Living in light of eternity

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does .” (James 1:22-25) James has a special way of cutting to the heart of a matter.  He paints the portrait of two vastly different types of people.  They have but one thing in common.  They are both hearers of the Word.  But this is where they differ.  One hears but takes no action.  He is described as a person seeing his image in the mirror one morning, needing some adjustments.  Maybe there is a hair out of place or a smudge on his face.  He sees that correction...

  But He gives a greater grace . Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James makes a curious statement in this passage, “But He gives a greater grace.”   When I saw this phrase, I wondered what he meant by “a greater grace”.   I’m pretty sure James is not thinking of “saving grace” (Eph 2:8-9) but something else.   What could “a greater grace” be referring to? It appears there is a special kind of grace reserved for the humble.   That is why he goes on to say, “ God is opposed to the proud , but gives grace to the humble .”   This sentiment is reminiscent o...

    “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. (Lk 6:43-45)   So, which are you?   Good or bad?   Do not be too quick to answer.   Many would say, “I’ve been a basically good person.   The emphasis is on basically .   Jesus calls us to a higher standard, a much higher standard. “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘ You shall not commit murder ’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; (Mt 5:21) “You have heard that it wa...

  I have always loved Track and Field.   I loved it when I ran track.   I loved it when my son ran track.   He was much better than I was.   He ran the 400-meter hurdles.   That is a tough one.   I ran sprints.   I have never been much for endurance.   Maybe it was my short stature or lung capacity.   Maybe I just lacked fortitude.   I have always been the kind of person who loves to work hard for short periods of time.   Unfortunately, I have learned the Christian life is not a sprint, it is an endurance race. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)   ὑπομονή, ῆς, ἡ ( ὑπομένω )- the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty, patience, endurance, fortitude, steadfastness, perseverance [1] Endurance is a primar...

  Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.   (Heb 12:13-14)   The writer of Hebrews offers some sound advice for all of us.   He tells us to strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble.   You will notice that he assumes there will be weak hands and feeble knees.   Trials and tribulations are a certainty in this life.   Jesus told us, “in the world you have tribulation” (Jn 16:33b).   The issue is not one of avoidance, it’s one of healing.   The joints that give us trouble can easily go from bad to worse, if not treated.   So, what exactly is the writer of Hebrews referring to?   What might these ailments represent?   The beginning of the chapter gives a good clue:   Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us...

  I was reading in Proverbs chapter three the other day and noticed an interesting promise in verse thirty-two.…   “for one who goes astray is an abomination to the Lord , but he reveals his intimate counsel to the upright.” (Prov 3:32, The NET Bible)   I was wondering what the meaning of “intimate counsel” might be.   It sounded interesting.   If there is a way to feel closer to God, I wanted to know about it. So, I looked in the footnotes of the NET Bible and here is what I found: tn Heb “his counsel.” The noun סוֹד ( sod ) can refer to (1) “intimate circle” of friends and confidants, (2) “confidential discussion” among friends and confidants, or “secret counsel” revealed from one confidant to another and kept secret and (3) relationship of “intimacy” with a person (BDB 691 s.v.; HALOT 745 s.v.). [1]   It appears that there may be an “inner circle” of friends with God.   If there is, how can I get in?   The secret of the Lord is...

  “To whom much is given, much is required” This saying reminds us of two vitally important truths: 1.   Everything we have is from God. For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Cor 4:7) 2.   We will be evaluated by God for how we use what He has given us. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required (Lk 12:48) God has bestowed wonderful gifts and abilities.   Life itself is a gift.   Our families and friends are a gift.   Our physical and intellectual abilities vary according to God’s sovereign design for each person (Ps 139).   Certainly, our spiritual gifts are distributed as God decrees. (Ro 12:6) Some may say, “I’ve worked hard for what I have.”   Doesn’t that ability to work hard and that opportunity come from above? Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of...