkness of our trials.
This means, we can view trial as a “school” of faith. And whether we like it or not, all of us are enrolled in this “school”. In fact, we never get out of this school in this lifetime. And so therefore, the best thing to do in this “school” of life is to be a student, not a victim. A victim asks, “Why is this happening to me?” A student asks, “What is God teaching me? How can I pass this and go on to the next thing or next level?”
Three Truths Regarding Trials
In James 1:2-4, James provides 3 things or truths that will help us to be students and not victims in the school of faith; to be a student that will pass the exams, that will pass the test or difficult tasks or projects that come along the way.
Here are the 3 truths that will help us to achieve that: (I) The Command, (II) The Reason and (III) The Reward. Three words to remember – Command, Reason and Reward. Let me unpack them one at a time.
I The Command
This is what James said in verse 2: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds (NIV).
James said, “…whenever you face trials…” So you see, this is why trial in your life is not a matter of “if” but “when”. That is why once you are born on this earth, by default you get enrolled in this school of faith, called Trial. That is why you have absolutely no control or choice of what kind of trials come your way.
But here’s the good news. James tells us, as he told the Jewish believers, that we do have one choice. And that is this. You and I have a choice to either be a student or a victim. In other words, you and I can choose how we respond to trials in life.
In fact, James commands those who are Jesus followers to respond in a certain way, which I believe would include many of us who are listening to this podcast. But what if you don’t consider yourself as a Jesus follower, can you apply what James commands? The answer is yes. And here’s the command: When you face any trials in life “Consider it pure joy.” Consider facing trials in your life as something to be joyful about. In commenting this verse, Warren Wiersbe said this:
Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to ‘count it all joy!’ If we live only for the present and forget about the future, the trials will make us bitter, not better.
Warren Wiersbe is correct because the word “consider” has to do with our mindset, our outlook of life. The word “consider” has to do with a decision to change or adjust our perspectives. What we value in life, our outlook in life, how we see and perceive things in life has a great deal of determining how our lives will turn out to be. And I’m assuming that all of us know that, right?
So here’s what James is basically saying, that in this “School” of Faith, trials will never stop coming in our lives and so if we are serious about living our lives to the fullest as Jesus followers, then we need a paradigm shift on how we view trials. And the paradigm shift is to view trials as something positive, rather than negative. That may sound totally absurd to many or some people. But that was exactly the command of James to the Jewish believers who were going through trials of different kinds, and it is also the command for us today as well.
Now that may not sound so encouraging for some of us, right? I know it may not. But here’s the good news. Thankfully James doesn’t leave us wondering about his absurd command to consider trials as an opportunity to be joyful. And this leads us to the next point: The Reason.
II The Reason
James gives the reason as to why we must consider or have a paradigm shift on how we view trials as something positive or as something to be joyful about. The reason is found in verse 3. This is what he said: “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Listen to this. James said, “..the testing of your faith…” What does that mean? It means that trials are like a test. Now what is a test or testing? Testing is a simply a process by which it reveals or proves the authenticity or the quality of something or someone. And in this context, James is saying that the trials we face is like a test by which it reveals or proves the authenticity or the quality of our faith in God.
Here’s how Charles Spurgeon puts it: Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. How true, isn’t it? Who you are under pressure, is what you really are.” This also means that there are things about you and me and our faith, which we will never discover if not for some of the trials we go through in life.
Let me ask you. Have you notice yourself – your response, your tone of voice, your posture, your temperament – when you are under pressure, when you go through tough times or difficult situation, when you are in sharp disagreement with someone? How you behave or respond during those moments expose and reveal the person hidden inside you.
That is what trials or difficult situations in life do for us. It exposes the true me and the true you. Neal Maxwell puts it very succinctly when he said, “Trials and tribulations tend to squeeze the artificiality out of us, leaving the essence of what we really are and clarifying what we really yearn for.”
And that is why trial is a spiritual school of faith, because trial exposes the authenticity and the quality of our faith in God. You see, in school you do all your learning through your weekly classes and lectures, right? But then there is a set aside date where all your learning will be put to test. And we call that, exam.
In the same way, in this spiritual school of faith that we are all in, we learn about God – His character, His power, His love and His grace – through our weekly Sunday service, or bible reading and study, or in our SG meetings. And just as the physical school, in this spiritual school of faith there is also a set aside date of “exam” where all our learning of who God is will be put to test. And James calls that, trial.
And so, since trial is a spiritual test of our faith in God, we must learn to ask the right question. And that is this: What must I do to pass the test? Perhaps today some of us are right in the middle of a trial, or just entered into some kind of trial. And if you pay close attention to yourself, your trial will reveal and expose the authenticity or the quality of your faith in God.
And James is saying that the same trial is an opportunity for you and for me to see the reality of our faith condition, and then leverage on the trial we face to become better in applying our faith in God.
That is why we need to start asking this question today: What must I do to pass the test? This will radically change the way we view our trials. But more importantly, this will radically change the way we stay through the trials. Because James said the testing of our faith produces something.
Question: What is it? To find out, stay tuned and join us in Episode 2 of Responding to Practical Issues in Life. Until then take care and stay safe. God bless! (Word count: 1,777)
Discussion Questions