GETTING DOWN TO REAL LIVING
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
I had the privilege just yesterday of worshiping with one of the dear friends groups that we have developed a relationship with over the years. As I have traveled around since the first part of the year I have noticed changes in the various groups of people that I have gotten to know. Some of these changes are very good, and some are tending to lead people down a very familiar pathway; that pathway includes various hot social ways and buzzwords that cause people to think that they are making progress when actually they are standing still.
I was privileged to hear a message yesterday then spoke truth from the book of James concerning what real wisdom was all about. I was happy to hear that the message was not sugarcoated or attempted to be delivered in a socially accepted way. The book of James reflects much of the fervor in the heart that was in the first church right after Stephen had been martyred ( ACTS 7:55-8:3 ). The part that intrigues me so is that this was a time when the persecution of the church was increased and Christians who were in Jerusalem were scattered all around the world. The people themselves may have been scattered and torn apart physically, but the fervor and the heart felt relationship they experienced in Jesus did not change. I found it interesting that James 1: speaks about trials in this life not in a way of trying to avoid them, but holding them out to the reader as something that will certainly be in life. For any of us it is a certainty that we will have trouble in life, so it is not about putting on a brave face or pretending that nothing is wrong; we cannot pretend to be happy when we face pain, but to have a positive outlook, or to consider it pure joy because of what those trials and difficulties produce in our lives.
James actually gives us a lesson on turning our hardships and times of learning. Tough times can teaches perseverance. It is interesting when I think about it how the word perseverance is also called patience and steadfastness in God's word. Sometimes it is difficult for us to know how we can put all of this together, but we must realize that God's power is not a commodity that can be purchased in the store or picked up from a book; not even by simply reading the word of God, but by putting what we read into practice. The power to grow spiritually does not come by any means that we have to gain but it does come directly from God because we don't have the resources to truly be godly, God allows us to participate in his divine nature. That has to happen in order to keep us from sin and help us to live for him. It is by God's spirit that he empowers us by his own moral goodness. Faith therefore must be more than belief in certain facts, but it must result in action, growth and Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline or it will die away completely. False teachers will tell you that self-control is not needed because deeds do not help the behavior of the believer way, and while it's true that deeds cannot help save us it is absolutely false to think that they are unimportant. The deeds that we should be driven to do did not come from our own nature, but from our relationship with God. We are saved so we can grow to resemble Christ and so we can serve others. God wants to produce his character in us. In order to do this God demands our discipline and effort. As we obey Christ who guides us by his spirit, we will develop self-control not only with respect to food or drink, but also with respect to our emotions, our way of thinking, and seeking wisdom.
Wisdom actually means practical discernment, and it begins with respect for God, and leads us to write living, and results in increasing ability to tell right from wrong. God is willing to give us this wisdom, but we will be unable to receive it if our goals are self-centered instead of God centered. In order to learn God's will we need to read his word and then ask him to show us how to obey it, and then we must do what he tells us to do. I want to take a closer look this week on what it means to really live in Christ, so buckle your seat belts. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
I had the privilege just yesterday of worshiping with one of the dear friends groups that we have developed a relationship with over the years. As I have traveled around since the first part of the year I have noticed changes in the various groups of people that I have gotten to know. Some of these changes are very good, and some are tending to lead people down a very familiar pathway; that pathway includes various hot social ways and buzzwords that cause people to think that they are making progress when actually they are standing still.
I was privileged to hear a message yesterday then spoke truth from the book of James concerning what real wisdom was all about. I was happy to hear that the message was not sugarcoated or attempted to be delivered in a socially accepted way. The book of James reflects much of the fervor in the heart that was in the first church right after Stephen had been martyred ( ACTS 7:55-8:3 ). The part that intrigues me so is that this was a time when the persecution of the church was increased and Christians who were in Jerusalem were scattered all around the world. The people themselves may have been scattered and torn apart physically, but the fervor and the heart felt relationship they experienced in Jesus did not change. I found it interesting that James 1: speaks about trials in this life not in a way of trying to avoid them, but holding them out to the reader as something that will certainly be in life. For any of us it is a certainty that we will have trouble in life, so it is not about putting on a brave face or pretending that nothing is wrong; we cannot pretend to be happy when we face pain, but to have a positive outlook, or to consider it pure joy because of what those trials and difficulties produce in our lives.
James actually gives us a lesson on turning our hardships and times of learning. Tough times can teaches perseverance. It is interesting when I think about it how the word perseverance is also called patience and steadfastness in God's word. Sometimes it is difficult for us to know how we can put all of this together, but we must realize that God's power is not a commodity that can be purchased in the store or picked up from a book; not even by simply reading the word of God, but by putting what we read into practice. The power to grow spiritually does not come by any means that we have to gain but it does come directly from God because we don't have the resources to truly be godly, God allows us to participate in his divine nature. That has to happen in order to keep us from sin and help us to live for him. It is by God's spirit that he empowers us by his own moral goodness. Faith therefore must be more than belief in certain facts, but it must result in action, growth and Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline or it will die away completely. False teachers will tell you that self-control is not needed because deeds do not help the behavior of the believer way, and while it's true that deeds cannot help save us it is absolutely false to think that they are unimportant. The deeds that we should be driven to do did not come from our own nature, but from our relationship with God. We are saved so we can grow to resemble Christ and so we can serve others. God wants to produce his character in us. In order to do this God demands our discipline and effort. As we obey Christ who guides us by his spirit, we will develop self-control not only with respect to food or drink, but also with respect to our emotions, our way of thinking, and seeking wisdom.
Wisdom actually means practical discernment, and it begins with respect for God, and leads us to write living, and results in increasing ability to tell right from wrong. God is willing to give us this wisdom, but we will be unable to receive it if our goals are self-centered instead of God centered. In order to learn God's will we need to read his word and then ask him to show us how to obey it, and then we must do what he tells us to do. I want to take a closer look this week on what it means to really live in Christ, so buckle your seat belts. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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