James 5:11

When people endure, we call them “blessed by God.” Well, you have heard of the endurance of Job; and you saw the Lord’s ultimate purpose. The Lord is deeply compassionate and kindly.

Some of the best yet strangest advice I ever received came from a pastor of mine about twenty-five years ago.

He said that when you’re going through a trial or suffering, the first thing you need to do is thank God for it.

What?

My initial thought was the words of the great Rocky Balboa: “You’re mentally irregular.”

But it is mentally irregular, isn’t it? Yet it is proper, and upon reflection, the only real sane response to suffering. Trials can always work to build our endurance and character. We may not always allow it to do so, but it is the way patience and character are forged. It just is.

As followers of Christ, our thoughts on suffering needs must change at some stage. It is not just pointless pain. I like how C.S. Lewis said that pain is God’s megaphone. It is, isn’t it? If we can muster the focus to listen for a minute.

(Now to be clear, I do not pretend for two nanoseconds to know the why of each suffering instance, if God inflicts it, allows it, commissions the satan to carry it out, if it’s a natural consequence…but we do know that we are called to endurance in Scripture, to perseverance, and that we inevitably will have trouble in this world as Jesus told us straightforwardly. And that trials can/do produce these qualities in us quite effectively.)

So I believe our thoughts toward suffering need to transform.

First, when suffering or trials arise, immediately thank God for the trial. Sounds crazy, but I can’t tell you how much better of a mindset it has put me in when I force myself to do this.

Second, keep in mind that God has an ultimate purpose. Again, you don’t need to understand it all, or fret over your theology with regard to what is happening. Simply keep before you that God has ultimate purposes for earth, humanity, for you, and that these purposes are good and nothing will thwart them.

Third, never stop believing that the Lord is deeply compassionate and kindly, no matter what. The devil tries hard to persuade us the think the opposite. And if we think everything should always go our way, we can fall to that evil thinking rather quickly.

You don’t naturally connect the story of Job with God’s compassion and kindliness, but as we are conformed to the image of Christ, as our thinking is molded into God’s thinking, we are able to make that connection, accept what is before us, and be thankful that our endurance is being strengthened.

James 4:4 & 8a

Adulterers! Don’t you know that to be friends with the world means being enemies with God? So anyone who wants to be friends with the world is setting themselves up as God’s enemy.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

I always love a verse that starts out with “Adulterers!” It’s like, “Listen up!!!” I’m gonna start using this when I really want to get someone’s attention…probably not at home so much.

One aspect of this message which speaks to me is how the world asks (demands?) so much of you, way more than one person can handle, but God asks really just one thing.

The world instructs you to look like this, have a perfect house, stay young no matter what, make sure your kids do what makes you proud, do nothing embarrassing, sound smart, live here, show no weakness, drive this car, have this phone, read all these posts, care about these causes, and on and on and on.

Exhausting.

Not to mention, stupid.

But God, in God’s gentle, peaceful way, asks just one thing. For what really matters. Simply to draw near to him.

“Only one thing matters”, Jesus told Martha (Lk 10:42).

Be with me.

“Abide in me” Jesus told his disciples, and asks still of us today.

I looked up that Greek word for abide the other day, and found many wonderful explications of its meaning—to lodge as someone’s guest, to remain, to stay, spend time, remain in someone’s company, spend the night.

Jesus asks one not-so-confusing thing of us, knowing that everything else will then be as it needs to be, for it will be seen and done through the lens of abiding in Christ’s Presence.

The world on the other hand, asks so much of us, demands to keep up with such an insane volume of meaninglessness, that there is simply no room left over for God. Then we’re “forced” to try to squeeze God in where we can make him fit.

I love Michael Casey’s thoughts on this: “We don’t find time to pray, we make time to pray.”

If we’re going to draw near to God, some things have to go. That’s just how it works. We can’t do it all, there’s literally not enough time or energy.

As the old comedian Steven Wright said, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

James 3:1-12

All of us make many mistakes, after all. If anyone makes no mistakes in what they say, such a person is a fully complete human being, capable of keeping firm control over the whole body as well.

This morning as I was reflecting over James 3, I started to feel like I was in a bit of a rut, approaching Scripture and writing in the same manner that I have for a while now.

So I stopped, and prayed, waiting to move forward, listening for insight. Then the Spirit reminded me of a suggestion I came across a few months back of writing a prayer based on the passage you’ve just read.

Great idea!

This can encapsulate a particular reading into a collect which you may return to later to relive your experience with that passage.

If you’re also interested in this approach to change things up a bit, you might use the traditional model  for a liturgical prayer known as a collect which has three main elements:

[Address to God]

i    Theme from the text (often refers to the past),

ii   Petition drawn from the text (often refers to the present),

iii Development of the petition (often refers to the future),

      [Conclusion]

Here’s the prayer I wrote this morning based on this familiar passage about the potential immense wreckage that can be caused by such a small part of the human body—the tongue:

O God of comforting speech,

Forgive me for hurting so many, especially those close to me whom I love dearly, with the thoughtless words that escape my mouth.

Purify my lips, and purge my speech, so that my words may be few and full, only what is edifying and necessary.

May everything I say be bathed in thought and Spirit before it is uttered, giving others encouragement and You glory.

I ask this in the kind name of Jesus and Your empowering Spirit.

James 2:1

My brothers and sisters, as you practice the faith of our Lord Jesus, the anointed king of glory, you must do so without favoritism.

