Category: James

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Delayed Expectations

This morning I woke and found another email regarding my computer order!

E-gads!!

At this point it has been two weeks of anticipating and waiting for its arrival. Delayed expectations.

Now if we were in a larger city it would be no problem, it would just be a drive to the local electronics store or big box discount retailer, to pick out the one that suits me, pay for it and home I’d go to set it up.

However, in rural, small town Arizona that isn’t the case. Each morning I fight back the frustration. But with each morning I also step out my door and thank the Father for the beauty I see. The benefits of living here far out weigh the frustration I am experiencing.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV

I remind myself daily that the Lord has promised me His peace that surpasses my understanding and that when I’m in His presence I will be filled with joy. If those two qualities are lacking it’s up to me to adjust my focus.

That’s simple to say but not always easy to do! We now live in a world that offers “instant gratification”. No patience required, no waiting necessary.

We have overnight shipping, on-line purchasing, microwave cooking, research at our fingertips, cameras on our phones, instant sharing. But things like relationships are developed over time; wisdom and knowledge must be learned; kindness and compassion are developed through experience. The things that make us better come through growth.

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world. 5Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.” II Peter 1:3-8 CEV

I ask myself daily – am I displaying the character that Christ desires in me or am I being selfish and wanting instant gratification?

I choose to be patient so that His perfect will is done even if it means delayed delivery!

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It Never Gets Old

Sometimes we take things for granted. They become mundane or expected. Things lose their ability to inspire and/or be appreciated.

Several years ago I damaged my back and lived in constant pain for over two years. Since that time I have never taken a pain-free day for granted. It is something I am always grateful for.

I had a friend who was once homeless. Devastating circumstances had them on the streets with no place to call home. She was young and felt completely alone. She told me that sleeping in her car night after night brought on a depression she thought she would never be able to break. Then a kind and loving person took her in and gave her a place to stay. She says she remembers that first long, hot shower – it was life affirming. She has never taken living in a home, with clean sheets and warm water for granted again.

Maybe you’ve had experiences like these or something similar. These memories are triggers of joy – not for the circumstance but for the deliverance from them.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

Our Father is the giver of every good gift!

We should be living life expectantly; never taking these gifts for granted. Look for the joy in each day, the opportunity to give and to share what the Lord has blessed us with.

Each time I see a sunset like I did last night or watch the sunrise over the pines, my heart is filled with wonder and awe that the God who paints the sky is my Father and He fills my life with blessings.

That truth, dear friend, never gets old!

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Come On In!

In the kingdoms of the world very few people are allowed access to the throne room. But in God’s kingdom we are welcomed – invited in without hestitation.

The book of Psalms has so many verses which emphasize the blessings of the righteous man. Now, as I read them, no longer is my thought “I wish that could be for me” but it is “Praise God, that’s mine!” Our righteousness is part of our inheritance, we are joint heirs.

Let us look at a few of these verses in Psalms that hold promises for the righteous man. I will leave a few here for you to read and then at the end of this chapter there will be a list of other verses that you will want to read.

“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12 NKJ

“Less is more and more is less. One righteous will outclass fifty wicked, For the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are God-strong.” Psalm 37:16-17 MSG

“Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly* abandoned or their children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25 NLT *righteous

David was now an old man and he said that in all his years he had never seen God desert those that He called righteous. Praise God, He has voluntarily made provision for our righteousness!

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Psalm 92:12

The palm tree is resilient and can grow even in the hottest climates with very little water. They become tall and beautiful shade trees. The cedar tree is a sign of strength and endurance. By comparison the righteous man will grow tall and strong because of the Lord’s blessing upon him.

“Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” James 5:16-18 MSG

In this verse we find that we are to confess our faults to one another. Faults are shortcomings or situations in our lives that need to be corrected and by the prayer of a righteous man they will be rectified.

The prayers of a righteous man are tremendously effective in obtaining answers from the Lord. Why would his prayers be more effective than an unrighteous man? I am glad you asked.

The righteous man is in a place of authority; he believes God’s Word and put it to work in his life. Verse seventeen of this chapter shows us the power in a righteous man’s prayer. It says Elijah prayed and it did not rain for three and a half years, then he prayed again, and it rained. Now that is a powerful prayer. The prayer of a righteous man is strong.

Righteous means we have been placed in right standing with God. This realization should never create an attitude of arrogance, but it should bring a sense of worthiness and confidence. We no longer need to crawl on our hands and knees before the Lord feeling we have no right to bother the King of Kings. No, we are entitled to come boldly to the throne.

Enter the throne room. The door is open and the Father is waiting for you!

