QT 5/31/2023 James 5:19-20, A ministry of restoration

James 5:19–20 (ESV) —

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

 

NOTE: This is actually a good argument for discipleship. Some believers seem to plateau very early in their new birth, staying babies in Christ, and dabbling in sin routinely. They don't really grow and their witness is atrocious since they look exactly like the world. Discipleship takes these babes and teaches them how to walk with God, how to rely on the Holy Spirit to combat sin, and how to be an effective witness to the world. Discipleship literally brings back sinners from wandering. As for saving their soul from death, there is a type of spiritual death which occurs on earth when a believer doesn't really walk with God, and it affects our reward in heaven. We are still saved but only as through fire.

 

We have a fundamental mission of restoration through discipleship. Kurt Richardson describes the believer who wanders from the truth as "… a way of life that effectively denies the truth (e.g., the “practical atheism” of a prayerless and inactive “faith”)." By discipling others, we exercise a ministry of restoration.

 

PONDER:

1. Who am I restoring these days?
2. How committed am I to discipleship?

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray that you would lead me to men who need restoration and to those who need salvation. Both are important. It is an important ministry to restore believers as it is to explain salvation to the lost.

QT 5/30/2023 James 5:13, Take it to God, not others

James 5:13–18 (ESV) — Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

 

NOTE: I pass by this verse often, or at least the second half. The previous passage discussed grumbling and the use of our tongue. In this verse, James takes two life circumstances and shows the corrective action against grumbling, complaining, and boasting. When we suffer, we must go to God. When we are cheerful, we must sing praise to God. Both are directed at God, not others. Your particular situation may cause another to envy. Your struggles may cause another to pick up your angst if you are grumbling. Complaining begets complaining -- it is a root of bitterness that spreads. But sometimes cheerfulness or good fortune can do the same, by causing envy. Give the glory to God and not on "good fortune."  At least in that case the person is forced to deal with God.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I go to God regardless of the circumstances, suffering or joy?

 

PRAYER: Father, I need go to you regardless of the circumstances. You should always be my first resort.

QT 5/29/2023 James 5:7-9, Let's make sure we are in the right fight

James 5:7–9 (ESV) —

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

 

NOTE: We see evil all around us and we want to do something. We want to rise up or revolt or change laws or … whatever is in our minds. But James tells us (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) to be patient. What does that mean? The clue is given in the phrase "until the coming of the Lord." Something is going to happen when the Lord returns that we need to wait upon. What is that something? Over and over again, the day of the Lord references God's coming judgment against the world. The world's sin is so obvious and so clear today, but the message remains the same -- wait.

 

What does it mean to be patient until the Lord’s coming? It means to do what God also is doing: enduring human evil for a season. James’s authoritative counsel is not revolution or a taking of justice into one’s own hand. This judgment is not within their rights but God’s, who will judge oppression in his time. After all, even the courts of the present time are all too influenced by the superior resources of the rich. The exhortation is something like: “Let the Lord come against your oppressors in his time, but presently, wait just as he is waiting.” The Lord’s coming will be as judge of humanity. When Christ comes, he will reveal the opposition of God against the rich who have been unmerciful. Until then he waits, and believers also should wait.

(Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, pp. 218–219). Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

 

But waiting does not mean being lazy. We have our orders and instructions. We are to live godly and holy lives as an example to those around us. We are to share the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth (wherever it is not heard). And we are to make disciples. We need to get serious about the job of making disciples in these last days.

 

PONDER:

1. Where am I working -- in the seen or the unseen world?
2. Am I trying to change politics in order to keep my comfortable life or am I trying to see people change by new spiritual hearts?
3. What is more important to me, my comfortableness or my neighbor's salvation?

 

PRAYER: Father, in these last days, may my focus be on making disciples and witnessing my faith. The world may go from bad to much, much worse. Or there may be a revival. It doesn't matter, I have my orders, help me to follow through on them.

