Last night our small group Bible study had quite a lively discussion on discrimination within the Church. We tend to be most comfortable at Church when everyone looks and acts like us. Our prejudice surfaces when someone outside that “mold” ventures into the Sanctuary seeking the Lord. Yes, they may not look like you…they may not have the same values or mores…but they are still a Child of God searching for the truth. We need to extend to them the same love that Jesus did…not judging, but supporting and encouraging as the Holy Spirit moves in their life.
Tag: James
We’ve got to live: Faithfully in His Word
In James it says to not merely listen to the Word…but do It. In order to put your trust in the Lord, you must take what you hear and apply it to your life. You need to take that head knowledge and internalize it into heart knowledge. The Word of God is powerful and alive, but if it goes in one ear and out the other, it’s of no use to you. For just hearing God’s voice will never cause change within… unless you do something with it.
James 2:17 ” In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. “
Prayer is good…action is good, but the Lord wants us to do both together in wisdom. In Nehemiah 4: 8-9 it says, “They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to met this threat.” Prayer will give you God’s vision. It will give you courage and resolve to move out in discernment and a clearer understanding of the problem you face. Prayer is good…action is good, but they need to go hand in hand to be the most effective.
James 1:23 ” Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
You know your face better than anyone else…every nook and cranny – every spot and wrinkle. You’re familiar enough with your face that you can readily pick yourself out of a group picture. We need to know the Word of God in the same manner. We can’t causally listen to His Word allowing it to go in one ear and out the other. His Word must go deep inside…changing us for the better – not being dismissed and forgotten. The key is to contemplate, internalize, and apply His Word to your life…mirroring His life with yours.
James 1: 2-3 ” Consider it pure joy my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
Trials and temptations…we don’t like them. We would rather live blissfully in some kind of bubble insulated from the world and all bad stuff, but this scripture tells us otherwise. It says as Believers we need to look upon trials and temptations with happiness… because by them we are refined in the crucible of Christ …becoming more like Him everyday.
James 1: 6-8 ” But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubled-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
The Greek word for double-minded is very interesting. The double-minded person not only believes in God and that all His promises are true…but he also depends on himself and what he can accomplish alone – without God. Such a person is spiritually unstable and prone to deceitfulness and deception.
James 4:1-2 ” What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.”
“I want, what I want, when I want it!” Anyone that’s seen a 3-year-old throwing a temper tantrum knows what this means. Most of the strife and disputes in our lives come from selfishness on our part… we crave, covet, and lust after things and want our way no matter who we have to go over to get it. We may be much older…we may not thrash around on the floor kicking and screaming…but we can still throw tantrums when we don’t get our own way. Some take a more passive/aggressive approach, while others pout and make life miserable for everyone around them until they relent…either way, a tantrum is a tantrum, whether you’re 3, 33, or 83.
Safetypinlove 