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Happy Kids!

We are going to continue for a few more days looking at what God, the Father, has provided for children, for us. He has planned for us to live joyful lives…

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a good gift. A gift from the Father.  The Holy Spirit was sent to help us. He is also called the Comforter, and by definition, that means counsellor, intercessor, advocate, strengthener and standby. He intercedes for us.

This verse also says the Holy Spirit will remind us of all things Jesus spoke and He will teach us all things. When the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, He reminds us of God’s Word and instructs us on how to show our love to the Father.

The Father only gives us good gifts. He is not looking to make our lives miserable or downtrodden.

      “Now you are sad, but I will see you again, and you will be happy. You will have a joy that no one can take away. 23 In that day you will not have to ask me about anything. And I assure you, my Father will give you anything you ask him for in my name. 24 You have never asked for anything in this way before. But ask in my name, and you will receive. And you will have the fullest joy possible.” John 16:22b-24 ERV

      “Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV from

As I said, our Father is wanting to place His best at our disposal. Let’s look at one other thing the Holy Spirit does for us. He fills us with the power or ability that we need to victoriously defeat Satan, our enemy, who tries to deceive us and steal our inheritance.

      “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes into your life. You will tell about Me in the city of Jerusalem and over all the countries of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NLV

With the Holy Spirit constantly reminding us of God’s Word and giving us the power to follow it, failure is less of an occurrence in our lives than when we try to do it all on our own. Now, that is a good gift!

As sons of God, we have been given the same power as our older brother, Jesus. It is only through our ignorance of the Word and/or our willful disobedience of the Father’s instructions that Satan can steal our power.

      “Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so, you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

These verses plainly state that we have been given everything we need for life and godly living. The Father’s exceeding great and precious promises have been given so that we might reflect God’s divine nature. This is a facet of our relationship with Him. He wants us to be victorious while we are here on earth as well as in heaven. He wants us to imitate Him, just like Jesus did.

The Father has placed His light in us so that we can shine brilliantly, “Like A Diamond”, and as His joyful children we bring the light of His goodness to the world.

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Thankful for Protection

I was sitting here for the last few minutes mulling over what I might share with you this morning. Several different things were running through my mind but nothing seemed to gel.

It was then I felt something crawling on my ankle. It was something small and I figured it was a moth. I uncrossed my ankles and looked down but didn’t see anything. I sat here a bit longer and there it was running across my keyboard. Now, don’t freak out when I tell you this but it was a baby scorpion!

Yikes! I had a tissue handy so I pinched it in the tissue. Problem solved. No more scorpion. Living in an arid climate we find scorpions in the house on rare occasions. It’s something we learn to be on guard for.

Years ago Dave and I learned to take these words of Jesus at face value:

“Jesus said to them, ‘I saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. 19 He is the enemy, but know that I have given you more power than he has. I have given you power to crush his snakes and scorpions under your feet. Nothing will hurt you. 20 Yes, even the spirits obey you. And you can be happy, not because you have this power, but because your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:18-20 ERV

Jesus had sent his disciples out to surrounding cities to preach the good news or the Gospel. He told them to heal the sick, cleanse lepers and cast out demons in those places to demonstrate the power of God. When they came back to where Jesus was they were telling Him of the miracles they had seen.

Jesus’ comment was what we read above. “I have given you power over the enemy, over serpents and scorpions but the greater miracle is that your names are written in heaven. The greater miracle is that you have relationship with the Father”. (my paraphrase)

Our hearts should be overflowing with thankfulness because our names are written in heaven’s Book of Life when we come into relationship with the Father. God has been gracious and kind. There may have been disappointments and even heart aches in the last year but God remains faithful and trustworthy. He continues to bring blessings and benefits into our lives. He protects and provides! He covers us with His love.

“Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning. 18 He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family. 19 My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.” James 1:17-19 NLV

He is the giver of every good and perfect gift and He does not change. We need to listen more and murmur less.

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day, and you rescue us. 20 You always protect us and save us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 CEV

One translation of this verse says ” Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

Daily, He loads us up with benefits…Selah (stop and think). As we get ready to go about our day let’s stop and think about the ways the Lord has been good to us. You probably haven’t started your morning by killing a scorpion but I know you’ve already experienced some of God’s goodness.

Be thankful for protection!

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Mirror Mirror

Every morning I stand in front of the mirror to brush my hair and put on my make-up. If I’ll be going out to the store or an appointment I check my outfit to make sure everything looks ok. Then I walk away and go about my day. Later I may double check my appearance and quite often I’m surprised to see how messy my hair has gotten or that there is a spot on my shirt.

