Favorites

Do you show favoritism? Do you treat those who appear to have more money better than those who don’t? Do you honor those with a higher status while dishonoring those without? How do you think God views them? How do you think you should view them?

We all have our favorites, including people. After all, we likely treat our loved ones better than people we do not know. But when we encounter people with a high-ranking office or those who are rich, we often treat them better than we treat someone who is homeless.

James asks some challenging questions in the first few verses of chapter two. In his rhetorical questions, he points out it is the rich who oppress, who drag people to court, and blaspheme the name of Jesus. Think not? Pay attention to their actions, behavior, and how they speak the next time you encounter them.

In all honesty, it isn’t just the rich, but even those who are considered middle-class. Those we consider to be professionals, whether working an office job, teaching, nursing, doctors, computer specialists, or construction workers. Though we may not consider them rich, they have enough to falsely believe they do not need God.

James tells us it is the poor who God has blessed with a faith that is rich. It is no wonder that is the case. The poor must depend on God to provide. They often live day-to-day or paycheck-to-paycheck. They scrimp and save to provide for their families. They put their faith in God. They praise him for their home, clothing, meals, and for one more day.

We would do well to pay more attention to the poor and less to the rich. We would do well to spend more time with those who put their faith in God. We can learn a lot from them, not the least of which is having our eyes opened to the many blessings God has bestowed on us.

I pray we all open our eyes to see the reality all around us. I pray we treat those with less better than those with more. I pray each one of us see the many blessings God has bestowed on us. Open your eyes. See reality. Treat the poor well. See God’s blessings.

James 2:1 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

A Good Name

How much do you put into a name? Do you believe your name is well regarded? Are you willing to forfeit your good name to be wealthy? Do you hold wealthy people with higher regard? If so, why? Is it because you believe they are better people?

It used to be that keeping a good name through honesty and hard work was to be held with higher regard than anything else. That included treating others well. But today, it seems as making money has become more important than having a good reputation.

We marvel at people who can keep their integrity in today’s culture. There is pressure from all sides to let go for the sake of promotion. Cut some corners. Take credit for something someone else did. Report someone else for a wrong they didn’t commit. Do whatever it takes to move up the ladder.

I can remember in my younger days, I never worried about telling others how well I thought I was doing. I didn’t worry about someone speaking badly of me. I didn’t concern myself with promotion, fully believing it would come when it was due as people saw my work ethic and talents. Unfortunately, that is not always the case today.

The writer of Proverbs tells us to strive more for a good name than wealth. We are to seek the favor of others for who we are and how we live our life than to seek large bank accounts. Though this may sound odd to us, it is the way of God. After all, the writer of Proverbs tells us that both the rich and the poor are created by God. This is another way of stating we are all loved by God.

I pray we all seek to have a good name. I pray we hold onto our integrity. I pray each one of us know that God loves all his children, including each one of us. Seek a good name. Keep your reputation clean. Hold onto your integrity. Know that God loves you.

Proverbs 22:1-2

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, 

and favor is better than silver or gold. 

The rich and the poor have this in common: 

the Lord is the maker of them all.

Failures of the Heart

How is your heart? Is it working properly? Does it do the job God designed it to do? Has it been poisoned by Satan? Is it following the path of the world? Or is it following God’s path? Are you willing to work at changing your heart?

Our hearts can be led astray. In fact, Satan is working on it. He whispers to us life isn’t fair. He whispers that we should take revenge. He whispers we are to judge others unfairly. He whispers for us to do what we think will make us happy based on worldly standards.

Jesus tells us they are lies and our hearts are fooled. He provides us with a list of foolhardy reactions that come from our hearts. He also tells us they defile us, which means they separate us from God. If we are seeking to follow Jesus, we certainly don’t want to be separated from God.

Ultimately, we make the choice. We either invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit into our lives to change our hearts or we continue to listen to and follow Satan. Jesus doesn’t give us any other option. He puts the choice and the outcome of our decision in an either/or proposition. We either pursue righteousness or defilement.

We like to say we are followers of Christ when we are with other believers. Unfortunately, our behavior and actions give us away. We are either seen as true followers or as false followers. What choice will we make? Will we follow Jesus or be fooled by Satan?

I pray we all choose to follow Jesus. I pray we ask Him and the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. I pray each one of us pursue righteousness rather than defilement. Choose to follow Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to change your heart. Pursue righteousness.

Mark 7:21-23 “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Tradition and Jesus

Do you like tradition? Are they important to you? Do you follow tradition to a T? Do you put tradition above all other things? Are you willing to set aside tradition for something far more important? Will you set them aside for emergencies? Will set them aside to follow Jesus?

We have a lot of traditions. There are cookouts for summer holidays. There are traditions for birthdays. We have family traditions that have been going on for years or decades. Those traditions are hard to break, even if we see the need to set them aside.

We have church, or religious, traditions as well. Most of them are good and based on solid reasoning. However, far too many of our church members do not know what the reasoning is. They simply know that they have always followed them. What are we to do? Stop following the traditions? Let’s think about it.

There are at least three options. One is to stop them. But that seems a bit drastic. The second thing we can do is read our Bibles and purposely look for Scripture passages that point to one of our traditions. The third option, and likely the best, is to both read Scripture and research the traditions to discover their origins.

But the ultimate question we all must wrestle with is, are we willing to give up the tradition, no matter what the reasoning, to follow Jesus? The religious Jews of Jesus’ day followed well founded traditions, but they put them ahead of God. Even if our traditions are good, we cannot allow ourselves to put tradition ahead of following Jesus.

I pray we all seek to understand our traditions. I pray we read Scripture and research traditions. I pray each one of us are willing to give up tradition to follow Jesus as He has called us. Understand traditions. Read your Bible. Give up tradition, if necessary. Follow Jesus no matter what.

Mark 7:6-8 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 

‘This people honors me with their lips, 

but their hearts are far from me; 

in vain do they worship me, 

teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Be Pious

Do you consider yourself religious? If so, is it because you attend worship services regularly? Have you considered that Jesus was not religious in the way we consider religion? Do you know that being religious in Jesus’ time meant being pious?

We see many people who are religious today, yet they are not pious. They follow a set of traditions, but do not know the Bible. There are many people who view going to church more of a social activity than bowing before a Holy God who has created them.

To be religious in the first century context means to show reverence, devotion, and worship God. It means to bow before him and offer our allegiance. It means being loyal to God, including his promises, teachings, and commandments. It means giving up our preferences in deference to God’s.

It is no wonder James chastises his readers for allowing their mouth to run wild rather than holding their opinions and judgments. When we rattle off obscenities, scornful remarks, judgmental remarks, or forcing our views on others, we do not honor God.

If we desire to be pious, we must bow before God with a humble heart. We must be willing to set aside our desires for his. But that can only happen when we finally open our hearts and our eyes to see him for who he is. As long as we hold on to our own ideals and think as the world thinks, we continue to hold God at arm’s length, failing to truly see him. Once we start seeing him for who he is, getting just a glimpse, we will either run away or run toward him. It will all depend on whether we want to be obedient and are willing to give up ourselves.

I pray we seek to see God for who he truly is. I pray we show reverence to God. I pray each one of us will run toward God, giving up ourselves, so we can be pious as Jesus was. Seek to see God. Show reverence to God. Run toward God. Give up your preference. Be pious.

James 1:26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.

God’s Word In Action

Are you the type of person who can’t sit still? Are you continually up doing something? Or do you prefer to sit and direct others? Is your preference to read and ponder? Have you found a balance between the two? Do you educate yourself and do things?

We all know someone who simply cannot sit still. They are constantly doing something. The only break they take is to eat. On the other hand, we also know someone who prefers to sit. They read, watch television, or stream videos. They keep their mind active.

Being extremely one way or the other is not good for us. We must find a balance between the two. We need to learn by reading, hearing, and through study. Yet, we also need to take action, putting what we learn to work. This is appropriate for us in the workplace, our family, and our Christian walk.

James tells us we are to put the Word of God to work in our lives. We cannot simply sit and listen to it, which was they way the Word was given to the first century Christians. Today, we can add that we cannot merely read our Bibles. We must put what we read and learn about God into action. How do we do that?

Our first step is to pray, asking God to show us how he wants us to put his Word into action. Next, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and earnestly seek to hear his guidance. It may come in the form of an inner voice, a gut feeling, a friend encouraging us, or an opportunity in the church.

As James says, if we only hear or read God’s Word and do nothing with it, we deceive ourselves. We may falsely believe we are being good disciples. Rather than deceiving ourselves, we are to work at the good works God has designated for us. There is plenty of good works to be done.

I pray we all hear or read God’s Word. I pray we learn from it. I pray each one of us commit to putting what we learn into action, doing the good works God has set aside for us. Read God’s Word. Hear God’s Word. Learn from God’s Word. Put God’s Word into action.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Slow To Anger

Does your temper get the best of you? Does it cause you to do things you regret later? Does it get out of control at times? Do you allow your anger to entice you to vengeance? In your anger, do you make bad decisions? Are you willing give up your anger?

Our temper can get the best of us. Out of anger, we can make some very bad decisions. Our anger can cause us to be vindictive. In seeking vengeance, we can put ourselves and others at serious risk, not only our physical well-being but our spiritual well-being, too.

James gives us warnings against anger. He says we are to be slow to anger and that anger does not produce righteousness. He goes right to the spiritual damage anger can cause. The opposite of producing righteousness is to separate us from God. So, being angry, and especially staying that way, drives a wedge between us and God. Certainly not good for our spiritual well-being.

How do we combat anger? James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Wow! That is the opposite of our current culture. Everyone wants to get their complaint out. Often, they fail to even wait for the other person to explain. It seems as no one wants to think about the other persons viewpoint. It is a “my way or the highway” attitude.

