James 1:2
A pivotal point in my life, funnily enough, turned on what at first might appear to you to be either comical or trivial.
In the summer of 1980 I began praying sermons on James, a series that commenced in the Fall. I had prayed hard for a good beginning, a clear way forward that would make the Epistle come alive. I was particularly conscious that right at the beginning were those words (using the KJV in those days): “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations” (Jas.1:2).
In those days we always went to Florida for our vacations. The children begged to return to Disney World. I reluctantly agreed when I recalled that the previous year I got the best pizza I ever ate in Kissimmee, Florida where we had stayed. We checked into the hotel, headed immediately for the pizza parlor. I ordered a huge jumbo pizza with everything on it – mushrooms, pepperonis, sausage, green peppers, etc. But after a half hour our pizza was not ready. I went to the manager and inquired. They lost the order. He impatiently said, “What do you want?” I replied, “Am I to believe we have sat her for over a half hour and you don’t even have our order?” “Right, so what do you want?” I called the family up and we put our order in – one at a time, ending with my own huge jumbo order. Fifteen minutes later we were on our way back to the hotel but in a storm. The rain was so fierce you could hardly see the road. When we got to the motel the water was ten inches deep on my side. But I got out, opened the back door to get my pizza – while the family headed with theirs into the hotel room. But as I took my pizza out in a brown paper bag the rain beat down on it so hard that the next thing I noticed was my pizza floating on the water like a pyramid with the mushrooms, pepperonis, sausage, green peppers . . . I went inside to explain to Louise and the kids that I had to go back to the pizza parlor and face the manager and order another pizza.
On the way to the parlor – roughly a five minute drive – I recalled the words, “Count it all joy”. I said to myself, “Either this is true, or it isn’t. I believe it is true. I must dignify this trial.” I repented of my complaining and murmuring not only in the parlor with the manager but my habit of being a grumbler over the years. I felt so ashamed. I resolved from that moment to dignify every trial I would ever have. I began by apologizing to the manager of the pizza parlor. The next day at Disney World I was almost overwhelmed by an amazing peace. It lasted all day. And the next. And the next.
Really and truly, that incident ensured that I would never be the same again.
The word “count” – translated “consider” in the NIV – is the exact same word Paul uses in Romans 4 regarding his teaching of justification by faith alone. It means “impute” – put to the charge of. In other words, God imputes righteousness to us when we believe the promise, even though we are not righteous. James uses this word – that we impute “all joy”, “pure joy” (NIV) to a trial. This does not mean it is joyful to have a trial. It could be horrible. But we “impute” joy to it; we “consider”, “regard” or “count” it pure joy.
Doing this pleases God. He hates complaining, grumbling. But when we regard it as joy – dignifying the trial – we honor him. What is more, we will sooner or later thank God for the trial, seeing eventually that God has a purpose in every trial. Every single trial. Small ones (losing a pizza) or huge ones (tragedy). I don’t say it will be easy. But God’s word is true. Stop complaining. Regard everything in your life at this moment – the most negative thing – as something God allowed for your own spiritual growth. You will never be sorry.
But you will be sorry if you don’t break the grumbling habit.
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