Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2, NLT).
Learning to respond to our trials with rejoicing takes discipline.
I like the New Living Translation (NLT) version of James 1:2 — that we consider our troubles an opportunity for great joy. When we discipline ourselves in any endeavor, we pay the price for a goal, expecting “great joy.”
Nobody pays the price of running a marathon, getting in shape to cycle a century (100 miles), or hours and hours of training in a swimming pool for “small joy” or “mediocre joy.”
We want great joy — our personal best time, Olympic gold, or, in my case, cycling, just to make it 100 miles!
As the Book of James continues …
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing (James 1:3-4, NLT).
How do we discipline ourselves for joy?
Consider a “Rejoicing Plan” …
Train your brain.
Our minds easily get rutted with negative thinking. Most of us too often think, “Not again,” “This always happens to me,” or “When will I get a break?”
Train your brain by memorizing James 1:2. When problems or trials arise, begin thinking, “I’m considering this an opportunity for joy!”
Train your words.
Jesus taught, “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Matthew 12:34, NLT).
From heart to speech — but I’ve learned that this principle can be flipped. What we say over and over works backward to change the heart. The Psalmist encourages us to …
Praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises (Psalm 34:1, NLT).
Train your devotion.
Regular mediation in Scripture by prayer and reflection are the foundational disciplines of joy. As Psalm 1 teaches …
But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do (Psalm 1:2-3).
Train your generosity.
The happiest people that I’ve known are generous.
Giving extravagantly does more for joy than anything else. Stewardship was the second most taught topic of Jesus in the New Testament. (The kingdom of God was the first.)
Paul had a straightforward solution for the divided and depressed Corinthian church in the New Testament …
For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).
There it is — a “Rejoicing Plan.” Let’s consider our trials an opportunity for great joy!