Tag: James

Today’s Quiet Time passage brought this question to my mind. James (and I believe the Lord) had a special place in his heart for the impoverished. Because they have so little that ties them to this world, they are so much more apt to grasp onto the Kingdom of God, and the truth of the promise of hope far more than anything else in this world. God’s heart is for those people because they are the ones who are most dependent on Him.

James 2:5-7 [AMP]
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?
But you [in contrast] have insulted (humiliated, dishonored, and shown your contempt for) the poor. Is it not the rich who domineer over you? Is it not they who drag you into the law courts?
Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?

I feel so convicted by this passage. What’s running through my mind is all the times that I’ve overlooked the poor. It’s not that I don’t care for them, it’s that they’re invisible to me. This is not something I am proud of; rather something I am shameful of. Am I one of these people James is taking to task? I definitely don’t feel that I treat “rich people“ differently than anyone else. However, I am not looking for the poor, and that is what I am convicted about.

As my title of this post suggests, maybe I’m supposed to be praying that I’m more like them. The love and adoration God has, for the poor, is wonderful. it begs the question, should we be praying to be poor? If I have less tying me to this world, then I am more apt to lean on God for everything that I need. My sole focus becomes a worship that is dedicated to the one who sustains me while I’m here on this earth. If I am able to achieve this mindset, even though I am “relatively rich“, then I could be a conduit of God’s resources to those who need it most. I do try to lead my family in this way, but I am realizing more and more that I am not doing this enough.

God, help me be a steward of your resources and give me a heart for the poor so that they are first on my mind rather than last. Help me to have loose hands that are willing to give freely to the places you are moving and the people you love.

This was a late quiet time but so specific in the instruction.

James 1:27 [AMP]
External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.

There is so little and so much packed into this verse. I have fallen away from deliberate aid to widows, single moms, and abandoned kids. There is no excuse but the explanation is TIME. This is an area, that even today, has piqued a conviction that I must step out in purposeful execution; leading my family in taking care of those in need.

Secondly, the “keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world” is a minute by minute attention to my heart and mind as well as the exposure I permit to my children. It is what I listen to in the car, what I watch when I relax at night, and even what I allow on the devices for which I pay for service. I am so thankful for this reminder today.

Putting the two verses from yesterday and this one today, we have a very clear view on what legit religion looks like; executed in a way that is honoring to the Lord.

• Obedience to Gods Word as we immerse ourselves in it each day.
• Controlling one’s mouth and speech in alignment with scripture.
• Deliberate caretaking of those most afflicted- widows, orphans, etc
• To keep oneself free of the nastiness this world can pull you into. The battle with our flesh is a minute by minute battle. We must strive for the righteous life God call us to; however, we live here in the flesh. Thank God we have the imbued righteousness of Jesus, the Son of the Living God.

We have already been counseled by James to be quick to listen and slow to speak, but now he puts a valuation on the person who cannot control his/her tongue. Yikes! Smackdown coming…

26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren). James 1:26 [AMP]

Today, this verse cut me to the quick…

I like how Tyndale talks about this verse and the Greek word Thrēskeia [the word used in this passage for ‘Religion’ – “Thrēskeia (and the rare adjective thrēskos) is the term widely used in the Greek world to denote the reverencing and worshipping of a god (or gods). It often connotes outward acts of worship. The true test of any religious profession, suggests James, is not the outward ritual of worship, which many go through unthinkingly and with little heart commitment. No, the real litmus test of religion is obedience; without it, religion is worthless: empty, useless and profitless.”

The way I think about what James is saying here is that the mindless, outward facing execution of religious acts (going to church, reading your bible in front of your family, prayer over hurting people, service to the church, etc.) is worthless without obedience through application of what you are learning in God’s Word to your daily walk…it is a ‘Heart Condition’! Now James has a serious beef with bad speech and unbridled tongues…coming up here in chapter 3, he is going to camp out on this topic for a good ~10 verses.

So, one of the things I was sharing with my accountability partner yesterday was my inability to quench the fire that comes out of my mouth when my kids throw attitude, act ungrateful for what they have, or flat out disrespect their mother and me. I have not been obedient to apply God’s teaching in His word to this area of my life…in fact, it has come to the point where I have in some cases remained unengaged with my oldest because of my fear of what I might say if she says something matching things I said at the beginning of this paragraph. My accountability partner challenged me on this and now with this reading today, my obedience begins today, starting with an apology to my oldest.

James makes no bones about what it truly means to RECEIVE Gods Word. I see this passage supporting the doctrine of, “a faith that is not changing you, is likely not saving you”.

But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].
For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror.
For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like. James 1:22-24

Listening to the Word and hearing it are by all means important; but it is not truly consumed until what is learned, when a conviction has been conceived by the Holy Spirit, is applied to the life of the hearer. I think what James is saying is that if you read God’s Word and you are convicted by something you read and yet do not make the adjustments or changes in your life to align with the teaching you have heard, you are actually deceiving yourself into believing and aligning to something that is not the TRUTH. This feels super scary to me.

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience). James 1:25

These contrasts of looking into the mirror and forgetting one’s face and looking carefully into the faultless law remind me of my life verse of Psalms 1:1-3 where verse 2 says of the Blessed Man -> “His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and he meditates on God’s Law day and night”. Verse 1 says that a Blessed Man does not sit in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the same road with sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. This is a man who is sold out to obedience to God and when he reads and learns something in God’s Word, he is quick to apply the learning to his life. There is so much more here…

I ❤️❤️❤️ these next two verses but I am only going to cover the first one today.

21 So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. James 1:21

In verses like this one, I like to cover meditating on the verse backwards so here goes:

The power to save my soul [which when implanted and rooted in my heart] is the Word of God! In order to receive the Word of God I must do so in a humble, gentle, and modest spirit; a spirit that seeks to learn and receive what is revealed to me. Additionally, I must rid myself of all uncleanness, wickedness, and unrighteousness.

The uncleanness is a blocker to hearing God through His Holy Spirit in us. I like to think of sin like this as veils or scrims of material I put between the Lord and myself that when deliberately layered up (rampant outgrowth of wickedness), block my view of Him and squelch His voice in my life and in my reading of His Word. In this condition, reading Gods Word is likely going to be like reading a newspaper or book where you will miss the Living Word speaking into you through the Holy Spirit. When you are free from these veils/scrims the Holy Spirit speaks into you through the Biblical Passages you read; even when you have read them many times before. You will have moments where you will read one of those verses, have an epiphany, and ask yourself “why did I never see that meaning before??”. That my friend is the Holy Spirit of God speaking to you…take special note of those times and seek to understand where you might apply that learning to your life.

Today is only a 2 verse day for me.  James is full of such poignant direction and instruction.  There is so much to pull from all of these verses.  Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak, and Slow to Take Offense are right on target for me these last 2 weeks.  

19 Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. 20 For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires]. James 1:19-20

One of the things that God has taught in my life is to be an active listener; ready to hear and ‘just be’ when people want to get something out and have someone hear.  At work this happens a lot and has provided many an opportunity for me to be a witness of my faith.  This especially pays off when the person I am listening to requests my opinion or input on what they have said, although this doesn’t happen most of the time.  

Slow to speak is a new tool I am learning, and it is something to wield in many different situations…slow to anger and slow to speak go hand in hand for me.  When my anger rises, so does my propensity to speak and at those times when I do speak, it is absolutely NOT with righteousness.   With my anger breeds a temptation to sin with my lips and heart and verse 20 clearly states that this is NOT a righteousness that God wishes or desires.  Hearing this today renews a conviction I have about letting my anger give birth to sinful speech and a tearing down of grace, mercy, patience, and kindness that I so wish to be a set of attributes that would make me more Christ-Like…right now, I am *not winning*.

One of the big things I have learn later on here in my sanctification is how important it is to be on the lookout for God’s hand moving in our lives. It is not ok to see a promotion that we were not expecting or running into an old friend we have not seen in years, or any other random ‘gift’ we receive without giving God all the glory and credit for that gift. We must walk this earth with grateful hearts when anything good come our way.

17 Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
18 And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as sons] by [His] Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself]. James 1:17-18

I really like how James counters the “God does not tempt” with “God gives every good and perfect gift”.    The words used for good and perfect gifts are different and both are used here. Our Father who gives these gifts is unchanging in His generosity even though the heavenly bodies (nature) ARE ever changing. 

The greatest of these gifts is the gift of redemption through the Word of Life or Gospel where we are the first fruits or first of the transformed creatures when we are justified by our trust in His Son. 

I am so grateful for Gods unmerited favor toward me by allowing me a path to spend eternity with Him through His Son Jesús Christ. I owe everything to Him and my worship through obedience and service is the least I can do here on this earth before He calls me home.

