Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
—James 1:2
This is heavenly arithmetic. No earthly computation can can account for meeting all kinds of trials as all joy. Only the resurrection makes sense of this. The resurrection is the “x” variable that allows you to solve this problem. “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). But we do not hope in this life only. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).
We are to weigh the things of this earth according to the gravity of the new earth. We are to weigh the things of this earth according to the atmospheric pressure of heaven above. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18). Thomas Manton wrote, “A Christian liveth above the world, because he doth not judge according to the world.” Because the Christian’s soul flies to heaven while his body endures earthly flames, he is a rare bird. Manton said, “A Christian is a bird that can sing in winter as well as in spring.”
The slave of Christ can “count is all joy” when he meets “trials of various kinds.” This command to do heavenly arithmetic is one that involves the whole of us. We are exhorted to exercise our will (you count) to use our mind (count) to steer the affections (rejoice).
The use of the mind to do this heavenly computation can be seen in the King James translation of Romans 8:18. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We are to reckon—to compute, reason, calculate, tabulate, or account the sufferings of this present time, not as nothing in themselves, but as nothing in comparison with the glory that lies ahead.
Moses knew how to do this kind of math: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24–27).
Paul understood this math: “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 4:8).
We are to exercise our will to do this kind of math to steer the affections. We are not just to reckon it joy, we are to rejoice! This is no call for an exercise in theoretical mathematics, but applied arithmetic. It is not enough to do the math in our mind. We must apply it to it our heart. We have to show our work. Our counting should show in our countenance. “And they [the apostles] departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41). The saints find that the afflictions of this world sever their ties to earth and endear their hearts for heaven. Thomas Brooks declared, “Afflictions are the saints’ best benefactors to heavenly affections; where afflictions hang heaviest, corruptions hang loosest.”
No Other Boast 