I wasn't really planning to blog this week since we have a break, but Bill had a conversation I want to relate to you. He has coffee every week with the guy who lead him to belief in Christ after VietNam, during college. This week they were joined by the man who lead their campus group those very many years ago.
Hal Miller is like a storybook hero in the annuls of Campus Bible Fellowship and for good reason. His giftedness in evangelism and commitment to ministry are inspiring. Since his very late retirement, he has settled in Colorado and is involved in Prison Ministry there. [Bill turned 70 last week....this guy has to be close to 90. He's in great shape but his legs are shot from so many years on the basketball court connecting with college guys. His mind is still way sharper than yours or mine.]
He was talking about the prison ministry and lamenting the common occurance of people who come to the Lord through some program specifically evangelistic and eventually go back to the life they were living before. It's a very large factor IN THE PRISON CULTURE THAT HE MINISTERS IN, he said. Many, many had salvation experiences when they were young. Many had conversions when they first started getting into trouble. But they went back to living, as Ephesians 2 says, "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Bill had to ask, because these guys are straight edged Baptists, if Hal thought they were truly saved. "There's no question about their salvation," Hal replied. "But there's no discipleship out there."
This is a big piece of the answer to the can of worms Sarah opened on Tuesday. It doesn't explain all. It doesn't cover people like Jenny's friend. It isn't scripture.
But as we learn about the church through the book of Ephesians, we have to notice that the goal is mature Christians. The job... is mature Christians. I think we will see that clearly as we work our way through the book.
So I'm going to recommend going back, over this break in our study, to that hard to understand, seemingly nebulous chapter 1 so that we all in our own lives have a heart understanding of the amazing blessing of being chosen by God. That our whole being is enlightened and we know God; know the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance and the surpassing greatness of His power.
Look at chapter 2 again and begin to understand the impact of being taken off that futile Thomas the train track and raised up into the Heavenlies with Christ. Make sure you know your salvation is not of yourselves. And begin to wonder what work God has planned for you, his precious masterpiece, to accomplish for Him in the Church.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Redo prayer #1
I apologize that I failed to ask the right questions to get us to the heart of the matter in Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church yesterday. Paul has a very clear idea of what God has done for us and what He wants for us. You could almost look at Ephesians chapter one in those very terms; our first lesson was what God has done for us, our second lesson what He wants for us.
So what does He want? We can see the big ideas [the details come later in the book] in what Paul prays for them. He is asking God to reveal to the readers of the letter the very most important things that they need to know.
First, God wants us to know Him. Paul wants first and foremost for us to know God. 1:17 says "so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." At any point of our Christian life we can say we know God. What a blessing to know Him! But there is always more to know. Paul's first prayer for this church is that they will have the spiritual wisdom and insight to know Him more. In fact, that spiritual wisdom and insight, any revelation of who He is, is a gift from God so Paul is praying that God would give them the wisdom and understanding to know Him.
Verses 18 and 19 list three other important things for us to know, and Paul again asks God for insight and illumination in the people he's writing to, for the Spirit to reveal these things to them.
1) understanding of our hope for the future, and I would say two things about that. The hope is certain and the future begins now. The Christians hope, as Sharon said yesterday, is not like hoping I can get a new car. Christian hope is the most sure thing in the universe. Hebrews 6:18 and 19 say, "So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
2) realization of the richness of our inheritance. Remember we talked about this last week in 1:14, that the Holy Spirit in our lives is the pledge or guarantee of our inheritance. It's just a taste. The experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives now gives us a tiny glimpse of what living with Him for all eternity will be like. Kristen shared 1 Peter 1:4 with us yesterday. "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It's kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."
3) understanding the incredible greatness of His power, and not just that He is powerful, but that He makes that resurrection power available to us. Paul explains that power in great detail in the following verses.
Those are transformational truths. I hope you'll spend the time looking a these verses or at other verses that make our hope, our inheritance, and His power in us clear to you. It will change your life. Paul is going to ask us to grow and change in the rest of the book of Ephesians. He's going to ask us as people and he's going to ask us as churches. We will be able to change not because we are spiritual people, or good people or strong people; not because we will try very hard. We will be able to change as we understand and believe what God has done in us and what he is doing in the world. That's why Paul takes the entire first chapter of Ephesians to communicate these big truths. It's worth our time to make sure that we know them.
