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Esther 2:19-Chapter 4 Fear and Failure to Act or Faith and Action

4/30/2016

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For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
​Esther 2:19-23 , Chapter 3 and 4
Today’s Bible devotional will cover several chapters, so I won’t be including every verse, but will try and paraphrase or summarize what I do not include. Remember that Esther was just chosen out of a group of beautiful virgins to become Queen of Persia. Her cousin Mordecai who raised her, checked on her daily by going close to the harem and ensuring she was well. It was on one of these occasions that God allowed Mordecai to over hear a serious conversation Chapter 2 verses 19-23 read,
Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
Mordecai was a man of action. He heard these men plotting murder and told Esther so that she could tell the king. His action saved the king’s life and was recorded.
Now as we read in earlier chapters as mighty a king as Ahasuerus was, he relied heavily on advisors and trusted them too much. One such advisor was Haman, he was a man who enjoyed power and pomp and put himself above everything and everyone, including the king who had given him power. Chapter 3 Verses 1-6 read,
After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3 Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Haman’s ego couldn’t take it! He would not have this man refuse to bow down to him and without caring who he was, decided to take his fury out on all the Jewish people under Ahasuerus’ rule.  For about a year Haman let his anger grow and become hate until the lots they cast told him it was time to talk to the king. He went to Ahasuerus and said, “There are these people who are way different that all the other people around them. They follow their own laws and not yours. So I say let’s destroy them! I’ll pay for it, I’ve got 10,000 talents of silver to go toward the cause of wiping them out.”
 What was King Ahasuerus’ response to this proposed holocaust? Verses 10-11 tell us,
So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”
The king fought many wars, he was king of 127 provinces (Esther 1:1) so perhaps wiping out a people didn’t sound that evil to him. But he didn’t take the time to question Haman, verify his information, or find out anything further, he let Haman do what he pleased. He did not act when he should have. Immediately the scribes were gathered and the edict written to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. (Chapter 3 verse 13). The edict was sent out to every province. While Susa, where the citadel was located was thrown into chaos, Haman and the king sat down to drink.
As you might imagine the Jewish people did not take this edict well. They tore their clothes and mourned. Imagine if you lived in a place and a law was put in place that one week from today, the people around you were to kill you and steal your belongings simply because of your religion, nationality, or some other arbitrary factor. Well Mordecai was not going to take it lying down. God had put him in a position that gave him a chance to do something. He was the kind of man who did things. He had gotten Esther into the Harem and now she was queen. He had stopped an assassination. He would not let this horrible things happen if he could do something about it. He knew God had placed him here for a reason, he knew God would save them, and he knew God was allowing him to be instrumental in saving His people.
Mordecai was mourning and wearing sackcloth and Esther heard about it. She didn’t know why he was mourning so she sent clothes out to him and when he refused she sent her attendant Hathach to speak to her cousin and find out what was going on. Chapter 4 verses 6-8 read,
Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.
Esther wanted to do something but she had a very real reason to fear doing anything. If she went to the king without being summoned, if she spoke to him without his asking, she would be put to death. And he had not called her in thirty days. Mordecai’s response is recorded in chapter 4 verses 13-14
 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Well Esther knew she had to do something. The very first thing she did was call on God and gather as many of the Jewish people to join her. Verses 15-17 read,
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Mordecai had faith and that faith led him to act. His faith and action led Esther to forget her fear and the danger to herself, trust God and act as well. She knew that fasting and prayer would lead God to reveal the answer to her. She believed Mordecai when he told her God would save them. She believed him when he said that it was up to her if she let Him work through her or someone else. If she didn’t, her family line, her father’s descendants would end with her death. She might die for talking to the king and trying to save the people or she would certainly die and let salvation come from some other place.
God places us in situations where we can be used by Him all the time. Sometimes it’s easy, give the person in line in front of you $5.00 and tell them about Jesus. Sometimes it’s harder, like give the person in front of you all the money you have and put your groceries back or putting yourself in danger to stop a man from beating a woman. God will carry out His purposes, He will provide, save, and heal but if you forgo the privilege of letting Him use you for it, He will use someone else. What blessings and growth are you missing out on because you sit in fear rather than act in faith? Do you know how pleased God is with you when you trust Him enough to obey? Philippians 2:12-13 reads,
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The author of Hebrews prayed for the people this way, and I pray it for you as well
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21).
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Esther 2:1-18 Born to be Kings and Queens not Orphans

4/29/2016

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Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. Psalm 45:10-11
Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. Psalm 45:10-11
​Esther 2:1-18
The book of Esther is one with a continuing plot, to understand what is happening in one chapter, the reader must have read the previous one. So I will remind you what conspired in chapter 1.  King Ahasuerus had a great week long feast where the wine flowed freely. His queen Vashti hosted a similar feast for the women. On the seventh day of the feast, Ahasuerus called Vashti to come show herself to all the men, she refused and he became angry. Because of that he made an edict that banished her from his presence and required all wives to consider their husbands as masters.
No matter who you are or what the circumstances of your life, God can make you who He wants you to be. He can use every bad circumstance, every good circumstance, and any people He chooses to work good for you. You may have been born a pauper but God wants to make you more than a prince or princess. He has chosen to make you a king or queen. You only have to submit to His will and trust Him to do it.
Verses 1-4 continue the narrative.
After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king's young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.
 
