Theme: Great Texts from James Ch. 1

James 1:19-21

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.”

Relationships are paramount in our existence – relationships with family members, friends, co-workers, etc. When I read this passage, relationships are the first thing that comes to my mind. People just don’t do everything that we want them to. Sometimes they are unable to do it. Sometimes what we want is the wrong thing. Sometimes our expectations are unreasonable. And sometimes they should be doing what we would like them to be doing, but they don’t. Sometimes they actively pursue those things which they know are not in our best interests – that might harm us. Most of the time, this evokes a negative response from us. We want things our way. If not, get out of our way because we are on the war path!

This is wrong. We should listen, then be quiet. (There is a reason that God gave us two ears and one mouth!) The major problem for us is that we are quick to speak! That’s why we get ourselves into trouble – we are quick to anger because we are quick to speak. In the initial burst of emotion, we should be silent. This delay would greatly limit our fits of anger. Our anger is not godly. When we respond to someone with rage, we are not fulfilling the responsibilities that God has laid out for us. It’s not God’s way for us.

Anger is a very difficult emotion. It’s obviously tough to get a handle on for a lot of us! We can help ourselves by diving into God’s word. By getting into Word and surrendering to what the Spirit gives us we can learn how to reduce our explosive moments – perhaps even rid ourselves of them completely. In their place, we receive that which God requires of us in meekness. Prayer is also a major resource for us – let go and let God.

Father, please help us. Many of us are quick to anger – help us to rectify this. Help us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Grant us peace and an understanding of what your will for us is. Help us to let go of the things that we can’t control. Forgive us when we fail you. It’s through your son and our savior we pray, amen.

Casey Dacus

Graham, TX

Theme: Texts from James Ch. 1

Words with Right Timing

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Actions speak louder than words.

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

There’s a reason God gave us two ears and one mouth. We are often quick to speak, to share our thoughts, to offer our opinions and tell it like it is.  Many of us are a people who think that having something to share means other people need to hear what’s going on in our heads.  Yet, the stuff going on in our head (and heart) is just as messed up as the person we are sharing “our” wisdom with in an effort to straighten them out.  

James 1:26 says, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”  A few verses earlier we are encouraged to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  Being quick to speak is then linked with being quick to become angry which seems appropriate.  How many times have you made someone angry by listening to them?  

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by someone in my church who pointed out a scripture to me and began to tell me how I was in violation of God’s desire for me.  Now, the man had heard a story somewhere and made some assumptions about me.  He never asked if what was said was true.  He never asked how things had really happened.  He simply took something he heard 3rd or 4th hand and decided it was time to set me straight.  I’m not sure why my mind immediately went to Proverbs 29:20 (“Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”) and I’m so thankful it did because it would have been easy for me to respond in anger, not righteous anger mind you, but a mean-spirited anger.  He spoke to me in haste and I didn’t want to respond in the same way.  Instead, I remained silent while one of my brothers who knows me took him aside and visited about the situation.  

I see Jesus building relationships with people he wants to correct, not just throwing scripture at them without understanding anything about them.  Jesus is among the people, he knows their needs, he knows their weaknesses, he knows their hopes and he knows their sorrows.  Then he speaks to them.  I may never listen to what my brother from church has to say to me because he doesn’t want to know me but he does seem to want to share his religion so that I will make it my own.  I appreciate his conviction but think I’ll stick with what I hear God telling me after I have spent time in prayer, listening for his words and his direction.

We can share our faith and we can share what the Gospel message has to say to people around us but we should always make sure we do so in situations where a). God has given us the words to speak and b). we have built relationships with people so that they know we do care about them.

 I’m thankful for my good brothers who take the time to hear me before speaking to me, who take the time to love me before chastising me, who take the time to know me before sharing what they want me to know. I hope that more and more people of faith will heed the words of James, speak when called and remain silent in the Lord letting his power shine through them by doing the deeds he would call them to and speaking their works he directs them to speak.

