How Truth Can Actually Change Your Life (Part 3)

NOTE:  This is the third of three articles on James 1.  It builds from part 1 and 2, which can be found below. 

Why are Christians often frustrated with their lives, or things in their lives?  The Bible tells us that we can overcome all things, do all things through Christ, and be filled with joy and peace.  What is happening if that is not what your life is like?  The book of James addresses one very real cause for such things.

In the first two articles on James 1, we looked at the instructions to come to God’s truth with the right attitude, and then to receive His truth, owning it as our own, as part of us.  However, James 1:22-24 tells us that knowing it, understanding it, or even owning it as our own isn’t enough.  In fact, if that is all you do, you have missed the whole point.  Once you receive the Word, you have gained nothing until you do what it says. 

To make the point, James tells us that knowing God’s truth and not doing what it says is “deluding yourself.”  And, this delusion is like someone looking at themselves in the mirror and recognizing who they are, and then, later that day, looking at themselves in a mirror and not knowing that that is them.  This would either be the most severe stupidity you have ever seen, or a severe brain condition.

Just imagine that happening.  Someone you know looks at themselves in the mirror and realizes who they are.  Then, a few minutes later, they look at themselves in another mirror and they honestly don’t know who that guy is.  What would you do?  You would take them immediately to the hospital.  You know something is significantly wrong, because they are not capable of that level of radical unintelligence.

This passage is talking about a person who knows Jesus, and understands that the Bible is the Word of God.  The book that contains the truths of life and death for eternity.  The truth of how to have a dynamic relationship with the Creator of all things, right here and right now.  A relationship that can overcome all things, and brings about abundant life.  If you know these truths, but don’t “do” them, than that is sheer foolishness.

In reality, knowledge that you won’t use is worthless.  That guy that walked across the Grand Canyon on a high wire can teach me everything he knows about high wire walking.  I believe that he knows what it takes to do it safely – I saw him do it.  But anything he teaches me is wasted time, and wasted knowledge.  I ain’t never getting up on one of those things, I can assure you.  That knowledge is worthless to me.

On the other hand, James tells us that if you do receive God’s Truth, and do what it says, you will be “blessed” in what you do.  This is a simple truth.  Do what God tells you and it will produce results.  The type of results in your life that your Creator, the God of the universe, who loves you as your Father, intends.

Do you really believe the Word of God?  Do you believe that it is what God says it is, and will do for you what He says it will?  If so, do what it says.

Gleanings From Nature: Smokey’s Wisdom

Every weekday morning I park my car in the distant unpaved lot of my local light rail station and make the ¼ mile walk to board the train downtown. I like these morning walks. There is no better way to start the day than to look out under the clear blue sky at the Rocky Mountains that seem close enough to touch. But a couple days ago the view was less than picturesque. As I opened my car door, my nose was flooded with the smell of burning wood; my eyes itched as the smoke assaulted them. That beautiful, clear blue sky had turned into a hazy brown disaster from the multiple fires burning just to the south. Colorado is extremely dry and afternoon storms have brought lightning that ignites the beetle killed pine forests that cover large portions of the state. The fire causing the effects I experienced that day has since been contained but other fires continue to burn. NBC news is reporting today that the West Fork Fire, which is already 117 square miles, will likely burn for months until the weather becomes more favorable. 

When I got on the train, I got out my Bible to read a bit on the way to work. I was reminded of James 3, which talks about the power of our speech and nature of our tongues. In this chapter, James writes, “how great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” I was really struck by the power of this image after experiencing the effects of physical fire just moments before. What an impact my words can have! I work in a back-office support position and it is so easy to say bad things about my customers, because they are on the phone. So often in my cubicle jungle, we find ourselves discussing how ridiculous a customer is because of, well, any number of things. James really made me think about how detrimental this can be. Perhaps my negative tone and words push my coworker even deeper into an already bad day. Maybe what I say will inadvertently get back to the target of my words and they will be embarrassed or offended. I could also be creating a negative image of myself to my superiors by demonstrating a poor attitude. Regardless of the actual consequences, this is unacceptable for me to be participating in. Words I say have the power to destroy. Like the fire, their effects are far reaching, polluting and destroying people beyond what I can see.  

