To Encourage You

James 5:9 “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Throughout the book of James, we see instructions regarding suffering as Christians. James begins his letter with the words “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds . . .” Notice he doesn’t say “if” you face trials, but “when.” It’s inevitable. Trials will come to those who love God, and they may come in many forms. They can come from unbelievers. From the beginning, when ungodly Cain killed his righteous brother, those who didn’t follow the true God have persecuted those who do. Trouble can also come from within our own selves. James talks about the “passions (that) are at war within (us)” (James 4:1). Those passions can result in quarrels and fights when we don’t get the things we want. It’s all self-inflicted and it’s coming from misdirected wants. Trials can also come from the world that beckons us to go its way and promises to meet our every need. It’s all a lie, however, and worse than that, when we become the world’s friend, we become an enemy of God (James 4:4), and that’s a fight that no one can win. And suffering can come from the devil (James 4:7), who continually works to tempt us with his lies, and to steal, kill, and destroy the ones who would follow him (John 10:10).

So, suffering for the Christian is a fact. It’s going to happen. Trials will come. But in all of it there is a purpose. Again, to the beginning of James’ letter, where he tells us that while we may “meet trials of various kinds” we should realize that they are meant as tests of our faith. They will reveal, as little else can, whether we really believe what we say we believe. More than that, that testing is a means whereby the Lord is working in us to “produce steadfastness.” It has a purpose of maturing our faith, making us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4) as God’s ultimate goal.

The fire of testing is a means of exposing the impurities in our inner man and driving them out like fire that is used to remove the dross from silver or gold (Malachi 3:3). So what is the form in which this “dross” appears? So often, it’s in our reactions to the trouble that comes into our lives. It comes out in our words, which reveal what’s been lurking deep in our hearts. And so James points to an example in the verse above. He is talking about our response to trials which can take the form of grumbling against those whom God has placed in our lives. It’s a common result of suffering, i.e., to lash out at others and blame them for our pain. It’s the tendency to become bitter and resentful. And it’s all a test of our faith.

And so James tells us that when we are tempted to blame and judge OTHERS, we should know that God is looking very closely at US. It’s in our attitude and grumbling against others that the things that need refined in our own lives are often exposed. In fact, isn’t it true that so often the things that most irritate us about others are the very things that are part of our own life? And so, James teaches us to be careful, to be aware of this when those trials of various kinds come. And as the dross comes to the surface in its ugliness, may God help us to confess and forsake it, and thereby become more mature in our faith, as God works all things, including our trials, for His (and our) good (Romans 8:28).