Consider God's Judgment (James 1:13-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-25-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Consider God’s Judgment

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Reference:  James 1:13-16

 

            Message of the verse:  “13  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”  (NASB)

            The focus that is written down is the focus on verses 13-16, and I am only going to look at verse 13 today.  The word for tempted and the word for trial that has been used in the previous section (2-12) comes from the same root word in the Greek.  “Tempt 29, try 4, tempter 2, prove 1, assay 1, examine 1, go about 1” These are some of the definitions that Strong’s Concordance gives for this word.  The reason that I bring this up is that James uses this section to describe temptation, where as he used the first section to describe trials.  There is a difference between trials or tests, and temptations, however a trial can become a temptation if the believer tries to handle it on his own, and not trust the Lord to bring about good from the trial.  Temptations come from Satan, and he uses the fallen nature to accomplish temptation in a believer’s life.  In 1Corthians 10:13 Paul writes about temptations and has this to say, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”  James goes on to give the believer three facts that must be considered if believers are to overcome temptations.  The first one is Consider God’s Judgment, (1:13-16), Consider God’s Goodness (1:17), & Consider God’s Divine Nature Within (1:18).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have learned the difference between trials and temptations from this verse in James, and I believe that knowing this will help me to mature as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Word of God has certainly challenged by heart today, as well as instructed me too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Not to allow trials to cause me to give in to temptations.

Crowns Received Because of Love (James 1:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-23-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Crowns Because of Love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 1:12

 

            Message of the verse:  “12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”  (NASB)  “God blesses the people who patiently endure testing.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”  (NLT)

            Verse 12 is the end of this first section in James as outlined in Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary.  This section started in verse 2 with joy and ends in verse 12 with joy.  This verse tells us that the believers who perseveres und trial is blessed and will be rewarded with the crown of life.  This is not a crown that will be given to him on earth, but will be given to him when the Lord returns.  This crown is given to the believer because of love as seen at the end of the verse.  John tells us that we love God because He first loves us, and proved that love for us by sending His Son to die in our place for sins we should have died for.  Therefore when we get to heaven and are given crowns for things done well while we were on the earth we will cast our crowns at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are also rewarded by growth in Christian character, and this will bring glory to the Lord.  In Hebrews 12 the writer speaks of Christ enduring the cross because of the joy that was set before Him.  First there was the cross and then the crown, and this is the same for the believers who stand up under trials, first the suffering and then the glory.  If God did not send trials to us we would not grow and mature as believers.  

            At the end of this verse James says the crown of life is given to those who love the Lord.  He did not say for those who trust Him or obey Him but love Him. There are four imperatives in this section of James and love is the spiritual force behind each of them.  Dr. Wiersbe says that if we love God we will have no problem counting, (a joyful attitude), knowing, (an understanding mind), letting, (a surrendered will), or asking, (a believing heart).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that what I can learn from this verse and from this section is that the love of God should be the motivation for every thing that I do.  I believe that if you look at the life of Jesus Christ while He was on earth that you can surely see that He did everything because of love, love for His Father by obeying Him, and love for us by dying for us.  Johns Gospel and letters are full of love and so love is the greatest motivation for living the Christian life.

 

The Word of God was full of challenges, and even the greatest challenge to love God.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To love the Lord with all my heart and all my soul and my neighbor as myself.

 

Do Not be Double Minded (James 1:6-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-22-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Do not be double minded

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 1:6-8

 

            Message of the verse:  “6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”  (NASB)  “6 Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind. 7 Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord; 8 For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways (BBE).” 

            In verse five James says we are to ask God for wisdom, and in verse six he tells us how to ask God, and that it in faith.  When one prays he must believe that God is able and willing to answer our prayers.  When God answers our prayers He may at times say no to our request, or maybe He will ask us to wait, but God wants us to align our wills with His will, and we must believe that this is best for us in spite of what things may look like at the present.  Also in verse six James says we are not to doubt God when we ask Him and he describes this doubting as being double minded, (having ones soul or mind divided between God and the world).  These verses tell us that we must trust the Lord to do His will in our lives, doing what He knows is best for us, and for His glory in spite of consequences and circumstances. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am glade that the Lord has shown me more about what this section of James means.  I use to think that it was all up to me, that if I did not have enough faith to believe God would answer my prayers, and if I would just doubt for an instant then God would forget answering me all together.  I do not want to have my mind or soul go between God and the world, for I want to have the strong faith that God is in control of my life and to trust Him to do what is best for me, and bring glory to His name.