I use the work example because it is really where I am most guilty, but uncontrolled or thoughtless speech can easily creep into our conversations with family and friends-and dare I say in our churches? James reminds us that this is not God’s plan as he continues with “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” As you engage people this week, I challenge you to really think before you speak. Is what you are about to say glorifying to God? Yes, there are times to be direct and admonishing, but this can still be done in love. Ask God to show you ways to use your speech positively and do your best to keep silent when the flammable words are queued up in your mouth. I have been convicted by this passage to pay close attention to what I’m saying and why I’m saying it and I encourage you to keep this focus, too. Let’s have the people around us see and hear God’s love by what we say and even by what we don’t say. 

Remember, in the words of Smokey the Bear, “only YOU can prevent wildfires!”  

By C Sampson

How Truth Can Actually Change Your Life (Part 2)

NOTE:  This is the second of 3 articles on James 1.  It builds from part 1, which can be found below. 

In James 1, we are told specifically what the condition of our heart needs to be, for the Word of God to change us (see part 1).  Then, 1:21 goes on to tell us to “... receive the Word implanted...”  If you have known the Lord for a long time, you are probably familiar with this passage.  However, there is a lot more to these simple words than you might have considered in the past.

Christians today are pretty good at taking the Word of God seriously.  We read the Word, study the Word, talk about the Word, maybe even memorize the Word.  However, what does it mean to “receive” the Word? 

To receive something is to take it, to take it in, to take possession of it.  If you receive something, it now belongs to you. However, this might be very different from what many of us do with the Word of God.  Do you really take ownership of God’s Word?  Has it really become yours?

We often talk about the Word as “God’s truth.”  It clearly is that.  However, do we see it as “His truth,” as opposed to “my truth?”  I’m sure all Christians believe that they should do what the Bible tells them because it is God’s truth, and therefore its should be obeyed.  But does this perspective make it harder to put Biblical truths into practice?  For most of us, it is harder to do what someone else wants us to than it is to do what we want to, even if we think they are right.

What if God’s truth actually becomes your truth?  Do you ever feel like it is hard to do what you know God wants you to?  I wonder if we actually took ownership of His truth, and made it our truth, if it would still be so hard to do. 

Taking ownership of the truth moves us from “I’m doing this because God wants me to,” to “I am a child of God.  I’m doing this because it is right for me to do it, it is who I am, and what I am, or at least who I’m trying to allow God to make me be...”  Ownership means it is now your world view, not someone else’s that you are trying to implement in your life.

Next, we are told that we are to receive the Word “implanted.”  Having something implanted means having that thing put inside you.  It now is part of you.  You don’t just own it, but it is LITERALLY a part of you.  If you own a shirt, you can put that shirt on, and take it off.  If something is implanted in you, there is no taking it off.  It is easy to pick and choose from what you own, but what is implanted in you goes where you go, and is always a part of you.

It seems clear to me that this is one of the major reasons that we are not more impacted by the Word of God.  It is easier to disobey God’s Word, even if I know I shouldn’t, than it would be to disobey an internal belief or value of my own. 

Knowing, studying, memorizing, and talking about the Word of God is good.  However, we MUST receive His Word, and receive it implanted.  Make His truth your truth.  Then it can change your life.

How Truth Can Actually Change Your Life (Part 1)

In James 1:21, we are given an amazing command, which I think we often overlook, or mistake to mean something different.  We are told to “receive the Word, implanted...”  There is so much in this little 4 word phrase, that it will take a bit of time to unpack it.  However, before this direct instruction, this passage tells us what condition our heart must be in, for us to be able to “receive the Word...”  Difficult, but absolutely necessary truth about how our hearts must be prepared, or we are unlikely to have any success at all in being changed by God’s truth.

