Sunday, July 27, 2008
James 1:1-4
1:1 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. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
These words from James are very instructional and they read easily, but they are far from simple in their incorporation into our everyday lives. When James says to “count” it all joy when you fall into various trials, I believe that is a literal statement. When we enter into difficult periods in our lives, we need to count and recount all the ways that God has provided for us. Counting one’s blessings keeps our minds firmly fixed on the One who blesses us and not on the hardship that we endure.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
