by Terry Wane Benton<\/p>\n
James speaks of the wisdom to see our trials as opportunities to perfect our faith and develop durability, endurance, or patience. We can choose to count it all joy, see how to grow deeper in faith, or we can let the trials beat us down and dishearten us to the point of quitting. The crown of life is promised to those who endure trials and temptations. It will take “wisdom from above<\/em>” to see our trials as opportunities for spiritual growth (James 1:2-12). What you do with the trial is the measure of quality faith, durable faith, or the kind that gets choked with the cares of the world or has no depth to take the heat. Counting it all joy will take wisdom, but we can pray for that, and God will give it to people who are not double-minded. Make sure your faith is purely anchored in God and that you trust Him in your trials and challenges!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Terry Wane Benton James speaks of the wisdom to see our trials as opportunities to perfect our faith and develop durability, endurance, or patience. We can choose to count it all joy, see how to grow deeper in faith, or we can let the trials beat us down and dishearten us to the point…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[335,182,188,730],"class_list":["post-68062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-james","tag-suffering","tag-trials","tag-wisdom"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32895,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/james-on-trials\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":0},"title":"James on Trials","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 1:1-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book of James is written to Jewish Christians who were scattered by persecution - Acts 8:1-4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is one indication that James is one of the first books written \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is that persecution that sets up the theme for the first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10927,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/questions-about-james-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":1},"title":"Questions about James 1","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 4, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read the first chapter, it was only a page so I hope its the right one.\u00a0 I think I got most of it. It talks about being joyful for the trials because they give you patience. the more you face things the easier it gets?\u00a0 Then it says\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30958,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-trials-be-counted-as-joy\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":2},"title":"How can trials be counted as joy?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I struggle with the idea of being joyful during trials. I know James said, \"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,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29193,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jamaica-patois-wisdom-problems\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":3},"title":"Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Problems","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61721,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/count-it-all-joy\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":4},"title":"Count It All Joy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton It's not what happens to you that matters so much as what you do with what happens to you. Who would have thought that Helen Keller would have mattered so much with all the handicaps she was dealt in life? Great people of great faith learn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58557,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/patience-the-art-of-persevering-in-this-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":68062,"position":5},"title":"Patience: The Art of Persevering in this Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Forrest D. Moyer As Peter continued to list the characteristics that one must add, he named \"patience\" as being essential in our lives to keep us from falling and to insure us a part in the \"everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior\" (II Peter 1:5-11). James wrote: \"Indeed,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68062\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}