June 21 ~ James 4:16-17
16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I told you the Book of James was difficult! “If you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.” Other translations say to know what is right and not do it is to sin! So, if you know it is wrong to drink and drive – and you DO know that! – and you do it, you have sinned. If you know it is wrong to want someone else’s husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, and to go after them anyway, you have sinned. If you know it is wrong to cheat on your taxes, lie, gossip, juggle the books in your favor, steal, mistreat others, be unkind, curse, disrespect God, abuse your body, mislead others, and you do all this and more “wrong things,” you have sinned.
Yes, God forgives our sins when we ask. Yes, all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But we KNOW BETTER! We know how to stay close to God and stay in His will and obey Him. So when we do what we know we shouldn’t, we are very much full of ourselves and downright evil. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be in the company of Satan, who is also evil. I want to be a humble servant of the Most High God.
How do we do this? How do we avoid evil and stay humble? It starts with prayer and Bible study and spending time in worship of God alone. It continues with fellowship with other believers and efforts to fill our days with things that glorify God and further His kingdom. If we are busy studying, worshipping, and serving, we shouldn’t have time for evil. How are you spending YOUR time these days?
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 20 ~ James 4:13-15
13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Friday, June 13th, I turned on my television and learned that Tim Russert, a beloved journalist for NBC, had collapsed and died while taping his promos for the following Sunday’s Meet the Press program. Russert was only 58 years old. He was doing his job, and planning for his news program a few days later.
A few days earlier, a tornado had ripped through a Boy Scout camp in Iowa and killed four young teens and injured countless others. These young boys went to camp for the week, and four never went home again. Certainly many other scouts did not return home the same as they left – physically AND emotionally. I found the young boys who were interviewed to be so mature and collected, and repeatedly they said, “We knew what to do – we were prepared with First Aid training and handling emergencies.” After all, the Boy Scout motto is – “Be prepared.”
So is James saying we should never make plans? Is he saying we shouldn’t go anywhere or do anything because the future is uncertain? Absolutely NOT! What James is saying is HUGE… so much bigger than not to predict tomorrow. What James is telling us is true – we DON’T know what tomorrow holds. But the point is to BE PREPARED! Know that you are in God’s will at ALL TIMES. And know that He holds your future in HIS hands… both earthly and eternal. Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, like Tim Russert and those four young scouts, should tomorrow be your last day on earth, you will wake up in Heaven with Jesus.
Know that we truly are just a mist or vapor that appears for a brief time and is gone. But also know that Heaven is forever! Just make sure that you are prepared, so that when the misty vapor of your life is over, Heaven is where you are headed!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-------------------------------------------------------------
June 19 ~ James 4:11-12
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?
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I was in a group of people and someone brought up the name of a person we all knew. The comments were anything but kind, and that person happened to be someone I knew well. I said, “So-and-so is a friend of mine.” I figured that would end the discussion right there. Surely they wouldn’t continue to bad-mouth someone I had identified as a friend. But to my surprise, the comments continued. I did my best to diffuse them and defend this person, but I was somewhat speechless that the others would continue to talk badly about someone I had identified as a good friend. I would have to say they “wrote graffiti” all over this person and made a LOT of judgments!
Have you ever known someone who you felt was not a nice person, yet you heard others talk about them in glowing terms? Maybe this person personally insulted or hurt you in some way. It’s really hard to sit back and listen to others hold this person in such high esteem, isn’t it? This is a really tough one for me, because I have seen situations where a few well-chosen words could have saved another person heartache, and in one case, her very life. Several years ago, a friend of mine was strangled by her abusive husband (as is typical, none of us had a clue he was abusive until it was too late). We would learn later that this man’s first wife had divorced him because of his abuse, but she and her children didn’t tell the second wife (my friend) because she “hoped he had changed.” You can only imagine how remorseful this woman was when she visited my friend in the hospital as she died from the strangulation.
In another situation, a church hired a minister who turned out to be extremely divisive. He did not serve the needs of his congregation, and ultimately, when the church leaders fired him, he refused to go! Later, members of his previous church would come forward and tell the church leaders that this man had done this same thing in their church and another, but they didn’t want to speak up, hoping it would be different this time. They felt it was not their place to say anything.
You see, in both of these cases, you could say that these people were just listening to the words of James. But were they? IS that what James is telling us? I believe that James is telling us to hold our tongue when the information we are about to provide is deliberately vicious, strays from the basic facts of the situation, or is merely our opinion. In a case where a person’s life is potentially at stake, or the spiritual lives of an entire congregation have been compromised and/or damaged, a prayerful statement of the facts may be in order. In other words, telling your girlfriend that the guy she is dating has been unfaithful to other girlfriends in the past is not your business. But telling someone who is dating your ex-husband that he is behind several months on child support might be – if you stick to the facts and do not go off on a tangent about his other “qualities.” Telling someone that “I heard that So-and-so was filing for bankruptcy” is not your business, but telling a potential employer that “this person worked for me, and I would not rehire him,” is a fair statement of fact. The KEY is to guard your tongue, and when you prayerfully feel God is leading you to speak, let HIM choose the words. Otherwise, keep a lid on it!
©2008 Debbie Robus
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 18 ~ James 4:7-10
7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I love how this translation tells us to “quit dabbling in sin.” Are you a dabbler? I know I am! I dabble in photography. I dabble in buying and selling antiques and collectibles. I dabble in reading, painting, and sewing, and I more than dabble in writing and music. And yes, I must admit, I dabble in sin. As much as I’d like to think that I have purified my life and gotten totally humble before God, I know there are days – and ways – that I fall short.
We all do… but that isn’t very comforting. Because you see, this is one time when I don’t really want to be lumped in with everybody else. I don’t want to justify my shortcomings by comparing myself with others. No… in this situation we must stand on our own two feet and accept full responsibility for our actions. It is NOT okay because “everybody else does it.” It is NOT okay to play around and “dabble” in sin. “Little white lies,” gossip, backstabbing, cheating, disrespect, cursing… there are no “little sins” that are “just fun and games.”
The devil only needs a tiny spot of darkness to work. He just needs the littlest corner! If you built a fence in your back yard to keep out “critters,” you wouldn’t leave a hole in it, would you? So why would you leave an opening for Satan? If you saw some “critter” you didn’t want inside that fence, you’d stomp your feet and shout and scare it away, right? So what are you waiting for? Stomp your feet, shout, close the gap and tell the devil to take a hike! Dabble in sports, hobbies, the arts, and more, but leave the “sin dabbling” to the devil and his agents. Get rid of your sinful baggage, then get up and get going for God!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-----------------------------------------------------
June 17 ~ James 4:4-6
4-6 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."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Let’s be honest. So many times, we want something that we know is not God’s will for us, but we REALLY, REALLY want it. Maybe you want a car you can’t afford, or a new iPhone. Maybe you know God wants you to be in church and Sunday School on Sundays, but you want to stay home and sleep in (sometimes after a really late Saturday night!)… or maybe you feel God calling you into some ministry – teaching, preaching, the choir, or working with children and youth… but you just simply don’t WANT to do that! You would rather spend your time on other things and personal interests.
Maybe you are doing something you know displeases God, but you rationalize that God will still love you, and SOMEDAY you will give it up and “come clean” and live right. And yet we wonder why things seem to go so wrong in our lives! I’m not saying that God out-and-out punishes us, although He certainly can and would be entitled. But have you ever watched a little kid who is exploring something that they probably shouldn’t, and you say, “oh… that’s gonna be trouble!” But rather than step in too soon and save the child from a big lesson, you let them spill the blocks or get sprayed with the water hose or something else that may be a bit unpleasant but not harmful.
And that’s how it is with us and God. Sometimes He lets us experience some unpleasantness because of our poor decisions and choices. He lets us wander around for awhile and “suffer the consequences.” There is no way for me to adequately describe to you the joy of releasing your will to God in ALL things. Even when there is something – or someone – you desperately want to have in your life, it has to be God’s will or it will never be what you truly want… it will never satisfy or bring you joy and peace. It may be hard to submit. It may be hard to “give in” and trust that God is on your side and knows what is best. But there IS joy in the release. There is reward in serving Him and His will. All I can ask is that you try it for yourself. Become one of the “willing humble” and enjoy God’s grace. There is absolutely nothing else like it!
©2008 Debbie Robus
--------------------------------------------------------------
June 16 ~ James 4:1-3
1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
You’ve heard the joke haven’t you about the little boy who sits down to dinner and his father reminds him, “We haven’t prayed.” and the boy replies, “We don’t have to… Mommy is a good cook!” I know, it sounds silly… and it is! But the point is that we pray for silly things sometimes… selfish things. And when we feel like God doesn’t answer our prayers, we don’t stop to consider that what we asked Him to provide may be something we don’t deserve or aren’t entitled to have!
I am sad to say I know families whose members do not speak today over a parcel of land or some “family heirloom” that is perceived to have tremendous value. These people are willing to give up a relationship with a loved one because of some THING! In 2 Samuel 11-12, we see that even David was willing to have Bathsheba’s husband Uriah killed to cover up the fact he took her to his bed and slept with her. Then when it all went wrong, he prayed to God to help him get out of the huge mess. And God was not amused… and He did not answer in the way that David wanted!
I know people today who are in terrible situations because they took what wasn’t theirs and let insane jealousy and/or greed consume them. Entire nations or religious factions have risen to fight for what they wanted – including control over others – and wars have resulted. Dictators have taken over countries with no regard for who was hurt in the wake. Corporations have made “hostile takeovers” of their competitors – all in the name of making more money.
Where am I going with this? James has done an excellent job of showing us that we are all prone to behave like spoiled children and go to whatever length is necessary to get what we want. And we are even so bold/stupid as to ask God to help us get it! We need to wake up! We need to realize that often OUR way is not GOD’s way, and we need to pray for Him to LEAD us – not give us our heart’s every desire.
If more people sincerely, passionately asked God to give them the desires of HIS heart and show them how to live in HIS will, we would all be so much better – richer – and yes, more joyful and peaceful. Your mom may be a good cook, but it never hurts to ask God to bless your food. It’s all in how you ask… and for WHAT you ask… that makes the difference!
©2008 Debbie Robus
-------------------------------------------------------------------
June 15 ~ James 3:17-18
17-18 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 enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever felt like someone didn’t respect you – or treat you with dignity? If you have ever had a door slammed in your face - if you have ever had someone speak to you with condescension or “put you in your place,” you know how awful that feels. And you are left wondering, “What on earth did I say or do to deserve that?” Worse yet is the encounter with a “two-faced” person who treats you this way one day and is “drippy sweet” to you the next. You develop a sense of mistrust, wondering when “the other shoe will fall!” And if you stop and think about it, you see that this person is certainly not a very happy camper, and his/her behavior isn’t all that wise.
So how do you handle this? How do YOU react? The answer lies in doing all you can to maintain peace. That may mean avoiding the person. It certainly means praying for him/her and always being kind, courteous and respectful yourself. There is a saying, “Kill him with kindness.” And honestly, it often works! So be wise, stay holy and filled with the Holy Spirit. Guard your tongue and your heart and “overflow with mercy and blessings.” Others WILL notice, and if you are not able to change the ways of the two-faced person, you will at least have the satisfaction of knowing you did your part to be kind and fair. And your efforts might just serve as a buffer that causes the other person to behave better!
©2008 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment