Doing Right

James 4: 17

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 

Who doesn't love a good gossip, a juicy tidbit that you can share? Well, for sure God! In 4:11 James exhorts us to stop judging one another. Don't speak evil about each other, he says. Can't get much plainer than that! He explains that there is only one lawgiver and judge, and it is certainly not us! It is God Himself. How puffed up are we when we judge each other thinking that we are so much better than someone else! How puffed up are we to allow our preferences to judge others!

Not only that but we think we can control our lives, make our own plans, and figure out what is best for us. But that is pride too! So much pride! James reminds us that we are but a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead of saying I will do this or that, we should say, if the Lord wills, I will do this or that. Ultimately, He decides all, even the outcome of an ordinary day. So why don't we seek Him first thing and throughout the day. Think how much easier it would be on each of us. How much less frustration and even heartache there would be. 

So James ends this chapter with, So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. If we know what is right, then we just need to do it. No room for wiggling! Maybe that's the problem. We always think there is room for wiggling. We think we can keep a little bit of ourselves and still be right with God, but not so. It is sin!!! Stop kidding myself!! Live for God unreservedly. Quit sinning!

Father,

I confess hanging on to myself, to my plans, and to my flesh. Forgive. Help me to look with love on others and to think of ways to build them up not tear them down.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Passions

James 4:1

What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

As usual Satan has taken the word passion [passions] and has turned it into a good thing. What better than to have passion or to be passionate about something? Definitely a trait highly touted today. But in Scriptures passion [passions] always refers to something sinful. It speaks of out of control fleshly desires that war within our souls. We want and don't have. We ask but ask wrongly spending it on our passions. It is as if we can't see the root cause of our sin or the root cause of our desires. We are blinded by our passions.

How do these passions get so out-of-control? James offers this idea. Friendship with the world. When we are friends with the world, we are enemies with God. Not good! God has given us a strong hint when He said that he was and is jealous over His Spirit that lives within us. He doesn't want His Spirit inundated with our filthy passions and sin. Instead of being constantly in a state of failure and sin, He offers us His grace. Grace that will fortify and strengthen. Grace that will conquer and control, yes, even our willful passions. 

But the catch is this. God opposes the proud but gives His grace to the humble. If we think, we can control our passions by ourselves, that is pride. If we think, it is useless because we are too far gone, that is pride as well. Pride cancels out grace! We need to submit ourselves to God acknowledging our pride and sin and then resist the devil. If we resist, he will flee. He knows the battles has already been won. He knows he is defeated. Apparently, the only ones who don't live in that reality is us! So the conclusion is cleansing and confessing, mourning and weeping over sin, rejoicing and singing over victory. I need to humble myself before the Lord, and He will exalt me because He will be exalting Himself and all He has done in my life!

Father,

What a glorious gift is Your grace! How truly amazing! I confess my great wealth of passion. It seems to be constantly overflowing. I ask for your forgiveness humbly. I ask Your forgiveness for exposing Your Spirit to so much sin. Forgive. Strengthen me in Your grace. Help me live in You. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

Wisdom

James 3: 17-18

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

How does wisdom and understanding manifest itself? James says by good conduct and meekness of wisdom. Good conduct would be living according to the dictates of Scripture and meekness of wisdom would be seeking the good of others first. James goes on to say that if people have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition [both of which seek only the good of self], but yet claim to be wise, they are liars. In truth they have nothing to boast about at all! All their boasting is a sham! A pretend, a claiming to be something that they are not. Wisdom that is characterized by jealousy and selfish ambition is not God's wisdom but is earthly, unspiritual and demonic. Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. Wow! How did it get so bad so fast? When the door is open to evil, even just a little jealousy, then more evil follows until Satan has a heyday! And soon the spirit is consumed with seeking only what pleases self, a self that is never satisfied and must constantly have more.

But on the positive side, God's wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, merciful, fruit-bearing, impartial and sincere. Wow! That is a stiff order. Who among us is all of these things? Probably no one, but the point is we are growing into this wisdom. At the first hint of jealousy, we confess. We get back on track. We don't let sin take prominence in our lives, but are consumed with growing more and more each day. Before long we will be harvesting righteousness when we ourselves are at peace and are peaceful with those around us. Each of the characteristics of God's wisdom need to be topics for meditation and prayer. 

• Pure would be the absence of sin, of anything that would taint. It would mean constant confessing and not letting things ride no matter how justified we feel.
• Peaceable would be thinking of others totally. It is when we want our own way that discord happens even within our own families. 
• Open to reason means not wanting our own plan and way. We become life-long listeners and learners. Quick to listen and accept other's ideas.
• Merciful means that we show others the same grace that God has shown us. We forgive them because God has forgiven us. 
• Fruit-bearing means we are growing in obedience every day. We are abiding in the vine because apart from Him we can do nothing. 
• Impartial means we do not show preference for some, but accept all the same regardless of economics, job, etc. 
• And sincere means we are without cracks that have been glossed over. We don't hide our shortcoming but acknowledge them. We don't act a certain way to others that is not in sync with our hearts. What we are is how we act. 

It's a narrow line that contains the wisdom of God, but the grace of God is as wide as it can be. He is always loving and forgiving. He will always pick us up and put us back on our feet. Thank God!

Father,

Thank You so much for Your grace. Grow me in Your wisdom. Help me to spot sin immediately and confess regardless of how I feel. Help me to change. Transform my heart. Make me more like Your Son.

In His name,

Amen

The Tongue

James 3:5

So the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

Our tongues are fires, worlds of unrighteousness. And such a thing as this lives in my mouth! Oh dear! The tongue has the power to stain the whole body and set a fire that consumes the entire course of life [according to James]. Where does it get such power? It is set on fire by hell! It is a prime tool of Satan used to defeat believers worldwide. Every time we open our mouths there is an opportunity for our tongues to take over and destroy the quality of our Christian walk. 

James goes on to say that the tongue is unable to be tamed, humanly speaking. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse people, who are made in the likeness of God. It is almost as if James is pleading when he says, My brothers, these things ought not to be so. I think James was thinking of the Holy Spirit who lives within us and is the only way we can defeat the sinful power of the tongue. In ourselves we stand no chance against our tongues, but in the power of the Spirit we can be victors because Christ has already won the victory for us. All we must do is live in the light of that victory. These sinful things don't have to be!!! We don't have to live in a constant state of sin, smeared so heavily with muck that the light of Jesus can barely shine through. This is not our calling and election! This is a guise of Satan, the Accuser of the brethren, the one who delights in telling the Father how we caved. We need to contend for the faith, stand strong, make every effort, be a soldier of the cross, and run the race casting aside the weights and sins that so easily ensnare us.

Father,

I confess that my tongue has caused me to sin. I have listened to the voice of my flesh and have fallen. Forgive me. Give me Your grace and strength. Attune my ears to Your Holy Spirit so He can lead and direct me where I should go.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

Faith and Works

James 2: 26

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James is stressing the importance of living out our faith, not that we are saved by it, but that it must manifest itself physically in our lives. 2 Peter 1:3-10 expresses a similar idea. Here Peter says to make every effort to supplement your faith. Faith is active alongside works! Yet, there are errors on either side of this spectrum. Works totally or faith totally--neither one does the job! So it is important to examine our lives to see if these qualities, the qualities that Peter mentioned, are increasing in our lives. Lacking them means spiritual blindness and a forgetting of our salvation. So sad! So sad that such an important issue can get so twisted around. I guess it fits the personalities of men. Those who are lazy want to do nothing more than a casual church attendance, but those who are achievers outdo themselves in a multitude of works. But for a few who love God will want to work but in and through the grace of God. Those few will confirm their calling and election. They will never fail! As James gave the example of Abraham who offered up his son Isaac and was justified by his works. His faith was supplemented by his work of faith and obedience. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. We must believe God when He tells us to make every effort to supplement our faith, and to be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Father,

Help me to make every effort and to be all the more diligent. Give me Your grace and strength.

In Jesus name, I confess the times that I have not been diligent at all and have allowed sin to take over. Help me. 

Amen

Temptation

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life. 

There is a blessing for the man who endures trials and temptations. Enduring to the end means eternal life replete with all of its blessings. What a glorious crown of life! But how to withstand? Understand the nature of temptation is a must. At times I have thought that temptation is sent by God to test my mettle. But James tells me clearly God does not tempt with evil nor is He tempted by it. In the case of Job, He allowed Satan to sift him, a sifting that would separate his wheat from his chaff. In Revelation Satan is known as the accuser of the brethren. He likes to come before the Father seeking out those he might devour. But for the one who is truly God's, devouring is not in the cards. There is also the example of Peter who allowed his flesh to entice and control. He denied Christ three times, the Christ whom he loved dearly. Afterward he was left with the bitter taste of failure and bitter tears to burn his eyes. There was no pleasure here. The enticement that Satan uses never brings what it promises. In fact, what it brings is heartache, disappointment, and disillusionment. 

James goes on to explain that trials and temptations emanate from our own lusts, by our own desires that bloom into a soul-devouring flower. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.Yikes! Evil desires are not something to take lightly. How strong is my flesh! Even with the indwelling Spirit of God controlling me, my flesh can rear its ugly head and call out to me. Who do I hear? Who do I obey? Since it is within me that the battle happens, I must answer. In that moment the old patterns and behaviors seem so familiar and comfortable. That is why I must decide ahead of time. I must purpose to listen to the Spirit no matter how difficult.

Father,

Help me to identify my own propensities so that I might confess and repent. Help me to listen and obey the Spirit's voice so that I might be so very close to You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Joy in Trials

James 1:2

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds...

Joy is often so elusive. People are ever searching for it, but sadly, the search for joy has been replaced by the search for the next new high or rush. Contentment has been replaced with adrenaline. But for the Christian, joy is a glorious gift. So why would we want to be joyous? First because trials, the very thing that often steals our joy, produce character in us, steadfastness. Steadfastness gives us the ability to stay the course. So in the long term, we can count out trials as a reason for joy! Rejoicing in the difficulty means lasting til the end. But this is not an easy thing to do. It seems as if the knowledge of this is insufficient when the trials come pouring in. So in v. 5 James says, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. God will bolster our understanding. He will give us insight into enduring trials and keeping our joy. He wants to bless our lives with this joy, and at the same time, grow us in grace. Such growth needs trials! 

Father,

Help me to be joyous, to accept and embrace the trials You send my way, to realize they are drawing me closer to You, and to have them be a reason for joy. I know all this can only be done through Your grace. Pour it on me in full measure. 

In Jesus name,

Amen