Count it all joy

Written by Kingsley Tsonyake.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing"(NKJV) James 1:2-4

Many Christians today believe the popular creed that assumes suffering as the direct result of sin or under a spell. For this reason, suffering is considered a bad thing for a righteous person to go through. So one will ask, why should God allow a righteous man to suffer if suffering is there for the unrighteous? This question is always mind-boggling and so anytime we fall into trials and temptations we turn to ask ourselves, Why me? What wrong have I done?

The account of Job is one of the good examples that are related to the age-old question, "Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?" Job raised a similar question but he never received a direct answer other than to answer Satan's challenge, "Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). We are privileged to know of the challenge of Satan, and that God allowed Job to suffer in answer to that challenge, but Job is never told of this. While Job's questions and complaints often come close to charging God with wrong, he never crosses the line and humbly submits to God when told that the answers to his questions are beyond his ability to understand (Job 38-41).

Similarly, no one knows the exact reason for his/her sufferings as God has hidden such things from us. As Christians, we are encouraged to put our hope and trust in the Lord, in good and bad times, for He knows best and cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing". (James 1:2-4).

Reflection

What are some of the things you could do, as a Christian, when going through hard times? (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-6)

How can you help a brother or sister going through suffering?

During tears of joy and sorrow || More

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