The Mystery Called Joy_5
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<p>Saturday 5th June </p> <p> </p> <p>The Mystery Called Joy 5</p> <p> </p> <p>James 1:2-3 (NLT), 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.</p> <p> </p> <p>How can the bible tell us to consider pains and troubles as an opportunity for great joy? James wrote this epistle to saints from Jerusalem who were running around for safety because of the crisis of their time, they had death threats, persecution and all kinds of hardship and James, a leader of the church had the audacity to tell them to count it all joy, that seems quite insensitive. James knew something about this mystery called Joy. He knew that joy works mightily in the midst of difficulty and hopelessness. We saw this in the Book of Habakkuk that we’ve been reading all week. Remember, joy has the ability to detach us from the troubles around and connect us to a power source of Joy which is Christ Himself. </p> <p> </p> <p>As we go through these times of difficulty joyfully, our faith is being tested and our patience is growing. And it’s by faith and patience that we obtain all that God has for us. Joy is not just that force that makes things happen, it creates an atmosphere where great things are possible. James understood this, that is why he is charging these Christians in difficult times to stay joyful. Joy fuels our faith and patience even though we don’t see this happening physically. We are tempted to personalise problems when we are going through them, you hear people say “…this my sickness…” “...this is my cross…” The more we personalise these situations the more they persist. Self-pity, self -doubt if left unchecked just makes the situation worse, Cain was a victim of such an attitude. </p> <p> </p> <p>When God rejected Cain and the offering, instead of asking God the reason for the rejection so he can make corrections, he
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The Mystery Called Joy_5
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