Thoughts on James 1:19-25

Am I reflecting Christ?

¹⁹ This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. 


The challenge of facing any conflict is knowing when to bite your tongue, knowing when to speak, and knowing when to listen. What is hard about handling conflict is the emotion of anger. When anger begins to boil you may need to stop and begin counting. If after counting to 10 you are still angry you may need to count higher. Anger is what causes us to lose our character. You can be the greatest leader and one major out burst can cause you to lose the respect of those who look to you for guidance.

I have experienced this myself and the cost of losing the respect of those that look to you for guidance is something that is hard to overcome. What is odd is that God the Father has every right to be angry with us when we continue to live in the world. However, He does not resort to anger, He offers grace for His children who are misbehaving.

Here James is telling us, that we need to humble ourselves and implant the words our heavenly Father has spoken to us into our very soul. What this means is that God the Father desires for us to not only listen to the words given to us but to put His words into practice.

The world is growing more deaf to the holiness of the Father's instructions. We have placed cotton in our ears to drown out the holy words of real life. Therefore, the world is starting to fall into a chaotic mess. World leaders are not leading. Politicians are not heeding the warning signs of chaos. They are only promising that which they cannot deliver. We need real men and women of God to listen to the Father's instructions and put those instructions into practice. We need to stop looking into the mirror and forgetting what kind of world, nation, state, city, community, family, and person God intended us to be.

Real freedom does not come from our desires. Real freedom comes from putting into practice the perfect law, the law of liberty. This law does not seek to serve itself, but requires us to act. We need understand that when we look into the mirror the face that we need to see is the face of Christ. Our outward appearance and actions needs to match God's heart.

Pray with me: O Lord I need to learn to listen to your words and apply them to my life. Help me to respond to the world's issues with righteous words that opens the ears of the lost. Guide me to do that which needs to be done. Like a surgeon implant your words into my mouth, mind, and soul. Speak through me words of hope, grace, and forgiveness to those that need to hear the perfect law of liberty. Amen...

Thoughts on James 1:16-18

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Throughout history we as a nation have been blessed beyond measure for growth in areas of education, economic potential, health care, technological advances, scientific break through, etc...The question is, who do we give praise to for these blessings? Do we praise the atheist scientist for his ability to find a cure for a disease? What about the gifted academic who increases the minds of the next generation of teachers? How about the secular financial planner, who increases your portfolio, so you can retire early? Can you imagine your life without the internet?

We as a nation become deceived when we lay claim to any advances as a true gift for mankind by mankind alone. You see God created the brain that gives us the ability to discover His creation and all that is in it. But it is man who places his accomplishments above the accomplishments of the Father of lights. God created all that is in the world through Christ. And yes even the cure of cancer from a non believer comes from God. There is no variation in His desire to care for His creation. If He feeds the birds of the air, because they cannot care for themselves, how much more will  He take care of those that are His first fruits among His creation?


The word of truth is this, we are to praise God for every blessing that we receive as Christians, even if it comes from those that are outside of God's will. God will make use of every creation by man for the greater good of His children. But we as His children, must not allow His gifts to become marginalized by man's super ego to define himself as the true creator. He will always be the divine one who's word brings out the truth of His creation.

Only a loving and just God could create a world, where absolute truth revealed, points more to a supreme creator and not an accidental bang or evolutionary concept of advances out of molecules to species, to life. No god would create out of chance.  But the real Father of lights, created out of a desire for perfect love shared.


Pray with me: O Father of lights, you are the creator of truth. You are the giver of all that is in the world and all that is yet to be understood in your world. You have never changed Your creation, but offer to us through Your creation a means to understand Your nature. Reveal through me Your word, so that others may be a first fruit. Thank you for the blessings in my life.  For I have received understanding from You, the Father of lights through the blood of Your Son Jesus who gave of His life and by the power of the Holy Spirit a gift of comfort to my soul. You are the true giver of life and I thank you. Amen   

Thoughts on James 1:12-15

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 

After church this morning I went to play golf at Barbers' Point Golf Course. I have come to the conclusion that golf is the only sport that when playing you will face a trial at some point during the round. On the par 5 hole 15, I had hit a two hundred and sixty yard drive just behind a tree on right side of the fairway. This is straightest hole on the course.

This was biggest of all the trials I would face today on the golf course. I was about two hundred and thirty yards out. The only shot I had was to work the ball left to right. I used my new  Taylormade, R11 3 wood which was a gift from the greatest wife in the world. I have not really hit this new club well off the ground, but today I placed the ball 10 yards off the green. I was tempted to hit my driving iron, because I was not used to hitting this club yet. I was able to chip onto the green about 8 feet away from the pin. I made the  putt for a birdie.  The birdie was a crowning shot and helped me finish out the round strong.

James speaks about the crown of life that we receive when we persevere through the trials that come our way. This verse is the bridge between verses 9-11 and 13-15. We also note three themes trial, testing, perseverance.  I would title chapter one " Directions for Persevering Though Trials". You see the double minded man falls to the evil desires of his heart.  While the Christian seeks to face the trials, temptations, through the perseverance given to us through the atonement of Christ on the cross. 

When we seek the desires of are heart we give birth to sin and later death. Here we are told that God is never the person tempting the believer. For God cannot be tempted and does not tempt His children. Therefore, if we are truly a follower of Christ, then we must understand that He is in us, and we are in Him. The promise of the crown of life can guide our desires to not give birth to sin.

You see, just like the golf shot I made today on the course, I pictured the shot in my head step up and executed it. The guys I was playing with praised me for how the shot came off. The prize for me was making the birdie. The prize for not succumbing to temptations is the crown of life and the words of our Father saying to us "Well done thy good and faithful servant." The picture of the cross, burial, resurrection of our Lord provides to us a glimpse of His sacrifice to offer a crown of life.

Pray with me: O Lord, as I walk the trails of life keep me on the path to receive the crown of life. If I begin to stray surround me with Godly people who will drag me back onto the path of life and off the path of death. Please guard my mind from being enticed with the things of this world. Use me to give birth to new life in you. Help me avoid the desires of my heart. Open my eyes to see a glimpse of heaven though your sacrifice upon the cross, your battle in the grave, and your victory in the resurrection.So I can see the crown of life You desire to give to me. Amen...