So what does He want? We can see the big ideas [the details come later in the book] in what Paul prays for them. He is asking God to reveal to the readers of the letter the very most important things that they need to know.
First, God wants us to know Him. Paul wants first and foremost for us to know God. 1:17 says "so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." At any point of our Christian life we can say we know God. What a blessing to know Him! But there is always more to know. Paul's first prayer for this church is that they will have the spiritual wisdom and insight to know Him more. In fact, that spiritual wisdom and insight, any revelation of who He is, is a gift from God so Paul is praying that God would give them the wisdom and understanding to know Him.
Verses 18 and 19 list three other important things for us to know, and Paul again asks God for insight and illumination in the people he's writing to, for the Spirit to reveal these things to them.
1) understanding of our hope for the future, and I would say two things about that. The hope is certain and the future begins now. The Christians hope, as Sharon said yesterday, is not like hoping I can get a new car. Christian hope is the most sure thing in the universe. Hebrews 6:18 and 19 say, "So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
2) realization of the richness of our inheritance. Remember we talked about this last week in 1:14, that the Holy Spirit in our lives is the pledge or guarantee of our inheritance. It's just a taste. The experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives now gives us a tiny glimpse of what living with Him for all eternity will be like. Kristen shared 1 Peter 1:4 with us yesterday. "For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It's kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."
3) understanding the incredible greatness of His power, and not just that He is powerful, but that He makes that resurrection power available to us. Paul explains that power in great detail in the following verses.
Those are transformational truths. I hope you'll spend the time looking a these verses or at other verses that make our hope, our inheritance, and His power in us clear to you. It will change your life. Paul is going to ask us to grow and change in the rest of the book of Ephesians. He's going to ask us as people and he's going to ask us as churches. We will be able to change not because we are spiritual people, or good people or strong people; not because we will try very hard. We will be able to change as we understand and believe what God has done in us and what he is doing in the world. That's why Paul takes the entire first chapter of Ephesians to communicate these big truths. It's worth our time to make sure that we know them.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Prayer #1; to know Him
Verses 15 and 16 of chapter 1 have some interesting ideas about Paul's prayer life. I wonder if Paul had actually achieved that amazing expectation: pray without ceasing. These verses give me a sense that as Paul was hanging out with God, conversing with him, he (Paul) remembered to mention the church at Ephesus or reminded God about the church. He also never stopped giving thanks for them. He remembered them to God. It would be pretty interesting sometime to study Paul's prayer life.
But this week, we're studying Paul's prayer, in fact the first of his two prayers for the Ephesian church that are recorded in the book of Ephesians. It seems like anything Paul prayed about would be pretty significant. So most of our focus this week will be what he prayed for and if we have time we'll try to understand why he thought whatever he was asking for was so important.
Paul prays for two things. Remember my English teacher way of reading the Bible. There are two ideas.
1) I keep asking....that you may know Him better.
2) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
Those are the two requests.
Request number two has some clarification. Paul says he is praying for the eyes of your heart to be enlightened so that you will know these three things and he spells them out.
1) the hope to which He has called you
2) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
3) the incomparably great power for us who believe
The rest of verse 19 to the end of the chapter talks about that great power, which is pretty exciting too.
Do we know what Paul is asking God for? Do we know what Paul thinks is crucial for the church to grasp? And if we can make those requests concrete ideas in our minds, can we think through why these specific things were so significant in Paul's mind?
That's what we'll be trying to think through tomorrow. We will need to put our heads together!!
But this week, we're studying Paul's prayer, in fact the first of his two prayers for the Ephesian church that are recorded in the book of Ephesians. It seems like anything Paul prayed about would be pretty significant. So most of our focus this week will be what he prayed for and if we have time we'll try to understand why he thought whatever he was asking for was so important.
Paul prays for two things. Remember my English teacher way of reading the Bible. There are two ideas.
1) I keep asking....that you may know Him better.
2) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
Those are the two requests.
Request number two has some clarification. Paul says he is praying for the eyes of your heart to be enlightened so that you will know these three things and he spells them out.
1) the hope to which He has called you
2) the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
3) the incomparably great power for us who believe
The rest of verse 19 to the end of the chapter talks about that great power, which is pretty exciting too.
Do we know what Paul is asking God for? Do we know what Paul thinks is crucial for the church to grasp? And if we can make those requests concrete ideas in our minds, can we think through why these specific things were so significant in Paul's mind?