The king had made his decree in the heat of anger and now that he had calmed down, he regretted it. But once the king made a decree, it was a done deal. There was no going back, no saying ‘I changed my mind.’ Once he made a law, it was a law (Esther 8:8). Ecclesiastes 7:9 reads,
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
    for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
King Ahasuerus had been quick to get angry and acted foolishly. He missed Vashti. So the king needed a new queen. The young men who were attending him came up the idea of a sort of beauty contest, the winner would be queen. Ahasuerus liked the idea. He was not a follower of the Lord, though He had heard of the God of Israel from the Babylonian captives, people from history such as Daniel and kings like Darius. His rashness and folly was not consistent with God’s will yet God used it for His good purposes for Mordecai and Esther who we will meet in verses 5-8 eventually to save His people.
Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.
The reason that Mordecai and Esther were even in Persia was the result of the captivity. For whatever reason Esther’s parents were dead and she had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. Those are difficult and sad circumstances. But Mordecai was a man dedicated to The Lord and dedicated to giving the best to Esther. God had made Esther beautiful. Her beauty stood out, was noticed and she was taken into the king’s harem.
God has made you unique, beautiful, and with natural gift and talents. You are not meant to suppress who God created you to be, but to shine. When God created man He considered His work as very good. Look at what God had to say about creating us in Genesis 1:26-31.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
We are made in His image! That is a really big deal. We were given the whole wide world to enjoy. He created us to kings and queens. He considers us beautiful. We have all struggled. We have all been told who we are by the world. We are this race, that social status, this family, and destined to hit whatever ceiling that identity gives us. But God says you are so much more! He says, ‘It doesn’t matter who your family is, what your race is, or how poor or rich you are. It matters who I say you are.’ He doesn’t have glass ceilings. Psalm 45:10-17 describe how The Lord sees you.
Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father's house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12     The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14     In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
Esther let her beauty shine, not vainly but she conveyed it naturally. She believed it was the truth and she expressed it in humility and kindness. She had modesty and benevolence which led people to like her. Verses 9-11 read,
And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
Because Esther was not afraid to be herself and because she was humble and kind she was advanced to the best place in the harem, making it easier for the king to take notice when it was time. But it wasn’t time yet. Though all the women were beautiful, they were to be made even more so. They were to be treated like royalty so that they could look like royalty. Verses 12-14 read,
Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women--13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
The king’s standards of beauty were higher. Some of the women might have been noble, but they were not queens. They had lived and worked as whatever their backgrounds consisted of. They were being made new. They were being treated with oil of myrrh and spices and ointments. A great deal of expense was being devoted toward making them over.
When we come to Jesus, He doesn’t leave us the same; He doesn’t leave us as who the world says we are. He makes us over and gives us new identities. He makes us over with His blood. Before He laid down His life, He was anointed with perfumes, myrrh, and ointments more than once (Luke 7:36-50, Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, John 12:1-8). When He was crucified for us, His body was treated with myrrh, spices, and ointments (John 19:39-40). When He resurrected He chose to anoint us with those things by His blood and His Holy Spirit.  2 Corinthians 5:16-17 reads,
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
When the right time came, Esther was wise enough to listen to counsel from others, to be humble and trust that those who knew the king would know how she could best please him. Verses 15-18 read,
When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther's feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.
She walked in to the royal palace as Esther daughter of Abihail, she left as Queen Esther. She was born Hadassah, became an orphan and raised by her cousin. But God chose her to become a queen. Hadassah is a name that describes the sweet fragrance of a myrtle tree, considered to be a tree of righteousness. Esther let the perfume of her beauty, humility, and kindness be a pleasant aroma for all those around her. She let God define her, not her circumstance. And God took her willingness and made her Queen Esther, a heroine of her people.
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Esther Chapter 1 Pride Keeps You Away From The King

4/28/2016

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One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23
One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23
Frank Miller's rendition of Xerxes for his graphic novelFrank Miller's rendition of Xerxes for his graphic novel
Esther 1
King Ahasuerus was most likely also the same king known as Xerxes and Artaxerxes II Mnemon. He was one of the most powerful ancient kings. He ruled Persia for 46 years from 404 to 358 BC. He is portrayed in the Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 as an unbeatable and terrifying giant warrior king. History remembers him as powerful, wealthy, and a great king with but not quite as evil as Frank Miller would have us think. 






​
Verses 1-9 describe him,
Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
 
For 180 days the king showed the riches of his royal glory and his greatness. That is a nearly six months of showing himself off. But it made people understand that he was not someone to be reckoned with. Afterward, he threw a week long feast for the men and His wife Queen Vashti hosted a similar feast for the women. Wine flowed freely and after a week of partying and drinking the king decided to brag about and show off his beautiful wife. Verses 10-12 read,
 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
The king and queen were by no means equal. She was queen, but had no power except to give birth to an heir. She was in every way subservient to the king and the only power she had was to try and sway him. If the king called her, it was her responsibility to obey. She had no right to refuse him. Perhaps her privileged position as the chosen wife of King Ahasuerus made her feel entitled. She was his only legal wife, though he had many concubines. History infers that they loved one another or at least he loved her.
I think that sometimes we can tend to forget that God chose us, not because of anything we did, but simply because He loves us. He thinks we are beautiful and wants the world to see it. God chose Israel too and pride caused her to forgot the privilege of her position as God’s chosen nation and begin disregarding God’s law.
I imagine Vashti was showing off in front of the women. She was hosting a party to honor the king’s riches and power but she was parading it as her own. When the king called her, she didn’t want to be humiliated by proving herself a servant; she wanted to demonstrate her own power over him by refusing him. The women might have been impressed and likely shocked, but Vashti’s pride would cause a problem for her and for them.
God loved Israel enough to become very angry with her. Ahasuerus loved Vashti enough to become angry and he reacted in his rage. Verses 13-15 read,
Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment,14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media,who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”
The king was prudent enough to have advisors, but one wonders if he didn’t lean too much them. He perhaps was not wise enough to consider the ramifications of their advice. Throughout the book of Esther he tends to listen to his wise men and just do whatever they tell him to do. Verses 16-20 record the opinion they gave the king.
Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.”
In his anger this advice seemed sage. Mecuman had his own agenda; other noble women (his wife included) would not put up with the men as their masters if the king let the queen get away with insubordinate behavior. They would begin to question and disobey their husbands. They likely already were, Prince Memucan wanted an obedient and submissive wife. He played on Ahasuerus’ machismo and pride. Since King Ahasuerus was already angry he wasn’t thinking clearly and he heard Memucan’s counsel and went for it. Verses 21-22 read,
This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.
The edict sent out made women second-class citizens all because Vashti pride led her to disobedience, and the king’s pride and anger led him to a rash and foolish decision. What has pride done in your life? Pride is dangerous. It brings people down, and since it causes us to exalt ourselves so high, the fall is a long and hard one.  Proverbs 16:18-19 says it this way,
Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.
God’s Kingdom is backward from the way the world sees it. Honor doesn’t come from us lifting ourselves up, it comes from the ability to submit, to bow down and be lifted up. Jesus described it this way in the parable recorded in Luke 14:8-11,
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Although it doesn’t say it in this chapter, we know that the king obeyed Memucan and banished the queen and sought someone to replace her (Esther 2:1-4). Like Israel was banished to captivity for her pride, Vashti was banished from the king’s presence for hers.
Our pride can keep us from The King as well. It can make us unwilling to obey, unwilling to acquiesce, and unwilling to hear reason. Rather than answer the call to be with Him, we will promote our own agenda and stand on our own strength. Rather than glorify Him by our beauty because of His splendor and riches, we choose to glorify ourselves and show the people around us how we do not need anyone. Believer, don’t let your pride keep you from entering The King’s presence and don’t let it keep the people around you from Him either.
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Dealing with Disappointment, a Broken Heart, and a Crushed Spirit

