Today’s Reading: Galatians 3

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:20-21

I DO NOT WANT TO TREAT THE GRACE OF GOD AS MEANINGLESS.

Christ died on a cross so that I could experience salvation. I did not earn it. I do not deserve it. I can never be good enough on my own. This salvation is a gift from God — a gift by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This gift is available because of God’s unmerited favor on us — His grace. To begin working hard to earn my salvation is pointless and it ignores God’s grace, treating it as if it has no meaning.

Grace – what a wonderful blessing in our lives! But, just because I could never be good enough on my own to deserve God’s grace does not mean I now have an excuse to sin. Another gift from God was the Holy Spirit. He gave us the gift of His Spirit in order that our faith could be evidenced by our actions. With the power of the Spirit living within us, we are able to follow the urgings of the Holy Spirit and not the urgings of our old sinful nature.

Don’t be misled — you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. – Galatians 6:7-9

Imagine if a farmer planted soybeans in a field but months later went out expecting to harvest wheat. That would be crazy. The farmer will get what he planted. What he planted will have grown as long as he continued to connect it to a source of water and protect it from bugs.

Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. – Galatians 1:4

I DON’T HAVE TO CREATE A RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY OWN.

God gave us His Son, who willingly died for us, in order that we could be rescued from evil — in order that we could overcome our sinful nature. He promised to give us the gift of HIS righteousness, a gift that is ours when we live by the Spirit. That’s wonderful! We don’t have to create a righteousness of our own, just as we cannot earn our salvation by good works. Instead, His gift of grace gives us the gift of His righteousness and the gift of the Spirit living within us.

But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us…What is important is faith expressing itself in love. – Galatians 5:5-6

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. – Galatians 5:13-15

LET US FOLLOW THE SPIRIT’S LEADING IN EVERY PART OF OUR LIVES.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. – Galatians 5:16-17a

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, LET US FOLLOW THE SPIRIT’S LEADING in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. – Galatians 5:24-26

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your grace – for loving us enough to send your Son to die for our sins. Thank you for the gift of the Spirit and for the gift of your righteousness. Holy Spirit, guide my life and give me desires that are the opposite of what my sinful nature desires. Produce in me the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I nail the passions and desires of my old self, my sinful nature, to your cross and crucify them there. I long to follow the Spirit’s leading in every area of my life. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Galatians 1 – 2

DO WE NEED TO EARN OUR SALVATION?

Is it true that we are saved by the work accomplished by Jesus when He died on the cross, or is there something more we need to do to earn our salvation? This was a question in the churches spread across the Roman province of Galatia and it is a question we often hear among today’s churches. Paul had visited this area during his first missionary trip (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe), and now he is addressing this question that keeps coming up – this insecurity that I must somehow earn the salvation provided for me when Jesus died on the cross.

We hear in Paul’s letter to the Galatians the same message we hear over and over again in Paul’s writings – we are SAVED BY GRACE through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works. YET, if we believe in Christ, works are to be a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This trips us up if we are not careful because it is easy to slip into a works mentality. We begin to see our salvation as a result of our works, that we are earning our eternal life, that we are good enough for God’s favor. But God’s plan is that works are a result of our growing relationship with Him – that He is able to accomplish His will and further His Kingdom through us.

Let’s hear what Paul had to say to the Galatians:

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law. – Galatians 2:16

WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AND NOT BY WORKS.

No amount of good deeds can earn us heaven, no degree of self-righteousness can make us good enough. There is only one way we are made right with God and that is by faith in Jesus.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:20-21

This is not a new message. We have heard this over and over again, yet we still find ourselves falling into a works mentality. Why is that? Paul asks the same question of the Galatians.

WHY DO WE TRY TO BE PERFECT BY OUR OWN HUMAN EFFORT?

Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses?…After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? – Galatians 3:2b,3

So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Galatians 3:11

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. – Galatians 3:24-26

Oh how I like that analogy! When we are united with Christ in baptism, we have put Christ on – just like putting on new clothes. It is not about us “putting on” or pretending to be something we are not. It is not about creating our own new wardrobe of righteousness we produce of our own strength. There is nothing beautiful about that. It is about wearing Christ and letting His presence bring about a change in our lives; allowing His Spirit to come in and begin producing His fruit through us.

