Patience, Pettiness, Persecution and Promises

Today's passage:  James 5
     I've mentioned before that I have been doing some gardening.  Last spring, when I planted my tomato plants, my then 2 year old son, was very excited about it.  He was anticipating those tomatoes arriving.  In fact, as soon as I put them in the ground, he sat right down next to them and waited for the tomatoes to appear.  He couldn't understand why they weren't producing as soon as I put them in the ground.
     I wish I had that same enthusiasm for Christ's return.  I believe He is coming back (some day), I'm excited about the prospect of being reunited with Him in the air (sometimes).   James tells believers to be patient.  This time the word doesn't bother me.  I'm not sure about you, but I don't always have the sense of urgency for Christ's return that I should.  If I did, I'm pretty sure I would live differently.
      In verse 7, James tells the Christians to wait like a farmer waits for his crops to grow.  He says to "stablish your hearts" which reminds me of a plant that is first put in the ground.  It's roots have to get used to the ground, the seed sown needs water and sunshine so that it can establish roots. Some years, when I first put a plant in the ground it looks pretty feeble.  Strong winds could blow it over.  But as it collects the sun rays and the rain, it steadily grows stronger, and it can withstand any storm.  What can I withstand?  
     In the following verses, James explains how to exhibit patience.  God tells me if I am to have patience, I need to stop begrudging fellow believers. Ugh. I think I know why.  What does it matter the trivial little things that others do to upset me?  We will be meeting our Lord in the sky, maybe even today, and the things of this earth are not going to matter anymore.  That beef I have with my brother or sister in Christ is not going to make the tiniest difference when I meet with my Lord, unless I have chosen to hang onto it.  Better let it go.
     In verses 10-11, he says to look to persecuted Christians for examples of patience.  If I were a Christian in Indonesia, Syria, or other parts of the Middle East and Africa, I would not even be able to carry my Bible.  I would not be able to attend church publicly.  I heard once that in China (this was years ago, I don't know how it is today) the believers there only mouthed the words to hymns, no music, because they could not be caught singing praises to the Lord for fear of imprisonment or death.  They understood the importance of singing praises to the Lord, even when they could not sing aloud.  When I think about these things, how do I have the right to grumble and complain about ANY thing?  I don't.  I am so selfish.  I am so ungrateful.  James says to remember these, because in doing so, I can be patient with people and circumstances. 
     Then he says, "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay: lest ye fall into condemnation."  Don't make a promise I can't keep.  It seems obvious why we shouldn't do this.  We all have fallen victim to unreliable people.  We all have been unreliable people probably at some point.  It used to be that a handshake was a man's word.  That really means nothing these days, and that is a shame.  We have to do background checks and consult a person's references on the smallest matters anymore.  I'm not saying those things shouldn't be done, it is just disheartening that it needs to be this way.  A Christian especially should be reliable.  As a Christian, I should especially do everything in my power to fulfill what I set out to do.  I find this particularly discouraging at church.  I would say why, but then I would be grumbling against my fellow Christian, and I have just been convicted about this.  I will say this.  If God gives me something to do, I should take it on with gusto.  I should try to fulfill every detail of the task, despite my other responsibilities because wood, hay and stubble time will be coming soon.  I want gold, silver and precious stones and I want to invest in things that are eternal.  When I think about Christ's coming, I do not want to leave anything behind that could have been a witness for Him.  If I falter in my promises, I will cause unbelievers to doubt my word about Christ.  If I fail Christians, I become a stumbling block.  This verse says, that over all the things he has mentioned, "above all things", this is the most important.  Why?  Because grumbling may occur on my own time, not in front of others, it might not impact my testimony.  I do not have persecuted Christians before me every day, so I must think about them to really affect me.  However, keeping my word is an everyday tangible representation for believers and unbelievers to see whether I believe what I say I believe.  If I can keep my promises, they will have faith that God keeps His.  He promised me He would return, didn't He?  If He keeps His promises to me, shouldn't I keep my promises to others? I could make the excuse that we are all sinners and we will all let someone down.  This is true.  I could say, people should follow God, not man.  This is also true.  But do I want to give anyone an excuse?  Do I want to bring shame upon my God in any way? I must consider these things carefully before I ever make a promise I cannot keep.
     It is my prayer that I will more eagerly anticipate His coming.  I am going to try harder to be dependable, to pray for Christians who are suffering, to let go of petty grievances with other Christians.  Just as the farmer waits for his crops to appear, just like my son waited for the tomatoes to grow, I want to wait patiently and in good standing for my Jesus.

Magnetic

Today's passage:  James 4
     In my junior high physical science class, I remember playing with magnets.  I learned about the magnetic poles, how opposite poles attract, and the same poles repel. 
     "But he giveth more grace.  Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."  God and I are opposites.  He is holy, loving, forgiving, gracious and merciful.  I am unholy, unloving, unforgiving, ungracious and unmerciful.  The problem is when my pride creeps in.  Then I think I am all the things that God is.  I begin to think well of myself, when without God's grace, I can not be like Him at all.  If I become holy, loving, forgiving, gracious or merciful, it is not because of anything I have done, it is because God is working in me.  God resists me when I think I am the same as He is.  We are then like the same poles on a magnet, and I may try to come to Him, but am pushed away.  When I think we are alike, I can never come close, because my pride is the force that is pushing us apart.  When I realize I am nothing like Him, we are like the opposite poles on the magnet and I am drawn to Him.  My humility  is the force that attracts me to Him.  I might also add, that the strongest magnets are the most difficult to pry apart.  The more humble I am, the closer to God I will be, and the harder it will be to pull me from Him. 
     So I know I have a problem with humility, but what do I do about it?  How do I cast out pride?  Verse 7 gives the solution.  I have to submit to God.  Easy enough.  Don't I do that already?  Am I submissive?  I'm trying to think of every area in my life where I don't submit, and am already becoming proud because I think I am.  Now I'm thinking about submitting to my husband.  I am not always as submissive as I should be, I'm better than I used to be, but I still find myself trying to take control.  Definitely not being submissive to God.   Then James says to resist the devil.  No problem.  I stay away from evil.  I don't do improper things.  Well, well, well, look who thinks she has it all figured out.  No wonder pride drives such a wedge between me and the Lord.  If I think the devil does not know the areas of weakness in my life, then I am foolish.  Anger, selfishness, laziness are just a few of the areas the devil tempts me with daily.  God says to resist those and the devil will flee.
      Verse 8 says to draw nigh to God.  I do this through reading my Bible, praying, and hearing His Word through preaching and Godly music.  I can do a lot of things for Him, but if I am never spending time with Him, I am not going to get any closer.   It is through these things that I recognize the pride in my life and can banish it.  Then He says, "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."  My hands get dirty when I get involved in the things of this world. Pride steps in and ahems, "Your hands don't steal, or pick up alcohol, drugs or cigarettes.  Really, how can your hands be dirty?"  My hands spend more time on the computer keyboard than they do cleaning my house windows.  My hands make angry gestures when I've lost my temper with my husband and kids.  My hands are not folded in prayer enough.  My hands are definitely dirty, Mr. Pride, and its you that keeps them that way, trying to make me believe there is nothing in my life I need to improve.  Being double minded is trying to live in the world and trying to live for God at the same time.  It can't be done.  I am sometimes tempted to wear that eye-catching dress hanging on that mannequin even though we don't have the money for it, and its just slightly immodest.  I've lost weight now, it would be flattering on my figure.  Well, the hemline is a tad short, and the neckline is a little revealing.  Worldly thinking.  That restaurant, it seems so hip.  It looks young and fresh and modern and yes, I could buy a week's worth of groceries for the amount of one meal there, but eating at that place would give me status.  Double minded.  Sometimes, I want to do the things of the world because I want to seem "with it".  I don't want to seem frumpy and old-fashioned.  But what is attracting me to God?  Those worldly fashions and ways only repel me.  I am not saying I can never buy new clothes or go on a date with my husband to a nice restaurant.  But when my mind is wrapped up in doing those things, when it becomes a mindset, I am trying to live in two worlds, and that can't be done.
     Verse 9 talks about being afflicted, and mourning and weeping and laughter and joy turned to mourning and heaviness.  Does God never want me to be happy?  I thought Christians were supposed to be joyful.  I've just gone through a list of things to cast out pride.  I cannot be rid of those things without a few tears.  If I am not crying a little over those things in my life, they must not really bother me, and I am less likely to do anything about them.  I can be blissfully ignorant about those problem areas in my life and pride will continue to push me away.  But if I am broken over these things, that is when I am truly humbled.  I can't laugh and joke about these areas, I need to recognize them for what they are and weep a little about them, so I can allow God to help me eradicate them.
     Pride is that invisible barrier that continues to repel me from You, Lord.  Help me to be submissive, to put the devil in his place, to visit with you each day, to keep my hands clean, to resist worldly pleasures and to weep when I get it wrong.  I am so unlike You, and I want to always recognize that we are poles apart so you will not resist me.

