Today’s Reading: James 4:7-12; Psalm 2

We struggle with not getting what we want; we pray with wrong motives because we want it our way. James shows us that this is an issue of pride — we think we know what is best. He also makes it clear that the solution to this inner struggle is submission to God.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. – James 4:7-10 (NIV)

THE BIGGEST THING THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND SUBMISSION IS YOU.

So what area of your life is God calling you to submit to Him today? Is it your health, your job, your marriage, your friendship; is it a struggle, a temptation, a grudge or anger?

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? — James 4:11-12

When I go back and read the first 12 verses of James chapter 4, I hear this strong message: Perhaps submission to God is about our FOCUS and ATTENTION. We need to change what we are focused on.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OTHER PEOPLE.

Don’t quarrel with each other. Don’t covet what others have, wanting it for yourself. Don’t be a friend of the world around you. Don’t look at other people and sit in judgment of their actions, slandering and speaking against each other. That means no more criticism and gossip.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF YOURSELF.

Don’t pray with wrong motives, seeking your own pleasure. When you focus on yourself, pride becomes an issue. Whether you are dealing with self-righteousness or low self-esteem, both are caused by thinking too much of yourself instead of focusing on God. God wants us to take our attention off ourselves, letting go of our pride and self-righteousness and trading it in for humility.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE RULES.

Stop coming up with an organized list of things to do in order to earn your way to Heaven. Don’t study the Scripture in order to argue with it or prove it wrong or make it fit what you want it to say. Don’t use the Bible as a weapon against fellow believers. Use God’s word as a way to better know Him, understand Him, and draw near to Him. Then any conversations you have with other believers will echo the heart of God, not human judgment.

We tend to move in the direction of our attention. Think about it. If we are driving but focus our attention on something off to the side of the road, our car will begin to drift in that direction. If we are running on a treadmill but looking behind us at someone on the elliptical machine, we will most likely misstep and find ourselves flat on the floor.

FOCUS ON GOD.

God says — Submit to me, come near to me, wash your hands, purify your hearts, be single-minded and focused on me. The farther we are from God, the easier it is to see everything that is going on around us. If we step as close to God as we possibly can, so close that He is dwelling inside of us and He has our full attention, we will free ourselves from the distractions of the world and the opinions of what our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing around us. We will lose ourselves in service to something bigger — God.

I like how The Message rephrases James 4:11-12:
Don’t bad mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

God is in charge. I am not. So I fall to my knees in sweet submission to the God who is calling me to draw near to Him. He has my full attention. I am ready to get lost in something bigger than me. I am ready to get lost in Him.

This morning’s scripture brings me back to the song King of the World sung by Natalie Grant:

I tried to fit you in the walls inside my mind / I try to keep you safely in between the lines / I try to put you in the box that I’ve designed / I try to pull you down so we are eye to eye / When did I forget that you’ve always been the King of the world? / I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world / How could I make you so small / When you’re the One who holds it all / When did I forget that you’ve always been the King of the world?… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6NfOJl26F4

Today’s Reading: James 4:1-6; Psalm 79

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. – James 4:1-3

NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE WE DESIRE.

“How much longer?” This was the common question asked on our travels when the girls were younger. They longed to be at our destination but also tired of riding in the car. So, at their request, we would stop to stretch our legs and get a snack. Once back in the car the same question would be repeated, “How much longer?” The same amount of time as when we stopped, of course! They would long to be where we were headed but also want to get out of the car, even though it KEPT THEM FROM THEIR GREATEST LONGING – to get where we were going.

How often do we do the same thing in our prayer life? We pray for one thing and then pray for something else that would keep us from receiving the first thing we prayed for. No matter what we have, there is something else we desire. I wonder if God rolls His eyes when we ask for two things that we cannot have simultaneously.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE CONDITION OF OUR HEART.

I think the greatest problem that James is addressing in this passage is the heart. This is the start of a new chapter but it is really the continuation of what he has been teaching in the first three chapters. The words that we speak, the anger we display, the favoritism we show, the conflicts we have with other people — it all comes down to the condition of our heart.

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” – James 4:4-6

James is again comparing opposites, showing us that we cannot be two things at once. Let’s review: We cannot believe and doubt (1:6-8). The world tells us one thing but God…(1:20-21). This is pure…this is polluted (1:27). Don’t show favoritism toward the rich over the poor (2:1-7). There is a difference between knowing and doing. You can’t just read the word and not do it (1:22-25); you can’t obey some of the law but not all of it (2:8-12); you can’t see someone in need and do nothing (2:16). Don’t use your tongue to praise God and then turn around and use it to speak poorly of those He has created in His likeness (3:9-12). You cannot have both earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom (3:13-18).