You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. – Galatians 4:10-11a

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. – Galatians 5:1

What a great reminder this morning of something we know to be true. What a great warning to stay out of the trap of an earned salvation or a deserved gift from God. I think Galatians 2:20-21 says it all. Let’s pray this verse together:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder this morning that my old self has been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I commit this morning to live in this earthly body by trusting in your Son, the One who loves me and gave himself for me. I never want to treat your grace as meaningless. For if simply obeying a set of rules or living a good life could make me right with you, then there would have been no need for Christ to die. Lord, forgive me for all the times I have forgotten this. I give you this day and I give you my heart. Amen.

Today’s Reading: James

Why does God sometimes heal and sometimes not? Can our physical suffering be a result of unconfessed sin in our lives? Why does God allow tragedies to happen? Why is it that sometimes when we are praying hard for someone to make it through the night, we feel that God is unresponsive? Does God turn His back on us? We have probably all felt that way at some time, or watched someone else struggle with these questions. Looking back at his letter, James has lots of great advice for us.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. – James 1:2-4

I need to choose joy in even the most difficult of situations, persevering and asking our generous God for wisdom in the situation. So not anger or self-pity, but joy.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. – James 1:5-6a

And when you are in a situation where you feel powerless to do anything, remember there is something you can do. You can draw closer to God, spending time in His presence and giving Him your full attention. Abide in Him and then stay there. Be still and know that He is God, that He is worthy of your trust.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. – James 4:7-8

Don’t let this difficult situation be an opportunity for the enemy to get a hold of your attitude and your heart. In your grief or struggle, do not turn away from God in anger but turn towards Him in submission. Rest in His love and wisdom. Remember that there is something you can do. You can pray.

Are you hungry? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven – healed inside and out.

Make this your command practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. – James 5:13-16 (The Message)

We live in an imperfect world where sin and sickness are a reality. The consequences of generational sin are right here for all of us to experience. Jesus told us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). God is bigger than any situation pressing down around us. We CAN trust Him – we can trust Him to be with us and we can trust His heart. When you don’t feel His presence, trust in what you know to be true – HE IS THERE!

Not only is all of James’ letter good advice for us, it was good advice for him. James faced his own struggles as the persecution of the church increased. James stood before his false accusers and refused to denounce the name of Jesus – his brother but, more than that, his Savior. Perhaps He remembered the words of Jesus in that moment.

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:39

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” — Matthew 16:24-26

At this point, I don’t believe James saw Jesus as his brother anymore. I think He saw him as Messiah – as the One who was willing to die for him and the One he was willing to do for. Is that how we see Jesus? Do we recognize that his death on the cross was out of his deep love for us? If so, what do we do with that recognition? Does it change the way we live our lives? Would we be willing to die for the One who died for us? Would we be willing to do anything for Him – move, forgive, switch jobs, extend grace, love the unlovable, stand for religious freedom, battle cancer, give our time to an elderly woman who wants someone to remember with, choose tough love, consider it joy when we go through trials and suffering…

What are we willing to do for Jesus today? What is He asking me to do? Am I too busy finding my life to lose it for His sake?

Today’s Reading: James 5:13-20

WE SHOULD PRAY.

Do you believe in the power of prayer? Do you believe that spending time praying to God about what is going on in your life CAN make a difference? Do you ever question if it does any good to bring your needs before the Lord? Do you find yourself doubting? Listen to these words of wisdom from James.

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. – James 5:13-16

Through the words of James, we hear that familiar message again – draw near to God and remain in His presence regardless of the circumstances. Then when something tragic happens in our life, such as a cancer diagnosis or hearing a doctor say “There’s nothing more that can be done,” our first response will be to disagree. There is something we can do.

WE CAN PRAY.

Let’s consider again this quote from St. Francis de Sales: “Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto and will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”

We can be still and know that God is God and we are not. We can trust Him in ANY situation and wait patiently for His response to our prayers. We can count it a joy to face difficult times and submit to God’s will or plan for our lives. We can confess sin and rest peacefully in Christ.

I witnessed two healings in 2010. Mulu from Ethiopia prayed in her native tongue for my mother-in-law to be healed of her 4th stage breast cancer and Neneye from Columbia prayed for a young boy who was about to be diagnosed with autism. Both prayed with confidence and passion, unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. Both have committed their lives to spending HOURS every day in prayer, soaking in God’s presence and then remaining in His presence as they live out their lives. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (5:16b). I now know what that means and I long to serve God as faithfully as these women have. I do not want to have to go to God when I’m in trouble or happy or sick – I want to already be there!!!

Let’s step back a little and look at the whole passage together, but this time in The Message –

Are you hungry? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven – healed inside and out.

Make this your command practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. – James 5:13-20

How committed are we to the gospel, to winning souls for Christ? What are we willing to become in order to win the weak? There is a sense of urgency in these verses. We were saved to serve God. What does He want to do through us today? Are we willing to open ourselves up to whatever He wants us to be for the sake of others or are we going to hold tight to this issue or that, to this right of ours or to this past hurt for which we refuse to forgive.

WE CANNOT GIVE UP PRAYING.

In every situation, I want to rest in God’s presence – looking to Him for what is next, and for the strength to face it and the peace to rest in it. Lord, only you know what is ahead for me today. Father God, I long to already be in your presence drawing from your strength so that you can equip me with everything I need. Remind me today of the power of prayer. Teach me how to be still and know that you are God. Teach me patience to wait for your response and teach me joy in any situation. I submit to your perfect plan. Savior, forgive me for my sins and help me to rest peacefully in your presence.

Today’s Reading: James 5:7-12; Psalms 43 and 64

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming…As you know, we consider 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. – James 5:7-11

PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE

When we are in the midst of suffering, James encourages us to not get impatient and begin to grumble but instead to be patient and stand firm. We can’t rush God. We often have the tendency to go ahead of God and try to push His hand but God calls for us to patiently wait on Him. It is in the midst of this waiting that we are strengthened in our faith.

It helps for us to consider others that we have seen persevere through trials and how the Lord has delivered them. What testimonies of perseverance in the face of suffering have you heard of? What stories of standing firm have you seen firsthand, either in your life or the life of someone close to you?

James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. When he refused to deny his faith in Jesus, he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple – more than 100 feet high. When he survived the fall, his enemies beat him with a club. My heart grieves as I think of the great suffering that took place shortly after James’ death. The early Church and those who called themselves Christians were persecuted, unjustly charged, imprisoned, tortured, and many put to death.

We started out our study of James with the challenge to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. The weight of these words sits differently when we consider how harsh the persecution was during that time. We may go through difficult times, but it pales in comparison to what some of the writers of the New Testament letters went through. When we are going through a hard time in our lives, we are comforted by the words penned by men who suffered horrible deaths, all for the sake of Christ. Even now, many missionaries and pastors in other countries preach God’s word despite the threat of imprisonment or death. Why would they be willing to do that for the gospel?

Let’s look at what James says next:
Above all, my brothers, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned. – James 5:12

TRUTH and INTEGRITY

God calls for us to be honest; He calls us to be men and women of integrity. If we say we are going to do something, we need to do it. If the ability to do something is out of our control, if we don’t know what tomorrow brings, then we need to be careful not to promise something we may not be able to follow through with. Avoid lies and exaggeration. Avoid telling only half of the truth or deceiving people by your omission of the truth.

If we consistently live a life of truthfulness, where our word alone means something because of our history of following through, then others will be able to trust us. We are God’s children and we represent Him when we call ourselves Christians. That alone is a great reason to stand strong on the foundations of truth and integrity.

So what do we do with this? We look forward and become more conscious of what we say we will do but we can also look back. What have I promised to do that I have not followed through with? How can I make that right today or this week or very soon?

Lord, please bring these words of wisdom from James back to my mind over and over again. Give me patience, help me to look to your valuable harvest and to take courage in your coming. Do a work in my heart that changes my grumbling into praise, my judgment into understanding. Oh Lord full of tenderness and mercy, I praise you that you help us when we are going through a difficult time. May the words of my mouth be evidence of what you are doing in my life. Amen.