At Peace

Today's passage:  James 3
     "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 
     And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
     When I first read these verses, I thought about Solomon.  He asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him.  He was the wisest man the world has ever known and his kingdom was the most peaceful.  He never went to war and he had no enemies.  Of course, he had to marry nearly 700 princesses from ungodly nations to keep it that way.  Or at least, he thought he did.  I would not consider bringing in women from every belief system wise.  Then I think of our current President.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize barely into his term, because he plans on keeping us out of wars.  I guess that's why they gave it to him.  He has toured the world emphasizing we are a country that wants peace, not only within our borders, but for every country.  These men are peacemakers.  Is that the peace God means when He talks about Godly wisdom?      
     Conversely, King David must not have been wise at all since he was always at war, and our former President went into Iraq and Afghanistan to bring justice for 9/11 so he also must be unwise.  That is how the world sees him.  They lampooned him for his mispronounciations all the time.  What am I missing here?  Have I been on the wrong side?  David was a man after God's own heart, and I supported President Bush in both terms.  Am I a warmonger?  Am I not wise?  Jesus said we would have enemies because they hated Him.  I know Jesus is wise.  Am I thinking about the wrong kind of peace?
     I'm beginning to think that the peace in this verse is not talking about peace among men, but peace with God.  A wise person will realize that God sent His Son to die for his sins, and through Him alone was salvation made possible.  When he realizes this, he will have peace with God.  A peacemaker is someone who will try to reconcile others to God.  A peacemaker is someone who will try to present the Good News to others so they also can have peace with God.  I can choose to be wise every day if I show someone the way to Heaven.  Every time I share God's salvation plan with a friend, family member, or neighbor, I am exhibiting Godly wisdom.  I am at peace with God, and I can help others make peace with God.  Perhaps I am wise, after all.
  

Practicing

Today's passage:  James 2
     If I told you I was a Doctor, but did not practice in a hospital or clinic, would you believe me?  If I did not have a certificate that showed you I had completed my medical training, residency and internship, would you be convinced?  Only I would know for sure whether I was telling you the truth or not, maybe some friends from college could tell you as well, but you would have to look them up to get their stories.     
     This passage in James is probably one of the most misinterpreted passages of Scripture.  People who believe their salvation is based on works, love it.  They feel it proves that you have to do good things to enter Heaven.  But James is not saying that at all.  He tells us that faith without works is dead, not non-existent.  I can tell you I am a Christian, but unless you see something in my life that seems Christ-like, you may not believe me.  Unless I am doing the things a Christian should do, you might not be convinced.  I don't have a certificate to hang on my wall that tells people the day I got saved.  I used to have one for the day I was baptized (I may still have it somewhere) but the baptism didn't save me, it is another thing I did to show my salvation.  Only God and I know for sure whether I have accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, for my salvation.  I may have some friends that were present at the time you could ask, but you would still not have a guarantee. 
     If I don't behave as a Christian should, it will be pretty hard to persuade people to believe I am what I say I am.  If I do behave as a Christian should, then I might be able to convince them.  I may really be a doctor.  I may have obtained a medical degree.  I may have aced Anatomy and Organic Chemistry and all the classes a doctor would have needed to take.  If I am not practicing medicine somewhere, that does not make me any less a doctor (although I would probably be pretty rusty should I start practicing again).  It just makes people less convinced that I am one.  If I opened a clinic, treated people, prescribed medicines, then you might say, "Oh, she's a doctor,"  even if I didn't have a medical degree hanging on my wall.  You might even believe that someone who didn't have a degree was a doctor if they started doing those things. Hmmmm.  Does that mean there are fake Christians?  Unfortunately, just as there are fake doctors, there are people who are not the real thing spiritually either.  And we have no way of knowing, because salvation takes place in the heart.  We can only see what people do. 
     So if I say I am a Christian, and I am not practicing, I probably could not convince anyone to become a Christian too. If I see someone who is doing all the things a Christian should, I would possibly assume he is a Christian (but I cannot really know for sure).  If I see someone who behaves in despicable ways, I would probably assume he is not a Christian.  Maybe he just isn't practicing.