4/27/2016

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Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul Psalm 143-7-9 On photo of Beautiful Tree through Rainy Window by Donna Campbell
Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul Psalm 143-7-9
I’m doing a little bit of a different devotional this morning. I’m stepping away from reading a chapter in a book and instead, talking about disappointment. I’ve been disappointed so often recently. I find out something good will happen for me, something I have waited for and hoped for and it gets snatched away. I’m left feeling as if noting good will ever happen. I’m left feeling as if hope, promises, and a good life for everyone else but me.
Please don’t tell me, you’ve never felt that way. Don’t tell me you’ve never been devastated by bad news, a sudden event that changes plans, or maltreatment. If you haven’t then I am really happy for you, but if you have then join me today as I journey to overcome my disappointment and the depression that is trying to sneak in and take me heart. The first verse that comes to mind, describes the way I feel and might describe how you have felt when something seemed to steal the hopes you had. Proverbs 13:12 reads,
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
The word deferred in this verse is the Hebrew word maw-shak' it means to prolong, delay, or remove. When our expectations are delayed or even removed it afflicts the heart, the seat of our emotions and the center of our being. That is how I felt. I thought God had made a way for me to be healed after fourteen years of suffering, praying, and believing. I had thought I was healed before and it had turned out not to be the case. I was so excited for this and so ready to live without this problem. But at the last minute it was snatched away. I was devastated. My heart was broken, again.
It seems over the last several years anytime something good, something that gives me hope for my future is about to happen or even given to me, it gets taken away jobs, lost children, a home or whatever. And I know that that is not true, but in the midst of disappointment all those things flood my mind and try to get me to meditate on the bad.  Does that happen to you? It is the enemy lying to us! When I pray rather than ponder my letdowns, setbacks, and regrets God reminds me of all the good things He has given me, the changes He has made in me, and the path on which He has taken me. He reminds me how He worked those defeats for good. He reminds me that it was the times when I was most in need that the miracles were the biggest. Psalm 77:11-15 reads,
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
 
I don’t need surgery. God can fulfill my desire. I trust He will. God is mighty, His way is holy. He works wonders. The world will see His power and He will be glorified. He has done such great things for me. He allowed me to graduate from college, (something I didn’t think possible) go to graduate school, he gave me dentures, sent me on missions trips, provided for me, gave me a car to drive, wonderful friends, a blessed ministry, gifts I can barely fathom, and so much more. He has given me a great deal. What has He given you? What miracles did He work for you? How has what was supposed to be bad worked out for your benefit? I could tell you story after story about the tragedies in my life becoming the catalyst for some great thing. I know if you think about it, you can too. So rather than turn the thoughts of disappointment over in our minds let’s praise God for how He used them to sanctify, strengthen, and supply us. Let’s tell the world how great is our God because He carried us through and made us into His image. Psalm 105:1-5 reads,
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
If we were strong enough on our own, if we thrived without struggle, if God didn’t give us more than we could handle, then how would He ever be glorified? Why would anyone ever turn to God if I showed the world how I am the person I am through my on effort without any fight or hardship? 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 says it this way,
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
When God fulfills our desire His way, it is a tree of life. It is life giving to us and to every person around us. We are weak in order to demonstrate how great and mighty God is. We are flawed to show Jesus’ perfection. Bad things happen, bad news comes, but we are not crushed, left in despair, forsaken, or destroyed. Jesus is manifested in us and He brings life to everyone who sees how He works even in our suffering. I may not understand what God has planned or why He is doing it this way or that way. But God is God, He sees the whole picture, the beginning, the present, and the end. He sees the details from His point of view, not ours. He knows our hearts and the hearts of our enemies. He is God. Isaiah 55:8-11 reads,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
It is okay to grieve for what was lost. God doesn’t expect or want us to go through life with a fake smile. He doesn’t want us putting on masks that belie the truth. When we are feeling broken hearted, we can know God is there with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6). So pray, cry, grieve, and express your brokenness to Him. He will draw you even closer. Psalm 34:17-19 tells us,
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
I know when I am upset by my circumstances, especially when I feel as if all my hopes have been dashed, I don’t want to burden others with it. I don’t want to deal with their judgement for my sorrow. And I don’t want them to think I am weak. But the truth is hiding my suffering only makes it worse. We are living as God’s children and are expected to be a functioning member of the body of Christ in a community of faith. We are supposed to reach out to one another. We are told to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). We are told to confess to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16) and weep and rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15). Holding one another up in encouragement and edification is how people will see Jesus in us. Jesus said it this way,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).
Whatever has happened to disappoint you, know that The Lord loves you, He is with you, and He will use it for your good, your sanctification, and His glory (Romans 8:28-29). He has good plans for you. He knows where you’re going and He knows the best path to get you there. The enemy will try to steal your hope, he will try and kill your spirit, and destroy your testimony. But he cannot touch you (1 John 5:18). He cannot snatch you out of God’s hands (John 10:28-29). Remember who God is and trust Him to be God for you. Remember all He has done for you and trust He will do it again. I will leave you with this encouragement from Jeremiah 29:10-14.
…I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
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James 5:13-20 The Prayer of a Righteous Man Avails Much

