That is the classic "what the devil meant for evil God meant for good" situation, just as the bible says that the death of Jesus led to the execution of God's ultimate plan of salvation on the earth.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8: Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

In the verse we are focused on, Paul asked a rhetorical question: What is the result?

We know that something bad happened. He was imprisoned. But what is the result?

Let's not get hung up on the emotions of the situation and the social implications. What is the result? What has it resulted in?

James 1:2-4: My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

There are trials of all sorts that we fall into, and we can choose to wallow in the mud of despair. But what is the result?

James said that the result of the testing of our faith is the production of endurance. That means you can go far and do more things.

The point is that things have been thrown at you, not to kill you but to toughen you.

So, the testing of your faith is to see if your faith is genuine, or if you are putting on an act. And we are supposed to let endurance have its perfect effect (not quit in the process), and the result would be a well-rounded spiritual person.

While Paul was sharing his experience of joyfulness in the midst of imprisonment, to encourage the reader, James is taking it a step further. He was saying by the Spirit that the rejoicing should be normative for the believer.

Paul said that all things work together for the good of those who are the called of God (Romans 8:28).

In another place, he said that the present difficulty is working a greater weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Here again, we have this divide between two sets of people: one, in pretence, and the other, in truth, sharing the gospel.

We would do well to pay attention. There is the temptation to glide over this passage, but let's open our eyes.

The inflection of the voice should not mislead us, the seriousness of the gaze, and the perfection of the picture in the flyer, as well as the social media presence, etc.

However, it is difficult for us to do so because we tend to focus on appearance. This passage suggests that we should not be swayed even if the words being preached appear to align with the truth; it may be coming from a pretender, and we should look for other clues.

Matthew 15:8-9: This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me,and they worship me in vain,teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

So if you see those people, that would not be what you would think.

You may think that they are good people. You may think to yourself, at least they are mentioning the name of Jesus.

If they are false, they won't be able to take the name of Jesus in their mouth, would they? They perfectly would, and they have and will continue to do so.

The deception is so great that Jesus said in a parable that both the false and the true would grow until the time of the harvest (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).

Paul made a decision to rejoice. Sometimes we think that we do not have a choice but to feel what we are feeling, but Paul is saying that no, you are not a prisoner of your emotions. He links rejoicing to an act of the will: I will continue to rejoice.

That clearly is a mark of spiritual maturity. Paul would not give in to depression, nor give in to the bowing down of the head.

So he declared,

And the next verse will tell us the basis of the continued rejoicing. It was because he knew something.

Your emotions remain stable because of what you know (which powers your will); that is, your mind dictates things.

Colossians 3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

You can control what you think. But not how you feel. But control your thoughts and your feelings will follow.

That is the truth.

5-minute Truth broadcast on YouTube

5-minute Truth broadcast on TikTok

Connect with Kayode Crown on Facebook

Learn more →

Register →

Listen on YouTube →

The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved