April 9, 2010 (James 1-5)

Well, today I was supposed to read James and then some in Acts, but there's too much in James to continue. What a practical, revelant book. I've only covered a tiny portion below, if that tells you anything. As I thought about this reading today, and my past blogs, I really wouldn't need to read another word. If I could just DO what I already know! That is the goal and that is what I am striving for.

Today started off with a 'springboard' from yesterday's beginning of persecution and trouble:

^{James 1:2} Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. ³ For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

Wow - if I could only view life that way. But that's exactly what God wants us to do. That is immediately followed by this:

⁵ If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

I don't think it's a coincidence that asking for wisdom immediately follows the encouragement to be joyful in trials. That's the only way to be joyful in trials - to ask God for the wisdom and grace to endure it, all the while believing that He will provide and being fully committed to Him.

There are so many convicting passages in James. Here are a couple that deal with 'anger' and our tongues. They go hand in hand. When I get angry, my anger shows by what I say. And unfortunately, it normally happens with those I love the most.

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

^{James 3:2} Indeed, we all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way.

³ We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ⁴ And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵ So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enoumous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ¹¹ Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? ¹² Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

^{James 4:11} Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. ¹² God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Ouch, ouch, ouch!! How many times have I 'slandered' someone else. Slander is a form of judgment, and over and over God tells us not to judge. That is His job. What are we to do with our tongues? Praise Him, speak kind words and pray. Like I said, I don't really need to learn new truths, I just need to do what I already know. But on my own I can't do any of that. It only comes as I "abide in Jesus, and He abides in me". It's the 'fruit' that He produces through His Holy Spirit that is capable of all that. Again, it all comes back to Jesus. He is our righteousness.

And now, as if that "reaming" wasn't enough, how about some more? :)

^{James 4:1} What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. ³ And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. ⁵ What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? ⁶ He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

“God set himself against the proud
but he shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Wow. It's in passages like the ones from today that I feel like I just need to keep reading over and over to allow the truths to sink in. Let me repeat verse 4 from above:

⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God.

I think the key part here is "if your aim is to enjoy this world". God gives us richly all things to enjoy. He is a God of love and every good gift comes from Him. As I said, I think the key phrase comes back to what our aim in life is - to bring glory to Him, or to enjoy the world. My deepest desire is to be a 'friend of God'. That desire requires a choice on my part - a moment by moment choice. Jesus always said -"If you love me, keep my commandments." In other words, "Show me that you love me by doing what I say. I don't want your 'words' - I want your actions and your heart."