4/26/2016

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Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16
​James 5:13-20
Prayer is powerful. It is a first defense, our go to move, not a last resort. Prayer does more than petition God for wants. Prayer is how believers are able to exercise faith and patience. It is how we maintain hope through suffering. It is one of the most important practices we can do for one another. Verses 13-14 read,
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 
Whether we are suffering, cheerful, or sick the answer is prayer. Speaking to and listening to God, exulting in our relationship with Him gives us the ability to endure through suffering. He hears us. He listens. And He carries us through. He gives us joy which in turn gives us strength. (Nehemiah 8:10). And when He gives us joy, we pray again singing praise to Him. The idea of singing praise reflects that while we can pray alone we would also pray with others, sharing our gladness with others as we lift up God as the source of our gladness, joy, and strength, as the One who is bringing us through the suffering and trials and the One who sees us and saves us. We are not alone. We have God With Us and we have each other. Romans 12:9-16 describes the church this way,
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
While often our prayer is between The Lord and ourselves it is not always the case. We weep with one another, rejoice with one another and love one another affectionately, demonstratively. Here, James tells us if we are sick, to call for the elders and let them pray over us and anoint us with oil. I know for me that there are times when I am too ill, too mired in suffering to feel able to pray well alone. Sharing my suffering, joy, or illness with the church gives them a chance to join with me and pray over me. The Holy Spirit loves to do His work through others. It is one way, He marks us as different from the world. We are not the most powerful and successful when we are living life independently but when we live life interdependently together dependent on The Lord. By our love for one another, people will know we are Jesus’ followers. (John 13:35).
Prayer does great things. When you are too weak to pray for yourself, when you allow your brothers and sisters to step in and pray with you and over you things happen. Verse 15 reads,
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
That is a big deal! Believer, your demonstration of faith will save the sick, raise him up and bring him forgiveness. Your prayer makes miracles happen. Your prayer brings people closer to God. We shouldn’t each be closeted up suffering alone, hiding our weakness from one another. We should be living interpedently, weaved together into a tapestry of demonstrated love. We can’t do that if we wear masks of perfection to hide our sins, façades of happiness to conceal our pain, or disguises of strength to cover our weakness. Verses 16-18 read,
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
There was nothing magical about Elijah, he had faith in God to be God. He was a prophet and He had The Holy Spirit on him. You and I, Faithful, we have Him in us, united with our own spirit. If Elijah could pray for miracles and know God could and would, what more can we do? The prayer of a righteous person, (a person who has been forgiven of his sins) has great power as it is working. Prayer works. So many times we think prayer is inactive, it is just us hoping against hope, but prayer works, produces, and does. It acts. Prayer accomplishes things. When we pray, we practice the power of God, love in action. Jesus told us to pray. In Matthew 7:7-8 He said,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
Prayer is a way of releasing God’s will onto the earth. God’s will for His followers is our sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3). We are meant to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. We are mean to love one another expressively and effusively. We are meant to pray together. In Matthew 18:80-20 Jesus said,
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Our prayers can bind and loosen; that is not some feeble thing. Our prayers for one another can bring people back into a walk with God and can bring people to Him. Our prayers bring people to salvation. Verses 19-20 say,
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.
Believer, that is not nothing! Your prayer is powerful in its working. Don’t say, “All I can do is pray” as if there is defeat in that. Say, “Let’s pray” then watch what God will do. He answers prayer. His Word, His will manifested goes out from His mouth and accomplishes His purpose. Isaiah 55:10-13 read,
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
His Word is the Sword of the Spirit and you and I are meant to wield it (Ephesians 6:17). Prayer is a powerful practice not a desperate last-ditch effort.
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James 5:7-12 Have Patience Don’t Be in Such a Hurry