QT 5/26/2023 James 5:1-6, Warning to the rich

James 5:1–6 (ESV) —

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

 

NOTE: This is a hard message to the rich. The focus seems to be on people who are hoarding their money, withholding money from others, dishonest, and people who have lived in luxury and self-indulgence. I have saved money, but just what is needed for retirement. I have never withheld money from someone who did work from me. I have never (that I can think of) been dishonest. I've given my money to missionaries, the church, and the poor--money that I could have used to buy homes or cars or luxuries; money that others would say that I've given my "tithe" and therefore is my money. I have never agreed with that philosophy. I have given as God has laid on my heart. I can honestly say that I have been faithful in what God has given. Undeserving but faithful.

 

PONDER:

1. As my income drops, I will be challenged in the way I live and the way I give. Will I continue to trust God for the amount, not an artificial percentage to suave my conscience?

 

PRAYER: Father, you have given so much. And I thank you for the gift of giving. Help me to live with the same attitude in these years ahead.

QT 5/25/2023 James 4:13-17, Letting God into my whole life

James 4:13–17 (ESV) —

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

 

NOTE: The book of James has been called the Proverbs of the NT because of the seeming lack of structure. But I do believe these things fit in a rational pattern. James has been discoursing on selfishness, pride, double-mindedness, slander, and judging. Now he brings up a hypothetical example of a rich man, and his obliviousness to his own presumption. The man has a business plan that makes no mention of the Lord. And his presumption was a certain style of boasting (like, "I always make a lot of money when I do this"). James calls the boasting arrogance. And many believers today are very similar in this regard. We live in buckets called secular (work, entertainment, hobby, etc.,) and spiritual. But a mature faith brings the secular and the spiritual together into one bucket called "a walk with God." This is why the last verse is so key "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." Sin does not reside in just the spiritual bucket but it part and parcel of all of life. When we make a business deal that takes advantage of someone, that is sin. It does not matter what part of life it relates to. Sin is anything we know is wrong and God is part of every aspect of our life.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I walk with God in every aspect of my life?
2. Do I separate the spiritual from the secular? If so, I am wrong.

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to live my life in a way that pleases you in all aspects, whatever it may be. Forgive for my sin. Forgive me for my laziness.

QT 5/24/2023 James 4:11-12, The danger of slander to our witness

James 4:11–12 (ESV) —

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

 

NOTE: In chapter one, James challengers the brothers to be doers of the law and not hearers. Here he lays out the other issue of people who are not doers, they become judges. And only God is the lawgiver and judge. Slander is a form of judgment. Speaking behind a person's back in a negative way is a form of slander. When we slander, we act as judges, and not doers of the law.

 

My focus needs to be on doing the law and not judging those who, in my eyes, fail to do the law (or the right thing). I can be pretty quick to judge leadership styles, but that does my leadership no good if I am attacking others. It effectively reduces my ability to lead, because slander is not a good look. It will ruin my witness.

 

PONDER:

1. Who have I slandered recently?
2. Who have I spoken of negatively behind their back?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to see when I speak evil against another. Reveal my sin. I want to be a doer of the law, not just a hearer, and not a judge.

QT 5/23/2023 James 4:4-10, There is only one truth that provides meaning

James 4:4–10 (ESV) —

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

 

NOTE: This is the problem of our age. We want to mix our beliefs with the faith of secular humanism, the worldview. It is wrong and it is evil and it needs to be avoided. We can't play on both sides of the fence.

 

"… spiritual adultery is synonymous with being an “enemy” of God. Instead of being faithfully wedded, James’s hearers had, by their evil ways, turned their back on God and were having an “affair” with the world." (Richardson)

 

We must stand for truth, God's truth, revealed from the beginning of time. Our difficulties with life, some are self-inflicted, are because we have tried to live according the philosophy of this world. We must repent of our sin and our love affair with the world. We must humbly return to God. We must resist the temptations of the evil one. We must wash ourselves in the blood of Christ. We should weep for how we have treated the God who did so much to save us out of this pit.

 

PONDER:

1. How have I mixed the faith of secular humanism into God's truth, replacing the absolute with emptiness?

 

PRAYER: Father, show me where I have diverged from truth and accepted false truths. Bring me back in those areas to accept nothing but the truth of scripture.

QT 5/22/2023 Matt 4:1-3, Understanding our anger

James 4:1–3 (ESV) —

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

 

NOTE: I once heard (read) someone who said all anger can boil down to these verses. The root of all anger is wanting something and not being able to get it. At times, the "want" can be good, like justice. More often than not, we want our way and when we don't get it, we lash out at others.

 

When we do lash out or find ourselves angry, it is good to ask the question, "what is it I want that I am not getting? How am I being thwarted?" More often than not, it is a sinful passion or covetous or an evil motive. Even our prayers, which we might convince ourselves are "good" can have a "selfish" component behind it.

 

But what if the motive of my prayer is a true as is possible -- such as the health of a loved one? There are two answers I have found in my own life. First, my motive is never that pure and needs to be confessed. I don't like pain, stress, worry, fear, or anything where I don't exercise control. I need to be honest with God, and cast all my anxieties upon him. Secondly, I need to believe (have faith) in God, in the sense that he is aware, he cares, he is at work, he knows my pain or my child's pain, and that he is bringing good out of the situation. Sometimes that will require an eternal perspective.

 

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 (ESV) — 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 

Life is not as God intended it in the garden. Man wanted to be his own god. And God let him experience life without God ruling. Someday God will rule again, but for now, pain the reminder of our rebellion from God. The good news for believers is that "he knows the plans he has for us, plans to give us a future and a hope." Trust him and realize that our anger is Satan's attempt to get us to focus on ourselves.

 

PONDER:

1. Think about the last time I got angry -- what did I want that I was not getting?
2. Do I have faith in God or am I looking for a tooth fairy to give me what I want?

 

PRAYER: Father, I fall into this trap so often. I am a miserable creature. Somehow, you died for me and gave me grace so that I could have a future and a hope. I want to be the man you intended me to be. I want to have your meekness (like Moses) and your strength (like Joshua). Jesus is my example.

QT 5/19/2023 James 3:13-18, Spiritually wise men have a godly meekness

James 3:13–18 (ESV) —

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 

NOTE: In the first verse of the chapter, James addressed teachers. Now James is addressing the leaders, the spiritually mature leaders of the church. True spiritual wisdom is shown in meekness. The opposite is jealously and selfish ambition, and that wisdom is of the world (earthly) and demonic. When pride and power are at play, the results are not pretty. A true spiritual man's wisdom will be pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.

 

PONDER:

1. How am I doing in my spiritual wisdom?
2. How do I address people?
3. Am I jealous and selfishly ambitious, or am I meek?

 

PRAYER: Father, there are many opportunities to test this in the coming days. When someone asks what I do, will I say I'm retired and let it go at that, or will I have to try to fit in all my accomplishments.

QT 5/18/2023 James 3:1-12, Who can teach

James 3:1–12 (ESV) —

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

 

NOTE: James makes a very strong point that can easily be misunderstood. First, everyone is a teacher in some way, whether it is raising your children, mentoring a brother toward discipleship, or sharing the word in fellowship. James admonition against many teachers is aimed at the church (the body of Christ), and the official designation of teachers (most recognizably being Sunday School teachers). A teacher in the church should be an individual with a mastery of scripture and its application to faith and life. Most people can facilitate conversations and nearly all are qualified to share their experience with God. But the title teacher carries an authority that goes far beyond facilitation and sharing Christ experiences. This is a great danger, and it is especially dangerous for churches where there aren't enough teachers or with a policy that anyone who volunteers can teach.