GOD IS A FIERCELY JEALOUS LOVER.

We cannot look around at the world and desire what it has to offer, then turn and ask God to bless us with these worldly pleasures. Let’s read James 4:4-6 in The Message: You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

So the opposites continue. It’s either our way or God’s way; pride or humility. We are either God’s friend or God’s enemy. So what is it going to be? I think all of us desire that close relationship with God but James is warning us that the world and its influence is daily pulling us away from God. In order to stay connected to God we must daily spend time in His presence, seeking HIS way in our lives and intentionally avoiding the many ways the world attempts to pollute us.

WE NEED TO RESIST THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT PULL OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM GOD.

Lord, I love you so much and my desire is to draw closer to you. That you call me friend and that you pour your grace on me, these truths overwhelm me. What you give in love is far better than anything else I will ever find. Lord, show me the ways in which my attention is being drawn to earthly things instead of to you. Help me not to walk out of your presence today but dwell in you all day. Amen.

“He is jealous for me / Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree / Bending beneath the weight of His wind & mercy / When all of a sudden / I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory / And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me. / Oh, how He loves us, oh / Oh how He love us, how He loves us all…” [How He Loves by the David Crowder Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FxaUYjRtkc]

Today’s Reading: James 3:13-18; Psalm 15

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are NOT GOD’S KIND OF WISDOM. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. – James 3:13-16

PRESENCE PRODUCES CHARACTER

James stays consistent with the theme of his letter by stating again that our faith must be evident in the way we live our lives. If we truly have faith, we cannot hang on to our old patterns of jealousy or selfishness. We have to stop finding them funny. Hollywood has caused us to laugh at our own dysfunctions, somehow making them cute or endearing. But we must stop “denying the truth” that our habits are sinful; we must stop using humor to cover up our feelings of guilt.

True faith produces godly wisdom, which is first of all pure. For something to be pure, it must be void of anything that does not belong in it, which adds to our list much more than just jealousy and selfishness. True faith is peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. True faith produces righteousness. We are saved by grace, but the faith that God gives us is intended to make a difference in the way we live out our relationship with God.

Let’s look at the next two verses as translated in The Message: Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoys its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor (James 3:17-18).

CHARACTER REQUIRES PRESENCE

A holy life must be evidenced in the way we get along with one another. This can be hard if we are trying to produce these kinds of relationships on our own; if we are trying to pretend to love others. To truly pour out our lives as a living sacrifice to God, we must surrender ourselves completely to Him. We must be so consumed by God as He fills us with who He is so that He can use us and the gifts He has given us to advance His Kingdom. Consider these verses from Romans 12:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. – Romans 12:9-21

God calls us to be intentional with our lives, living out our faith with brotherly love. But again God isn’t calling us to try to do all of these great things out of our own capacity or in our own strength. He is willing to be the source of our power and strength. In order to have God’s character, we need God’s presence in our lives.

CHARACTER REQUIRES PRESENCE AND PRESENCE PRODUCES CHARACTER.

I do not have to do any of the things above. I only need to truly enter God’s presence and offer myself as a living sacrifice. This love described in Romans 12 will be an outflow of God’s presence in my life, not a result of my effort to be a good person. So, when God calls me to be intentional, the first place to start is to INTENTIONALLY enter God’s presence EVERY day, allowing Him to fuel the fire inside of me. It’s not my morning coffee which fuels the start of my day, it is my time in God’s presence.

Today’s Reading: James 3:1-12; Psalm 145

I started writing My Morning Coffee in 2010 because God told me to write them. My goal has been to simply share what God is teaching me – to share out of the overflow of my daily time in His presence. I see myself as more of a student of the Word than a teacher. I pray God has used these devotionals in your life — that there have been moments when God was speaking to both of us through His Spirit as we studied God’s word together.

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. – James 3:1-2

Controlling our speech — this is the area I find myself messing up time and time again. It’s not easy, which is the point James is making here. He uses three comparisons to help us understand the importance of conquering this area of our life.

A LITTLE BIT

We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. – James 3:3

My friend, Todd Craig, showed me once how God created horses with a place in their mouth that doesn’t have teeth – a place where he can place his thumb and force the horse to open his mouth so the bit can be put into place. Once the bit is in place, the horse calms and cooperates with its rider.