The heart that allows Jesus to reign within it shows no favoritism because it sees people not as our worldly culture sees people—assigning value based on monetary earning, status and power in government or business, intellectual prowess, influence with others, success in ministry, impressive talents, physical beauty—but rather as God sees them, having value and worth because of who they are, made in God’s image, worth dying for, no matter what external qualities they may or may not possess.

The heart after God’s own heart does not see through the lens of “What can you do for me?” because that heart already has everything it needs in Christ. Bribe me all you want, I have all I need.

The freedom of needing only Christ to be satisfied grants the clearest of vision to see people for who they are, and look beyond the exterior into the qualities of life that really matter—kindness, love for God, love for people, a gentle spirit, a non-judgmental attitude…the qualities we receive from Christ and can cultivate as we move ever closer toward the age to come, in which those qualities will be eternally necessary and fruitful.

It seems those other things that the world is so enthralled with now won’t be of as much use in the new heavens and new earth.

James 1:5-8

If any of you falls short in wisdom, they should ask God for it….But they should ask in faith, with no doubts.

For the longest time I was concerned that if I had any intellectual doubt about God that I wouldn’t receive a darn thing I asked for.

Much to my relief, after some brief study, this is not what James seems to be saying at all.

The language is such that he is referring to doubt in the sense of waffling back and forth, being uncommitted. One translation has it “ask in faith, without hesitating” instead of “without doubt”.

We all have honest intellectual doubts. Those do not disqualify us. But not being all in—that can really hold us back. Wavering and  hesitating, results in non-action. The kind of faith James is looking for is that which is so committed that it results naturally in action toward the will of God.

We’re called to a deep commitment to the will of God even if we often fail at it. God knows our heart. It’s the waffling, wavering, hesitating, changing allegiances that God doesn’t seem willing to work with.

I think this true faith, with no waffling, results in the action of consistent, committed prayer. I’ve experienced this, and have received so much supernatural help when I have prayed in this way—persistently, not hesitating, not wondering if I should.

God, after all, gives generously and ungrudgingly to all people.

Philemon 4-5

I always thank my God when your name comes up in my prayers, because I’ve heard of your love and faithful loyalty towards the Lord Jesus and to all God’s people.

I love what Paul is thankful for concerning Philemon.

It’s not, “I thank God that you do things for me, make me feel good about myself, and are so talented and successful in ministry.”

No.

He is thankful because he hears of his love and faith towards King Jesus and for God’s people.

Is there anyone you know that you can thank God for because of their love and faith for Jesus and his followers?

Titus 3:9-11

But stay well clear of foolish disputes, genealogies, quarrels, and squabbles about the law; they serve no purpose and are worthless.

If someone is causing divisions, give them a first warning, then a second, and then avoid them.

You know that a person like that is twisted, sinful, and self-condemned.

As we wrap up what are called the “Pastoral Letters” (1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, & Titus), one of the things that struck me most was how often Paul wrote about not getting involved with foolish disputes.

It must’ve been quite an issue then, and I am thankful for this instruction because it is still an issue today.

I love how Paul says straight up that they serve no purpose and are worthless.

That has definitely been my experience. I have yet to see someone really start heading in the right direction as a result of quarrels about the Bible or debates on non-core theological issues.

Avoiding them seems harsh, but it’s only after the grace of a first and second warning.

Something I’ve thought of often is that I see no examples in Scripture of how we are to keep pouring energy into people who only want to argue and are not ready or willing to make a change in their life.

If anything, we see the opposite. At times, it almost sounds cold to “shake the dust off your sandals” and leave. Yet I do believe that is proper for those who Paul calls twisted (or warped), sinful, and self-condemned. The original language is such that these are ones who keep on sinning, after knowingly been warned. They keep causing division which is a very serious issue in Scripture, never to be taken lightly. They are in a hopeless state—though they do not have to stay there!

I definitely have fallen into this trap, sacrificing energy to those who had no intention of doing anything positive with it for Christ. And the worst thing about it is looking back only to see those who I missed who were willing do what it takes to grow in Christ.

But this is how we grow, and now I’m better for it.

A person who wants to dispute, quarrel, and squabble does not want to grow in Christlikeness.

I can relate o Warren Wiersbe’s advice and experience:

[A]void people who like to argue about unimportant the things of the faith….I have learned that professed Christians who like to argue about the Bible are usually covering up some sin in their lives, are very insecure, and are usually unhappy at work and home.

Titus 2:14

He gave himself for us so that he could ransom us from all lawless actions and purify for himself a people as his very own who would be eager for good works.

God has redeemed us, not only in status, but also from a meaningless life of purposeless wandering and ridiculosity.

We are not only in right standing with God because of Jesus’ work one weekend long ago, but we are saved from having to aimlessly search for something to do,  or for what might give us the elusive sense of satisfaction (but probably not).

The way redemption works on a practical level, at least in one way of thinking about it, is that we always have something to think about, always something to do, that is of a higher meaning than anything we can come up with ourselves.

God is the highest thought possible for us.

Thinking of God, conversing with God, working for God—we literally have nothing better to do.

If we pour ourselves into these activities which draw us closer to Yahweh, we’ll have no time, energy, or desire to do anything stupid.

Like my friends with five or more young kids, they don’t waste a lot of time or energy simply because they don’t have any left over to waste!