Let me close with a quote my friend, Linda Seaman, posted on Facebook in 2016 as she waited for her husband to come out of surgery. Several months later, Linda lost her husband and we watched her live out this kind of faith:

“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto and will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” – St. Francis de Sales, 16th century French Catholic saint

Today’s Reading: James 4:13 – 5:6

Listen here, you who say “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise, you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. – James 4:13-16 (NLT)

SURRENDERING MY PLANS TO GOD

I am a planner. I like it when my life is rolling out just the way I expect it to. I feel most comfortable when I feel like I am in control of my circumstances. I desire for God to be in control of my life, but I want the result of that control to look just like I expected it to – MY PERFECT PLAN. Yet, in those moments when the future seems uncertain or scary, I am comforted by these Scriptures:

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book before a single one of them began. – Psalm 139:16

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10

I am guilty of laying out my plans before God and defending their value. But sometimes God has a different plan. He has “appointed times” and boundaries for me. My faith has been put to test over the years and I have had to make a conscious decision to submit to God’s plan. On the other side of those decisions, I have to say there is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will – right where He wants me to be.

And He continues to challenge me today. Am I starting to lay down my own plans for today or will I trust Him and seek His will for how He wants to use me today or tomorrow or the next day. In surrender, I need to draw near to Him — staying focused on Him, asking for wisdom, and seeking Him.

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. – James 4:17 (NLT)

I can’t ignore this verse. If there is good that God has asked me to do and I choose not to do it, I am sinning. I can avoid God today so that I don’t have to take the chance that He will ask me to do something I don’t want to do OR I can submit and draw near to God. This is the great part – If I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me. Oh, how I love to be in God’s presence! It’s worth the risk.

God has THE PERFECT PLAN for us today – the plan that offers us prosperity, hope and a future. Let’s start our day by submitting to God and whatever plan He has for us. Let’s draw near to Him so that He has our full attention.

SURRENDERING MY POSSESSIONS TO GOD

Just like I cannot hang onto my own PLANS, there is danger in holding onto my own POSSESSIONS:

Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. – James 5:1-3

How often do we hand on to our worldly possessions when there are those around us who are in need? Think back to chapter 2, when we discussed faith without deeds in reference to the physical needs of our brothers and sisters. What good is our faith if we do nothing about the needs of those around us? We are often guilty of doing unnecessary spending when the basic needs of others are not being met, yet we claim to understand what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is the ultimate danger – greed. As Americans, we hope to be prosperous, we crave more stuff, and we love buying something new. Our closets and cabinets and garages stack up with items we never use but we continue to buy more and more stuff until there’s not enough room to store it all – so we move to a bigger house. And how often does our desire for more than we can afford lead us into a situation of going into debt instead of waiting until the money is there?

Lord, please reveal to me the ways in which I am holding on to earthly possessions instead of clinging to you. Lord, reveal to me any ways in which I am withholding something from someone – something that rightfully belongs to them. Redefine luxury to mean that YOU are satisfying every God-given desire in my life. I long to count on nothing but YOU. Amen.

Today’s Reading: James 4:7-12; Psalm 2

We struggle with not getting what we want; we pray with wrong motives because we want it our way. James shows us that this is an issue of pride — thinking we know what is best. He also gives us the solution to this inner struggle — submission to God.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. – James 4:7-10 (NIV)

THE BIGGEST THING THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND SUBMISSION IS YOU.

So what area of your life is God calling you to submit to Him today? Is it your health, your job, your marriage, a struggle, a temptation, a friendship, anger, a grudge?

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? – James 4:11-12

When I go back and read the first 12 verses of James chapter 4, I hear this strong message: Perhaps submission to God is about our FOCUS and ATTENTION. We need to change what we are focused on.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OTHER PEOPLE.

Don’t quarrel with each other. Don’t covet what others have, wanting it for yourself. Don’t be a friend of the world around you. Don’t look at other people and sit in judgment of their actions, slandering and speaking against each other. That means no more criticism and gossip.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF YOURSELF.

Don’t pray with wrong motives, seeking your own pleasure. When you focus on yourself, pride becomes an issue. Whether you are dealing with self-righteousness or low self-esteem, both are caused by thinking too much of yourself instead of focusing on God. God wants us to take our attention off ourselves, letting go of our pride and self-righteousness and trading it in for humility.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE RULES.

Stop coming up with an organized list of things to do in order to earn your way to Heaven. Don’t study the Scripture in order to argue with it or prove it wrong or make it fit what you want it to say. Don’t use the Bible as a weapon against fellow believers. Use God’s word as a way to better know Him, understand Him and draw near to Him. Then any conversations you have with other believers will echo the heart of God, not human judgment.

We tend to move in the direction of our attention. Think about it. If we are driving but focus our attention on something off to the side of the road, our car will begin to drift in that direction. If we are running on a treadmill but looking behind us at someone on the elliptical machine, we will most likely misstep and find ourselves flat on the floor.

FOCUS ON GOD.

God says — Submit to me, come near to me, wash your hands, purify your hearts, be single-minded and focused on me. The farther we are from God, the easier it is to see everything that is going on around us. If we step as close to God as we possibly can, so close that He is dwelling inside of us and He has our full attention, we will free ourselves from the distractions of the world and the opinions of what our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing around us. We will lose ourselves in service to something bigger — God.

I like how The Message rephrases James 4:11-12:
Don’t bad mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

God is in charge. I am not. So I fall to my knees in sweet submission to the God who is calling me to draw near to Him. He has my full attention. I am ready to get lost in something bigger than me. I am ready to get lost in Him.

Today’s Reading: James 4:1-6; Psalm 79

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. – James 4:1-3

NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE WE DESIRE

“How much longer?” When our girls were younger, they would repeatedly ask this question while we traveled. They would long to be at our destination but also tire of riding in the car, so they would ask to make a stop. We would stop, stretch our legs, maybe get something to eat. Getting back in the car, the same question was repeated, “How much longer?” The same amount of time as when we stopped the car! They would long to be where we were headed but also want to get out of the car, even though it KEPT THEM FROM THEIR GREATEST LONGING – to get where we were going.

How often do we do the same thing in our prayer life? We pray for one thing and then pray for something else that would keep us from receiving the first thing we prayed for. No matter what we have, there is something else we desire. I wonder if God rolls His eyes when we ask for two things that we cannot have simultaneously.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE CONDITION OF OUR HEART

I think the greatest problem that James is addressing in this passage is the heart. This is the start of a new chapter but it is really the continuation of what he has been teaching in the first three chapters. The words that we speak, the anger we display, the favoritism we show, the conflicts we have with other people — it all comes down to the condition of our heart.

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” – James 4:4-6

James is again comparing opposites, showing us that we cannot be two things at once. Let’s review: We cannot believe and doubt (1:6-8). The world tells us one thing but God…(1:20-21). This is pure…this is polluted (1:27). Don’t show favoritism toward the rich over the poor (2:1-7). There is a difference between knowing and doing. You can’t just read the word and not do it (1:22-25); you can’t obey some of the law but not all of it (2:8-12); you can’t see someone in need and do nothing (2:16). Don’t use your tongue to praise God and then turn around and use it to speak poorly of those He has created in His likeness (3:9-12). You cannot have both earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom (3:13-18).

GOD IS A FIERCELY JEALOUS LOVER

We cannot look around at the world and desire what it has to offer, then turn and ask God to bless us with these worldly pleasures. Let’s read James 4:4-6 in The Message: You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

So the opposites continue. It’s either our way or God’s way; pride or humility. We are either God’s friend or God’s enemy. What is it going to be? I think all of us desire that close relationship with God but James is warning us that the world and its influence is daily pulling us away from God. In order to stay connected to God we must daily spend time in His presence, seeking HIS way in our lives and intentionally avoiding the many ways the world attempts to pollute us.

Lord, I love you so much and my desire is to draw closer to you. That you call me friend and that you pour your grace on me, these truths overwhelm me. What you give in love is far better than anything else I will ever find. Lord, show me the ways in which my attention is being drawn to earthly things instead of to you. Help me not to walk out of your presence today but dwell in you all day. Amen.

