Count It All Joy 

Scripture Reading: James 1:1-12.

Memory Verse: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).

Introduction: The following prayer, related in a Signs of the Times publication, was prayed by a pastor in Ethiopia:
  "Almighty God, from the depth of my heart I plead with thee to send us trouble. When our king was exiled we were in much trouble with the foreign [Italian] rulers. We had to meet in secret and were in constant danger of our lives. That was the time when we worked in harmony with our fellow Christians. Many a night after I had locked my door and gone to bed, tired from a day's long journey of preaching and teaching, there came a persistent knocking. Lord, how I wanted to sleep, but those at the door had come wanting to be baptized. They knew that they would be hunted and chased and put in prison and beaten, but they said they had seen the Christian's joy and they too wanted that religion. Every night there were more and more.
  "We read Thy Word and talked about it and prayed through the nights. We shared our joy in the Lord. We worked side by side with only one desire, to preach and teach the Gospel. Then, Lord, our king came back. The foreign rulers were forced to leave our country . . .
  "We have peace in our land. We baptize in the daytime. We are not beaten. We meet and pray, yes, but we are beginning to grow careless in our zeal for Thee. Jealousies creep in and spoil the harmony. Petty troubles take on in large meetings. We are selfish in our ambitions. Dear Lord, send us more trouble, I pray Thee, that we may forget ourselves and be so dependent on Thee that we have no time to become selfish and jealous of our fellow Christians. For Jesus' sake. Amen."

Lesson Questions:

1. To whom was the letter of James written? James 1:1.

2. What attitude did James admonish Christians to have toward trials? James 1:2; Habbakuk 3:17; Matthew 5:11,12; Acts 16:23-25; Colossians 1:24; Hebrews 10:32-34; 1 Peter 4:12-14.

3. What benefit is derived from the trials of our faith? James 1:3; Romans 12:12; Hebrews 2:18.

4. Discuss the importance of patience in the life of a Christian. James 1:4; Hebrews 10:32-39; James 5:7-11; 2 Peter 1:5-9; Revelation 3:10;
Matthew 10:22; Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 12:1.

5. How may a man gain divine wisdom? James 1:5; 1 John 5:14,15; Matthew 7:7,8; 21:21,22; John 15:7; Proverbs 2:1-9; 2 Timothy 2:15.

6. Examine the condition necessary for answered prayer. James 1:6-8; Matthew 17:14-21; John 20:26-29; Mark 11:20-26; James 5:16-18.

7. What should be the attitude of Christian brethren in humble circumstances? James 1:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Galatians 3:27-29;
Ephesians 2:12-18.

8. What should be the attitude of Christian brethren who are rich? James 1:10,11; Matthew 18:1-4; 19:21,29; Philippians 3:8; Mark 9:35; John 12:24; Proverbs 16:19; 22:4; 1 Timothy 6:6-11.

9. What is the reward for enduring trials? James 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:7,8; Revelation 3:11; Zechariah 13:9; 1 Peter 5:8-10; 2:19-21.