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Welcome to Day 2120 of\xa0 Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom James \u2013 Wisdom is Faith in Action 2 \u2013 Trials of Life \u2013 Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message \u2013 09/12/2021 James: Wisdom is Faith In Action \u2013 Trials of Life We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the book of James. \xa0Last week we were introduced to James, the half-brother of Jesus, and learned a lot about his life and leadership within the first church of Jerusalem. \xa0This week we start mining the rich wisdom that makes this letter a treasure trove of practical advice we can use daily.\xa0 Join me on page 1880 in the pew bibles as I read the Scripture for today. I would recommend keeping this passage open as we go throughout the message today: James 1:2-12. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,\xa0whenever you face trials of many kinds,\xa0because you know that the testing of your faith\xa0produces perseverance.\xa0Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature\xa0and complete, not lacking anything.\xa0If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,\xa0who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.\xa0But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,\xa0because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.\xa0That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.\xa0Such a person is double-minded\xa0and unstable\xa0in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.\xa0 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation\u2014since they will pass away like a wildflower.\xa0For the sun rises with scorching heat\xa0and withers\xa0the plant; its blossom falls, and its beauty is destroyed.\xa0In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial\xa0because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life\xa0that the Lord has promised to those who love him. \xa0 You don\u2019t have to live long or experience much life, especially as an adult, before realizing that life is complicated and unfair. Instead, there seems to be a mountain of hurts, heartaches, pain, problems, disappointments, discouragements, sicknesses, suffering, disease, and death that sometimes overshadow life's sweet songs. As a result, we could become discouraged unless we understand the purpose. This letter from James helps us to gain that understanding. Let\u2019s focus on verses 1-4 As we discovered last week in the introduction to James, the recipients of this letter were people enduring adversity. Having been \u201cscattered abroad,\u201d they were disoriented, disillusioned, and probably downright depressed. In addition, they were bearing the brunt of the criticism, brutality, and unjust treatment. \xa0 James greets these beleaguered believers with a single word in verse 1: \u201cGreetings.\u201d Though this was a common form of official greeting at that time, it meant \u201cto rejoice,\u201d as in Romans 12:15\u2014\u201cRejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.\u201d This contrast between his readers\u2019 harried situation and James\u2019s exhortation to \u201cconsider it pure joy\u201d in the following line sets the tone for his letter. \xa0 \xa0 So, without hesitating, James leaps headfirst into his most pressing issue, trials, which appears a second time in verse 12. The word...