Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
It wasn’t my intention to write a part 2, but life happens, and Christ-followers turn to the Bible (or at least they should).
For me, I did, and here’s why.
It started with our grandson’s mom. Early in the week, we get a call, “Can you watch him today? My car started pouring out smoke when I cranked it, and I need to get to work.” Later in the week, we get an IRS letter. It read (the Evans paraphrased version), you owe us over $700 more in taxes. Then, we get a text from our son, “Can you watch him for a bit? I went to crank my car to cool it down, and the AC isn’t working” (we live in Florida).
What is going on?
The short answer is life. There is a spiritual component, but that is not the focus of this story.
Since the Bible is a manual for living, I turned to the Lord, asking him to show me the answer.
No lightning bolts or angelic beings were showing me the way. In this case, my routine Bible reading came to the rescue.
“I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello!
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.
You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.
So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.
Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves.
Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way,
adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
When down-and-outers get a break, cheer!
And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it.”
James 1:1-10 The Message
A Sheer Gift
“Considerate a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.”
James 1:2 The Message
How many times have you approached life this way? In this case, I knew I wasn’t.
However, it prompted me to step back and reflect on (even more) challenging times in my life.
The Apostle James says that pressure forces your faith life to the forefront. The intent of the adversary (the devil) is to get you to freak out and do something you will later regret. He hopes that you raise a fist of anger toward God and curse him, because of his hatred for the Father.
But when you step back and reflect on the challenging moments in your past, like David, you remember the bear and lion you killed while protecting the sheep. It encourages you to face the giant in front of you now.
“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
I Samuel 17:36 The New King James Version
You become mature and well-developed
The beauty of a close personal relationship with God is the expansiveness of his plans and purposes for your life.
While you are looking for a way to get out of the challenge, God is working his maturity into you.
“So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
James 1:4 The Message
Help is a prayer away
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.
Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves.
Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way,
adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”
James 1:5-8 The Message
I have struggled with this most of my life, mainly because I am an overachieving first-born male and an American. (Which means, I expect my order to be ready by the time I reach the drive-through window.)
God is not a fast-food order taker, and my hurry-up lifestyle does not move him. However, he does answer prayer.
I recall a time while on a mission trip to Africa, a pastor telling me he had been praying for a Strong’s Bible Concordance (this was before the internet). I told him I would gladly get him one, and the following year, when I returned, I gave it to him.
He was beyond grateful and had patiently waited over two years to receive it. (Talk about God working maturity into your life—he is an example of it)
Asking God with confidence comes from a seasoned, close personal relationship with Him, where you have seen Him show up enough to be confident that He will do so this time.
The bluntness of the Bible
This is one of the reasons I like The Message translation of the Bible. They did not talk this way in King James’ time.
“When down-and-outers get a break, cheer!
And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it.”
James 1:9-10 The Message
It is easy to understand cheering for the underdog, but to cheer when the “arrogant rich” are brought down a notch?
Why would the Bible say that?
The Old Testament book of Proverbs gives us an answer.
“God smashes the pretensions of the arrogant; he stands with those who have no standing.”
Proverbs 15:25 The Message
“A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.”
Proverbs 13:7 The Message
“God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place.”
Proverbs 16:5
The Bible isn’t permitting us to be disrespectful, and the focus of the Apostle James’ message isn’t cheering when bad things happen to bad people. His focus is trust in God, not possessions.
The journey is life-long, and isn’t meant to be traveled alone. Come along; it will be an excitingly scary adventure.
The call of the Spirit is going out across the land for light bearers and (wisdom-speaking) truth givers to bring the words of life to a lost and dying world—one person at a time.
The journey is exciting and scary, and I am grateful to everyone willing to follow along as I take it.
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