A SMALL RUDDER

And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. – James 3:4-5a

The tongue may be small but it is mighty. It can set the course of our life, determining the direction of relationships. It can do both good and harm. What we say may seem insignificant but it has the power to speak kind words of encouragement or harsh words of condemnation.

A TINY SPARK

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! – James 3:5b-10

The tongue is small but powerful. We can tame animals but we cannot tame the destructive potential of the tongue. So what do we do with that? If the tongue can steer the course of our life and destroy everything in its path yet cannot be controlled, where is the hope in that?

Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. – James 3:11-12

I don’t want to be the person who is praising God one minute and the next minute speaking unkindly about someone Jesus loves enough to die for. I don’t want my tongue doing the work of Satan, finding its source in hell. I want something different. But these verses are saying that I cannot just determine to do better and change old habits if I cannot tame my tongue. Again, where is the hope?

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:1-4

And therein we find hope. I don’t have to try harder; what I need to do is take that step of letting God truly be the LORD of my life. At the point when I truly surrender to Him, He fills me with His Spirit and I begin to speak in new ways – ways that are different from my old speech patterns, ways that could only be the result of the work the Holy Spirit is doing in my life. I start speaking love instead of judgment, patience instead of criticism, and joy instead of pessimism. Now there’s hope!

Kalley Heiligenthal wrote a song called Ever Be and in one of the verses he writes:
“You shoulder our weakness and Your strength becomes our own /You’re making me like You…”

Lord, I give you control of my heart and my speech today. Please give me a fresh filling of your Spirit and may your praise always be on my lips! Give me the right words to say and a heart that desires to only bless and do your work with my words. I love you, Lord. Amen.

“You will be praised, You will be praised / With angels and saints we sing worthy are you Lord /
And it’s why I sing / Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips / Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips” [Ever Be by Kalley Heiligenthal, Bethel Music]

Today’s Reading: James 2:21-26 and 5:10-11

I love mornings when I can just rest in God’s presence, trusting in Him and waiting on Him. I love to study His word and let the faith of others build my faith. In his letter, James uses the faith of three individuals to show us how faith, actions and relationship work together. First, he brings our focus on Abraham.

FULLY CONVINCED IN FAITH — ABRAHAM

How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. – James 2:20-24

Romans 4:18-21 tells us that Abraham kept hoping even when there was no reason to hope. His faith did not waver when he was fatherless at almost 100 years of age; he kept believing in God’s promise that he would be the father of many nations. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

Time passed between the moment God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky & the sand on the seashore and the moment Sarah became pregnant. Time passed between the moment Abraham was told by God to sacrifice Isaac and the moment God provided the lamb. Time passed and yet Abraham’s faith did not waver, it did not weaken. He stayed strong in his faith and continued to give glory to God, FULLY CONVINCED that God had the power to do what He had promised He would do.

Can you relate to Abraham? Perhaps time is passing for you between the promise God has given you and its fulfillment. Do not waver in unbelief. Hold tight to God’s promises, giving glory to God and remaining FULLY PERSUADED that God will do what He has promised He will do!

WAITING IN FAITH — JOB

For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. – James 5:10-11

When we are in the midst of suffering, James encourages us to not get impatient and begin to grumble but instead to be patient and stand firm. We can’t rush God. We often have the tendency to go ahead of God and try to push His hand but God calls for us to patiently wait on Him. In the midst of this waiting, we are strengthened in our faith.

We don’t always know why God is allowing something in our life but we know we can trust Him. I love this quote from Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick: “Like Job, we endure cycles of suffering and restoration, sometimes without the slightest clue as to God’s specific purpose. Being a child of God means accepting God is fully free to do as He sees fit and abiding in His core attributes. Our heritage as God’s people is to stand firmly on the platform of God’s person, knowing He moves exclusively in ways consistent with His covenant commitment, even if we cannot grasp them with finite minds” [Mercy Triumphs, Beth Moore].

DEFINED BY FAITH – RAHAB

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. – James 2:25-26

Rahab helped the spies escape and then she waited – waited for the day of her own rescue. While the world around her continued to judge her by her past actions of sin and prostitution, God saw Rahab’s faith as evidenced in her heroic actions. Rahab was not considered righteous in spite of the sinful decisions she had made, she was counted as righteous because of her faith in the God of Israel and her willingness to put her own life at risk in order to be used by God for the preservation of His people.

