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

Mark 4:18-19 9/26/2023*

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

Jesus is referring to the gospel as seed, and people’s hearts as the soil where it  lands.  So, what is the condition of your soil?  When was the last time you examined your heart for thorns?

Even healthy plants suffer from the proximity of weeds and thorns which use up nutrition and block the spread of good roots. Unwanted plants interfere with production.  If you were to examine your heart for weeds and thorns, would you know what they look like? 

Some are obvious… immorality, substance abuse, self-centeredness… We all recognize these as unwanted and destructive.  But Jesus lists a few other things that sometimes pass under our radar unnoticed.

Christ calls “worrying” a thorn that stops you from bearing fruit.  We think of worry as a mental health issue, but Jesus says it impacts us spiritually.  Allowing worry to take root in my heart takes my focus off God and reduces my ability to make disciples.  According to Jesus, it’s also a waste of time … "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” Anxiety is fruitless… Having confidence in God’s power removes the thorn of worry and replaces it with expectant and productive faith. 

The second thorn Christ mentions is wealth’s unquenchable desire. He calls it deceitful.  Its deceptiveness comes from the fact that money is not the root of all evil… it is the love of money that is the problem…. It will take root in your heart, distract you from chasing what matters, and choke out everything good you have planted.  You can’t pursue God and money; so, choose one.   Many who set out to accomplish worthy goals have seen the pursuit of profit take over and wreck their mission.  Love of money is destructive and will make a garden worthless.

Faith and discipline can remove thorns from your life… Confidence in God can eradicate worry and eliminate your obsession with money. Removing those thorns is easy…  deciding you want to, is what takes some doing.

“We gain the strength of the temptation we resist.” -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Colossians 4:6 9/19/2023*

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” 

The book of James speaks of the power of words.  It warns that the tongue  “corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” That’s a strong statement and most of us can attest to its accuracy. 

Many have experienced the wildfires an unbridled tongue can produce and know the difficulty of extinguishing those fires once they are lit. So, in this verse, when God instructs us on how to use our words, we should listen.

Is my conversation full of grace and seasoned with salt? Do I even know what that means?  I think it means my speech must be kind and gracious… full of compassion. But it also must have some preserving power… there must be substance and truth to it.  

We often swing too much one way or the other…either only sweet, flattering words, or only words of corrective discipline….  This verse says I must have balance in order to know how to answer everyone in every situation.

The assumption this verse makes is that we control our mouth.  That is a big assumption… Do you control yours, or does it control you?  Do you emotionally react with unbridled words, or intelligently respond with beneficial comments?

Scripture says we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Most of us get that exactly backwards. I shouldn’t speak unless I have something valuable to say, and when I do speak, it should be balanced with compassion and truth.  Since that is not always appreciated, my motivation must be to benefit others, not myself. 

How are you doing in this area?  What would people think if today your discussions were “full of grace”, and “seasoned with salt”?  Would it shock them?  Would they think something was wrong with you? Or is it normal for your conversations to be full of wisdom, and sound advice?

Speak with purpose today… Monitor your tongue and aim your words carefully. Have the right balance of sweet and salty so people will benefit from what you have to say. 

“The test of a man's spirituality is not his ability to speak, as we are apt to think, but rather his ability to bridle his tongue.” - R. Kent Hughes

Psalms 46:10 9/12/2023*

“… be still, and know that I am God…”

When was the last time you did that?... Isaiah says we were “formed to show forth His praise”.  What percentage of your time is spent doing what you were formed to do?  

When did you last shut off all your devices, get alone, and consider the love God has for you, and the invincible power He possesses.

Do we know how to be still anymore? From sunrise to bedtime, we are plugged into constant distraction. If the enemy can’t make us bad, he’ll settle for making us busy.  Too busy to focus on what matters.

This verse says that being “still” leads to knowing God … but we’re never still. We never stop and look for purpose in our movements, we are desperate to finish our trivial task, check the box,  and anxiously move on to the next chore.

So how do we break that cycle?