What mirrors do for us physically the Bible does for us spiritually. Both reveal areas that need correction and areas of beauty.

“Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.” James 1:22-25 ERV

The Bible doesn’t distort like those goofy fun house mirrors. It will accurately portray our appearance and show us the areas where we need to improve. Each time we read or hear God’s word preached we should be looking for a nugget that we can apply personally.

This morning I started reading through the book of James again. I can’t tell you how many times I have read this book over my lifetime. Each time I find something new or am reminded of something I have let slip.

Those who compiled the Contemporary English Version of the Bible write an introduction to each book. I’d like to share with you, in part, what they wrote about the book of James.

“For James faith means action! In fact, the entire book is a series of examples that show faith in action in wise and practical ways. His advice was clear and to the point: If you are poor, don’t despair! Don’t give up when your faith is being tested. Don’t get angry quickly. Don’t favor the rich over the poor. Do good things for others. Control your tongue and desires. Surrender to God and rely on his wisdom. Resist the devil. Don’t brag about what you are going to do. If you are rich, use your money to help the poor. Be patient and kind, and pray for those who need God’s help.”

James is a book for every day Christian living. I always find something that I need to work on while reading it.

I am so thankful for God’s word. I can reflect on who God is and what’s important to Him.

“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 16 I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NLT

Mirror, Mirror on the wall – Let me see all that God wants me to be!

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Good & Healthy

How many of you are already planning your holiday baking and the menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals? Does the word “healthy” fit with those culinary delights? Or is your attitude more along the lines of indulgence and it’s only once a year?

I was going to use the “just this once” phrase but realized that has kind of been a pattern of late. Camping and cookies – just this once. Grandchildrens birthday cupcakes – just this once (three months in a row). Yes, I’ve let those just-this-once treats and snacks add some extra pounds that need to be removed.

So, this morning I’m going to talk about exercise for a bit. Not for you but for me. I need to put this out there and be accountable.

When we first realize that we “need” to exercise it’s never pleasant. Accepting that we are out of shape and not as healthy as we should be is the first step. So we decide to exercise.

The first few days we have a real commitment or at least that’s what we tell ourself. But then comes day seven or eight; and it becomes harder to stay committed to the goal. Our muscles hurt, we’re not seeing any results yet, we start making excuses and when we do that we are on your way to failure.

I know, I’ve failed many times.

Now think back to our childhood days – exercise wasn’t a bad word. In fact, it was called play. To be outside with our buddies playing ball, running through the yard playing tag or football. Going hiking to your favorite fishing spot or walking the mile to the swimming pool in the afternoon heat (my personal favorite). It was fun and we were in shape.

Of course you know this is going to have a spiritual correlation.

When we face trials and temptations it is an opportunity to exercise our faith. James tells us to count it joy because we will be developed and end up lacking nothing. Exercising our faith builds spiritual muscle.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV

Facing trials is like building muscle. At first we see little victories but then to continue to develop a muscle we must increase the weight, the repetition or both.

In walking with the Lord, we’re never left to do this on our own. We have a great coach who is with us every step. Under His direction and inspiration we come out the winner.

“You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.” I Corinthians 10:13 CEV

Jesus knows what this is all about because He went through every temptation we experience while he was here on earth. Who better to coach us than someone whose been there, done that and emerged as the Champion of Champions!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

Thank you Lord for coaching me through life and providing all the help I need to develop and finish as a winner! And thank you for giving me the power to resist that pecan pie and stay on track with my daily exercise!

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Thankful for Memories

Dave and I are in the mountains. We came up to the Flagstaff area yesterday and will be here through Monday. My cell signal is really weak but I wanted to share with you a special memory from my high school years. One that I am thankful for!

The campground we are staying in is right near a lake I visited often the summer between my eighth grade and freshman years. My dad was working construction on a road job and so our family moved into a small, I mean twenty-one foot long small, travel trailer. On weekends we would go fishing as often as possible and one of the lakes we frequented was Lake Mary.

We also began attending a small Baptist church in Flagstaff and they had a great youth group. My sister and I made friends and we participated in quite a few of the youth group activities. One of those activities was water skiing at this very lake. It was here I learned to water ski.

Neither of these experiences – the fishing and the water skiing – were life changing but they were memory makers that make me smile and I am grateful for them. Focusing on these events kept me from dwelling on some of the less enjoyable moments and have etched joy into that summer.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

These memories were God’s kiss of blessing to me. I don’t dwell in the past but I am thankful for good memories, little ways that I now see were God saying “I’m here and I am bringing blessing into your life.

Now we are here with our daughter and son-in-law and maybe someday they will bring their grandchildren to this area and tell them this is where Besta learned to water ski and they will laugh when they think of me trying to do that.

What joyful, good and perfect gift memory is coming to your mind? Write it down, share it with a friend, a family member. Let them enjoy a little part of your heart. In doing so you will share a blessing and most of all you will share the Father’s heart, a heart of blessing and bringing good things to His children with someone you love.

“I will remember the kind things the Lord has done, and I will remember to praise him.
The Lord has given many good things  to the family of Israel. He has been very kind to us. He has shown us mercy.” Isaiah 63:7 ERV

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It’s Not Rocket Science!

Dave and I are just about finished with remodeling our fifth-wheel camping trailer. It’s a 2007 and was complete with beige floor, beige walls, beige window shades and valances and lots of oak and/or faux oak cabinetry. Just not us!

This summer while in the mountains for three weeks we decided to give it a facelift. We started working on it in mid September and here we are finishing up the final detail – the curtains. But not just any curtains. Dave had an idea to use copper tubing for the curtain rods, they’re beautiful. However, it is half-inch tubing so the grommets we planned to use to place the curtains have to be three-quarter-inch so they can slide freely. That size is not standard so we had to special order the grommets and the grommet setting tool.

Now that they have arrived and we are home from our trip to Yuma we got right on it yesterday morning. However…there was a communication situation. Dave is a genius at unique design. He sees things in his head and just builds it – no blueprints, no sketches. I, on the other hand, have followed patterns/recipes all my life – cooking, knitting, crocheting, sewing.

We came to the project with the same concept but different ways of communicating the measurements and the allowance for fullness that would make the curtains fit perfectly. It was then I said to Dave, “I think rocket science is easier than this”. We both laughed but I made a decision, someone needs to be in charge, I would listen to his direction.

Isn’t it that way with life? Someone has to be in charge. If not we have conflict and disorder. Confusion in the ranks.

Sometimes it’s hard to relinquish the authority that we feel should be ours. It’s humbling to let someone else take the reins.

Children are taught to obey their parents, younger people are told to submit to their elders (like teachers, instructors, authority figures), wives are to submit to their husbands and husbands are to submit to the Lord.

We all are to submit to the Lord. He is the final authority. He has given us creative ability, talents, particular traits that others don’t have and we excel in what He has designed for us but still He is the ultimate authority.

“But the kindness God shows is greater. As the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he is kind to the humble.” 7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure. 9 Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness. 10 Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great.” James 4:6-10 ERV

The world tells us to stand our ground, ascert our authority, defend our rights but that goes opposite to the instruction we receive from the Lord. Satan was full of pride, he said he would set his throne above the Most High God and so pride began.

When we submit ourselves to God and to His word He will make us great! He’s never made a mistake, told a lie or been wrong. If we listen to His leading and follow His instruction we will succeed.

It’s not rocket science!

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Making Good Choices

Yesterday I spent a lot of time talking about making good choices. It’s a lesson we all deal with on a daily basis.

We can’t force people to make good choices. It has to be a decision of the heart.

Our day is filled with choices. Do we rise early or over sleep? Do we eat a good breakfast or skip it entirely? Do we speed down the highway or stay within the limits of the law? Are we intolerant and lose our temper or patient and self-controlled? All are choices we make and we can blame no one for the consequences – we are responsible.

Moses had led over a million people through the desert for forty years and at the end of his life he gave them this instruction:

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy…19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:15-19 NLT

I know it seems elementary, almost remedial, but making right choices is a real sign of maturity. Life – death, blessing – curses, (here’a clue, right answer, choose life) Choosing to forgive, letting kindness be our guide, saying no to indulgences that bring pleasure for a moment but devastating consequences for weeks and years to come takes maturity.

One of the greatest gifts the Lord has given us is free will, the ability to make our own choices. We aren’t puppets or robots, we have the ability to think wisely and make proper decisions.

Have you ever been outside on a very dark night, in unfamiliar territory? We experience that alot when we go camping. The right choice in situations like that is to grab a flashlight. It has kept me from tripping over logs or getting off the path and stepping into a hole on numerous occasions. I could just stumble along, that would be my choice, however it wouldn’t be a good one.

When we need guidance and wisdom, which we all do, we have this promise from the Lord.

“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps,  a light that shows the path I should take.
106 Your laws are good and fair. I have promised to obey them, and I will keep my promise.” Psalm 119:105-106 ERV

Before you make a choice today, consider the consequences and then ask God for wisdom. He’ll be glad to give it.

“If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking.” James 1:5 NLV

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