Transformation through God's Word

Vs 13 - 18 of James 3 talk about wisdom. James very clearly points out that bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are not from above. I think that jealousy is always bitter. When I refuse rejoice in the praises of another, it is generally bitter. I should always be happy for another who receives a blessing of any sort.

He also points out that selfish ambition is NOT from above, nor is it wisdom. He characterizes this kind of ambition as earthly, unspiritual, even demonic. I got to thinking about the 3 words James uses to describe the effect of our own selfish ambition.

Typically we don't think of 'earthly' as too bad since we're here on the earth to begin with. James is saying that those who are not believers are 'earthly' because they don't think in terms of the kingd0m. When we have selfish ambition we're acting like unbelievers because all of our actions should reflect our growth as believers.

Unspiritual, well that could be as simple as a label, or as bad as a target missed.

Demonic? Wow! That's pretty sharp. I generally only think about Satan and his angels when I think of the word demonic.

It does not say that ambition is bad, but selfish ambition. We think about doing something nice for ourselves helps us to relax, chill out. Occasionally it is good to take time for yourself, to do something for your self. But James is saying that when your pursuit is ONLY for you, then it's very bad.

Why? Because it introduces a seed that will grow, and manifest itself by getting to the point where you only think of yourself. God did not leave us here to pamper ourselves, but to help others. It's ok for me to want to excel at work, to progress in my career. But the point should not simply be because I want a title, or power. It must be because it helps my family, because it gives me another audience to which I can engage in God's work with. It allows me to give more.

These must not be simply things we say when talking about why we want this or that. They must manifest themselves in our hearts and actions as God blesses us with more. See the definitions below for more information on the terms ambition and selfish below.


Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This am·bi·tion /æmˈbɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[am-bish-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun

1.	an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment: Too much ambition caused him to be disliked by his colleagues.

2.	the object, state, or result desired or sought after: The crown was his ambition.

3.	desire for work or activity; energy: I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition.

–verb (used with object)

4.	to seek after earnestly; aspire to.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This self·ish /ˈsɛlfɪʃ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sel-fish] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective

1.	devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

2.	characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself: selfish motives.

James is very distinct in describing how impacting such a small member can be, and how careful we should be with it (the tongue). He even says we get it wrong almost every time we speak. Only Christ is perfect in his speech. This is somewhat of a comfort to me because I long for and strive to communicate well every time, with every person. Then I stick my foot in my mouth.

At times I can be so disgusted with the things I say.

• Don't let public opinion influence how you live out your faith.
• You canot show partiality to people any more than you can to the Bible, picking and choosing what you want to follow as if it is a buffet.
• Claiming to believe in God and not showing it in how you live is crazy. Demons do so and they are not going to receive the prize of heaven.
• Cutting faith & works in two is no better than cutting a person in two. The person cannot survive, they are dead.
• The word 'believe' implies & requires action. A person cannot claim to believe and not act.

vs 19 says let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger

I think the Message version makes it really clear, for those who didn't get it the first time. "Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear".

The bible uses ALOT of imagery to help us get the point and then apply it to our lives. Again the Message is great in vs 22 "Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other".

We're given a great illustration (ridiculous really) about looking in the mirror, seeing ourselves, walking away and forgetting what we look like. It's ridiculous that this could happen. It's equally ridiculous that you can listen to the Word, hear it, read it, and not do it.

What am I learning today? Well, that I don't listen as often as I should. And anger doesn't exactly straggle along in the rear. My cousin reminded me that I am much better than I used to be. But still...I'm not where I should be.

James 1:2-18 is about "testing your faith". The bullet points appear to be

• Be happy that the trials your going through are there to make you stronger, to produce perseverance in your life. It doesn't mean you have to be jumping up and down, excited about every trial. Disease is no laughing matter. But remember that it's presence is here to make you stronger, and a way for you to minister to others.
  
  
• Ask God for wisdom as you walk through life, whether you're in a difficult situation or not. A sign at Perot Systems says 'a man is never more on trial than in the moment of excessive fortune'. When life is great we still need to ask God for wisdom.
  
  
• When someone who doesn't have much is blessed greatly whether materially or not praise God and rejoice with them. When someone who has alot is humbled praise God and rejoice with them. It is in these acts of God that we rejoice. Earthly riches will pass away quickly, we do not rejoice in the riches but in the blessings of God.
  
  
• When we are on trial make sure we stay the course, Trust in God, He knows what He is doing. Don't let ourselves fall into the trap thinking that 'God is trying to trick me'. God doesn't 'try' anything, He does. If he wanted you to trip or fall, or completely fall of the earth you would. God doesn't want that for you. God does not perform evil acts.
  
  
• Remember that temptations come from within us because of our sin nature. Tempations do NOT come from God. They come from the evil desires within us.
  

Stacie's 2nd tumor disappeared after just one cycle. She was doing well but has recently not been reacting well to the treatment. We've had two treatments in a row that did not happen. She had an MRI today which hopefully will give us a clue as to what is going on. It can get difficult to deal with sometimes.

I cling to the promise God offered to Israel in Isaiah 43:1-3
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and hte flame shall not consume you."

I claim that redemption, though it sometimes seems distant in the wake of trials.

Last week we discovered Stacie has another tumor in her brain. It is small, yet it is discouraging. The expectation had been set that it would probably come back but not during treatment. I am brought back to the reality of the shortness of life here on earth. We often try to comfort those who are suffering the loss of a loved one by telling them they’ll see them again some day (if they are a believer). We really don’t have much evidence of this in the bible. We have assurance of our eternal relationship to God. Many conservative theologians believe that we’ll not be married to our mates in heaven as we’ll be wed to Christ. There is some sadness that comes from this if you have your soul mate on this side of heaven. My parents did and I know my mother misses my father tremendously. I have my soul mate and I don’t know how I would get along without her. That said I have no guarantee that I’ll live another day. None of us do. I am not trying to sound gloom and doom. I am simply talking about the reality of where we are. So, what’s the point of this writing? My purpose today is to tell you to discover that which God has for you to do here and pursue that with everything within you. If you are a believer and if you do, you WILL be fulfilled. If you do, you WILL be satisfied. If you do, you WILL still experience disappointment, trial, pain, sufferings. If you do, God WILL bring you through those terrible moments of life.

I’ll close with the words I am drawn to by Mercy Me’s ‘Keep Singing’:
Another rainy day
I can't recall having sunshine on my face
All I feel is painAll I wanna do is walk out of this place
But when I am stuck and I can't move
When I don't know what I should do
When I wonder if I'll ever make it through

I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
Your the one that's keeping my heart beating
I gotta keep singinggotta keep praising Your name
That's the only way that I'll find healing

Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing

Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing

Oh You're everything I need
And I gotta keep singing

I watched ‘Facing the Giants’ this weekend. It is a football movie produced by a church about a Christian school’s football team. Excellent movie, no profanity, great and powerful story. At one point, well the turning point the football coach is discouraged. He doesn’t know how to move forward. A man of God comes by to quote him a verse from Revelations 3 that when God opens a door no one can shut it. The coach says he’s been struggling and praying about it but receives no direction. He then tells a story of two farmers, both who needed rain desparately. Only one of them prepared his fields for rain. ‘Which farmer trusted God to bring rain?’ ‘The one who prepared his fields for rain’, the coach answered. ‘Which one are you?’ the other man asked.

So, which one are you? Are you preparing today for the blessings of God? Or are you simply asking him for the blessings.