That's what we'll be trying to think through tomorrow. We will need to put our heads together!!
Thursday, September 14, 2017
New year, new women, new Book
September is always exciting. After Labor Day, our Women's Bible Study starts up again. I can't even remember how long this has been anchoring the rhythm of my life, but anchor it does. I love women's Bible studies. And this year, as always, I have a group of really bright women who are going to keep me on my toes; seeing things I didn't see, asking things I don't know, experiencing God in their own intimate way that I can learn from.
So Ephesians! I've been anxious to teach Ephesians this fall. I know it will help us all to grow.
The story of my early attempts at Christian growth has been shared many times. I'm a "How" and "Why" person who grew up in a just do as your told church. I'm not a good pretender. Every struggle in my young life was answered with read the Bible more and pray more. Good advice as far as it goes. If I still pursued help [I can hardly believe that I did!] I was encouraged to rededicate my life to Christ. I may be the most re-dedicated person around.
I often compare it with those soccer games where kids on the field... you know, the cute ones with t-shirts hanging past their knee pads... are running their little hearts out. But they don't know what to do. We used to call it "swarm soccer" as they players would converge and swell like bees. Sweaty faces, gasping for air; all they knew was to try to get to the ball.
And on the sidelines the coach, sweaty and red faced as the players, persistently yells throughout the game; "try harder!"
I felt like those kids so many times. I was trying as hard as I could, but I didn't know what to do!
Ephesians gets us well started on what to do. But it starts out, in chapters 1-3 with why we do it. Specifically in the verses we introduced the book with, 1:1-14 it starts out with what God has done. And the way Paul writes these introductory verses we are able to see the all encompassing plan of God being accomplished. All that has happened in the spiritual realm has been according to His will; His plan from beginning to end.
The most amazing thing about this plan of His is that He has adopted us into it. Imagine! He made us His children, His friends and His instruments to accomplish the rest of the plan.
This passage reminds me so much of Jesus' last discourse to the disciples in John 15. "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." [vs. 15-16]
God has entrusted His plan for eternity to us...not individually but as His church. In Ephesians Paul is spelling out that plan to us; those chosen to carry it out. He was given the unveiling of the mystery of the church. He will go on to tell us how Jews and Gentiles are one in this undertaking. It certainly took a revelation from God before anyone saw that one coming. He will tell us what we should know about God. He'll tell us how we should live. What a relief to know those things!
The most beautiful outline I've ever seen of Ephesians was taught by a Chinese believer,
Watchman Nee, and printed in a book called Sit, Walk, Stand. First Paul wants us to see ourselves seated in the heavens with Christ, because that is where we are. The things accomplished in the spiritual realm are reality we can live by on earth. When we see what God has done and who we are, we're to walk in a manner worthy of those amazing truths. Then the final illustration of Ephesians exhorts of to be strong! To stand and stand firm! And we can do that living in the truth of chapters 1-3 according to the skills taught us in 4-6.
I'm excited to study Ephesians. It is a book that can take us from where we are, no matter where on some imaginary spiritual slide rule we believe that to be, to higher. "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." [Ephesians 1:4]
So Ephesians! I've been anxious to teach Ephesians this fall. I know it will help us all to grow.
The story of my early attempts at Christian growth has been shared many times. I'm a "How" and "Why" person who grew up in a just do as your told church. I'm not a good pretender. Every struggle in my young life was answered with read the Bible more and pray more. Good advice as far as it goes. If I still pursued help [I can hardly believe that I did!] I was encouraged to rededicate my life to Christ. I may be the most re-dedicated person around.
I often compare it with those soccer games where kids on the field... you know, the cute ones with t-shirts hanging past their knee pads... are running their little hearts out. But they don't know what to do. We used to call it "swarm soccer" as they players would converge and swell like bees. Sweaty faces, gasping for air; all they knew was to try to get to the ball.
And on the sidelines the coach, sweaty and red faced as the players, persistently yells throughout the game; "try harder!"
I felt like those kids so many times. I was trying as hard as I could, but I didn't know what to do!
Ephesians gets us well started on what to do. But it starts out, in chapters 1-3 with why we do it. Specifically in the verses we introduced the book with, 1:1-14 it starts out with what God has done. And the way Paul writes these introductory verses we are able to see the all encompassing plan of God being accomplished. All that has happened in the spiritual realm has been according to His will; His plan from beginning to end.