Dear God, thank you so much for seeing us for who you created us to be, who we are and who we will become. Help us to trust you as Abraham did – to trust You to do what only You can do. Help us to live not on the basis of what we see we cannot do but on what we know YOU can do. Like Job and Rahab, let our actions be the seamless unity of believing and doing. Amen.

Today’s Reading: James 2:8-20

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So, if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.

So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. – James 2:8-13

Have you ever considered the concept of MERCY when discussing favoritism or the habit of judging other people? I think of mercy when I think of seeing someone in need and having pity on them, then coming to their assistance. I think of mercy when I think of the need to forgive someone, regardless of whether or not they are asking for my forgiveness. But James is clearly using the concept of mercy while discussing our tendency to treat other people according to the standards WE set instead of loving them unconditionally.

MERCY SETS THE STANDARD WHEN…

Mercy is respecting where each person is coming from rather than judging or looking down on them. To truly love our neighbors, we must stop thinking so highly of ourselves, accept each other through the eyes of our Creator, and display authentic mercy to one another. To truly love is to respond to someone else’s need – to go beyond accepting and put our faith into action.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith BY my good deeds.”

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless. – James 2:14-20

MERCY SETS THE STANDARD WHEN…

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Mercy and love should come naturally because of the work God is doing in our lives. Mercy should be an outflow of our faith or evidence of our faith. We can fall into a SALVATION BY WORKS mentality if we are not careful. We begin to say, “I need to try harder. I need to do better. I need to produce more fruit.” The danger in this is then we can say, “Look at these good works that I have accomplished for God. Look at the fruit of MY labor.”

Let us not forget the first 7 verses of John chapter 15 – God is the vine and we are the branches. It is remaining in Him that changes who we are and that change is evidenced in the life we live. Fruit is then a result of our relationship with God, daily remaining in His presence and allowing Him to work through us.

Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

When we become a living sacrifice, we are offering ourselves to God – utterly at His disposal — willing to be consumed by Him, desiring to be transformed by Him, set apart to be used by Him. Now mercy and love are a natural part of WHO we are because of WHOSE we are. Now mercy sets the standards.

Today’s Reading: James 1:26-2:7; Psalm 68

Today’s passage definitely requires that mirror we talked about yesterday. It is time for me to be honest and open with God – allowing His Spirit to speak to me as I read His word. I need to be willing to hear anything He might have to say to me this morning.

MY RELIGION IS WORTHLESS WHEN…

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. – James 1:26-27

That’s good news for those of us who volunteer or work for a pregnancy center ministry. That is what we do! Many of the women we serve have been abandoned by their own father and now the father of their baby. We reach out to help both mother and baby.

Churches are known for this as well. I know of many churches that have Embrace Grace groups for single moms or Grief Share groups for widows. We attended a church in Nashville recently that encourages families towards foster care and adoption. These believers are beautifully taking care of orphans and widows because that is what God has moved their hearts to do.

Over the last few years, there have been many deaths in the church where I grew up. A generous couple in the church decided they wanted to do something special for the growing number of widows in their congregation, so now these wonderful ladies are able to go out to eat together once a month. They have become a close knit group and enjoy their time together.

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. – Psalm 68:5-6a

Maybe you are thinking of the ways in which you reach out to orphans and widows in your community. That is good news for us then, right? But wait a second. Before we take too much pride in what God has called us to do or given us opportunity to do, there is more to this scripture.

MY RELIGION IS WORTHLESS WHEN…

James says that our religion is worthless if we cannot keep a tight rein on our tongue. Ouch! We don’t serve a God who is looking for more good works than sinful deeds. Our religion is not one where we just need to make sure the good outweighs the bad. We serve a God who is calling us to holiness – to a Spirit-filled life that guides both our actions and our words.

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” – well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? – James 2:1-7

MY RELIGION IS WORTHLESS WHEN…

Humans have a tendency to treat people differently – preference, prejudice, favor, stereotyping, assumptions, racism. If someone possesses something we esteem, we are naturally drawn to them. That could be physical beauty, clothing, designer shoes or purses, athleticism, jewelry, talent, celebrity status, intelligence, money, or a dynamic personality. It is all favoritism and it is all sin, and my guess is we are all guilty.

Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? – James 2:5

Over and over again, scripture shows that those who are poor by the world’s standards are more easily drawn toward God. Because they have less of this world’s treasures to hold on to, they tend to trust God with more of their life.

