Devotional: Do Not Enjoy Your Trials

Hello ladies and gentlemen, my name is Justin Peters. I hope that you and your family are doing well today. And I want to thank you very much for joining me. I want to do something new on my youtube channel and that is to begin to put up some relatively short videos.

That are of a devotional nature primarily. We may do a little bit of apologetics here and there but primarily of a devotional nature and I will be putting these videos up Pretty regularly. I'm not sure exactly how regularly won't be every day, but at least one, maybe two, maybe three a week something like that just something to encourage you and maybe give you some just a little bit of nourishment from the Word of God on a regular basis here of a devotional nature and today for our Inaugural installment in this series.

Counting Trials as Joy in James 1

I thought we would look at James chapter 1 and I'll read verses 2 through 4. But just verse 2 will be our primary emphasis here, but James says this. He says consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials.

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result. So that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. Notice what James says he says. Consider it or count it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials.

Have you ever heard someone say that if you are in a trial as a Christian that you need to enjoy it? Based on James chapter 1 verse 2. Well, if you have heard that then you have heard erroneous teaching because James does not say Enjoy your trials.

He says count them as joy. Trials are not Enjoyable by definition. That's why they're called trials if trials were enjoyable. Then they would not be trials and so that is not what he is saying. So, please don't fall into this hyper spiritual trap.

That if you are going through a trial right now, and you're not enjoying it. Then you're just not as spiritual as you ought to be. That's not true. Trials are not meant to be enjoyed. I can remember Years and years ago, this was before I was Even converted.

I didn't realize it at the time. But I wasn't but I can remember telling people that my cerebral palsy. My handicap is one of the greatest gifts that God has ever given me and I now understand.

That.

Not only was that wrong, but Hindsight being able to look back on that with some, you know distance in the proverbial rearview mirror. Understand that that was false humility on my part. Because my handicap is not a gift.

My handicap is a trial. And it's it's not enjoyable, you know. And I'm not gonna sit here and say that my handicap never bothers me because you know what on occasion sometimes it does. And there are days that I would prefer not to be crippled.

I think I can honestly say that I've never really been bitter about my handicap. For one thing I was born with it, and I don't know anything different. And so I don't miss walking because I've never done it.

It's kind of like I don't miss flying on the space shuttle because I've I've never done it. But my handicap is not enjoyable, you know, there are days I've I had my druthers. I wish I didn't have it. So trials are not meant to be Enjoyed.

I think of some people that I know and love and respect like John and Debbie Lynn Kespert. I've talked about them before in one of my videos.

John.

Contracted polio when he was a boy and his wife Debbie Lynn Kespert has severe cerebral palsy. Same condition that I have only far more severe and you know what? These are two of the most joyful people that you would ever want to meet.

They are just a delight to be around. They're a delight to talk to. But they don't enjoy the trials the physical trials that they have. I'm sure if They were given an option if you know all things being equal if they could live the way they are.

They are living now or live. Without their physical conditions, I'm sure they would prefer not to have them. So it's not that they enjoy the physical trials that they have. I do not enjoy having cerebral palsy.

So it's not that they are enjoyable, but we can count them as Joy, how can we do that? We can count them as joy knowing who God is when we study his attributes. When we know that God is Good. When we know that he is faithful.

When we know that he is Patient. That he is merciful that he is holy. That he is just that he is righteous that he is sovereign. We the more we know God the more we can trust him. You know, you can't really trust somebody that you don't know.

So the more we know God the more we trust him and the more we understand that there is nothing That can come our way that does not pass through the good Sovereign hand of God and even though these trials are not enjoyable and Even though they are not in and of themselves Good things.

God in his good providence is working out all of these things together. For the good he is using them to conform us into the image of his son. He's using them to grow us in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's using them to keep us more dependent upon him and our trials are opportunities to glorify God in our conduct and what we say and how we comport ourselves we can. People can see us going through trials and even though we may not enjoy them.

We can still speak well of God. We can Give thanks to the Lord. Knowing that he is good knowing that he is sovereign and so dear friends. I hope this has been of help to you today. Don't enjoy your trials, but you can count them as joy.

Knowing that God is good. He is in control. Thank you very much for joining me dear ones and until our next time together. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the fellowship of his Holy Spirit be with you all.