4/25/2016

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At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. Psalm 75:2
At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. Psalm 75:2
​James 5:7-12
Patience is so difficult. There are things we have no choice but to wait for and there are things we should wait for but choose not to. Either way, waiting is difficult. Waiting patiently is a virtue that extols the Lord. We have two factors that allow us to be patient. The Holy Spirit in us and hope. The hope that keeps believers able to be patient is knowing that this earth and its suffering is temporary. One day, Jesus will return and gather the harvest. Believers know that for us the harvest means eternity united perfectly with Christ, our Maker and Husband. We wait for that awesome day with The Holy Spirit making us over and conforming us to the image of Christ who is the epitome of patience.  Verses 7-8 read,
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. 
Establishing our hearts means we allow The Holy Spirit to conform us. Through every trial and circumstance we get to practice, exercise, and strengthen the character of Christ in us through the demonstration of The Holy Spirit in us. We call that the Fruit of the Spirit and patience is one of the proofs that He is living in us (Galatians 5:22-23). Just as that fruit does not pop out fully developed in us instantaneously, neither does farmer’s fruit grow and flower overnight. A farmer can pick fruit too soon. If he does the fruit will not develop its full flavor. When he does harvest his fruit, he needs to have waited long enough for the fruit to go to seed, to have developed seeds that will be able to produce the next crop. Reaping before it is time will give the farmer gratification now but the fruit won’t be as good or healthy as it could be and he won’t have a crop for next year.
Patience is also called endurance, perseverance, forbearance, and longsuffering. It looks like serenity, stamina, and resilience. Waiting is just not a good time sometimes. If you are hungry now, yet you have to wait for the late rains to come before you pick the fruit, you need forbearance. If you are hungry now, yet supper won’t be cooked for 1 more hour, that hour may be a long one. Impatience leads a person to eat now and not be able to fully enjoy supper when it is ready. Eating the fruit, before it is ripe, and at the point where it will offer its most perfect benefits deprives us of the complete enjoyment and reward we could have had. Impatience leads to impetuosity, rashness, and anxiety. The word longsuffering indicates that it is no fun to endure suffering. If I am hungry, I am irritable. Choosing to gratify my flesh instead of demonstrate The Holy Spirit can make me complain, whine, and grumble. It can cause me to become envious and bitter. That is bad news for me and for the people around me. I will not look or act like Jesus when I’m indulging my own desires and glorifying myself. Verses 9-11 read,
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Impatience leads to satisfying our flesh and that produces what Paul called the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-21 describe it this way.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
People gratifying the desires of the flesh will be judging, and it will not be righteous judgement. People gratifying the desires of the flesh will be jealous envious, and angry causing rivalries, dissension, and division. But we are supposed to be the image of Christ, The Judge who stands at the door. Was anyone as patient as Jesus? Is anyone as patient as He is? He stands at the door and knocks, waiting patiently for us to answer and enjoy the riches and blessings he wants to lavish on us. In Revelation 3:18-21 Jesus said,
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Wouldn’t you rather have the fullness of what God is offering than the paleness of what you can achieve without Him? He is patient with you. He is patient with the world. He doesn’t smite people into following Him. He doesn’t force us. He knocks and waits. He is patient. 2 Peter 3:7-10 describes God’s patience this way.
But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Time is different for God. He has waited an eternity already for His harvest to be ready. At the perfect time, not a moment too soon He will reap His harvest. Revelation 14:14-20 describes it and I have to say, I am extraordinarily thankful that He is waiting. There are people I want to be with me in New Jerusalem and they haven’t chosen Life in Jesus yet.
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
If Jesus is patient with us, we have no right to be impatient with anyone, including ourselves. Consider the example of patience James described for us in verse 11.
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
How do we know Job was patient? Why do we consider the other examples of patience as patient? Because they endured suffering. Job refused to curse God in his anguish. He never acted out in the desperation he may have felt. Desperation can make us act rashly. It can make people try and manipulate The Lord into giving them what they “need” or want now. People will say, “If you heal me, I promise I’ll never complain again!” They will make deals with people who seem to be offering what they need and distraughtly and injudiciously swear to do hold up bargains that they never should. They ‘make deals with the devil’ to get what they want now instead of waiting for God to give them what is better and perfect. Verse 12 warns us against making those desperate vows. We are expected to keep our promises, because God keeps His.
But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
When that person swore she would never complain again if only she would be healed. Satan is only too happy to oblige her (although it will be partial and imperfect), because he knows that she will break her vow and complain. He’ll make sure of it because he will give her every reason to complain. Her witness will be destroyed, she will be ineffectual all because she had to be impatient about waiting for God to heal her in His perfect timing.
Believer, Patience is not called longsuffering because it is short and sweet. It is difficult to practice and difficult to master. But you have The Holy Spirit in you. You have faith, hope in the unseen and eternal (Hebrews 11:1). Be patient. Wait for God’s time and don’t rush Him. What He has at that perfect time is so much better than what you can get right now.
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James 5:1-6 You Can Keep Your Eye on God or Your Wallet, Not Both

4/24/2016

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For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 10
​James 5:1-6
The worldview says it is important to have money. Certainly living in the world without money is almost impossible especially in countries like The US. Money is a “necessary evil.”  But from the world’s standpoint money is a measure of success, if not the measure of success. The world gauges their peace by how much money is in the bank and the IRA. It is not so in God’s Kingdom. Money is not what determines success or peace. Storing up money is not godly and moving heaven and earth to make more is not right from God’s perspective. Being rich is not a sin. The sin lies in the place money has in one’s heart and endeavors. Verses 1-3 read,
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.
 
These are the rich who have put money first, who have done whatever they can to make themselves rich. They have laid up money and left God out of the equation. They will enjoy their time on earth, but our time doesn’t end when our hearts stop beating and our lungs stop breathing. We live eternally. After this life we will either enjoy that eternity with Jesus in New Jerusalem or we will suffer the torment of Hell. The person who has put money first cannot serve God. The person who serves God understands this world and present life are temporary and live it in preparation for the real thing, eternity. She wants God’s will on earth as it is in Heaven. She wants people to know Jesus. She doesn’t lay up treasures here, she lays them up in Heaven. In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus said,
 
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
 
If your eye, (your focus and perspective) is on money, earthly treasures and pleasures then it cannot be on God, His will and purpose. The wrong focus will blind you to the truth and you will not glorify God, it glorifies the self. Satan will be happy to make us richer and he will laugh as we walk blindly to Hell because our eye is on our bank account instead of The Lord. This life is temporary, it lasts 80 years. Do you imagine that 100 years from now or 100,000 years from now it will matter if you lived in a mansion and had servants? It won’t. It will matter how you treated the servants. It will matter how you loved or sinned against the people around you. It will matter how you lifted up or oppressed the people you came into contact with. It will matter if Jesus Christ is your Lord or money is your lord. Verses 4-6 read,
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.
 