I don’t want my religion to be worthless. Lord, please fill me with your Spirit today. Give me the strength to listen to your Spirit’s leading and hold back any words that are not pleasing to you. May my mouth be an instrument for you today and not a tool for the devil. Lord, bring the words of James to my mind today when I am faced with an opportunity to let the Spirit guide me. May I trust you with more and hang on to less! Amen.

Today’s Reading: James 1:19-25; Psalm 34

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith and don’t show it by your actions? – James 2:14a

This powerful question speaks loudly throughout James’ letter to the Jews. It’s tragic to say you believe in God but then live out a life absent of God’s presence, yet how often are we caught in that kind of moment?

HOW OFTEN DO OUR ACTIONS AND WORDS REPRESENT THE SELFISHNESS LIVING INSIDE OF US INSTEAD OF THE SAVIOR LIVING OUT THROUGH US?

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. – James 1:19-21

God’s plan is to fill us with His words – to speak into us the word of truth. But first we must rid ourselves of the things that drown out His words or that use up available space that is meant to be filled with His gifts.

Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it. – Psalm 34:12-14

I think I need to make room in my life for the good things that God has for me. It’s time for some end of the season cleaning!

— There are some unnecessary attitudes and anger that I need to stop embracing in order to make me feel justified. I need to rid myself of this moral filth so that God can give me peace and the ability to forgive.

— There are some habits in my life that I need to rid myself of – habits that make me feel good about myself when God wants me to go to Him for my self-esteem and joy.

— There are some things I put into my body to give me energy and keep me going, when God wants to be my source of stamina, drive and purpose.

— There are some lies that I tend to believe – lies I need to stop listening to so that I can clearly hear the voice of God speaking the truth into my heart.

— There are some things in my life that waste my time, but time is a gift from God — a good and perfect gift. I need to clear my schedule and stop telling God that I don’t have time for…that I just cannot…that I’m too busy…

WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO GET RID OF SO THAT HE CAN FILL YOU TO OVERFLOWING?

Is there anger that God is asking you to let go of? Is He calling you to be quick to listen and slow to speak? Any filth or bad habits you need to get rid of? Are there lies you are holding onto that are keeping God’s truth from fully transforming you? Any schedule clearing you need to do in order to make room for what God is calling you to do?

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like GLANCING at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you LOOK CAREFULLY into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. – James 1:21-25

The study of God’s word is a wonderful thing. Spending time each day in God’s presence is vital. The question is whether or not we allow God’s words and his teachings to change who we are and how we live. If I faithfully study the Bible and I daily write “My Morning Coffee” but I don’t allow it to change who I am and what I do, then I am simply a student of the Word and not a servant of the Author.

I am reminded this morning that my study of the scriptures needs to include more than a cup of coffee, it needs to include a mirror. When I look in the mirror, I need to see who God created me to be – the life He intended for me. When I walk away from the mirror, I need to remember who I am in Christ. I want to be satisfied with nothing less than fulfilling God’s purpose for my life.

Today’s Reading: James 1:9-18; Psalm 49

James starts out his letter encouraging his readers to have faith and endurance in the midst of troubles – to see difficult times as an opportunity for faith to grow and endurance to develop. He is still talking about this when he begins to talk about the rich and the poor.

Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. – James 1:9

Is James telling us we should take pride in our humble circumstances? No, he is telling us we should be humble no matter what our circumstances. The only time to boast is when we are boasting about what God is doing in our lives. James is saying that even those in humble circumstances can boast about the wonderful things God is doing in their lives. We do not need the riches of the world; we need the blessings of our Father.

And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away with all of their achievements. – James 1:10-11

James is speaking of those who place their confidence in their riches, or who look to their finances to provide help when trouble comes instead of looking to God. They look to the things of this world that will fade away and wither, instead of trusting in the God who is eternal.

God does not promise riches to those who have faith in Him, but He has blessed many believers with great riches. Whether God chooses to give us access to many material blessings or few, He wants us to trust in Him more than anything we can place our hands on. Whatever He has blessed us with, big or little, is His to use for His purposes. He wants access to all that we have so that we can embrace Him with empty hands.

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12

I find it interesting that this verse follows the section about the rich and the poor. How often does our financial situation tempt us to place our faith in money instead of God? We are tempted with the thought that our problems will be solved if only God will give us more material blessings. And when He does bless us financially, is He tempting us to get caught up in worldly treasures? James settles that question clearly in the next verse.