When a computer is performing poorly you reboot it.  Turn everything off and restart … If you never reboot, parts of programs may continue running in the background even after the project is completed… lingering meaningless activity …  In computers, that slows down the processer… In your brain it does the same thing… it’s called stress and anxiety.

Some of you haven’t “rebooted” in years, you are anxious out of habit… You constantly deal with lingering stress because you haven’t been still long enough to remember that God loves you, is in complete control, and has already dealt with whatever you’re worrying about. Nothing is beyond His power. 

STOP… just stop for a minute.  Unplug, and get alone with God.  Don’t allow your mind to drift, intentionally focus on Him.  Pray… listen… meditate… be still and rest in the magnificence and power of the God you serve.  

Today doesn’t have to be another futile, chaotic day…. pause and reflect on God - and like the old hymn says, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” 

Nothing will improve your life more than learning how to be still… so step out of the rat race for a few minutes this morning and  seek to know Him – once you grasp who He is – You can rest in what He will do. 

“We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God…” – Charles Spurgeon

2 Kings 17:40-41 9/5/2023*

“However, they did not listen, but they kept acting in accordance with their earlier custom. So, while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.”

This sounds very familiar … In our culture today we also cling to our customs, wanting God to be part of our plan – While God wants us to be part of His. 

We profess Christianity … but say we must be “realistic” when the Bible demands changes in our behavior. The bottom line is we want a Savior… but have no intention of handing over the reins of our lives … However, God’s offer is to be both our Lord and Savior; it has always been a package deal.

Like the church at Laodicea, we think we don’t need anything. We show up Sunday morning, expect to be entertained, and bask in our self-righteousness… Never looking honestly at our hearts as that would demand confession and repentance…and would require change and obedience.

The idol of comfortable prosperity lures us as it has for generations. We want to serve The Kingdom, but only when it advances our own. Servanthood and self-sacrifice are no longer preached or practiced, and cultural traditions and opinions have replaced scripture as our guide. 

How can we have drifted so far from the truth?  

Have we forgotten that we are not fighting against lost people  - we are fighting for them?  God commands that we obey scripture,  and lead others to Christ.  Yet our hypocrisy not only misleads us, it misleads our children and grandchildren as well… Our culture is faltering, and we must get off this path.

The cost to follow Christ is everything… we must die to ourselves.  So, either make that choice, or stop talking about it and confusing others with your duplicity.

If you fear God but still want to pursue your idols, you have a dilemma… The first commandment could not be clearer…it insists that we have only One God. Parttime Christianity has never been offered. So, choose this day whom you will serve… and then start obediently serving. 

“ The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.” - A. W. Tozer

Isaiah 40:27-28 8/29/2023*

“Why do you complain, Jacob?  Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know?  Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. ...”

Why do I complain?... Why am I quick to embrace self-pity, assuming God has abandoned me? Did God say I would never face struggles in this world?  No... He said for me to be strong and courageous because I would never face them alone.

We all want strength… but not weariness.  We want power, without battling through weakness.  We embrace soaring like eagles but don’t want to walk without fainting… In other words, we want the benefit of the struggle without struggling. We want spiritual muscle but lack the courage to work out.

What has caused us to become so soft? … Have we grown too comfortable here?  Have we become fair weather Christians? 

Rhett Walker has a song called “Good to me”… the chorus says, “ I will look this storm in the eye… I won’t fear for you’re on my side. My first hope, my last word now and forever…let it rain, let it pour, I will sing… all you’ve ever been, is good to me”.  Is that my attitude when I face storms?  Do I walk in faith when it’s raining, or just talk about trust when the sun’s shining?

This verse asks an important question that I need to answer… “Do I not know?  Have I not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” How can I lack courage when I serve a God like that? How can I not face storms head on? 

There are hurricanes in this life… but The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all things.  That means I can lean into the storm … I can face it with confidence, knowing all things work together for good when I love Him and am called according to His purpose… 

It’s time I traded in my complaining for courage … I serve the everlasting God, and all He’s ever been, is good to me.

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” - C. S. Lewis