 

The Word of God was both refreshing to my heart and at the same time convicting to my soul.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to trust the Lord to continue to fill me with His Spirit for the things that He would want me to do.  I want to be able to trust the Lord completely for the outcome of our investments, and also that He will guide Sandy and I to a place where we can invest them for our good and His glory.

Wisdom: The Right Use of Knowledge (James 1:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-21-03

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Wisdom:  The Right use of Knowledge

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 1:5

 

            Message of the verse:  “5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” 

            In order to understand this verse you must be able to understand exactly what “Godly wisdom” is, and in order to understand godly wisdom you must know the Scriptures, for in them Godly wisdom is found.  “The readers of James’ letter recognized this as the understanding and practical skill that was necessary to life to God’s glory, wisdom contained in the pure and peaceable absolutes of God’s will revealed in His Word, and lived out.”  (From John Macarthur’s study Bible) 

            When a person is going through a trial that is God authorized he must ask God for the wisdom he needs to understand what he is to get out of that trial so that it will cause him to grow in his faith and to mature as a believer.  The verse then assures us that God will give wisdom, in fact He will gladly give it to you in a generous way and without reproach, in other words He will not resent your asking.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I try to put this verse into shoe leather for my life today I face a problem that has been with me ever since I can remember, and that is being nervous.  I am going to play golf with three fine believers this morning and being nervous about it causes my IBS to react in a way that makes me even more nervous.  I think of the verses in Phil. 4:6 & 7 which say that a believer is to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let his requests be known unto God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  I can learn from this wisdom of the Scriptures that I am not to be nervous, that when I am nervous that I am to give thanks, and I believe the reason to give thanks is that this trial draws me closer to the Lord.  I am to make my request of not being nervous known unto God, who is glade to hear this request according to James 1:5.  Then God is to give me his peace which passes all understanding and will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.  In an earlier devotion on James I learned that I am to surrender my trials to the Lord so that He can use them to cause me to mature in my faith. 

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart, and it was also convicting to my soul.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To surrender to the Lord my nervousness and to ask Him to give me wisdom to deal with it so that it will bring glory to Him and good to me.  I trust the Lord to work out Phil. 4:6 & 7 in my life today.

 

An Example of a Surrendered Will (James 1:9-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-20-03

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  An Example of a Surrendered Will

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  James 1:9-11

 

            Message of the verses:  “9 But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; 10 and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.  11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”  (NASB)  “Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them.  And those who are rich should be glad, for God humbled them.  They will fade away like a flower in the field.  The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away.  So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements.”  (NLT)

            The reason for skipping to verses 9-11 is because that is the outline that Dr. Wiersbe has in his book on James, “Be Mature.”  Yesterday when doing verse 4 I learned from Dr. Wiersbe’s book that one of the most difficult stages of maturing is weaning and he sites a verse in the Psalms where David dealt with this principle of weaning.  “2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.”  A weaned child is a sign of a maturing child, for it does give liberty to the child, but at times it is difficult for the child.  God weans the believer in order to bring maturity to him and He does it through trials and in verses 9-11 James gives an example of this by writing about a poor believer and a rich believer.  The poor believer can rejoice when realizing that his true riches are in the Lord who tests him.  The rich man can rejoice in the Lord when testing comes knowing that some day all of his riches will fade away any way.  One point that needs to be made about testing that comes from the Lord and that if believers do not surrender to the Lord then these believers will become even more immature. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can say that in the standards of many people around the world my family would be considered rich, and I can say with a sincere heart that the Lord has blessed my family with an abundance of material blessing, along with more than an abundance of spiritual blessing, of neither do we deserve. God is certainly testing us with the uncertainty of our investments, and I can thankfully say that He has given me the grace to deal with this testing, and I hope that I can say that I have surrendered to His will as to what He will do concerning the returning of our investments, for He owns it all, and even though I have made some mistakes investing the funds that He has trusted me with I am learning what these mistakes are and by His grace will never make them again.  But it is the joy of knowing that the Lord cares for me so much that He has allowed these things to happen to me in order to take me further along in the maturing process of becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The Word of God has been a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning. 

