James 1
If we are truthful with ourselves, we sometimes get tired of waiting. Life seems to be passing us by while we’re stuck in a moment, a season, or a predicament.
“If only God would move faster or bring resolution quicker, I can be free, jump for joy, and give more to Him. But here I am…somewhere I don’t want to be.”
Though waiting can sometimes be tough, there are four things we can learn while waiting:
1—Waiting gives us perspective. Waiting gives us the opportunity to see our situation differently. Instead of simply seeing the micro-level, in time, we see the macro-level. We see and understand that God has a bigger plan in store for us beyond our current circumstances. He wants to do something in us and through us for His glory.
In Judges 3:1-2, the Lord left nations to test Israel, but also to teach them to know war. There may be times in our lives when difficult people and situations are placed in our lives to grow and develop us. Though it might not be pleasant on our flesh, let us lean on God and count our trials and tribulations as a joy because they can mold us into strong, mature believers who trust in God…becoming perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (Ref. Judges 3:1-2; James 1:1-8)
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. —Matthew 13:47-50
In this parable, Jesus is describing the kingdom of heaven. The net is cast into the sea and collects sea creatures of every kind. After coming ashore, the good and bad were separated. In like manner, the kingdom of heaven is shared with many people around the world. And many people will come to Jesus, the church, etc. At the end of the world, the angels will come and separate the just from the wicked.
1. God drew you. The just and the wicked will be separated, but the beauty of this parable is that the just and the wicked are gathered together. The wicked has an opportunity to become just.
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. —Matthew 24:1-13
There will come a day when the people of this world will witness and experience the very things Jesus spoke to His disciples about in this passage. But for any season, there are three important statements Jesus tells His disciples that will help us today:
1. Take heed that no man deceive you. When troubling times come, so does the fear of man and events and panic. People will rise up to deceive the hearts of the many who are fearful, unaware, or insecure. Some will come saying they are Christ or at least someone presenting themselves as one who can provide comfort or substance from the external pressures and events surrounding them. Their words will be carefully chosen and possibly be filled with a bit of truth, but their motives will be filled with deceit.
Job 16:17-22 – Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure. O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place. Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour! When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
As Job assures himself that he hasn’t committed any injustices, he looks for someone who would plead with God on his behalf rather than receive the scorn from his friends.
1. We often speak before pray…or think. Many times when our friends are struggling, in sin, or needing answers or help, we rush to share our opinion. When we rush to help, we can cause greater damage, even when we have the best intentions (Proverbs 19:2, 25:20). Therefore, it’s important that we first hear from the Lord on whether we should say or do anything. Who else better to speak with than God?!
Numbers 20:7-13 – And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
As the children of Israel entered into the desert of Zin, the people chode against Moses and Aaron for the lack of water.1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to gather the people and speak to the rock, that it may give water unto the people. When Moses and Aaron gathered the people together however, Moses said, ‘Hear ye, you rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?‘ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice. Though water came out of the rock, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they would not bring the people of Israel into the promised land because of their disobedience and failure to keep the Lord sanctified among the people (Numbers 20:16).
Genesis 41:33-36 – Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
After Pharaoh told the two dreams to Joseph, he spoke to Pharaoh on what answer the Lord would provide. In providing the interpretations, he revealed the coming of seven plenteous years and seven years of famine. Joseph stated Pharaoh should look for a discreet and wise man to be placed over Egypt and gather a fifth part of food from the plenteous years in order to prepare for the famine.
In a personal application, the Lord often shows us visions via dreams, people, His Scriptures, etc. Just as Joseph implemented a plan in response to the dreams, we should prepare as well. Many people are looking to receive a ‘word’ from God, but may not do anything to prepare for its coming.
When God shows you what’s to come, make sure you’re ready for it.
Proverbs 19:11 – The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Some situations have the potential of making you very upset. In those moments, you often have a a few moments to consider whether you’ll defer your anger or not. So before you choose to allow your anger to take over, please consider the follow four thoughts:
1. A person of good discretion (understanding, prudence, insight) will defer their anger. When you feel wronged, anger is one of the emotions that fuel your intentions. You’re upset that we’ve been confronted, embarrassed, treated wrongly, etc. You want to show people you’re not a pushover and you were the wrong person to mess with…
Photo courtesy of Stock.XCHNG.com/bjearwicke
1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1. There are many compartments in our lives. Many Christians live their lives like train compartments. One compartment may represent their home life; another compartment is for work; and another for church, etc. Each compartment carries its own set of rules, standards, and customs.