Before the direct instruction, the passage tells us that receiving the Word requires “putting aside all filthiness, and all that remains of wickedness...”  What is this filthiness and wickedness?  It is whatever God views as opposed to Him and His standards.  Filthiness is that which God would see as morally dirty, or stained, or vile.  Wickedness might best be translated today as “all of the badness” in a person. 

This passage also makes clear that it is referring to the filthiness and wickedness that is inside of EACH OF US.  This is a personal list, and yours might look somewhat different than mine.  What types of things fit this?  Lustful thoughts and actions.  Manipulative thoughts and actions.  Self serving thoughts and actions.  Anger and envy and selfishness.  These are just a few.  What would make your personal list?  I know we really don’t like identifying the actual, specific things in our lives that stand in our way of closeness with God.  However, we will never grow by accident or casualness.  We have to look intently, and purposefully address the specific struggles we have.

This passage shows that if you don’t set them aside, you won’t be able to receive the Word.

And why is that true?  Because these things will stand in opposition to what the Word will be directing you toward.  If you are holding on to your sinfulness, you won’t have the capacity to take ahold of the Word.  It is as if you were holding a rock that is so heavy that you need both hands to hold it.  Someone says, “Let go of the rock, and take ahold of the rope.”  You’d like to keep hold of the rock, and grab the rope, but both are not possible. 

So, first off, you need to decide if it is worth it to you to put down the things in your life that will keep the Word from changing you, specifically the filthiness and wickedness in your life.  Your fooling yourself if you think you can hold both.  So “put it away” from you.  I believe this is one major reason the Word of God doesn’t change our lives.  Let go of the junk, so that you can take ahold of the Truth.

Next, James says that you need to “humbly” receive the Word...  So, what does humility have to do with receiving the Word?  Everything.  Humility means putting aside your pride.  Your pride says, “I will do things my way.”  When we approach the Bible in pride, our attitude is often, “I want to filter this truth, and apply it to my life as I think I should...”  The problem is, God doesn’t give us suggestions.  The Word of God is to be received as HE intends it, not as we want to filter and adjust it. 

Putting your pride away from you means giving up control.  It means not holding on to your plans for your future, for how your life is, and how you are.  It means not trying to control how others see you.  Self protective desires and actions probably fit into this as well.  Humility means trusting God with your personal and social safety, as many things that the Word tells us to do will make us feel vulnerable.  Our pride feels very protective but it keeps us from the transformation that God’s Word can bring to our live.

Coming to the Word in pride means you are not “receiving” the Word, but maybe, at best, hearing the Word.  Pride, like the rest of our sinfulness, has to be let go of, in order to grab ahold of the Word, to receive the Word. 

What’s the point?  Come to the Word knowing that this is God’s specific instructions for your life.  It is the key to life, and to abundant life.  Know and realize that His way is always the way of life, and whatever parts of your flesh you want to hold on to only makes your life worse.  God’s Word will only be effective if you are willing to surrender all areas of your life to it.  If you want to pick and choose, it won’t be effective in any area, because that is not how it works.

God, I want to let go of all my ways, and come to You and Your Word with fully open arms.  I want your truths to rule and govern all of my life.  Please teach me Your truth, because I know it will change my life.

Stay Tuned For Scenes From Upcoming Programming

As some of us are working through what it means to develop a ministry, several things are intensifying in our lives and conversations.  One significant theme we are focusing on is, what are the foundational truths that we want to be building our lives and ministry upon.  This has led me back to studying passages that I know well, and that have had great meaning to me in my past. And, once again, I find myself in awe of God’s Word.  How can passages that I know so well, speak to me in new and fresh ways after more than 30 years of trying to apply them to my life?

One of these foundational truths for me center around the Bible.  We Christians consider the Bible to be the most valuable truth in existence.  Truth directly from God.  Life-changing truth.  Truth to build our entire lives on.  And yet, too many times, the Bible is a book on the table, or something we read, or study, or memorize, but doesn’t seem to change us as much as it should.  Why not? 

In the next week, I’m going to be posting three articles on this very topic, as brought to us by the book of James. 