The most amazing thing about this plan of His is that He has adopted us into it. Imagine! He made us His children, His friends and His instruments to accomplish the rest of the plan.
This passage reminds me so much of Jesus' last discourse to the disciples in John 15. "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." [vs. 15-16]
God has entrusted His plan for eternity to us...not individually but as His church. In Ephesians Paul is spelling out that plan to us; those chosen to carry it out. He was given the unveiling of the mystery of the church. He will go on to tell us how Jews and Gentiles are one in this undertaking. It certainly took a revelation from God before anyone saw that one coming. He will tell us what we should know about God. He'll tell us how we should live. What a relief to know those things!
The most beautiful outline I've ever seen of Ephesians was taught by a Chinese believer,
Watchman Nee, and printed in a book called Sit, Walk, Stand. First Paul wants us to see ourselves seated in the heavens with Christ, because that is where we are. The things accomplished in the spiritual realm are reality we can live by on earth. When we see what God has done and who we are, we're to walk in a manner worthy of those amazing truths. Then the final illustration of Ephesians exhorts of to be strong! To stand and stand firm! And we can do that living in the truth of chapters 1-3 according to the skills taught us in 4-6.
I'm excited to study Ephesians. It is a book that can take us from where we are, no matter where on some imaginary spiritual slide rule we believe that to be, to higher. "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." [Ephesians 1:4]
Monday, June 5, 2017
Live Life at a Higher Elevation
An article in this months Real Simple began, "After reading my work, people often tell me I am fearless and assume I have a lot of confidence. In truth, I'm just a writer. On the page, I am opinionated and more than willing to share my perspectives. I'll even share my life and make myself vulnerable if the work demands it. I am firm in my convictions, and I take risks. But without words, I wouldn't be that way." [Roxane Gay, "Laura, my leader" June 2017 Real Simple]
I gasped internally as I read it. I had been found out! James mentions that teachers will be held to a higher standard and I've always read that as a veiled threat.... not even really veiled! But he does soften the blow... everyone sins with their words, or else they would be perfect.
So I keep teaching. I'm under compulsion: if I tried to hold it in, I would explode! I hope my jokey "Am I there Yet?" title communicates that I certainly don't think I've arrived. And I have progressed enough in walking that walk to silence [mostly] that inner accusation: if they really knew you they wouldn't like you. I can live on that teeter-totter balancing what I teach and the way I live.
But I've been studying Colossians with one of the girls, and I've been challenged to try for a higher level. Challenge isn't the right idea, though. Let's see.... I'm hopeful I can make more progress. Challenge is always present; hope, not so much. But right now I'm hopeful.
How do you really change? That's the question. And in recommending to someone else that they back off making application from scripture and focus instead on proactively changing their thinking through scripture.... I said to myself... huh... that is true.
Colossians 3 is all about change. Things to put off; anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, lying, evil practices. Things to put on; compassion, kindness, humility gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love. So how do we focus on making those changes? How do we put them off/on? Making a list and taping it to the refrigerator? Memory verse cards? Verse for the day in our inbox? Those activities might easily fall under the heading of "matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." [Col 3:23]
James made a BIG DEAL about the difference between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom, and it's shocking to me how many of our methods of spiritual growth turn into earthly wisdom in our application. Is spiritual growth like taking a spelling test? Is understanding scripture like using Cliff Notes to pass a test? Is our motivation wanting to be like someone else, wanting to be happy, wanting to be looked up to in the church? Those all smack of self and earthly wisdom.
Heavenly wisdom, as Betty pointed her finger, tilted her head and reminded us 💘, is first of all pure. First of all, the place we start, is pure devotion to God, not double-minded but seeking only His face.
Colossions 3 says the same thing. I was hit by the symmetry of the NIV:
"Since then you have been raised with Christ
set your heart on things above
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
set your mind on things above
not on earthly things"
Only NIV uses that phrasing; set your heart and set your mind.
We use "to set your heart on something" colloquially. She had her heart set on the red shoes. He had his heart set on reaching the finals. She had her heart set on a PHD. He had his heart set on a black Hummer. It's more than wanting something. It's wanting it more than anything; wanting it to the point that your heart is going to be broken if you don't get it. So setting your heart on things above has to do with your desire for those things.
