A Living Hope
1 Peter 1:1-6 (NIV) 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: (1 Peter 1:1 (MSG) writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgot
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3 (MSG) we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!) 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
Peter, brash, bold, one of Jesus’ inner circle, yet he would go on to fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane while Jesus prayed, chop off a man’s ear, and deny Jesus three times. If someone like Peter could overcome all of these missteps to become a leader in the church, then it would seem we are without excuse when it comes to being intentional disciples.
Peter is writing to followers of Christ who had fled due to persecution and, as he put it, were scattered to the four winds. Few of us in 21st Century America can fully appreciate having to pack up a few belongings and flee for our lives. Peter addresses the elect, “foreknowledge” (prognōsis), those whom God knew would respond to Him.
Isn’t it comforting to know that God not only made a way for our salvation through Jesus Christ, but we have an inheritance of eternal life that can never be taken away!
WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER (James M. Black, 1893)
1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
May we be confident that we, too, have an inheritance laid up for us in heaven, and may we share this good news with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
James 5:13-20 (NIV) The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.
Today we finish our reading of the Epistle of James. James, the half-brother of Jesus and for a long time the chief doubter of Jesus’ divinity, closes his letter to the Jews scattered due to persecution by pointing out the significance of prayer. I love this! James says if you are in trouble, or if you are happy or if you are sick there is one answer: PRAY.
I mentioned before that I have used the model “PRAY” for years. For those who may be unfamiliar with this pattern, it is as follows:
PRAISE—Begin every prayer praising God for all He is worth. I often refer to Habakkuk, the questioning prophet, who, after asking God why his people had to suffer while in captivity, ultimately reconciled himself to praising God NO MATTER WHAT! So, I praise Him for Who He is, for what He has done, and for what He will do!
REPENT—I ask forgiveness of my sins, for although Jesus took my sins to the cross where they were crucified, I still have a sin nature. I will tell you at my age my sin nature is pretty much under the control of the Holy Spirit, and He enables me to keep my accounts short. What does that mean? If I say something that hurts or offends someone, the Holy Spirit tugs on my heart immediately so that I can ask forgiveness.
ASK—I normally begin by praying for others. It is a glorious thing to be able to stand in the gap for a brother or sister in Christ who needs prayer support. Then I pray for those who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus, I pray for famiIy, friends and I pray that God will increase the territory of our church and all churches that preach the gospel. Finally, I pray that God would send someone across my path that I can help.
YIELD—I relinquish my will for God’s. Blessed relief!
James ends by counseling Christ followers to pray for brothers and sisters who have turned from the faith. And what is the result? Repentance—Redemption—Reconciliation.
May we be eager to pray at all times, knowing that this is the will of God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Patience
James 5:7-12 (NIV) Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Be patient, He says. Don’t grumble, He says. Do you ever want to look up to the heavens and say, Father, do you actually know me? Then you look at it again. Be patient? Oh, wait. He says be patient “in suffering.”
Well, that is a different matter.
Now we have entered into the territory where we are to give thanks for everything, for that is the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18. That I can do!
Oops. Here’s another “thou shalt not”
Don’t grumble against your brothers and sisters. That means fellow believers. So, what are we supposed to do if we have a valid (we think) complaint? Might I suggest we pray for them and then pray with them.
Lastly, we are told not to swear by heaven or earth or anything else. Another landmine! As children we learned to cross our hearts and hope to die. And if we were really serious we added “spit the devil in the eye.”
As we grew older, we learned to say, “I swear on a Bible,” and then “a stack of Bibles.” Lord, have mercy. Matt 5:3:37 tells us to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” Isn’t that simple?
So, does God really know us? Of course He does. Perhaps if we read these instructions over and over again they will be like a tree planted by the living water that will yield fruit in its season. Ps 1.
May we live in the simplicity of a life grounded in faith and rooted in the understanding that God is our source. Let us depend upon and follow Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise
James 4:13-17 (NIV) 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Boy, this one always hits home with me. I am a planner. I make lists and try to check off things I have done, and hopefully, will not miss anything important. But how many times have I jumped ahead of God and how many times have I pledged to wait, yet my impatience gets the best of me?
I pray my plans do not rise to the level of boasting but instead are just a mark of good stewardship. And I pray I will never again become so self involved that I fail to ask God’s will for my life and that I listen with my whole when He speaks.
Growing up in the South I heard a lot of colloquialisms that were based on common sense and a recognition of who God is. Plans were often finalized with the phrase “Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.”
May we be so tuned in to God that He is the first thought as we start our days and the last thought as we end our nights. And may we remember as the psalmist said that God is the keeper of our days.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Call to Community
James 4:7-12 (NIV) 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
The epistle of James, written by the half brother of Jesus, was composed at a time when Jews had scattered in an attempt to escape persecution and even death. There has sometimes been unfair criticism against this letter, calling it legalistic and a proponent of salvation through works as opposed to salvation through faith. Instead, James taught that works were the result of, not the means to, our salvation.
In this portion of our scripture, James begins by referring to the ceremonial washing by priests before entering the temple. We, today, recognize the spiritual significance of approaching a holy God in awe and reverence. There is no magic formula to a relationship with God, but I believe there are actions we can take that will hinder our relationship, and thus prevent us from growing in Christ. When we fail to honor God in all we say and do, it will not be long before we begin to treat others in a way that contradicts everything Jesus taught.
We are called to humility which leads to treating others with kindness rather than in judgment. I love the scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:11 (MSG) Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.
When the love of Jesus has the first and last word in everything we do, we will recognize the holiness of God and we will help build a community of believers that can withstand any assault by the enemy.
May we join together in faith and unity, relying upon the love within which God has infused us and His Holy Word.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 