Little Things

Today's passage:  James 1
     "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
     I'm barely into this book and I am already convicted.  In fact, I'm feeling like I have been in a boxing match after reading just this first chapter.  The verses above were the upper cut.  Then in verse 20 he talks about wrath not producing righteousness in our lives.  I feel a punch to my gut, because I need to work on my anger.  In the last few verses, he knocks me out with the verse that my religion is empty if I am not careful with what I say.  I am down for the count.  I'm going to prop myself up for a few minutes to talk about verses 2 and 3 above.
     I have heard these verses probably for as long as I've been a Christian.  I sometimes think, I can handle any "big" thing God throws at me.  I am glad He hasn't thrown any "big" things at me.  My health is fine.  So is my family's as far as I'm aware.  We still have a house, despite the rough economy.  Thankfully, my husband hasn't lost his job (I'm thinking unless he does something really outrageous, we will always need policemen).  I really have no complaints.  Then why do I so often find myself complaining?  Maybe the reason God hasn't thrown any "big" things at me, is because I can't seem to handle the small things around me.  I become overwhelmed far too easily with the kids, with the housework, with the bills, with other responsibilities.  Why would God put something bigger in my life to be a terrible testimony?  On the other hand, do I keep my attitude, because I don't want God to give me something "bigger"?  I'm afraid of trials, I admit it.  I venture most people are.  I don't really want to be like Job.  I love that verse that talks about Job being upright and eschewing evil.  Sure.  That's great.  Then come the trials.  Okay, maybe not liking it so much.  If that's what it takes to be the person God is looking for, I'm not sure I want to be that guy.  Do I complain, to help God look elsewhere?  If I really want to be used for God (and I am terrified right now, as I am writing this) I need to be willing to go through the trials for Him.  I need to be willing to count even the little things as joyful.  Because whether I like it or not, He is trying to prepare me for some "big" things.  He wants me to get a handle on the small things, so He can work patience in my life.  (Just a sidenote, I find it interesting that patience is referred to as she, because I find that women tend to have more patience than men.  Sorry guys!)  I don't know what is in my future.  I know that I need to be prepared for anything, little or big, that God puts in my life.  I know I have so much to work on.  I know that I will probably need some people reminding me of this post if God decides I'm ready.  So readers, I count on you to bring this passage back to mind, if the "big" thing comes.
     I think I will remove myself from the boxing arena now.  I have some wounds to bandage.

Edit, Backspace, Delete

Today's passage:  James 3
     While I am deciding which book to study next, I will share a thought that occurred to me (as I was ironing clothes).  I was thinking how often I censor myself.  Not in the way TV networks need to do when someone curses and the show logo appears across their mouth, but when I'm about to say too much.  How many times on a social networking site I visit often have I started to post a comment and then decided maybe it was better left unsaid.  I am able to review what I've said before I post it.  Sometimes I erase the comment before I hit enter.  If I said everything I thought, I would probably have few friends left. Wouldn't it be nice if I could do that in real life?  How convenient it would be to have a playback in my head of how something sounds so I could erase it if I need to.
     "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?  let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."  If I would always think before I speak or post, I would be perceived as wise.  Many times, I don't think before I speak.  Those words are forever out there.  I can't take them back, I can't backspace and delete.  Am I considerate before I leave a comment?  Not just in cyberspace, but face to face?  Do I guard my words?  They are so powerful!  The book of James talks about the tongue being like a fire.  Uncontrolled, it does irreparable damage.  James says the tongue is like the horse's bit and the ship's rudder.  It needs taming and steering.  Am I the captain of my tongue?  Do I steer it in the right direction?  Do I consider before I speak, or do I just assume that because it is truth, it needs to be said?  I've done that too many times before, and have regretted it.  I am nobody's Holy Spirit.  Just because my intentions are right, does not mean I should always say what I believe.  People can not hear my intentions, only my words.That is not saying that there isn't a time for truth. Sometimes I haven't said enough.  Sometimes I should have intervened.  It can be a very fine line.

Sailing the Mediterranean by Ship--Taken from Treasures of the Bible (The Early Church)
By Henry Davenport Northrop, D.D.
International Publishing Company, 1894

     I've been thinking about this because I often feel lonely.  I talk to people, but I don't feel as if I have many close friends.  I am close with my church family, but not in an I-can-reveal-my-heart to you way.  Have I alienated people with my words?  Do I seem self-righteous?  Perhaps one of the reasons I started this blog is because it allows me to be transparent in a way I don't feel I can be in real life.  I am somewhat reserved.  I like to be proper (maybe too much).  Do people feel I'm aloof?  I hope not.  Sometimes I have heard the comment that I am not genuine.  Am I fake?  I don't mean to be. I can see why people may think that way.  I try to be careful in everything I say and do because I don't want to bring any shame to my Savior in word or deed.  I try to be careful with my words because I don't want to give offense when it is not warranted.  I'm not talking about waffling or wavering in my opinions.  I'm certain in what I believe, and given the opportunity to proclaim my Savior, I will take it.  But there are plenty of matters that my opinion does not need to be revealed unless asked, and even then, carefully.  I am probably only unguarded with my husband and children, and I probably need to be the most guarded with them.  My words affect them so deeply.  Why do I feel like since they are my family I can say whatever I feel to them?  Why do I not apply the same principles to them that I do other people?  Wouldn't it be nice if I could delete every hurtful thing I've said to them?  Wouldn't it be marvelous if I could backspace before I made that critical comment? If I am the captain of my tongue, there would never be need for it.