Is that where our hearts are set? Or is it really the red shoes. The bigger house. The perfect family. Acceptance, respect, adulation, looking "good", sounding spiritual... Oh my....Those desires, even the "spiritual" ones, reek of self and earthly things.
Set your mind, also, on things above. So what's the difference? Why the parallel thoughts? I had to look in my little red book... Setting your heart has to do with the pursuit.... if your heart is set on those shoes you're going to find a way to get the money for them. [Good luck with the money for the Hummer!] You're going to do the extra practices to get to the finals; put your life on hold while you keep going through school. You're going to sacrifice everything else for that bigger house.
Setting your mind [because of the parallel construction, the mind is also to be set on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God] has to do with the inner disposition, according to the red book. Where is your inner life? Verse 3 says your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Again from the red book, three things the idea of being hidden in God suggests:
1) "a secret life where the believer's life is nurtured by secret springs"
2) "safety, 'with Christ in God' marks a double protection"
3) "identity, the believer is identified with the risen Lord"
It looks like the setting of your mind on things above is allowing God's TRUTH to settle in.
So how does that effect the putting off/ putting on of the rest of the chapter? Greatly, because Paul begins with truth. Verse 5, put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature, because that earthly nature IS dead, circumcised from our bodies, buried with Christ. [2:11-12] Verse 12, cloth yourself with all this Godly character because God has made you alive with Christ. [2:13]
Change begins with believing the truth; letting it permeate every crevice of our mind, transforming the earthly wisdom we have been living by. Change begins with pursuing God with our whole heart; a pure undivided heart that wants only Him.
When we were in Montana last summer I got a shirt. It has mountains on it and says, "live life at a higher elevation." That had a spiritual meaning to me. It's exactly the truth of Colossians 3. Live life out of that elevated place where you are in Christ with God. That's a hopeful place.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Once again, Self
I thought I got it that James says we're living for our self. Or rather, I guess I thought he was saying YOU'RE living for your self. It took me another time through the book to see that he was saying I am living for MY self.
And even though I asked the question, "Is there a different between selfish and self?" I did not understand it. If I want something and you want something, and I do what I want instead, that's selfish, right? But somehow that doesn't seem reasonable. If I do what you want, doesn't that make you selfish? And why should you always get what you want? It's easy to see WHY James isn't going that direction with his teaching.
He sets self in opposition to God! If I want something, but God wants something.... well of course what He wants should happen. Getting that less than perfect and often annoying middle man out of the picture makes it much more clear.
This is an entirely different thing than being selfish. The question is whether you are living for self. I KNOW I said that when we were studying chapter 4 but I didn't get it.
God's been after me though. Fighting and quarreling come from wanting your own way, James says. Well, I've done enough fighting and quarreling that I finally started to consider whether having things my way was really that important to me. Maybe not. Maybe a lot of stuff I thought was important wasn't. Maybe I was just in the habit of living for my Self.
James says we are can't be both friend of God and friend of the world, logos, the world system. John tells us what that is; we talked about it before. John 2:15.. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world."
James agrees with John. Worldly wisdom is characterized by envy and selfish ambition. It is in direct contrast to heavenly wisdom, which is FIRST OF ALL PURE.... undivided in it's submission to God. Then, after that focus is determined, the character that flows out of the "fountain" is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
You know, I think I'd rather live that life than the fighting and quarreling one.
I had a chance to share some of this with someone yesterday and I was well aware my husband was listening while I was speaking. It's easy to talk about it. He lives with me. I had to ask him if he could see that I was getting it.
He said he could see a difference. "Night and Day" he said. 😢
And even though I asked the question, "Is there a different between selfish and self?" I did not understand it. If I want something and you want something, and I do what I want instead, that's selfish, right? But somehow that doesn't seem reasonable. If I do what you want, doesn't that make you selfish? And why should you always get what you want? It's easy to see WHY James isn't going that direction with his teaching.
He sets self in opposition to God! If I want something, but God wants something.... well of course what He wants should happen. Getting that less than perfect and often annoying middle man out of the picture makes it much more clear.
This is an entirely different thing than being selfish. The question is whether you are living for self. I KNOW I said that when we were studying chapter 4 but I didn't get it.
God's been after me though. Fighting and quarreling come from wanting your own way, James says. Well, I've done enough fighting and quarreling that I finally started to consider whether having things my way was really that important to me. Maybe not. Maybe a lot of stuff I thought was important wasn't. Maybe I was just in the habit of living for my Self.