And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. – James 1:13-15

Imagine the analogy of a fish being caught on a hook. All is good and then the fish’s attention is drawn to something that looks pleasing — something dangling from a hook. The fish is not thinking about the danger of the hook but of the temporary pleasure of the worm. The fish has the choice to swim away from the temptation or to latch onto it. The latter results in the fish being pulled in a direction it never intended to go. Temptation comes from our own sinful desires. When we choose to pursue what our flesh desires, we take the chance that the temptation will drag us into sinful actions. As we allow sin a place in our lives, it gives birth to death. But don’t be misled! Don’t be enticed, and don’t let temptation drag you into places of sin.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. – James 1:16-18

Our God never changes. He is good and He is holy today, and He will be good and He will be holy tomorrow. We never have to question if He loves us. We are His prized possession and He longs for us to love Him in this same way. In good times and bad, have faith in Him. Whether you have little or much, trust in Him. Don’t let any situation, earthly possession, or temptation draw your attention away from the One who calls you His prized possession.

Father, thank you for loving us with that kind of love! Thank you for the abundance you provide for us every day as we live the life you have given us. May we always be satisfied with your provisions and may we always be thankful for your generosity. Help us to WAIT on you, the God who never changes or casts a shifting shadow, for all we want and all we need. Amen.

Today’s Reading: James 1:1-8; Psalm 9

Around the time of Paul’s first missionary journey, followers of Jesus began writing letters to the believers scattered across the region. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote a short letter packed full of inspiration for us today. It is one of my favorite books of the Bible.

James opens up his letter with a short introduction of himself. Have you ever had to introduce yourself or write your own bio? It is not easy to do. Out of all the different ways James could have described himself, he chose slave or servant (1:1). Not brother, not blood relation, not childhood playmate – James chose servant.

My heart resonates with James’ description of himself. I desire to be completely sold-out to God — a servant willing to do whatever God asks of me. I choose to recognize Jesus as my Lord or my Master, not just my Christ or my Savior. I recognize that it is through his blood that I kneel before him forgiven and with a hope and peace that are precious gifts from God Himself.

WHEN TROUBLE COMES YOUR WAY

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. – James 1:2

Wow! When trouble comes my way, I should consider it an opportunity for great joy. When things are going wrong, I should consider it an “opportunity” and not a burden. When problems are unresolved, I should look at the good that can come from it instead of dwelling on the trouble it is creating.

WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So LET IT GROW, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. – James 1:3-4

An opportunity…a chance…needing nothing. When it seems like all is going wrong and my faith is being tested, I can focus on the positive – I can trust that something good can come of this difficulty. I can see my circumstances as an opportunity to build endurance or perseverance. And when endurance is fully developed, when I am growing fully in Christ, I can rest in the knowledge that my life is perfect (all that God intended it to be).

WHEN YOU NEED WISDOM

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. – James 1:5-8

Sometimes I lack wisdom. Sometimes the way I handle a situation causes me to regret my actions before the day is even over – sometimes before the words are even out of my mouth. Apologies are made and I seek God for forgiveness. My GENEROUS God hears my cry for wisdom and He answers it. He forgives me and is willing to give me wisdom, if only I will ask for it.

WHEN YOU START TO DOUBT

The problem is that my lack of wisdom yesterday can cause me to doubt today. Have you been there? I find myself discouraged that I have once again blown it. I begin to wonder if I will ever get it right. It is in those moments that I need to remember where my help comes from (Psalm 121:1-2). I love how Beth Moore describes our imperfect submission to a perfect God.

“…we bring all that WE are to all that HE is and all that we NEED to all He can GIVE…” – Beth Moore [Mercy Triumphs, p.51]

I love that! When I am so sick of myself and so frustrated that I am not getting it right (again), I can take all that I am (as pitiful as it may be) to all that He is (holy, righteous and good). He can transform me into the person He needs me to be, giving me the wisdom I need to grow up fully in Him. I can ask my GENEROUS God for wisdom, in absolute confidence that He will give it to me.

Here I am again, Lord, looking back at yesterday, discouraged that I am not as mature as I long to be. I am reminded this morning by your brother, James, that you will give me what I need. Lord, I need wisdom. I ask you to empty me of all that is me, and fill me with all that is you. Generous God, please give me your wisdom and continue to grow me fully in You so that I can be ALL that You intend for me to be. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for continuing to work in me, building patient endurance each time my faith is tested. I choose to LET IT GROW. Amen.

The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.
Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer. – Psalm 9:9-12