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to surrender to the Lord in this testing that He is putting me through.  I do count it all joy because I know that the Lord is in control of my life and also He will not do things to harm me, only doing things for my good and His glory.

 

Endurance (James 1:4)

SPIRITUALL DIARY FOR 08-19-03

 

                                                                                   

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Endurance

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                           Reference:  James 1:4

 

            Message of the verse:  “4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  (NASB)  “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”  (NLT)

            I want to explain the word translated for “complete” in this verse from the Strong’s Concordance:  “complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole.”  This is speaking of maturity. This verse seems to be part of a process that the Lord takes us through on the maturing process.  Yesterday I spoke about the trials bringing about endurance or patience, and that you get this through faith in the Lord through His Word and His Holy Spirit.  Now the believer is to allow this patience or endurance to work in their life to bring about maturity.  God wants the believer to trust Him through these trials to bring about maturity in their lives.  Paul spoke of this in his writings in Ephesians 2:8-10.  There are three works that are involved in the Christian life that are explained in these verses.  1. Salvation, which is the work that God has done for us through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross on our behalf.  2. This is the work done in us through God which is sanctification, which is where God builds character in our lives, and we become more like Jesus Christ as Romans 8:29 speaks of:  “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.”  3. The next is service, which God does through us.  God has to build character in us before he can work through us in service.  There are examples of this in the OT in the lives of Abraham, and Joseph, and Moses, for God worked to build character in Moses’ life for 80 years before he served the Lord for the next 40 years leading the people of God. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God has been working in my life for 29 plus years, and my prayer is that for the rest of the days He give me will be used in service for the cause of Jesus Christ.

 

The Word of God was indeed a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To allow God to use the trials in my life each day to bring about endurance and for the endurance to bring about maturity that I may serve Him as He works through me.  I want my life to be a vessel that the Lord will fill each day for His honor and glory.

 

How to Rejoice in Trials (James 1:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-18-2003

 

                                                                                                           

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  How to rejoice in trials

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 1:3

 

            Message of the verse:  “3 Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”  (NASB)  “For when faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”  (NLT) 

            What does the Bible teach us that makes it easier to face trials and to also benefit by them?  Dr. Wiersbe speaks of three things that the Bible teaches us.  The first one is faith is always tested.  The Bible teaches us that God tests us to bring out our best, but Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us.  There are a number of examples of believers being tested by God in order to strengthen our faith.  Abraham was certainly tested by God on a number of occasions.  The biggest test for Abraham was the offering up of Isaac as a burnt offering before God saw that he would do this and provided a lamb for the offering.  Moses was tested many times by the Lord to improve his faith, as was David, and Paul, and many others.  As you read through the 11^th chapter of Hebrews you see that in this great chapter on the faith of these many believers that if you look into there lives there were many tests of God to improve their faith.

            The second reason Dr. Wiersbe gives is trials rightly used help us to mature.  God desires us to be mature in our faith and patience is one of the marks of a mature believer, and patience is developed by trials.  You cannot learn patience or endurance from the reading of a book, or listening to a sermon, or even praying a prayer.  Believers must go through the difficulties of life, and trust the Lord and obey him to bring about patience.  As we learn this patience through trials then we can look upon the trials as joy, for we will know why God has allowed them to come into our lives, which is for our good, and His glory, our good because the work out to mature us in our faith, and God’s glory for others will see it in our lives and praise the Lord. 

            The third reason Dr. Wiersbe sights is testing works for us, not against us.  Romans 8:28 teaches us that God causes all things to work together for our good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Trials work for the believer not against the believer.  Trials help to bring about approval of our faith, just as Peter says, “ that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  From the truth of this passage I need to count it all joy when trails come into my life, realizing that they will bring about maturity in my life which is what God’s purposes are for the trials.  This is truly more difficult that it sounds.

 

The Word of God was certainly a challenge to my life as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today: To count it all joy when trials come into my life today.