1. JAMES
1:1-12

2. James 1:1-12
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 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.5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

3. James 1:1-12
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

4. JAMES 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

5. JAMES 1:1-2
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

6. Part of the Christian walk includes intense periods of TESTING.

7. JOHN 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

8. COUNT IT ALL JOY?
We count it as joy because of what it produces.
The testing of our faith produces STEADFASTNESS.
The trials we face have a purpose – they strengthen us and teach us to see things from an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one.

9. Romans 5:3-4
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

10. JAMES 1:4
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

11. This training time produces durability in us and maturity in us.
He is preparing us for the spiritual warfare we all face.

12. James 1:5
 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

13. Pray for wisdom?
We need God’s wisdom as we walk through the struggle.
We must learn to seek God’s wisdom than our own worldly wisdom.
He is training us and showing us how to trust Him fully, knowing that He sees the big picture.

14. James 1:6-8
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

15. He is training us to be STEADFAST in Him, rather than be tossed around emotionally every time adversity comes our way.

16. James 1:9-11
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

17. James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.