Count It All Joy

A Little Word Study
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4)

According to Strong’s Concordance, joy is defined as a cheerful calm, delight, and gladness.

Temptation is a putting to proof (test, provoke); by implication adversity: to try.

According to these verses, I should approach the temptation to fear, for example, with a cheerful calm, knowing that it is a testing of my faith in God, and that will work patience (cheerful or hopeful endurance, constancy: -- enduring, patient continuance; waiting) into my life. I like to picture it as a “working in” as in baking: when the chef works additional flour into the dough, he slowly incorporates it into the dough, working it in over a period of time. Testing works patience into my life, over time.

In addition, I am instructed by James to LET patience have a complete or mature work. Why? So I can be perfect (complete in various applications of labour, growth, mental and moral character, etc.) and entire (perfectly sound in body), wanting (or lacking) nothing!

What better or happier way of life than a cheerful calm no matter what temptation or test comes my way! Jesus prayed for me to be perfect, mature, and complete, and in His prayer, He gave the reason for His prayer.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

We are a living witness to the world when we act and live in spiritual maturity. They see that our Christianity is real when they see us go through temptations and trials and still show maturity and trust in God.
We have the assurance that our suffering will not last forever, and that God will, in maturing us, bring stability and strength to our lives. He promises to settle us.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)

God allows tests and afflictions into our lives, because He knows we need it, but He’s watching us the entire time. He never takes His eye off of us. And He also promises to build and to plant into our lives.

And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
(Jeremiah 31:28)

In Your Word, I find my comfort,
Rest from my affliction,
Evidence of faithfulness,
Your mercy, love, and grace.
It is in my darkest midnight
That I’ve found my greatest treasure:
The assurance that You hear me, Lord,
And that You see me in this place!

(“Whispers in the Night,” by Roger Bennett)

If you’re being tested today, “lift up [your] eyes unto the hills”! (Psalm 121) God is your Help, and you can be assured that He sees you, He’s watching you, and He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

My Grandbaby Nearly Seven Months Old!

Kyla Nichole (6 months old) with her Nana (me). :)

How Can I Know I’ve Learned Contentment?

Adapted from The Art of Divine Contentment, by Thomas Watson, a.d. 1620-1686

1. A contented spirit is a silent spirit. A contented person has no word to say against God. Psalm 39:9; Lam. 3:22-28

Pharaoh—“Who is the Lord?”—in other words: “Why should I suffer all this? Why should I be brought to this low condition?” —“Who is the Lord?” Ex. 5:2

Eli, when told that his house/family would be judged, did not murmur or dispute. He had a gracious heart, “It is the Lord; let Him do what He will with me.” I Sam. 3:18

Aaron's sons had offered up strange fire, and fire from the Lord devoured them. The Bible says, “Aaron held his peace.” Lev. 10:1-2

Jonah said, “I do well to be angry.” He did not display a contented spirit. Jonah 4:9

2. A contented spirit is a cheerful spirit. It is more than patience. Patience is simply submission. Contentment indicates cheerfulness. A contented Christian is more than passive. She does not only bear the cross, but she takes up the cross. She looks upon God as a wise God, and on whatever God does as a necessity to mature her into what He wants. II Cor. 12:10

3. A contented spirit is a thankful spirit. I Thess. 5:18 A gracious heart spies mercy in every condition; therefore she has her heart lifted up to thankfulness. Others will bless God for prosperity, but she blesses Him for affliction! When she is lacking something she wants or even believes she needs, she says to herself: “God sees it as better for me to lack this thing than to have it. He sees it as better for my spiritual health.” Therefore she not only submits but is thankful that God in His sovereignty knows and is doing what is best for her.

4. When a person is content, no condition of life is worth complaining about. Paul learned this. Phil. 4:11-12 “For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.”

Psalm 78:10-33—The Israelites murmured when they lacked food. When God provided it, they left His way. Maybe God had a reason for allowing their lack?

A contented spirit says, “Let God apply whatever medicine He wants, and let it stay as long as He wants, because I know that, when it has cured the disease and eaten the venom of sin out of my heart, God will take it away.”