This passage is so appropriate for anyone who struggles with temptation of any kind (psst, thats all of us). We should be slow to dismiss the thoughts or actions that have been precipitated by an opportunity to change course. My road to sanctification is paved with insights on avoidable sins by learning how to properly deal with the ‘Temptation’ that immediately precedes those sins.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. James 1:13

Straight and to the point. God does not set temptation before us…it is out of our own sinful heart that we are presented with the opportunity to sin. I have heard people blame God for their temptations they deal with; this verse is the direct counter. However, God does ‘TEST’ us. He tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Issaac and God tested the children of Israel many times. Don’t let ‘temptation’ be confused with ‘testing’.

14 But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). James 1:14

I had to read this verse several times to catch the subtle lesson. We are tempted WHEN we are drawn away! Stay close to God through His word and prayer! The picture I have stated many times in this blog is that I envision myself hugging the shins of God; like a little child…like little Brooklyn does with me a lot of times. It is when we are drawn away that we are enticed and baited by OUR OWN evil desires. Powerful!

15 Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death. James 1:15

As we give into that temptation, allowing the evil desire to be pursued and acted upon. Then the scary statement – “and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death”…Yikes! One thing God does promise us is that He ALWAYS provides us a way out of the temptation we find ourselves in… we just have to choose against the path that leads to sinning.

I spent my quiet time with the Lord today on just this one verse. My Life Verse (Passage) is Psalms 1:1-3 which also starts out with “Blessed is the man…” so I feel compelled to dwell here a little bit.

"Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12 [AMP]

• Blessed is the man…
  • …who is patient under trial – What this says to me is, “Not my timing but God’s timing”. I think we can rush to quickly to use our own means to rush out of or fix a trial; not leaning on God to 1) bring us through it and 2) being patient to learn what God is teaching us in it. I think that sometimes we forget to look at how God’s hand is moving in our trail; what He is doing in the midst of our trial. Missing opportunities to observe God at work which in turn grows our faith.
  • …who stands up under temptation – In most translations, temptation is not used but the Greek word ‘peirasmos’ can mean either ‘Trial’ or ‘Temptation’, so I am glad that the Amplified includes this. Standing up under temptation to me is turning away (a 180-degree turn) when confronted with a temptation. Praying when an impure thought comes into my mind, looking away immediately when I see something that can spark a lustful thought, saying no and walking away when I am tempted to buy something I don’t need.

When he has stood the test AND been approved – To me this is a combination of behavior modification and a condition of a man’s heart toward God. It is not enough to quickly look away from an image that can produce a lustful thought; it is also to bear one’s mind away from reliving what little I did see, or letting my mind run further with the lustful thinking of what I may have missed after I turned away. God’s focus is on my heart more than my actions. When I am focused on pleasing Him, then my heart will be a heart that has no place for fleshly thinking or pursuits.

…he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him – The reward for passing the test and being approved is that the man receives a crown of life. What does that mean??? The best thing I can think of is that it is gift given at the same time my Savior says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” When I pursue pleasing God more than man in my life here on earth, I will receive a recognition of managing this life well. The crown does not save the man, but it is a recognition of choices, actions, and heart condition the man has achieved while here ‘under the sun’.

Very busy day today with work, managing the littles (Brooklyn[3] & Prim[6]), Homecoming Football game which was also my eldest’s (Bella[18]) last football cheerleading game, and all of us being under the weather somewhat. I realized that I am getting old…things are harder than they used to be and I get tired faster.

However, today’s quiet time (although late) was wonderful – James 1:9-11

9 Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation [as a Christian, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God],

10 And the rich [person ought to glory] in being humbled [by being shown his human frailty], because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 For the sun comes up with a scorching heat and parches the grass; its flower falls off and its beauty fades away. Even so will the rich man wither and die in the midst of his pursuits. 

This passage has been a bit of a controversy across scholars and theologians for quite some time.  Some believe that the “poor” people referenced are believers and the “rich” are unbelievers, but for me, this just doesn’t hold water when you look at the context of the rest of James’ writing.

Instead, I think James is talking about two different types of believers, and what they should hold fast to. The poor only have the Lord because of their status in society, lack of belongings, and material things. Where the rich have a lot of earthly comforts, money and status, and need to focus on the humility of being under an Almighty God, and be more like Christ, who humbled himself.  

As Christians in a first world country, we need to keep our relative wealth in check. We must not allow the comfort of our refrigerators, our cozy homes, and our career positions be the thing that keeps us from leaning into the Lord for everything that we are and everything that we need. All of these earthly things will just pass away, so why not focus on the only thing that will last… the providential and sovereign eternal redemption we have through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.