empty or pure?

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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empty or pure?

James 1:26-27 (JDV)

James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious but does not control his tongue, his religion is empty and he deceives himself.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father looks like this: it looks after orphans and widows in their distress and it keeps oneself unstained from the world.

empty or pure?

James contrasts empty religion with pure religion here. If a person has a religion that allows him or her to lash out at others irresponsibly, that religion is empty of the one essential element of any religion: godliness. Godliness does not borrow hatred from the world; it gives love to the world. Godliness does not borrow impurity from the world; it reflects the purity of its author: God himself.

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reflect the word

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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reflect the word

James 1:21-25 (JDV)

James 1:21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so pervasive, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:22 But reflect the word and don’t just hear it, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:23 Because if anyone just hears the word and doesn’t reflect it, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror.
James 1:24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
James 1:25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and doesn’t forget what he hears but actually reflects it by results — this person will be blessed in what he does.

Yesterday we observed that the immediate gut response when facing a difficult situation should be stifled. Instead, we need to reflect the word of God in our responses. God tells us how to respond, and choosing to respond his way will result in blessing.

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gut response

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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gut response

James 1:19-20 (JDV)

James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, you should know this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
James 1:20 because human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

gut response

These verses tell us that there is a way for me to respond to unfavorable circumstances while reflecting God’s righteousness. Unfortunately, the immediate responses that I will have do the exact opposite. They reflect ungodly human nature.

James is helpful because he informs me that not only do I have a choice, but my gut response will be the wrong choice. This is helpful because the enemy wants me to think that the gut response proves that I am not a believer. Instead, it is evidence that I still need to Holy Spirit to give me wisdom.

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first of the harvest

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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first of the harvest

James 1:16-18 (JDV)

James 1:16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:18 By his own plan, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

first of the harvest

James had addressed his readers as the twelve tribes planted everywhere. Now he tells them that God is the one who planted them where they were — and it was not a mistake. Their location might mean suffering in this life, even premature death from God’s enemies. But they are where they are because of the plan of the Father of Lights. The one who created the light-bearing bodies in the sky has a purpose for them. He also has a purpose for planting believers throughout the planet. We are a kind of first-fruits. That is also a planting image. The first-fruits were the first of the harvest. God has a plan to renew the earth, and he begins by renewing us. His renewed universe will be filled with creatures and living things that reflect his holiness. He gave us rebirth by his accurate word so that we could mark the beginning of that restoration.

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mile markers

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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mile markers

James 1:12-15 (JDV)

James 1:12 The one who endures trials is fortunate because after he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who care about him.
James 1:13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone.
James 1:14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.
James 1:15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

mile markers

The subject matter James addresses here is trials. He says that God does not send us trials to tempt us, but they do test our faithfulness. The evil desire that James describes here is the desire for the best now. The Israelites in the wilderness grumbled because they wanted the promised land now, without undergoing the trials that would take them there.

There are only two destinies in view here: life and death. These are the two permanent eschatological destinies. James is teaching his readers to embrace the trials they face because they are a means of reaching the permanent life they want. They are mile markers on the road to the crown.

When I am hiking, I sometimes have mixed feelings when I come to a mile marker. I should be happy that I have made it that far, but I often feel weary and only anticipate the miles to go.

Trails can be mile markers on the way to eternal life. They should bring us joy in anticipation of the final destination.

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time’s revelation

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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time’s revelation

James 1:9-11 (JDV)

James 1:9 Let the brother of humble circumstances be grateful for his exaltation,
James 1:10 but let the rich be grateful for his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
James 1:11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

time’s revelation

We all live in an illusion of stability. If we could see the future, some of us who are humiliated by our present status would rejoice. Others who are riding high in the fast lane would mourn. We need to learn to live outside of that illusion.

The temporary nature of grass and wildflowers is a good image to keep in mind. That image is glorious but fleeting. That is what “now” is. “Now” is an illusion that keeps the poor in their place, and keeps the rich from realizing what the future will do to their wealth. There are forces (the sun and the wind) that are at work eroding the things we think are stable. Time is revealing a different story.

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the faith balance

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the faith balance

James 1:5-8 (JDV)

James 1:5 But if any of you needs wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and without shame —and it will be given to him.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith without doubting because the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord,
James 1:8 being double-minded and unstable in all his roads.

the faith balance

What does asking in faith look like? Think of it as the balance between two extremes. One extreme is doubt — which kills confidence before it even begins. James describes the doubter as the surging sea, a dangerous environment for a craft. Faith cannot survive in such a person.

The opposite extreme is presumption. That is what happens when a person prays for wisdom and then takes off in the supposed direction without waiting for God to answer the prayer. In such cases, the answer the presumptuous person finds is often worse than the problem that person had at first.

When we need wisdom, we should approach the LORD as the only means of that wisdom, and then wait for the answer that could only come from him. To fail to ask is to demonstrate doubt. To fail to wait for his solution is to express contempt. Seek the balance of faithful prayer.

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the joy of tests

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the joy of tests

James 1:2-4 (JDV)

James 1:2 Regard it all as joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,
James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
James 1:4 And let endurance produce its complete result, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

the joy of tests

As a student, I dreaded tests because I feared humiliation if I did not do well. But when I became a professor, I started seeing tests differently. They were an opportunity to evaluate me as a teacher and trainer. If I noticed areas where all my students did not perform well, I would alter my teaching methods.

One of the reasons we can rejoice when we face trials as Christians is that we have been taught all we need to face them in confidence. We are designed not to squash troubles like a bug, but to manifest maturity and integrity as we face them. That is what glorifies our creator and discipler.

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planted everywhere

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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planted everywhere

James 1:1 (JDV)

James 1:1 James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes planted everywhere. Greetings.

planted everywhere

Penny and I have a place where we put garden vegetables in containers near our parsonage. We also have another place about a mile from our home where we plant most of our garden. It has more room and can be tilled and tended more easily, and the soil is better. Both places are special to us because we get to see how God is providing, and we get to be part of the process.

When James addressed his listeners, he told them that they were planted everywhere. That was no mistake. God’s plan is to reach his entire world, and he uses his twelve tribes to do the reaching. We are a diverse lot, but that also helps, because some plants thrive better in some soils than others. He calls some Christians to other places sometimes, but each of us can seek to bloom where we are planted right now.

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here’s how we did it

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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here’s how we did it

Psalm 150:1-6 (JDV)

Psalm 150:1 Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his strong expanse.
Psalm 150:2 Praise him for his powerful acts; praise him for his abundant greatness.
Psalm 150:3 Praise him with trumpet blast; praise him with harp and lyre.
Psalm 150:4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and flute.
Psalm 150:5 Praise him with resounding cymbals; praise him with clanging cymbals.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes praise Yah. Praise Yah!

here’s how we did it

The psalms are concluded in such a way as to say to the world: “OK, here’s how we did it, now it’s your turn.” The praise to the LORD and for his wonderful works does not end at Psalm 150. It begins there. Now, it is time for everything and everyone else to give it a try.

LORD, accept our praises.

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