The rich who got that way through sin and oppression, who put money and their own comfort above God and love, they are enjoying all the luxury and comfort they will ever enjoy unless they open their eyes and weep over their sin and repent. Proverbs 16:5-9 reads,
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
    be assured, he will not go unpunished.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
7 When a man's ways please the Lord,
    he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
9 The heart of man plans his way,
    but the Lord establishes his steps.
 
Many of the Proverbs were written by Solomon, one of the wealthiest men to have ever lived. People heard about his wealth and his wisdom and came from very far away to see it. Even the very wealthy Queen of Sheba was floored by his wisdom and prosperity (1 Kings 10:1-13). Being rich is not the sin; the sin is in what the money means to a person and how she obtained that wealth. True wealth is in the joy of a relationship with God. Real peace comes from righteousness.  Proverbs 15:15-17 reads,
All the days of the afflicted are evil,
    but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great treasure and trouble with it.
17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
    than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
Money cannot save us, regardless of how much we have. Are you living for The Day of The Lord or are you living for tomorrow? Proverbs 11:4 says,
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
The Proverbs have a great deal to say about money and how we should use it. Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us,
Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.
There is a great deal more to be gleaned about money from the Bible. And I know I need to learn how the Lord wants me to think about it and use. For now I want us to consider where money is in our hearts. Is money on the throne? Do you seek money or do you seek the Kingdom of God? Chasing wealth leads to sin. 1 Timothy 6:3-10 reads,
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Are you asking what you are supposed to do about feeding and clothing your family if you don’t focus on money? Are you saying, “Donna, this world is expensive and I’ve got to eat! How do you expect me live if I don’t save up as much money as possible? How will I live when I’m 75 and can’t work?” Well, I say “Pursue God, have faith that He is God and nothing is impossible for Him.” In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus answered those questions.
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (The Message).
 
Just keep your eyes on God and what He desires and He will take care of all the other stuff that could take your focus.  When you do what is right with your money, when you are generous and lift up the poor instead of oppress them, God will ensure you have plenty of money to live on and to continue being generous. If you trust God enough to give generously, even more than you think you can afford, He will prove your faith and ensure you will always have enough to keep giving. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says it this way,
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
In fact your generosity spreads the Gospel because God’s love and your faith in Him are evident in the act of giving (2 Corinthians 9:10-15). Do you really trust God to be God or do you lean on your bank account in case He doesn’t come through? Stop trusting money and start trusting God. Stop serving your bank account, your earthly future, or your present comfort and be courageous enough to serve God.
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James 4 Change your Perspective, Change the World

4/23/2016

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But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
​James 4
How do you view your life? We can view our lives from the world’s perspective or from God’s perspective. Of course being human it is natural for us to view life from the world’s point of view; we are men and women, born to men and women, and taught by men and women. But when we were saved, God indwelled us as The Holy Spirit; He imbued us with His nature. He opened our eyes and allowed us to see things from a new viewpoint, His. It is still a choice though, how we choose to look at life. Do we choose God’s eyes or ours? Verses 1-3 read,
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.
Our passions, the desires of our flesh fight to gain control and keep us looking at life, success and happiness through the world’s lens. You’ve been there, you check Facebook to see your friends have gone on vacation again, or out to dinner, or to the beach. The pictures are beautiful and they look like they’re having so much fun. And a part of you yearns to be on vacation or at the beach with friends. Maybe your friend just got a new car, announced she was pregnant, or got a promotion at work. All these things are good, and you are genuinely happy for her, but part of you wants it for yourself too. I long to travel. And when my friends go to the various and many destinations they are blessed to enjoy, I feel a twinge of envy. I can choose to feed that twinge, think on it, and such, I can choose to pursue ways I can travel, or I can rejoice with my friends and keep walking in the Spirit and enjoying the amazing life God has given me.
Instead of seeking the Kingdom of God, your place in it, and God’s glory, it is easy to begin seeking worldly success, possessions, and experiences. What are you praying for? Are you praying that God will grant you that job, vacation, car, or child? Are you praying that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in Heaven, that His fame would increase, and people would come to know Him? Are you praying that you would have a powerful place in His Kingdom (but really meaning the world) or are you praying that He would use you as He wishes and that the gifts He has given you would build and edify the Kingdom? Are you praying for your glory or God’s? Verses 4-10 read,
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.
The Kingdom of God is not like the princedom of the world. God’s view is very different from the world’s view. Success in the world is one where the individual shows her great strength, ability, and drive. She decides what she wants in life and stops at almost nothing to achieve it. She bows to no one, people bow to her. In the world, pride is a good thing. But pride is sneaky. Pride leads to so much sin. Love of the world, money, and standing in the world all stem from pride and lead to the various sins which keep people enslaved to Satan, the prince of the world. Success in the Kingdom of God requires humility, it requires we have enough faith to give our passions and desires up to God, to bow before Him and ask for His will, not ours. It requires realizing that we have sinned and are sinners who could not and cannot save ourselves.. To want those things the world calls success is to sully our hearts with idolatry. Success in the kingdom of God shows God’s power, prowess, and persistence Draw close to God, desire Him, seek Him and He will bring us to Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts, and all life’s pieces will fall into place (Matthew 6:33). Psalm 37:1-7 reminds us to be friends with God, not with the world, to want what God wants and not worry about wanting what the world offers.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!
Some people will be better off than us. Some people will have things we want. Some people will be worse off than we are. The envy we let grow within us takes our eyes off God and His mission and puts it on the world and Satan’s mission. I have dealt with ridding myself of the envy and resentment I’ve felt toward people who have things I want. And I’ve let it become bitterness which ate away at me and nearly destroyed my testimony and made me ineffectual in God’s kingdom. I envied the success other people had at getting support for their endeavors and ministries, while I could not get even my closest friends to read a book or a blog I had written. I have envied even silly things such as how many “likes” their Facebook post got, when my similar post was ignored. I began to feel very hurt. I took it personally. I “vented” to my sister. I judged the people who I felt disregarded me and realized how hateful I sounded. I had to cry for my sin. I confessed it and repented it. It is still something I have to choose daily, to be happy for their success and to look at my life through God’s eyes and not mine or my neighbor’s. I have to say when I stopped comparing our success, God showed me who I am in His Kingdom from His eyes. I have nothing to be envious of anyone else. God loves me so profusely! He has made me a warrior princess in His Kingdom. The enemy is afraid of me. And the work I do for Him has an impact whether or not I get to see it. Verses 11-12 read,
 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?
It was not up to me to judge people for their perceived disregard of me or even what I saw as their hypocrisy to the Kingdom, neglect of God, or anything else. God knows their hearts as well as He knows mine. Their relationship with Him is between them and Him. I can only live for Him, seek Him, and let the glory of God shine in my life so that people will know the truth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who saves not me. It is Jesus who judges, not me.
I can compare my life to everyone else’s. I can freak out and think I need worldly wealth and success to keep living. But all that takes away from the Kingdom of Heaven. When I do that, Satan laughs. I will choose instead to leave all that to God. If He chooses to give me family, wealth, success, or whatever, great. If He chooses to give me a path different from others, great. It’s not my job to worry about the worldly stuff, it is my job to purse God’s Kingdom, love my neighbor, and make disciples (Matthew 6:33, Mark 12:31, Matthew 28:19).
In Matthew 6:19-21[i] and 24-25, and 31-34 Jesus said,
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 
 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Making plans for the future, laying up treasures for your earthly life instead of your eternal one, and serving money instead of God is exactly what Satan wants from you. You will be so focused on the world, you will forget the Kingdom of God. Your heart will be on the things of the world instead of in the Kingdom of God. Verses 13-17 say it this way,
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.
The worldly perspective can look good and right. When we choose to forgo worldly wisdom for Godly wisdom, people will think we’re fools and judge us as wrong. I know it because I experience it. God has called me to walk a path very different from many others. It looks wrong. If I were on Judge Judy, she would be disgusted with me and could not understand living by faith instead of a paycheck. God called me away from a nice paycheck, away from living in my own place and away from the dreams I had for a family. He has given me a ministry different than yours, but not less and not more. My life through the worldview is pitiful. My life from God’s view is wonderful and powerful. There is a commercial that says, “Change your apartment, change the world.” I say, “Change your perspective, change your life, and change the world.”