Grace and peace to you.

Jeff Jones

Decatur, Texas

Theme: Great Texts from James Ch. 1

“Being Jesus, It’s What We Do…”

After a few days of boundary testing and resulting discipline with my five year old, we were enjoying a peaceful breakfast together.  The day was beginning like any other.

I asked him, “Leif, would you like cereal or a bagel with your eggs, sweetheart?”   

His answer and the following conversation cut me to my heart.  “Thank you momma, thank you for calling me sweetheart!  Gegaw use to call me sweetheart, or pumpkin, and I like that.”  

“Gegaw” was what he named our dear friend, adopted grandmother and neighbor.  A little over six months ago, Cathy Williams aka Gegaw went home to Heaven due to a tragic car accident.  Living 4,500 miles from his nearest grandparent, Leif was very close to her.  Her passing created a measurable hole in his life.

Leif went on to say, “Momma, can you be more like Gegaw?”  Comments like that before your morning coffee have a way of hitting you between the eyes.  The previous day was…let’s just say it was filled with learning opportunities.  The work of being a full-time mom can be relentless, so when running a tight ship the mom can easily find herself slipping into drill sergeant mode.  Leif’s innocent request convicted me that he was in need of some reconnection and love.  

I tentatively asked, “Besides calling you sweetheart or pumpkin, what did Gegaw do that made you feel special?” “Oh, she made me good food, spent time with me laughing, and liked it when I was around,” he stated.  He went on to say, “She did nice things for me and always loved me, even when I made bad choices.”

When I read James 1:22-25, Cathy comes to mind:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”  

Cathy lived out her love in words and actions.  She had a remarkable and overflowing kind of faith.  Her loving actions toward Leif weren’t an isolated event.  She looked for opportunities to embody Christ’s love.  She used her cooking talents in preparing food for the home bound, her sewing talents in making unique gifts for friends and family, her entertaining talents for opening her home to anyone that needed a meal, and her gift for encouraging by writing endless notes, emails and making phone calls to those that needed uplifting.  

James reminds us that we are active participants in God’s plan.  When God calls us to be “doers of his word” we must ask ourselves, ‘what does the word call us to do’?   Quite simply, we are to be like Cathy. We are to serve.  The “law of liberty” discussed in verse 25 is the law that came through Christ and set us free from the old law but also from the law of sin and death.  It is in this freedom (Gal 5) that we live and act.  Jesus is a servant God that activates freedom for the world through his chosen people.  We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), making our appeal to all we come into contact with.  We don’t just make a list of “Things to Do” for Jesus…we ARE Jesus!   We are Christ’s hands, his feet, and his mouth.  We serve a servant God through service to those he loves; to our friends and family, to our brother and sisters in Christ, and to those who are still lost without Him.

Prayer:  Father God, we stand amazed at your loving kindness.  Thank you for giving us eternal life through your son, Jesus.  Thank you for giving your son up for us and setting us free through his death.  We long to show your love and grace to all and be doers of your word…living, breathing, and being your son’s representatives.  Out of the overflow of a growing love for you, help us to first be like Jesus within our families, to our spouses and to our children.  Help us to also see and to act when the opportunity arises to serve those in the church and in our community.

Dana Jaworski
Anchor Point, AK

Theme: Texts from James Ch. 1

TEMPTATION

James 1:13-15 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

We all know about temptation and sin.  Most try to pin the responsibility on others even God.  James says the buck stops with us.

Let me tell you about Becky.  She is the granddaughter of Don and Nancy Davis.  Becky is all grown up now but when she was a little girl she had this adventure with temptation.  Nancy known as Nanna was baking cookies.  Becky spotted the cookies and this conversation followed:

Becky              “I want a cookie.”

Nanna  “No, we are about to eat supper.”

Becky              “But, I want a cookie.”

Nanna  “After supper you may eat a cookie.”

Becky              “I just want to hold a cookie.”

Nanna  “You can’t eat a cookie til after supper.”