 

The majority of the passage seems to focus on how our tongue can be so destructive. And typically that is seen as the thrust. But a teacher is one small voice with great impact. The wrong person or the wrong understanding of scripture can steer a church into conflict. Not any person can be a rudder in a church. One tongue can be one fire, or a poison with devastating effects on the body.

 

PONDER:

1. How do we choose people to be instructors in our church?
2. How can we improve the process or oversee the teaching in the church?

 

PRAYER: Father, I may be wrong and maybe I am not listening, but I have never viewed this passage in this way. It is a little disconcerting and troubling, and yet it seems true. Give me wisdom in this area. And even more importantly, guard my mouth so that the things that I teach are true and scriptural (not my opinion).

QT 5/17/2023 James 2:14,18-19, Faith-evident salvation

James 2:14 (ESV) —

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James 2:18–19 (ESV) —

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

 

NOTE: James' argument is not about works of the law or a works-based salvation, but a faith-evident salvation. If a person is arguing that they have faith without evidence of works (change), then they are more likely to be religious (ceremony and discipline) than a salvation based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. In the next paragraph, the pretend arguer seems to be saying that other people have different gifts -- one has faith and another has the works. This sounds like a leadership laity debate. The laity encourage the professional staff to do the work, freeing them from having to do anything. Many church people believe it is the responsibility of the church leadership to do the ministry, not realizing that scripturally, it is the responsibility of the church leadership to train the laity to do the ministry.

 

PONDER:

1. If I really believe (have faith), it should be evident in my works.
2. If my works do not show a changed life, maybe I am not saved.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you that I have seen this from both sides of the fence. I was the religious and then I was totally changed by Jesus such that it affected by actions from the inside out. Because of those changes, I have assurance in my faith and my hope.

QT 5/16/2023 James 1:2-10, Treating people equally

James 2:1–10 (ESV) —

1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

 

NOTE: The point of the passage is twofold: one, don't show partiality, and two, if you show partiality, you are guilty of breaking the whole law (murder, adultery, etc.), not just one part of the law. Partiality is pride. And pride was the enemy's first sin. When we treat people different, it is because we think we are different, or we want to be different. When we "look down" on another, it is because we think we are above them or more important than them. When we "look up" to another, we are trying to curry their favor because we want to use them to gain their status. Both characteristics are wrong. We are treat everyone exactly the same--the same attention; the same care; the same concern; the same respect.

 

The second part of the passage concerns the serious of this sin. Breaking the law at any point is the same as breaking the "worst" sin in the law. That would be true of any sin, so the real concern is to never get comfortable with any sin, even something that seems innocuous like partiality. It is wrong and it breaks God's heart that we would not treat all equally -- saved by the grace of God.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I show partiality based on position or wealth? I'm sure I do. The problem is easily rectified by showing the same positive affirmation and attention to the persons of no position and no wealth (the poor).

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to see all people equally and to give attention to each and every person equally.

QT 5/15/2023 James 1:26-27, Our faith should be noticeable in a good way through our life

James 1:26–27 (ESV) —

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

 

NOTE: Usually, "religion" is not a word that I like. It perverts true faith because it seems focused on externalities and not on the heart. The first religion in the world was when Adam told Eve to "not touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or she would die." God did not say anything about touching, only eating the fruit. Adam added to God's word in the same way religion adds externalities to truth, sometimes obscuring truth.

 

There are two words used here; for religious (threskos) and religion (threskeia). The first word means fearing or worshipping God, and to tremble. The second word means religious worship, especially the external, ceremonies and religious discipline.

 

James does not focus on the external, but on actions that express the internal heart of a person. Jesus himself said that it is not what goes into the stomach but what comes out of the mouth that defiles a man. Bridling the tongue means to keep it in check. It means to be careful what you say (and type). Visiting orphans and widows shows love not compulsion. There is nothing that orphans and widows can give. Keeping oneself unstained from the world  is staying true to the word of God and not following the corrupting culture of the world.