[i] Link to Matthew 6:19-34
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James 3 Control the Tongue and Control Yourself

4/22/2016

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Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27
​James 3
How do you tell a mature Christian from a new believer? How do you tell a mature Christian from the world? It is by the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in her and the way she expresses Him. It is the self-control she exhibits in choosing to communicate the Holy Spirit and not her flesh, the desires of her old self. One of the clearest exhibitions of maturity, of love through self-control is the ability to command and restrain the tongue. How often have you hurt someone by saying some flippant thing? How often have you been hurt by some careless word? Verses 1-3 read,
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
No person is perfect, yet as we follow Christ, walking in the Spirit through our lives we are being made perfect (Hebrews 10:14). The closer we come to the perfect image of Christ, the more we look like Him and therefore the more control we wield over the tongue. James talks about putting a bit into a horse’s mouth and by that small piece the entire beast is guided. Words work like that. If we control our words, we can control ourselves. The easiest sin to commit and somehow the hardest to omit is to speak what we should not, to curse (be it ourselves or someone else), to glibly hurt someone, or to obfuscate. And more often than not our glib words motivate follow up in choices and actions. To control the tongue is to control ourselves. Verses 4-6 expand the metaphor.
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.
Do you know it is possible to tame your tongue? It really is. It is not easy, especially at first but with practice, love, faith, and trust in God it can be done. But it cannot be done by us alone. It is only possible with the Lord God in us. Verses 7-12 say it this way,
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.
A person without the Holy Spirit living in her would have no desire to tame her tongue. Being outspoken is seen as a strength in the world, but it is a weakness in the Kingdom of Heaven. There are people in the political realm who are gaining power and momentum due to the inane and shocking things they say. The current presidential candidates vying for their parties’ nominations are the ones who were willing to sling mud, say awful things, and use their tongues as weapons. My favorite candidate was one of the first to drop out of the race. He did not get the votes he needed because he refused to participate in the backbiting, insults, and war of words.
The Holy Spirit in us means we have His heart as the spring to draw from. We pull from God’s nature which is love and not our own which is pride. We choose to use our words to build one another up, teach the Gospel, lead people to Christ, and otherwise love our neighbors. Jesus told us we would know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 7:20). He also said that we would be known as His disciples (followers and students) by our love for one another (John 13:35). Is it love to belittle someone or curse them? No! It is love to edify, encourage, exhort, and elucidate. When the Holy Spirit gives me a word for someone, it is always something loving, always something which lifts the person up closer to Him. When He speaks to me personally or through someone else it is the same, He lifts, lights, and lightens. I will even dare to say that if the message does not elevate, enlighten, or ease then it is not from God. We recognize His voice and there is no condemnation in Christ (John 10:27, Romans 8:1). Like Jesus, we are to use our words for God’s purposes not our own prideful will.
If the Holy Spirit is living in us, then we will look more and more like Him. Our desire becomes to be the new creation who is the image of Christ. If we lack in some area (and we do while we are still walking he earth) then we ask Him and He will be happy to bring us closer to Him and give us what we lack. James 1:5 says,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
If you can’t control your tongue, it is best to be quiet until you can. God’s wisdom expressed by His believers glorifies Him and brings people to Him. Controlling what comes out of your mouth is a sign of maturity and wisdom. Proverbs 17:27-28 read,
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
We do not prove who we are in Christ and who Christ is by superfluous speech and brandishing words. We prove who Jesus Christ is by our self-control, love, and wielding the Sword of the Spirit. Verses 13-18 reads,
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.
James doesn’t pull any punches here. If you are not controlling your words, the words that are coming from you are demonic! They are not from the Holy Spirit but from Satan and are being used for his purpose to steal, kill, and destroy not for Christ’s purpose to give life (John 10:10). What fruit are your words producing? Are they causing disorder and disunity or are they causing righteousness and peace? Are your words hurtful or merciful?
Believer, God’s wisdom shows through your ability to control your tongue. Compare your words with verses 17-18 are they pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, merciful, and produce righteousness and peace? Are they from the Spirit who produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in you? (Galatians 5:22-23). Are your words loving, patient and kind; not envious, boastful, arrogant or rude; irritable or resentful? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). If not, be quiet and learn to tame your tongue.
 
