Praying in Faith
James 1:5-8 (NRSV) 5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7 , 8 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
The first scriptures in James dealt with keeping our joy, even in unpleasant circumstances. Today we look at James’ advice to the Jewish Christians on obtaining wisdom.
Wisdom was vitally important in Judaism. The Proverbs were the embodiment of Wisdom, Solomon received the greatest wisdom of all mankind, and finally Jesus revealed to the world the wisdom of treating others the way we all want to be treated. (Matt. 7:12).
The irony is that many times those who do not possess wisdom are unaware of the absence of this much needed quality. The saying, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” provides the groundwork needed to help us to understand why some can go through their entire lifetimes without seeking after or finding wisdom.
You see, wisdom does not exist in isolation, for it is the compilation of knowledge, experience, and reasoning. The foundation for wisdom crumbles beneath the weight of the lack of any of these three parts. It is similar to a three legged stool that will collapse if one of the legs is missing.
James says we should not only pray for wisdom, but we should pray with faith. He goes further to use the analogy of a double minded man being unstable in all of his ways, and he warns that doubting causes us to be tossed in the sea by the wind and the waves. The people to whom Jesus and James spoke understood what it meant to be tossed by the seas.
Can we understand today that the seas of doubt and fear can overwhelm us unless we allow wisdom to provide us with stability needed to stay afloat in today’s world? Can we allow our faith to be strengthened so that we have the confidence to approach God’s throne in prayer? I maintain we can do all of these things, not on our own, but through the Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)
In Jesus’ name,
Pastor Carol
Father God, we come today in faith, asking that you would increase our wisdom, eliminate our doubt, and help us to be the Christ-followers you intend us to be. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Consider it all Joy
James 1:1-3 (NRSV) 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Faith and Wisdom
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
Today I am returning to the original format of this blog, where instead of looking at random verses, we read through an entire book. I will tell you that the Gospel of John is my go to book, but in the 21st Century few books can provide as much guidance for daily living as the book of James.
Traditional thinking is that James the Just wrote this letter, and because it was addressed to the Jewish people (the twelve tribes) it is probably an early letter in the life of the Christian church before the Gentiles became an active part of the church. But the letter is vital to each of us today as we seek out the best way to live out our Christian faith.
James was the half-brother of Jesus, and it is interesting that he did not come to believe in Jesus as the Savior until Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. It is also interesting that the great reformer, Martin Luther, said the book had no more substance than straw. Why would Luther be so harsh? Because at first glimpse James seemed to be promoting salvation through works rather than grace, and Luther was all about grace. But I contend that if we look deeper, we will see that James had a wonderful understanding of grace. So let’s dig in!
James’ letter begins with encouraging the believer that when trials come we are to think of them as something that can produce joy. Why? Because trials reveal the strength of our faith. Jesus himself said in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trouble. When trouble comes, we must not just rely on the faith we have, but allow our faith to grow and flourish and when we react to trouble in this way then we will experience joy.
Joy is a wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, and it is so much different than happiness. You see, happiness is dependent upon circumstances and circumstances change. But joy is that life-giving quality that literally bubbles up inside of us and the more joy we have, the more we receive, and the more we receive the more we can share our joy with others!
James goes on to say that when our faith is tested, if we can face these trials with joy, then this testing produces endurance. Think for a moment of how vital endurance is in our lives. Some Bible translations use the word “patience” rather than endurance. The meaning is the same–we are not advised to bury our head in the sand and retreat from our troubles by going into LaLa Land, but instead we are told to access the same stamina that would help us win a race. When we respond to trials with faith, joy and endurance, then we will become mature, or complete, Christians.
In faith and grace,
Pastor Carol
Father God, you alone can provide us with the faith and endurance we need to withstand the trials of dailing living and let joy reign supreme. May each one of us look to You, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, to live our lives as intentional disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Building yourself up In Your Most High Faith
Jude 1:17-23 (NRSV) 17 But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 for they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” 19 It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.
Jude, identified as the brother of James the Just, probably wrote this epistle around 60 A.D. The purpose of this letter was to encourage believers to stand fast in the faith, not allowing false teachers to undermine the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you suppose the writers of the New Testament had the hope that their writing, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, would put an end to falsehoods surrounding the gospel? I would imagine that was certainly their goal.
Yet today false teachers abound, many of them emerging from our seminaries, teaching that the Bible is archaic, casting doubt on many of the writers of the Scriptures, and telling those of us who still hold the Bible as cherished that we are worshipping the Bible rather than the God of the Bible. Really? The Holy Bible is God’s revelation to us of Who He is, and each book carries the theme of redemption.