When we are willing to not only listen, but also ask questions, truly seeking to understand, we often find there is a logic behind the other persons viewpoint. We may not agree with them, but we understand. By understanding, we are less likely to be angry. After listening, we can then speak calmly and present our point of view. When this happens, a compromise can be agreed upon. Reconciliation can happen. Without listening, neither are possible and our own spiritual well-being is put at risk.

I pray we all seek to listen to one another. I pray we seek to understand one another’s viewpoint. I pray each one of us will be slow to anger for both our physical and spiritual well-being. Seek to listen first. Be slow to speak. Seek to understand. Be slow to anger.

James 1:19-20 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

Perfect Gifts

Do you like to receive gifts? Do you like to give gifts? Do you spend a lot of time trying to pick out the perfect gift? Do you often exceed your budget for gift buying? Do you set a budget? Do you know where every perfect gift comes from?

No, it does not come from Amazon nor Temu nor any department store. It is not a handmade gift, though those tend to mean a lot to us. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make the perfect gift, even using machines that are very precise.

James is a man of concise writing, using few words, but packing a lot of meaning in them. He tells us every perfect gift comes from God. We might agree with that intellectually. But do we understand that in our hearts? We always fall short of perfection, but God is always perfect.

As someone with a Type A personality, I have always strived for perfection. As I have gotten older, I have learned to let things go as “good enough.” Through many hours of toiling, I have come to realize I cannot be perfect. It came to me the hard way. It came through failure. It came to me as I read God’s Word and spent time meditating on it. In other words, it came through experience and maturity.

James uses light as his analogy. God is the Father of lights with no variation. Even that is challenging for us. We see a multitude of light colors and variations. Yet, God’s light is perfect and dispels darkness. Have you noticed light travels in all directions? The sun does not need to shine directly in your window for light to come into your house. Think about that a moment and think about the implications of God being the perfect light. He dispels all darkness from all directions.

I pray we all know where perfect gifts come from. I pray we give God the credit due him for his perfect gifts. I pray each one of us allow the light of God dispel the darkness within us. God gives perfect gifts. Give God the credit. Know light dispels darkness. Allow God’s light to dispel the darkness in you.

James 1:17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Positive Attitude

What is you heart condition? What is your attitude? How do you view life? Do you view life with a positive outlook despite the circumstances you face? Do you know it is your decision? Will you thank God for today and every day you have in the future?

Our attitude is ours and no others. It is our decision to face the day with a good attitude or a bad attitude. Our attitude does not have to change because of circumstances, even though we may have learned it should and our culture says it should.

A positive attitude is powerful. We decide to have a positive attitude or negative attitude. We choose to put our trust in God or not. We choose to believe he is in control or not. We choose to step out in faith or fear. We choose to give the credit to God or keep it for ourselves.

When our heart overflows with God, it is much easier to choose to have a positive attitude. The more we know about God and the closer we get to him, the more likely we are to see each day as a gift and approach it with positive outlook. Having a positive attitude not only affects us but also has a positive effect on others. Some will ask how we can be so positive based on the situation we face. That is a golden opportunity to share our faith.

Having a heart that overflows with God is not simply putting on rose colored glasses. It is a heart that believes God is in control and believe God is with us every step of the path we walk. It won’t keep us from experiencing difficult situations, but it will buoy us on those rough seas. Giving God thanks for another day is a good way to start our day.

I pray we all believe God is in control. I pray we trust God to be with us every day and every situation. I pray each one of us will choose to have a positive attitude, trusting God every step of the way. Know God is on control. Trust God. Know he is with you. Choose a positive attitude.

Psalm 45:1

My heart overflows with a goodly theme; 

I address my verses to the king; 

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

Praying for Others

How often do you pray for others? Do you only pray for those you know? Do you primarily pray for good health? Do you pray they come to worship? Will you pray for people you do not know? Will you pray they come to know God and reach out to him?

We often pray for family and friends. More often than not, we pray for their needs, especially health issues. We may also pray they are moved to join us for worship services. These are good prayers for people we know. But who else can we pray for?

Solomon shows us in his prayer to God during the dedication of the temple that we can pray for people we do not know. He prayed for foreigners who may come to pray at the temple because of what they had heard about the God of Israel. He is implying the foreigners may hear of God’s mighty acts on Israel’s behalf.

How can we model this prayer? We can pray that people we do not know will choose to come to our church building because of the mighty acts of God. We can pray these people will hear of how God is working in our lives and our congregation, and decide they need God in their lives. As Solomon did, we can pray that God hear these “foreigners” prayers and grant them their requests to further the message of Christ and let people everywhere know who God is.

I pray we all pray for others. I pray we pray that people we do not know will come to our church building to pray. I pray each one of us will pray as Solomon prayed, asking God to answer the prayers of people we do not know. Pray for others. Pray for strangers. Pray that people come to God. Pray that God continues building his church.

1 Kings 8:41a, 41c, 42b-43a Likewise when a foreigner … comes from a distant land because of your name … and prays toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.