Becky              “I just want to smell the cookie.”

Nanna  “I told you, you can not eat a cookie before supper.”

Becky              “I just want to lick a cookie.”

We know how this story ended.

See…Hold…Smell…Lick…___________.

I couldn’t have said it better than Becky.

“Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin.

Dear Father,

I praise you because you are so good to me.  Your steadfast love never ceases.  You have given me your word and made your will plain.  And yet I still sin.  Sometimes I even blame you.  You know that is wrong.  Please forgive me for my sin and please forgive me for compounding my problems by not taking responsibility.

I marvel at your grace and thank you for my forgiveness.

In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

Theme: Great Texts from James ch. 1

James 1:5-8

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

As I read the scripture above, I find the first statement of James 1:5 to be somewhat of a rhetorical question.  “If any of you lacks wisdom” seems like a silly statement since all men lack wisdom.  Granted, some people have more than others, but it seems like those individuals who I consider to be “wise” will often state the contrary about themselves due to the humility that comes with wisdom.  James is instructing us to ask God for wisdom and have complete confidence that He will provide it to us without having any pre-requisites about it.  James reaffirms the grace God gives.  He is generous to everyone and makes no selection based on our flaws.  Thank goodness!  If that were the case, I would rarely receive His favor! 

James goes on to describe how we should ask and how our perspective and attitude should be upon making the request.  We are to be confident and doubt free – completely trusting God will reveal to us what He wants us to know, exactly when we are supposed to know it.  Of course, we gain wisdom and improve our decision making by reading scripture, meditating on it, through prayer and through conversations with other Christians.   It is imperative to completely trust in Him when seeking guidance and wisdom, otherwise why bothering asking for it?  As James writes, doubt is evidence of an individual who questions himself in all matters of life. Uncertainty can eat away at an individual and Christians are not to harbor doubt.  It easily spills over into other aspects of life and then becomes a habit.  As Christians, we must have complete confidence in God’s masterful plan and that He will help us grow into the children He wants us to be, if we only let Him!

Father, thank you for being so generous and granting us wisdom when we ask for it.  Please help us to not doubt you but to be confident in knowing you will grant our request.  Help us to know you more each day.  In Jesus name, Amen

Michelle Tittor

Mesquite, Texas

Theme: Great Texts from James ch. 1

Bring it on!

We’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic inching toward our respective destinations when this billboard catches our eye:

  

Text:  James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.”   James 1:2-4

Now let’s pretend we know little about religious matters.  We know the Lord’s Prayer, the Golden Rule, and a few vaguely familiar Vacation Bible School stories from childhood.  We know about the baby Jesus born on Christmas and the unlucky man Jesus killed at Easter, and we’re pretty sure this all happened before Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  We believe in God most of the time and have gone to church on rare occasions, but religion turns us O-F-F and we have no idea who James is.

If we were this person, what kind of sense would we make of James 1:2-4?  We’re stalled in traffic, facing another day like every other.  We suspect heaven is a myth, and we know life is hell enough.  From this perspective we could easily misunderstand it to say:

Grin and bear it.  Be tough.  No whining.  Grow up.  

Trust your instincts.  Nobody likes a quitter.  

Work hard enough and you can have it all.

      

James is probably the half-brother of Jesus who didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God, the Christ and promised Savior until after the crucifixion.  James became a bold preacher of Christianity and was murdered when he wouldn’t publicly deny Christ.

Metaphorically, James is saying we are like a lump of coal to which life applies relentless heat and pressure. Christians patiently endure under that heat and pressure – even welcome it – because it’s how we become God’s highest-quality gem; unflawed and indestructible.  

James uses the word “finish.”   It’s a verb.  Interestingly, Jesus used that word on the cross when he said, “It is finished.”  (John 19:30).  

Because we believe and because the end result is worth it, we can boldly say to the heat and pressures of life, “Bring it on!”

Father God, may every trial refine our faith in you, through Christ, amen.

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas