James Chapter 5

James hits several points in this chapter, ranging from the dangers of earthly riches to the prayers of the faithful. Out of all these concepts, the one that stuck out to me the most was the concept in the middle of the chapter: Patience in Suffering. This is a continuation of the theme James talks about in the first chapter, but is one that bears repeating. The metaphor that John employs here of a farmer patiently waiting for his crops to come to fruition is an apt description of the mindset we should have when faced with trials and tribulation. We are certain that God will not put us in situations beyond our ability to persevere through. Thus, we should be patient, knowing as James pointed out in chapter 1 that such trials and tribulation bring us to more fully rely on God and help us grow in our relationship with him. This is a hard statement to make as trials and tribulations often bring stress and anxiety to our lives. To combat these emotions, it is necessary to reflect on the advice offered here and in chapter one by James that points us to Christ.

James Chapter 4

This seems like a fairly straight forward chapter in terms of the theology, but one that is ultimately hard to put into practice because of its abstractness. For instance, verses 7 and 8 simply say, "Submit yourself to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." That's some of the simplest stuff I've read in the Bible. Like duh. The question then arises of how does one "submit to God/draw near to God" or "resist the Devil". See? These things that seem easy and straightforward on the surface are ultimately complicated. Thankfully, James offers us a good first step on how to accomplish this: avoid worldliness. Do not get caught up in the trappings of the material world or the things that do not matter in light of eternity. To do so means to be constantly reflecting on your surroundings and constantly considering how what you are looking at or doing matters. If it doesn't, then stop or turn away from it. For our temptation by the Devil springs from our desire to be of the world. To be the best or the strongest or the richest, things that don't matter after life but things we think matter in our life. Mastering these desires surmounts to shutting the door in the Devil's face. Is this something easy to do? You tell me.

James Chapter 3

I have to say that I was really convicted by the first part of this chapter. Taming the tongue is something I struggle with. Not that I'm busy cussing up a storm, but I often use speech that is not encouraging to others or exalting to God. The two images that James provides here are excellent visual images that definitely demonstrate the importance of the tongue. In particular, the example of a forest fire being started by a small fire is something I can relate to. Not that I'm busy setting forest fires or anything. Instead, I see how this example is a good representation of reality from my time with my high school students. So many fights or quarrels are started by a lot of "he said, she said" stuff and gossip. Such talk is not conducive to a good educational environment let alone a Godly environment.

One of the reasons this is so convicting to me is James reminds us in verses 11 and 12 that our mouth and our speech should be God-glorifying. This mouth that we cuss with and talk negatively with is the same mouth we pray to God in supplication with or worship Him with. To do so without taming our tongue is to offer Him a sullied sacrifice. The things we offer to God should be our purest first fruits, nothing less.

James Chapter 2

Here we see two main themes, one of which goes on to make up the core of this epistle. The first theme is the idea of equality among sinners. James calls us to treat each other as equals in a loving manner, not setting the rich as more important than the poor. Stepping back and looking at the bigger picture of the Gospel, we find this idea is aligned with what we see in other parts of the Gospel. For instance, we see in the Roman Road that "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God". And that brings up a simple point:

Jesus died for All. All that had been, that were, and were yet to come.

This is a powerful statement and one that serves to humble us. In the grand scheme of eternity, we are all sinners in God's eyes and we all need the salvation offered by God. There is no other way. To think differently is to be prideful and unrealistic.

So what does this philosophy mean? Well, one practical implication is what James presents here. We are called to love each other equally regardless of wealth, looks, intelligence, past actions, etc. I would like to point out that loving our brothers and sisters is different than putting ourselves in inappropriate or harmful situations. A second implication of this is what we see in the end of this chapter: That our faith, our acceptance of the salvation offered by Jesus, is transforming and should have an outward manifestation. I think it would be wise to reflect on this over the next few days and to see if I find evidence in my life of an outward change.

James Chapter 1

A little background on James before we get started. First, the most probably author for this letter is "James the Just" who is identified in early church history as the first Bishop of Jerusalem and the probable half-brother of Jesus. Other possible authors that have been put forward are James the Great who is the brother of John, the son of Zebedee, one of the Twelve or James the Less, the son of Alphaeus and another of the Twelve. From the introduction of the letter, it is clear that the target audience of this letter are the Jewish believer spread out over the Roman empire. While it is uncertain exactly when this letter was published, it's believed to be mid to late 1st century AD.

The first chapter of James jumps right into it with a discussion on the source of wisdom. In my mind, wisdom stems from knowing the right course of action when presented with a situation. To truly be wise then, one must be aligned with the ultimate course of right action which is the will of God. Thus, true wisdom stems from knowing God, which is exactly what James points out. I think the imagine of God standing ready to provide us with wisdom speaks to the desire of God to have a relationship with us.

This is a powerful message on a rainy Monday that makes it hard to get into the Word. Reading the Bible without intent, without a desire to grow closer to God, is no different that reading a magazine or any other book. As James points out at the end of this first chapter, you should be transformed by reading the Gospel. Unlike the Early Church or the current day church in China, we have the ability and the blessing to pick up the Bible or worship twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with little fear of repercussions. There are a plethora of material by Francis Chan, John Piper, or other Christian juggernauts at our fingertips. It's hard to deny that we have not seen or heard the Gospel. Thus there is little reason why we should not be transformed by the Gospel and outwardly manifest actions as a sign of our inward transformation.

There needs to be a reason you pick up this book and that reason is to become wise through growing closer to God so that you are capable of reaching out to Him and his capacity for infinite love during times of tribulation. This brings us to the second main theme we see in the James 1.

We will be tested. There is a certainty in that. One hundred out of one hundred Christians will be tested over the course of their life, though the source of that test is not always the same.

The question remains though of who we rely on during our tests. If I am being truly honest with myself, I don't always turn to God when times are rough. I try and sort them out myself before thinking to ask Him for some help. I was reminded this weekend at a wedding that the time I spend on our knees is infinitely more important than time fixing a problem by myself (check out Ephesians 3:14-19) and ultimately more productive than my endeavors. I pray that I remember this and can put this into practice in my life.

Whiter than Snow

This is a link to my friend Katie Kump's blog that features a really awesome post that I wanted to share with y'all. The title is "Snow is Not the Whitest". Katie is a very talented writer and the message included in this post of hers really stuck with me the first time I read it about a week ago for two reasons. First, it ties in with one of my favorite hymns, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus. Second, it's about something (snow) that I think a lot of us look at and don't think about outside of the context of the pleasure we get from playing in it (or for no school!) or the frustration we have with traffic when it happens. Enjoy!


Katie Kump - Snow is not the whitest

Free Reading Day!

Post something that you have read in the last two or three weeks that has been meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be long or detailed, but take care to explain why this particular reading stuck out to you. If it's not from the Bible, maybe give us the text of whatever it is.

John Lennox Talk

A little background: John Lennox is an Apologeticist who is a very well known defender of the faith. He has been in several influential debates with people like Richard Dawkins. He is a mathematician by trade schooled at Cambridge. He had the honor of being at Cambridge while C.S. Lewis was finishing his career and attended his last few lectures (how boss is that?!?). This particular talk was given at UNC Chapel Hill and focuses on the fact and fiction behind the existence of God. He addresses whether God is a grandiose creation of the human condition or whether there is an objective reality behind God. So to summarize: John Lennox, Irish, knew C.S. Lewis, loves Jesus. Boom.

John Lennox - God: Fact or Fiction?

Amos Chpater 9

Well, this is the last chapter of Amos. We've seen several chapters worth of the Lord declaring in colorful and varied ways of how He is going to destroy Israel for their constant back turning and lack of seriousness about their covenant with God. Now however, we see a glimmer of what is to come. The first glimpse we see comes in verse 8 when God mentions that He will "destroy the surface of the ground.....BUT...." and that but is super important because after that "but" comes this: "but I will not utterly destroy the House of Jacob." This leads us into the last part of chapter nine that starts in verse 11: the restoration of Israel. God declares that He will "raise up their ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old." We see God state that He will "restore the fortunes of my people Israel." Just like the other books of the Minor Prophets filled with doom and gloom, Amos ends in a passage of hope that speaks to what we now know leads to Jesus. I think it's awesome that Amos ends like this because it really highlights why God decided to punish Israel. He does so because He loves them and wants them to return to Him. And He promises to not forget them, just as He promises not to forget us. That love is an amazingly vast love, a love so wide and deep and long that it encompasses everything from the Earth we walk on all the way to the distant stars we see twinkling at night. This love demands all I can give, my most, my all. I need to realize that more often and strive to be worthy of that Love.