Today’s Reading: James 3:13-18

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are NOT GOD’S KIND OF WISDOM. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the WISDOM FROM ABOVE is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. – James 3:13-18

PRESENCE PRODUCES CHARACTER

James stays consistent with the theme of his letter by stating again that our faith must be evident in the way we live out our lives. If we truly have faith, we cannot hang on to our old patterns of jealousy or selfishness. We have to stop finding them funny. Hollywood has caused us to laugh at our own dysfunctions, somehow making them cute or “denying the truth” that our habits are sinful. We create whole conversations where we brag, “You think that’s bad, listen to what I do.” We use humor to cover up our feelings of conviction or guilt.

True faith produces godly wisdom, which is first of all pure. For something to be pure, it must be void of anything that does not belong in it, which adds to our list much more than just jealousy and selfishness. True faith is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit (a tree is known by its fruit), impartial and sincere. True faith produces righteousness. We are saved by grace but the faith that God gives us is intended to make a difference in the way we live out our relationship with God.

Let’s look at those last two verses as translated in The Message: Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoys its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor (James 3:17-18).

CHARACTER REQUIRES PRESENCE

A holy life must be evidenced in the way we get along with one another. This can be hard if we are trying to produce these kinds of relationships on our own; if we are trying to pretend to love others. To truly pour out our lives as a living sacrifice to God, we must surrender ourselves completely to Him. We must be so consumed by God as He fills us with who He is so that He can use us and the gifts He has given us to advance His Kingdom. Consider these verses:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. – Romans 12:9-21

God calls us to be intentional with our lives, living out our faith with brotherly love. But again God isn’t calling us to try to do all of these great things out of our own capacity or in our own strength. He is willing to be the source of our power and strength. In order to have God’s character, we need God’s presence in our lives. Character requires presence and presence produces character.

I do not have to do any of the things above. I only need to truly enter God’s presence and offer myself as a living sacrifice. This love described in Romans 12 will be an outflow of God’s presence in my life, not a result of my effort to be a good person. So, when God calls me to be intentional, the first place to start is to INTENTIONALLY enter God’s presence EVERY day, allowing Him to fuel the fire inside of me. It’s not my morning coffee which fuels the start of my day, it is my time in God’s presence.

Today’s Reading: James 3:1-12

I started writing My Morning Coffee in 2010 because God told me to write them. My goal has been to simply share what God is teaching me – to share out of the overflow of my daily time in His presence. I see myself as more of a student of the Word than a teacher. I pray God has used these devotionals in your life — that there have been moments when God was teaching both of us and speaking to both of us through His Spirit as we studied God’s word together.

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. – James 3:1-2

Controlling our speech — this is the area I find myself messing up time and time again. It’s not easy, which is the point James is making here. He uses three comparisons to help us understand the importance of conquering this area of our life.

A LITTLE BIT

We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. – James 3:3

My friend Todd showed me once how God created horses with a place in their mouth that doesn’t have teeth – a place where he can place his thumb and force the horse to open his mouth so the bit can be put into place. Once the bit is in place, the horse calms and cooperates with its riders.

A SMALL RUDDER

And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. – James 3:4-5a

The tongue may be small but it is mighty. It can set the course of our life, determining the direction of relationships. It can do both good and harm. What we say may seem insignificant but it has the power to speak kind words of encouragement or harsh words of condemnation.

A TINY SPARK

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. – James 3:5b-12

The tongue is small but powerful, and cannot be tamed, it says so in verse 8. We can tame animals but we cannot tame the destructive potential of the tongue. So what do we do with that? If the tongue can steer the course of our life and destroy everything in its path yet cannot be controlled, where is hope?

I don’t want to be the person who is praising God one minute and the next minute speaking unkindly about someone Jesus loves enough to die for. I don’t want my tongue doing the work of Satan, finding its source in hell. I want something different. But these verses are saying that I cannot just determine to do better and change old habits if I cannot tame my tongue. Again, where is the hope?

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:1-4

And therein we find the hope. I don’t have to try harder. What I need to do is take that step of letting God truly be LORD of my life – He’s in charge, I am a part of His story. At the point when I truly surrender to Him, He fills me with His Spirit and I begin to speak in foreign ways – ways that are different from my old speech patterns, ways that cannot be taught but could only be the result of the work the Holy Spirit is doing in my life. Now there’s hope!