In the compartment of our home life (for example), we may act, lead, and love according to our upbringing and our position in the home. Because the home is closed to the outside world (unless you welcome people over), you will often be the most ‘loose’ with your mouth and behavior than in any other compartment.
The work ‘compartment’ encompasses another set of rules, standards, and customs separate from the home compartment. Some work centers encourage (or influence) people to dress, talk, and conduct themselves in a specific manner to be accepted or promoted. There is an unwritten desire or need to become one of the ‘guys or girls’ in the office where they are known by their superiors positively. In many work centers, the goal is to reach the ‘top,’ and many do so without the slightest concern for how they get there. Such strivings may influence or ‘encourage’ people to compromise their moral standards and conduct.
The church ‘compartment’ is fitted with a set of rules, standards, and customs different from the other two. This compartment is filled with outward displays of piety and godliness. Some churches also carry specific (or unwritten) rules for dress or conduct. Additionally, congregations will often worship the Lord in similar fashion (based on their affiliation or cultural background). Their children are well kept and their family is pictured as the Christian model for all, even if this is not true in the home compartment.
2. Only one rule must exist among our life compartments. Our lives may have different compartments of home, work, church, etc., but only one rule must govern them all, to the glory of God. Jesus has given two great commandments that should govern our conduct (Matthew 22:36-40).
As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he stated that whether they ate, drank, or whatever they did, to do it for the glory of God. Some definitions of glory from the translated Greek are magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace; majesty; the kingly majesty that belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.1 In every thing we do and in every situation, God is to be glorified.
3. How to glorify God in each compartment of life.
Some people would ask, ‘how do I glorify God in eating or drinking?’
If we look back on the definition of glory above and consider the things that we eat, drink, and do on a daily basis, consider this:
- Do you eat to where you become gluttonous? Filthy? Pig-like? Do you eat foods that God would not be pleased to see you eat? Do you eat fattening foods that cause you to gain excessive weight, creating numerous health problems? Would this type of eating honor God and your body, where the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)?
- For the things you drink, do you become drunk with alcohol (even if it is in your own home)? Do you drink to the point where you would dishonor your own body by consuming liquids that are clearly unhealthy and destroy your body? Would the Lord be pleased and glorified?
- What about your conduct… When working with difficult bosses, do you apply Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:38-45? Or do you treat them like the world would treat them, curse at them, and ensure they know you don’t like them? Do you work each task and responsibility to the best of your ability? Do you love others as yourself and give each person the very best of what you have to give?
4. Living for God’s glory is moment-to-moment. Living for God’s glory requires a concentrated effort with each situation and circumstance. It will require some of the following (this is not an exhaustive list):
- Times of prayer and intimacy with the Lord throughout the day
- Bridling the tongue from speaking falsely, course joking, and saying evil things (Proverbs 21:23; Ephesians 4:29, 5:1-4; James 1:26, 3:3-13)
- Meditating on scriptures throughout the day that help us stay focused on the Lord (Psalm 1:1-3)
- Fellowship with like Christians that motivate and encourage you
- Remaining unspotted from the world and its ways (this may require separating yourself from certain events and people) – Psalm 1:1; James 1:27
1 – Blue Letter Bible. “Dictionary and Word Search for doxa (Strong’s 1391)”. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 26 Jan 2012. http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1391&t=KJV
When fighting the good fight of faith, you’ll experience adversaries such as the flesh, Satan, and your lust. It seems that no matter how many times you resist their tempting calls, they continue to attack. Like a boomerang, they return with tempting thoughts, gestures, or situations again and again. Now, if you’re not careful, you’ll fall for their subtle calls to give in. However, in Christ Jesus, there is victory because HE is the great overcomer (Hebrews 12:1-4).
1. Being tempted does not mean you sinned. Your response to temptation determines whether you will give birth to sin or to continue living righteously before God. Jesus lived without sin and was tempted by Satan (see Matthew 4:1-11). He overcame using the Word of God.
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