God has revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures, through His Son, and through nature itself. If we cannot believe the Bible, then it is not a matter of the Bible being wrong or out of touch with today’s culture, it goes strictly to the heart of faith. If we do not have confidence (faith) in the Bible, then how do we maintain our belief and relationship with the God of the Bible? How do we allow Jesus to be our personal Savior and Lord if we separate Him from the Bible? After all, everything we know of Jesus comes from the Bible, and we are told in John 1 that Jesus is the Word made flesh.
If you find yourself under the teaching that says the Bible is not for today, or someone who picks and chooses from the Scripture those words that make him or her comfortable, run. Instead of trying to receive inspiration from one who is devoid of the spirit of God, learn to do as Jude says and build yourself up in your most high faith.
Stay in the Word, and be sure you are reading an authorized translation and not a paraphrase of the Bible. What is the difference? A translation works directly from the Hebrew and Greek and translates into English (or your native tongue) the best words and meaning of God’s Word, and it is a word for word study that gives us the closest meaning to the original text. A paraphrase takes paragraphs or segments of the word and tries to make it more understandable, often in today’s language.
Fill your spirit not just with the Word, but with hymns and songs extolling God and His Son. Let your spirit soar as you listen to or join in to sing those songs that lift up God in praise.
Pray, pray, pray like there is no tomorrow, because brothers and sisters, we do not know how long we have on this earth. But however long we are here, we must align ourselves with the Truth, and that Truth can only be found by learning and adhering to the WHOLE Word of God. May God have mercy on the souls of anyone who tries to turn us away from His Holy Word.
In Christ,
Pastor Carol
Father God, we love you and worship you in spirit and in truth. May You remove the scales from our eyes and the hardness in our hearts, that we may become one with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen
As in the days of Noah
Genesis 6:5-13 (NRSV) 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.
Noah Pleases God
9 These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
Matthew 24:36-39 (NRSV) 36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Living in Arkansas, it seems as though it has rained almost continuously since early Spring. When such downpours occur, they are generally accompanied by comments such as “I think I saw an Ark floating down the street in front of my house.” While we find some humor in these statements, there was no amusement in God’s decision to destroy not just mankind, and all of the creatures He had so lovingly made, but the earth itself.
I took pottery in college, and occasionally a potter will reach a point where his or her creation cannot be salvaged, and the only answer is destruction followed by re-creation. Such action was always difficult because no one wants to admit failure. Instead, we will work and re-work a piece of clay until we realize our creation will either not be strong enough to withstand the fires of the kiln, or there are too many imperfections to make the piece desirable. I cannot even imagine the anguish God must have felt when he made the decision to destroy all He had made.
And now, we have reached the time in HIStory where many of us believe we will live to witness the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ warning in the Gospel of Matthew tells us we need to be vigilant for no one knows the hour of Christ’s return. But if we compare our time to the days of Noah what do we see? We wake up to strains of violence each morning, corruption is rampant, and just as in the days of Noah we seem unaware of our culture and the downward spiral away from God and His precepts.
God saved Noah and used him to re-establish the earth. Why? Because Noah was righteous. In other words, Noah had right standing with God. You, too, can be found to be righteous. You will never be perfect, but if you seek after holiness you, too, can be in right standing with God. How? Through the blood of Jesus, for there is no other way.
In Jesus’ name,
Pastor Carol
Father God, may we open our eyes to the world around us, and may be be watchful of the times. Jesus IS coming soon. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God is Love
1 John 4:16-19 (NRSV) 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
In today’s scripture, the apostle John is writing to believers. He reminds them that God is love, and if we are truly believers then God’s love has been perfected in us. I love this verse, because for those of us who are seeking holiness, we are told that although we will never reach perfection while on this earth, God’s love is being perfected in us. God’s love abiding in us is what holiness is all about!
The word abide means to dwell, to live among, to be continuous. In other words, abiding with God is not a temporary situation. Instead, the love that grows within us is the result of an ongoing relationship with God. There is no need for fear, because perfect love casts out fear.
There are many situations in our world today that can cause fear. Hurricane Michael hit the coast of Florida just this past week, and those who feared what a Category 4 hurricane can do moved out of the path of the storm. In this case, fear was not only justified but it resulted in prudence.
The fear of which John spoke is something that permeates our being and drives every decision we make. If we are living (abiding) in that type of fear, then we are not living (abiding) in love because there is no room for both.
In love,
Pastor Carol
Father God, may today and everyday draw us closer to You, so that we may be made complete in Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Seeking Holiness 