James says we are can't be both friend of God and friend of the world, logos, the world system. John tells us what that is; we talked about it before. John 2:15.. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world."
James agrees with John. Worldly wisdom is characterized by envy and selfish ambition. It is in direct contrast to heavenly wisdom, which is FIRST OF ALL PURE.... undivided in it's submission to God. Then, after that focus is determined, the character that flows out of the "fountain" is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
You know, I think I'd rather live that life than the fighting and quarreling one.
I had a chance to share some of this with someone yesterday and I was well aware my husband was listening while I was speaking. It's easy to talk about it. He lives with me. I had to ask him if he could see that I was getting it.
He said he could see a difference. "Night and Day" he said. 😢
Friday, May 19, 2017
Theme: submission to the will of God
I'll only write about one more theme that clearly runs through the book of James. We saw it come to a head in chapter four with the clear command, submit to God. Yet the very essence of the book might be submission to the will of God.
The very first reference is in 1:4. "Let perseverance finish it's work." We focus on the end of that verse as part of the joy of going through a trial; an eye on the prize type of thing. Yet we need to submit to it. We need to let God do the work in us. This becomes a strong theme throughout the book. Verses 5,6 say ask God for wisdom... isn't that [when done rightly] asking to see his will?
1:21 says in humility [submission to the will of God] receive the Word, and the next verse says to do what it says.
Chapter 2:12 says speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty... giving God the right to judge. Later 4:12 will remind us there is only one judge; not us.
3:13 and 17 speaks of deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom, wisdom that only comes from heaven. Submission to the superior knowledge and plan of God.
4:4-6 makes us chose between the world and God: which path will we take? Doesn't that involve submission to Him. In fact 4:7 [again] says it right out. "Submit yourselves, then, to God."
Continuing in chapter 4:10, humble yourself. 4:15, instead we should say, if it's the Lord's will....
Chapter 5: 7,8 wait. What does wait mean if not to let God do what He is going to do? In fact, it says wait until the Lord's coming. He IS doing something. He's coming to make it right. The examples James gives are the epitome of submission. The prophets; submitting to God's will in seemingly ridiculous ways: laying on one side for so many days then the other side so many days.. marrying an unreformed prostitute, buying a field days before the destruction of Jerusalem. God said: they did.
The other example is Job. "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Again, the perfect example of someone who was willing to let God do whatever He wanted.
I wonder how much peace there would be in that? A perfect belief that whatever God is doing is perfect. A wholehearted trust His will is best. Wouldn't that be the perfect attitude to have in this context, especially, of going through trials. It would be the perfect attitude to have every day! Wow. This requires some examination.
The very first reference is in 1:4. "Let perseverance finish it's work." We focus on the end of that verse as part of the joy of going through a trial; an eye on the prize type of thing. Yet we need to submit to it. We need to let God do the work in us. This becomes a strong theme throughout the book. Verses 5,6 say ask God for wisdom... isn't that [when done rightly] asking to see his will?
1:21 says in humility [submission to the will of God] receive the Word, and the next verse says to do what it says.
Chapter 2:12 says speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty... giving God the right to judge. Later 4:12 will remind us there is only one judge; not us.
3:13 and 17 speaks of deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom, wisdom that only comes from heaven. Submission to the superior knowledge and plan of God.
4:4-6 makes us chose between the world and God: which path will we take? Doesn't that involve submission to Him. In fact 4:7 [again] says it right out. "Submit yourselves, then, to God."
Continuing in chapter 4:10, humble yourself. 4:15, instead we should say, if it's the Lord's will....
Chapter 5: 7,8 wait. What does wait mean if not to let God do what He is going to do? In fact, it says wait until the Lord's coming. He IS doing something. He's coming to make it right. The examples James gives are the epitome of submission. The prophets; submitting to God's will in seemingly ridiculous ways: laying on one side for so many days then the other side so many days.. marrying an unreformed prostitute, buying a field days before the destruction of Jerusalem. God said: they did.
The other example is Job. "The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Again, the perfect example of someone who was willing to let God do whatever He wanted.
I wonder how much peace there would be in that? A perfect belief that whatever God is doing is perfect. A wholehearted trust His will is best. Wouldn't that be the perfect attitude to have in this context, especially, of going through trials. It would be the perfect attitude to have every day! Wow. This requires some examination.
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