James 1:1 10/31/2023*

“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ...”

God didn’t use me to write the book of “James” because… well, it would have been called “Boyd” for one … but more significantly, I would have been too intent on listing my qualifications … If I were in James shoes, I would have used my kinship with Jesus to elevate myself …my letter would have started like this: “I’m Boyd, Jesus’ little brother… so I’m pretty important.” 

But James’s only claim to fame is his servanthood to God and Christ. 

Being a brother of the Savior, the leader of the church, a guy who spent his whole life with Christ and knew Him better that any of the disciples… None of these “credentials” mattered to James… Instead, the title he chose was “bondservant of God.”

What titles do you choose?... What accolades do you consider important?  Are there things you “humble brag” about to make sure you are listened to, and respected by others?

Scripture says we must decrease so He will increase, but most would rather tell you to do that, than do it themselves. We want to be humble, but we want people to admire our humility …and that’s a problem…self-promotion is a problem… Jesus says we have it backwards. 

Christ preached that the first shall be last… The servants will be the masters… Being poor in spirit is the only way to be rich.  And while we often preach these truths – we seldom pursue them. 

We call pride a sin but fail to recognize it as the original one… It is the enemy’s first and favorite weapon, and our semi-tolerance of it has allowed it to destroy countless lives. It breeds hypocrisy. It disguises itself as piety, and poisons churches …  Nothing disqualifies you as a follower of Christ more than pride.

Let’s try humility today… Not for a moment, but for the entire day … Let’s think of others as more important than ourselves. Praying that God will use us  - and not even let us know – so we may walk in humility with God, serve others, and not be tempted by the deadly sin of pride. 

Nothing will enrich your life more than choosing to elevate God and His children, instead of yourself.

“Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” - C. S. Lewis

Colossians 4:2-3 10/24/2023*

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”

After encouraging the Colossians, Paul mentions that he is in chains.  If I were writing the letter, I would have started with that,  and encouraged them to pray for my freedom!  I usually pray about opening earthly doors… Paul desires prayer about opening doors for the gospel. 

He says, “devote yourself” to prayer so the mystery of Christ can be proclaimed … Am I devoted to talking to God?... And when I do pray, is it to promote His Kingdom or mine?

To be honest, the times I hit my knees in real devotion usually involve a personal emergency. And that is an appropriate response.  

But when did I last cry out to God about unbelievers?  When did I lose sleep because I was burdened by the sinfulness of our culture?  We are quick to post about politics, but do we pray for our country?  I cannot find the verse that tells me to lambast my political opponents online … but scripture clearly instructs me to pray for those in authority.  

It seems prayer is a more intricate issue than we have made it.  It’s not just a time to complain to God when we feel slighted… or place our order for the blessings we desire. 

Prayer is an avenue allowing us to be involved in God’s plan. It is an opportunity to wage war against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” That is what prayer is intended to be.  It is the greatest honor, and the most powerful weapon in all of creation …and we must not reduce it to a mantra, mindlessly uttered before meals. 

Let’s re-evaluate our approach to prayer. Let’s pray with passion and confidence making it our first, and last resort…. Prayer is powerful because God is … He is able to do more than we could ever ask for or imagine … That is what Jesus meant when He said... “Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”

I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than, the measure of the intensity of your prayer. – Charles Spurgeon

Jonah 4:11 10/17/2023*

“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left…?”

God is sympathetically pointing out the condition of the lost people in Nineveh … But Jonah didn’t like the Ninevites because their sin was different than his.  God wasn’t telling Jonah to tolerate their sin, He told him to tell them to repent… but Jonah didn’t want to, because he was afraid they would listen and avoid the punishment he had decided they deserved. 

We shake our heads at Jonah’s judgmentalism, but don’t we do the same thing?  Don’t we know people who are so lost they can’t tell their right hand from their left – and our response is to judge them, and leave them in their “lostness”? 

Let’s be honest…there are sins that we somewhat tolerate…but if you venture outside of those sins, our attitude toward you changes. If you succumb to a sin outside of our acceptable list, we don’t offer redemption, we don’t pray for you… we label you as arrogant, sick, ignorant, perverted, selfish, the list goes on and on… 

Here’s the problem with that… God loves sinners… and instructed us to do the same.  Sin is never to be tolerated, it requires repentance and change… if not,  sin leads to destruction.  However, God will determine deliverance or devastation … that is not my department. 

My job is to love others and tell them the truth, and I can’t do one without the other.  Truth without love will be condemnatory and condescending… Love without truth leaves people lost in their sinfulness. Both Truth and love are required to be effective.

So, who are the Ninevites in your life? …. Which group of sinners have you become judge and jury for?  Who have you stopped praying for because they don’t “deserve” the gospel? 

 Are there people who have hurt or upset you to the point that you would just as soon see them go to hell?  If so, you have allowed your heart to harden like Jonah’s did, and if you’re not careful you may find yourself figuratively lying on a beach, in a puddle of fish vomit.

“I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hebrews 12:1 10/10/2023*

“Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us…”

What a great life verse….  

The first part reminds me of the beginning of a football game. In Highschool, parents would form two lines into Tully Stadium and the team would run between them, from the locker room onto the field.  I didn’t realize the symbolism of that then, but I do now.  

There are several ways to interpret the first part of this verse - but only one interpretation for the second….  It clearly says that each day as I enter the race,  I must throw off anything that can trip me up.  

When I ran through those lines, I was wearing gear that protected me, and nothing that would cause me to stumble.  The equipment was light weight so as not to sap my strength. I ran onto the field determined to succeed and that was my only focus. 

Every morning I should visualize running through those lines and beginning my day with the same mentality. There is a game plan. I must put on the full armor of God and eliminate any sin or habit that might cause me to lose balance…  Too many days I just wander onto the field unmotivated, and unprepared... hoping I might win by accident. I won’t.  

This morning let’s be deliberate… throwing off “hinderances” like bailing water out of a sinking ship.  Let’s attack today being strong and courageous pursuing our goal of winning the race, knowing full well that it will take endurance to do it… “Quit” and “concede” will not be allowed into our vocabulary. 

How different would today be if you started it that way?... How different would your life be if you started every day that way?

We are surrounded by witnesses, and that is encouraging.  But we compete for an “audience of One”.  God is watching. So, hold nothing back. Look the opponent in the eye without blinking and run the race fearlessly. When life gets difficult, persevere like Jesus, who ran the race perfectly. 

Trust Him, one step at a time, and He will carry you until the race is over. 

“Heroism is endurance for one moment more.” - George F. Kennan

Mark 8:31-32 10/3/2023*

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”

Peter’s “rebuke” provoked Jesus to say to Peter, “Get thee behind me satan” in the very next verse.  

This was Peter’s most caustic reprimand from Jesus …much more severe than when he denied Christ.  So, it would be worthwhile to know what produced such a fiery response from the Son of God.  

What appears to have bothered Christ, was that Peter put human concerns in front of Godly ones.  Peter balked when God’s plan didn’t fit with his own plan of success.

It’s hard to blame Peter for not wanting Jesus to suffer and die, but Peter’s focus was on earthly happiness above Heavenly purpose … Peter protested because God’s plan carried too high a personal cost… That prompted a shocking response from Christ.

That hits me right between the eyes.   

I am fine with vague talk of suffering … I can accept that some may think I am odd if I follow Jesus… But if you imply that I am expected to endure abuse, and loss for Christ, I will distance myself from you. That may seem like a mundane reaction, but it is a passive version of exactly what Peter did.

Our attitude of tolerating God’s plan until it cost too much, draws a harsh response from Christ … Jesus doesn’t just want me to allow Him to “influence” my life… He wants my life committed to Him - at all cost. 

He is my King, and He has said that sometimes on this earth I will suffer, … There will be times that He calms the storm - and other times that He calms His child. Only by fully trusting His plan will I be content in either circumstance.

So, when it starts to rain,  I must choose. Either have faith in God and follow Him, or rebuke God and follow my own plan. There is no compromise in this area that will not provoke a forceful response from my Creator. 

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” 
- Corrie Ten Boom