In the mean time, it has been (and continues to be) great for me to be thinking and praying through what I consider to be my foundational truths that I have tried to build my life upon.  These truths have been a part of my growth, and development in Christ.  It is so easy to get too busy, too preoccupied with life to be intentional about spiritual things and spiritual direction.  The problem is, if we don’t take control of these spiritual things, they won’t happen.  Our default is to run on autopilot, to not be intentional.  If you don’t have such foundational truths in your life, or you haven’t thought through them recently, I’d encourage you to take some time.  It is worth it.

Predestination or Free Will? …. Yes

By M. McCoubrey

I’ve always been bothered by the apparent conflict between predestination and free will in Christianity. It’s not something that impacts salvation or anything, but it’s one of those things that just nags at me. It seems that in half the sermons I’ve listened to, the takeaway is that God’s plan rules, that His way is always the way, and that He chooses the elect based on His criteria – things sound pretty set. The other half of the sermons revolve around the fact that we are to choose Jesus, that we need to make ourselves one of the elect (thank you Spurgeon), and that our prayers can change outcomes. 

And the fact is, these differences reflect a duality found in the Bible. God says that His will is done, Paul talks about God having selected the elect at the beginning of time, and God says to Pharaoh “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth”. I mean, what chance does it sound like the guy had? You think that Jonah felt real empowered as a giant fish swam him to the shore that he was running away from? God and His will are clearly sovereign. 

But then in other passages it is very clear that we have a choice and that our actions and prayers can actually change outcomes. There’s the parable of the persistent widow which, while primarily focusing on a different topic, spells out that prayer can affect change. There’s Paul’s command to the Philippians that they work out their salvation with fear and trembling. And then of course there’s John 3:16 “…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish…” – an open invitation to all, but clearly not all choose to believe. Even back to the very beginning, Adam and Eve were given a command not to eat the forbidden fruit, but equally given the freedom to choose to do so. 

So what to make of this?

I’ve often heard that the answer is that it’s both - predestination and free will. But not having a clue how that could be, I’ve tended to fall on the side of God’s plan being sovereign and as a result, prayer felt pretty useless. I mean, if God knows everything, and how everything plays out all the way to the end of the world in Revelation and beyond, then what’s the point? And if I look at my motivations honestly, this view gave me an excuse to not be praying and, in the worst cases, a justification for poor behavior. 

But I kept coming back to these verses that seemingly contradict that view. Why does God so frequently tell us to pray and show us to pray through Jesus? Why would we be pressed to ‘pray without ceasing’ if it doesn’t have any effect? And really, who wants to believe that they are a choiceless cog that has absolutely no input in how their life or faith turns out? Even if that was what we wanted, it sure doesn’t seem to jive with many parts of the Bible. I was missing something.

Perspectives

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who is doing spiritual work in relatively dangerous places.  I was again encouraged by his humility, love for the Lord, and passion to see God change lives.

If you were to ask him how he could sacrifice so much, and do something so dangerous, he would tell you that you were crazy.  To him, it is absolute joy.  He feels bad that many Christians don’t get to experience God using them in the same ways, and don’t get to see such radical life-changes that he does.  Where he is at, there are not great numbers of success stories, compared to some other places in the world.  Overall, the going is hard and slow.  However, God IS working, and lives ARE being racially changed.   It is not just his perception.  He is truly seeing God do great things, and I can see how he really is blessed to be a part of it.

This conversation made me think of we who follow Christ here.  Too often, we tend to downplay the radical results of God’s presence with Believers within this culture.  That is unfortunate.  Receiving Christ in America is no less miraculous than anywhere else.  It is every bit as amazing and awesome.  Likewise, the result of followers who turn away from the distractions of the world to walk more closely to God is as transforming here as in the hardest, most remote parts of the earth. 

 

Walking in God’s presence transcends all the best (and worst) this world could offer, regardless of where you are, or the circumstances of your life.  It is a “supernatural” event, and one that can be had at any time.  Don’t sell God short by believing that walking with Him could be any better in a different setting.  In His presence is all freedom, all love, and all peace.