A contented Christian, being sweetly captivated under the authority of the Word, desires to be wholly at God’s disposal, and is willing to live in that sphere and climate where God has set him.

5. She who is contented with her condition will not run into sin to get out of trouble or difficulties.

She is willing to wait for God and will not move until God opens the door.

The Israelites did not move until the pillar of cloud and fire moved. Ex. 13:21

It is good to wait on God and not to try to get out of what we consider trouble until we see God’s hand pointing a way out. Lam. 3:26

Rest, Contentment, Satisfaction, Purpose, Joy...

"It is the faith that continually closes its eyes to the weakness of the creature, and finds its joy in the sufficiency of an Almighty Saviour that makes the soul strong and glad." --Abide in Christ, by Andrew Murray

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." --John 15:4-5

Only when I recognize that "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30), and believe and claim HIS power that already lives in me, can I find true joy in Jesus.

When I choose abide in the Vine (freely yield to His Spirit--that already lives in me), I find rest, contentment, satisfaction, purpose, joy, and so much more!

Oh the struggle in my soul when I do not yield to Him. Believing in His sovereignty and believing that He IS good--His very nature is GOOD!--helps me yield.

My grandbaby Kyla is a living example. At times, she chooses to fight sleep; she is cranky and grumpy, and twists her head around as I try to feed her the bottle. She pushes at me with her arm and tries to sit up when I'm trying to rock her to sleep. Yet if I allow her to sit up, she cries because she is so tired! She just won't yield to the one who knows best for her and loves her so much!

How like her I am when I fight what God is doing in my life and refuse to surrender to Him, the One Who knows best for me and loves me so much!

"...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." --Jeremiah 31:3

I can trust the goodness of God Who is in control of everything that is happening in my life.

Blessed Is She

"And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." (Luke 1:45)

Are you a woman who BELIEVES God? You have a promise that God will come through. God calls you blessed!

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." (Isa. 43:10)

What promises has God given you in the past? God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises." (II Pet. 1:4) Have you kept track of these promises? Do you mark them in your Bible or keep a spiritual journal of how God speaks to you?

It is a wonderful blessing when you look back and see the promises that God has fulfilled! A few years ago I read a book called God Can Make It Happen by Russ Johnston. He illustrated a prayer list idea of which I had never heard: Keep track of specific prayer requests—even seemingly insignificant things—you are bringing to God, along with the date you began praying for it. Johnston suggests a three-month prayer list: put a date heading to your list and review it every three months; then make a new list. When you review it, go through and highlight or circle in red ink all the requests that God has answered.

It is quite amazing to look back and see how God has worked in your life over a three-month period! So many answers to prayer we take for granted, merely because we forgot that we ever asked God for them!

How much more of a promise could a woman want than "...there shall be a performance of those things..."?!

A few years ago, I entered a crisis in my life that I never dreamed I would face. The bottom fell out of my world, and I felt very forsaken and grieved in spirit. I was a youthful wife who was refused, just as Israel was when God spoke to her as a nation in Isaiah 54:6.

At that time, God gave me Isaiah chapter 54 as a promise of what He had in store for me. In verse four, He promised me that I would not be ashamed, that I would forget the shame of my youth, and would "not remember the reproach of [my] widowhood anymore."

It is thrilling to look back through my journals and see just how God has come through with that promise! It is exciting to look at my life and see how God has fulfilled His promises to me, just as He promised me in verse one that I, the barren woman, would sing because I would have more children as a woman who never had any children of her own than the "married wife" would have.

How I thank God that His Holy Spirit enabled me to BELIEVE Him! I claimed those precious promises, and now I am blessed with many spiritual blessings, as well as a wonderful husband, three children, and a grandbaby. God did not give them to me the way that I would have planned, but the further along I get in life, I realize that His way was the best way. I notice just how He has worked "all things together for good" (Rom. 8:28).

Is God asking YOU to BELIEVE Him?

Our blue-eyed beauty at almost 5 months!

Grandbaby Kyla Nichole doesn't stop growing!

Cutest pootie lip ever!

My grandbaby, Kyla Nichole.