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James 2 Faith is Tangibly Demonstrating The Holy Spirit

4/21/2016

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If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:8 On photo of Missy Talbert’s Chalk Heart photographed by Lani Campbell
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:8 On photo of Missy Talbert’s Chalk Heart photographed by Lani Campbell
​James 2
Whether you think you have prejudices or not, I can assure you that you do. They can be overcome, but they do exist. Do you think you do not judge others? Consider your opinions regarding certain hot topics such as transgenderism, you have one and you think yours is the right one. That means you think someone else’s is the wrong one. We all judge. It is a natural part of us but it is a part of us that we can control.
One place judgement shows its head is our treatment of the rich and poor. For whatever reason, we consider one or the other circumstance to mean that a person is better or worse, more deserving or less deserving, or more or less worthy of honor. James used the example of this bias to explain the principle of God’s impartiality and love through beneficence to the church. Verses 1-4 read,
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?
The Kingdom of God is not like the world. In God’s Kingdom the bank account has nothing to do with honor due a person and the outer appearance have nothing to do with the heart or spirit. James pointed this out to the church by showing them that they did practice bias by giving the well-dressed man a seat of honor and pointing the scruffily dressed man to the floor. What I see though is how different the Kingdom of God is. Sitting at the teacher’s feet in God’s Kingdom is the better choice. When Martha and Lazarus’ sister Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet, Jesus commended her and we still remember the honor of that today (Luke 10:38-42).
God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11). He gives us all favor when we come into the church by faith. Some people are rich, some are poor, some are healthy, some are not, some are charming, some are shy, but God gives every one of us gifts and such to allow us to become complete in His image, lacking in nothing. Verses 5-7 remind the church of this.
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?
It takes more faith in God’s provision to be poor. God chose to honor the poor in that way and says we ought to honor people’s gifts and faith by seeing that. It is the world that shows honor to people based on things like money (or lack of money). It is the powerful of the world who demand honor through wielding their power. The powerful of the Kingdom of God on the other hand wield the Word of God and His power to love all people in concrete ways that are evident. Verses 8-13 read,
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 accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Keeping that royal law is vital, but keeping it because it is a law and not because it is the result of God’s salvation and transformation of us is missing the mark. If you do charitable works because you are fulfilling the law to love your neighbor, then you better hope and pray that you do not break any law, whatsoever. Did you lust, even for a moment? Then according to Jesus you committed adultery (Matthew 5:27-28) and you’ve broken the whole law. The Mosaic Law is an all or nothing kind of thing. If you are doing good works for people because that is what the law requires then your bias means you have broken that law and that means you’ve broken the whole law.
Faith is all or nothing as well. You choose faith, the law of liberty or you choose commandments and the Law of Moses. You cannot choose both. If you choose to obey commandments as the way to earn salvation, what you do will come back on your head. You will judge people (because we all judge) and God will judge you. In Matthew 7:1-2 Jesus said,
“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
But if you choose to live out your faith, the good works you do will come from that faith not from an obligation and God will judge you from the mercy seat of Christ (Romans 14:10). In John 5:24 Jesus said,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
We love, we do good works, not because we are trying to earn salvation but because it is the supernatural outpouring of the Spirit, the response of faith to salvation. We pay for someone’s lunch, not because our religion commands good works but because the God loves that person and He wants them to know it. We visit prisoners, not because it is a command but because our Father adores the prisoners and wants to set them free and give them His life.
You do not have to do those good works to earn salvation. But if you have God’s mighty loving Spirit abiding in you, you cannot not do those good things. If you have God’s nature, you will do what He would do and that would be to give generously, love deeply and tangibly, provide and be kind; in other words you will be doers of the word and not hearers (or speakers) only. Verses 14-17 read,
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
The Spirit of Holy Loving God shows up in His people and it shows up because we live out the faith we have. If you say you believe God will provide but you hold onto your last dollar when you see a person who needs it, is that faith? If you say you have faith that God loves the rich evil man, but you cannot show him kindness, is that faith? Faith shows up in real ways. I can say I trust the parachute to open, but if I refuse to jump out of the plane, then it is only lip service. Verses 18-26 read,
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! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
It was an act of faith, when you said, “I believe you God, Jesus is my savior” and you made chose to submit yourself to Him that demonstrated the belief in your heart. Faith without the act is not faith. Faith does not judge who deserves our charity and who does not. God wants every person to come to Him, He wants every person to have eternal life (2 Peter 3:9). Faith allows us to love everyone impartially as God does. Faith means we live out of love, the law of liberty and not out of obligation to Pharisaical or Mosaic Law.
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    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

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    October 21st 2015
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