 

PONDER:

1. Does my faith consist of externalities, or is it a hidden change that has come within my heart?

 

PRAYER: Father, sometimes I wonder if I do bridle my tongue (or at least my e-mail responses). Forgive me for reacting and praying or waiting to respond. Give me grace and mercy that the things I say are not taken in the wrong spirit and hurt or offend another. Have mercy I pray.

QT 5/12/2023 James 1:22-25, We have to be changing

James 1:22–25 (ESV) —

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

 

NOTE: I have a lot of favorite passages and this is one of those. I think this truth is one of the most misunderstood and forgotten passages in the bible. I rarely find people who take it serious. In my words it is saying:

It is not enough just to hear the word. The word is powerful but there is no change if we do not apply it. Applying the word of God is comparing the word of God to our life and seeing where we fall short and (most importantly) taking some type of action to change. There is great blessing in being a doer. There is great danger in only being a hearer.

I will forever be telling and retelling this truth to people. It has been the heartbeat of my life. It is the missing piece of the puzzle in the church. It is the reason for the broad across-the-board failure of the church to make any impact in my society and culture. The church has deceived itself in knowing the will of God and thinking that is enough.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I changing spiritually? Am I any different today spiritually than I was last year in terms of behavior? And the year before, and the year before that?
2. If I am not changing in Christ, I either don't really know Christ or I am deceiving myself by not applying the word to my life.

 

PRAYER: Father, grab our hearts and makes doers and not just hearers of your word. Change us, reshape us, mold us into tools for your use.

QT 5/12/2023 James 1:19-21, Responding to trials

James 1:19–21 (ESV) —

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

 

NOTE: There are many ways that people respond to trials. The most common is to complain (slow to hear and quick to speak), and to get upset and mad (quick to anger). Complaining and getting mad is the opposite of the response that God seeks. Having said that, let me add to James in the very slightest sense. God gave us emotions and it is not correct to suppress them and put on a stoic face. Stoicism (a form of dishonesty) is not a Christian response to trials, although most Christians seem to think that it is. We need to let our emotions out, but we need to let them out to God (in prayer), and we also need to let go of the anger (it cannot run for months upon years). Some people never let go, because they do not go to God in prayer. The other key is the word of God, but again, a person must go to God and meet with him in his word. Quite frankly, again slipping away from James in a slight way, sharing the word of God with someone deep and raw in pain is the most unhelpful thing in the world. Even worst are some of the trite Christian statements. When the trial is new and raw and hurting, just cry with them. There will come time to share truth, but it is never at that point. Ultimately, every person must individually meet with God in prayer (total honesty) and in the word (quick to hear).

 

PONDER:

1. How do I respond to trials?
2. Do I put on a stoic face? Am I fake? Am I unwilling to admit my hurts? Do I understand what true feelings are? I will never be compassionate and empathetic if I can't understand my own emotions.

 

PRAYER: Father, these lessons have come through many years of trials. Even now, it is hard to thank you for the trials, but I do thank you for the results.

QT 5/11/2023 James 1:16-18, Our salvation is the greatest gift of all

James 1:16–18 (ESV) —

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 

NOTE: When we are in the midst of trials, sufferings, and persecutions, it is normal to believe that God has forgotten me. It is normal to believe that God is not answering my prayers or he can't or he won't. Changes to my situation are not happenstance or luck, God is aware of all things, and he intervenes or allows according to his larger picture of our life and his will. Our reward is great. The greatest gift of all is not happiness but our salvation. It is not getting out of situation, but knowing God. We are "a kind of" firstfruits. Jesus' resurrection was the first fruit. The next reaping will be at the rapture when the dead in Christ and those of us who are alive in Christ will be caught up together with Jesus in the air in our new bodies. We don't have our new bodies yet, so we are not really "firstfruits," be we are "a kind of" because that is the promise of our salvation, and that is the most perfect gift we can ever receive. We have already received it, we are only waiting for it to be revealed.

 

PONDER:

1. What is my joy or hope? Is it for life to be happy or do I realize that my salvation is the greatest joy and hope that anyone in the world can ever receive.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for these days. Help me to forget the circumstances or the happenstances of the day that seem evil or frustrating. You are aware. And I already have an immeasurable reward, my salvation. Thank you!

QT 5/10/2023 James 1:13-15, Our struggle with sin

James 1:13–15 (ESV) —

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

 

NOTE: I think James is addressing (a number of things actually) the difference between a trial and a temptation. God never tempts us to sin, that is not a trial that he uses. Jesus' prayer "lead us not into temptation" is a common figure of speech called a litotes where a positive idea is expressed by negating the contrary. It can be more easily remembered than the straight forward idea of "protect us from temptation." God does have a role there (protection from sin), but his withdrawal of protection, as was the case in certain times of David's life, is not a temptation or trial but a direct result of our own sin. We allow desire to conceive and then give birth to sin, and if not addressed could result in physical death (and spiritual death to those who don't know God). The point is not to confuse trial with temptation. If a trial causes us get angry or rage against another, that is our sin. And anger happens when we don't get what we want and continue to dwell on the fact until we explode in anger and rage. Yes, the trial is to help us to persevere. But the temptation is our desire to avoid the lessons God may be teaching. We are the reason for our sin, not God.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I blame God for things that are my fault and my sin?

 

PRAYER: Father, open my eyes to see my sin. Give me strength during those times when I am weak and trials have taken away my strength. I am weak, and my flesh takes advantage of my weakness to tempt me. Help me to recognize those times and turn to you in prayer for strength.

QT 5/9/2023 James 1:9-12, The importance of humility

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. 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.
James 1:9‭-‬12 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.9-12.NIV
 
NOTE: The description of poor and rich seems to center on humility. James correlates actual wealth or lack of wealth to humility. And there certainly is that connection. I see it all the time. But I’ve also seen humble men who are wealthy, they do not trust in their wealth, nor do they treat others with disdain, nor do they expect any special treatment. In ninety percent of cases, maybe more, there is direct correlation with lack of humility to wealth. But I also see a disdain in the poor toward the wealthy which is not proper either. We are all required to “submit to one another” and consider the other person as more important than self. We all are required to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another. The danger is in allowing wealth to corrupt our souls. And I have found that the best defense against that is to give it away. A giving spirit (and one that keeps it quiet) does more than anything to change the heart. I believe that what James is saying is true but it is more of a proverb than a truth. There is great danger in wealth, and humility becomes even more important if God gives wealth.
 
PONDER:  
    1) What am I doing to exercise humility in my life? I need to think through how I can make this more real to me. In my retirement, I will write a goal to serve the poor on a regular basis (physically).
 
PRAYER: Father, thank you for this verse and the idea it gives me. Help me to be a humble man whatever you give. I pray that I would never think of myself as greater or more important than any other person.

QT 5/8/2023 James 1:5-8, We need to stand firm; we need God's word in our lives

James 1:5–8 (ESV) —

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

NOTE: James is referring to a very specific wisdom, it comes from God and is not like the world's wisdom. The world's wisdom tells you how to be happy, but it is distorted, short-sighted, and terribly wrong. It puts pleasure and earthly happiness above all else. God's wisdom is found in his word and is in opposition to most of the current worldview in the areas of sexuality (two sexes), marriage (context for a sexual relationship and between a man and a woman), finances (give it, don't seek it, and don't worship it), and many other areas. It can be hard not to doubt because the world regularly and from all angles tells us one thing, but God tells us another. We must be grounded in God's word. Those who do not spend time in God's word on a regular basis will doubt. Whatever is the last good argument they hear, they will believe, until another argument presents itself. We must not doubt God's word in these matters. Satan is trying to destroy the foundations at every point. There is no room for the double-minded in the body. They are like a disease that corrupts others from the truth of God's word. We must be grounded and built up daily in his word.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I serious about God's word? Do I spend time in the word each day?
2. Do I consider some bible truths outdated?
3. Have I bought into the world's lies?

 

PRAYER: Father, this is a time of great tragedy. The enemy controls the air waves and builds a worldview through gullible, foolish, and stupid people whose lives are controlled by fleshly pleasures. We are building a world of the mentally ill and maybe the demon-controlled. Give us strength to take our stand and to be bold for Jesus. Let us not shrink back from the truth. Help me to stand firm.

QT 5/5/2023 2 Sam 24:18-25, Offerings that count

2 Samuel 24:18–25 (ESV) —

18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

 

NOTE: A sacrifice that costs nothing is worthless. All sacrifices should cost a person something. The two greatest measures of worth are our time and our money. There is a third, it is our affection. Time and money measure our effort (physical and mental). Affection is also measured similarly but with an additional emotional component. And so, mind, heart, and will are ultimately what we should be sacrificing for God. I could retire easily if I did not give financially to the Lord (or so my flesh thinks). And even in retirement, I will have to give up things that won't fit in the retirement budget (subscriptions, entertainment, labor saving services). I think financial giving will be more a sacrifice when I retire then it is today. Giving my time will probably be a joy. I enjoy ministry. And God already owns my heart and affections. I think I am ready. It will be a challenge, but God will meet all of my needs, as he has through the years.

 

PONDER:

1. Do we fool ourselves by offerings that require no sacrifice?

 

PRAYER: Father, I am unworthy of where I am today. You have blessed me far more than I deserve. I am exceedingly blessed. I can't wait to be full-time on your staff. Help me to make wise decisions in the year ahead.

QT 5/4/2023 2 Sam 24:10-17, Where is my home?

2 Samuel 24:10–17 (ESV) —

10 But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’ ” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

 

NOTE: The passage is confusing, so let's start with what we know. God allows Satan to incite David to number Israel. Technically, the King was allowed to perform periodic census. The rules are provided in the Pentateuch. It's possible then that David did not follow the instructions correctly. It is also possible that the judgment was against David and Israel. And, so David rightly felt guilt for falling to Satan's temptation. It may even had been a test of David and Israel that God allowed.

 

What followed was a judgment against all Israel whereby David could choose from 3 years of famine, 3 months of fleeing from Israel's enemies, or 3 days of plague. David chose the latter, the punishment without a human intermediary and the shortest. Probably all three would have resulted in the same number of deaths, 70,000.

 

God then gives instructions on stopping the plague. David was to build an altar on a threshing floor. Later this would also be the site of the temple.

 

As I look back on my own life, I remember three difficult years where our son required intensive unit care. It ended on his third birthday (the day they finally removed the trachea tube), although the emotional pain took a while to let go. I never thought of the significance of the exact three years. Was it a test or a punishment? None of us are ever so innocent that we ae not guilty to deserve the worst punishment. But a test seems to fit better. We learned a lot in those three years that have changed how we approached life. We have lived life with an open hand -- God owns it all (that's the altar -- the sacrifice of what I want out of life). As I transition into retirement, I must not forget the lessons of those three years, best expressed in this song:

 

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

 

PONDER:

1. Am I preparing to serve God or am I preparing to serve myself?
2. If I can't or don't serve God in my retirement, why am I here?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for those three years. They still bring tears to my eyes every time I recall them, but the fact that it was exactly three reminds me of how you cared. I'm not one who believes in signs, but is a glimpse into a powerful truth. You are in control and have a plan for me in my latter years.

QT 5/3/2023 2 Sam 24:1-9, Remembering that God is involved in everything

2 Samuel 24:1–4,9 (ESV) —

1 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. … 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

 

NOTE: "Again" hearkens back to the action of the Israelites against the Gibeonites (21:1-14). There is sin in Israel and God is judging the sin. Early in 1 Kings, there is a brief mention of the nation sacrificing on the high places, but it is not clear if that is the sin or not. Considering that David's reign was a time of great blessing, my thought is that Israel was living as if God did not matter. In their wealth and riches they had forgotten God. This is a common theme in scripture. The "Census story" is also told in 1 Chron 21:1ff. There it says that "Satan incited" David. It is not a contradiction and is best understood from the book of Job. In Job, God gives Satan permission to inflict David (first with catastrophes and then with physical infirmities). Satan performs the actions. But in Job 2:3 (ESV), God says "He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason," meaning that God takes responsibility for the actions ("me (God) against him (Job)). And God gives Satan more credit than is his due, because after chapter 3, Satan is never mention in the context of what happened. He was actually only a tool. In Chapters 38-42, God takes full responsibility, and we find that God's actions were not capricious (or emotionally incited). In fact, we find that although God commended Job's integrity previously, Job did in fact have two major faults -- He depended on his own knowledge and his own strength. In characteristic Jewish chiastic fashion, Joab at the end repeats those very things (in reverse order):

 

Job 42:1–6 (ESV) —

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I despise myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.”

 

So whether it is Satan incited or directly from God, it is the same thing (note that in Job 1, it is God who brings up Job's name, not Satan). God has allowed something for his reason and purpose. For the believer, and only the believer, Rom 8:28 is our promise.

 

Romans 8:28 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

 

Going back to where we started, what is the cause? We don't know. But we do know and believe that God knows what he is doing and our response is repentance and trust.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I forgetting God?
2. Is life good, and am I so busy with the good life that I have forgotten that I have been saved by grace, and that I have a mission and purpose here?

 

PRAYER: Father, I always want to be thankful for everything I undeservedly have. And I want to make sure that I am committed to being a witness by loving and sharing the gospel, and by making disciples.

QT 5/2/2023 2 Sam 23:18-38, Be wary of evil

2 Samuel 23:18–24,38 (ESV) —

18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, … 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

 

NOTE: Unlike the previous three, who are just named the "three," this list does contain a number of names that are known (notoriety) and retold in the story of David. Of interest is that while Joab's brothers, Abishai and Asahel, are mentioned as part of the "thirty," Joab is not. And yet Joab was the commander of the Armies of Israel. Joab was the most famous, but he never did a deed that put him in the list. The stories that are given here and in the previous paragraphs sound as if being among the thirty was the equivalent of the "Medal of Honor" or the "Army Cross." Apparently Joab never did anything on that scale, although he was certainly brave. Joab's struggle was not loyalty to David, but it was loyalty to himself -- which is called selfishness. He did whatever he had to do to maintain his position and power, often underhandedly.

 

The last name on the list is the saddest name of all. In David's sin and with Joab's complicity, one of the thirty, Uriah, was murdered so that David could cover up his sin. And maybe that is another reason Joab is not among the thirty. Joab did not discern right and wrong. David could, unless he was so caught in sin and emotion that he forgot righteousness. It almost happened against Abigail's husband, and it did occur with Uriah, a loyal friend to David.

 

What is the lesson here? The measurement of our life is seldom a single event, although a single event can define you. The measurement of life is the sum of the events. The negative events always outweigh the positive. One sin can destroy a lifetime of good. There is forgiveness and hope as in David's case, but that is not always the case. It means that as men we must be extra vigilant that we are wary of all the schemes of the evil one (Eph 6:11). As God said to Cain,

 

Genesis 4:7c (ESV) —  … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

 

PONDER:

1. What are the schemes that the enemy is even now planning against me? Do I see them? Do I see the opportunity? Am I too near a fence? Am I blinded to my own sin? Am I about to be burned?

 

PRAYER: Father, I know the enemy is at the gates, but I don't see what he might be planning. As David prayed, so do I …

Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) —

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

Lord, by myself, I will fail. Protect me from the evil one as Jesus taught us to pray.

Matthew 6:13 (ESV) —

13 And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

I desire to be a mighty man of God. Protect me. Lead me. Have mercy on me. I pray.