QT for 11.11.09

James 1:12          11.11.09

TNIV
12 Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

The Message
12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

we’ll just cover this one verse today because in James’ letter it seems to kind stick out on its own. it doesn’t fit in with the verses before it or after. it seems like James had an ADD moment and wrote it in there.

this verse really has 2 different rewards for standing strong during trials or testing. the first would be a worldly reward because those who could endure the tough times and come out on the other side, came out stronger and better. like in the process of making metal, metal is heated and reheated until all the impurities are gone. once the impurities are gone the metal is as strong as it can be, but it has to withstand the tremendous heat and pressure to become the best. the same goes for us. if we can stand strong during the times of trials and temptation, withstand the heat and pressure, we will come out better on the other side because we have resisted or removed some of the impurities in our life that were holding us back from God.

the second reward in heavenly. this verse says those who persevere will receive a crown of life. the word for crown is stephanos and it had 4 great uses that meant different things.
#1 – a crown of flowers was worn during celebrations, like weddings, and was a sign of joy
#2 – a crown was a mark of royalty, worn by kings and others in authority. sometimes this crown was made of gold, but sometimes it was cloth tied to the forehead.
#3 – a crown of laurel leaves was the victor’s crown in the games, and was the prize they wanted above anything else.
#4 – the crown was the mark of honor and dignity.
Proverbs 1:9 – those who listen to their parents will receive a crown of grace
Proverbs 4:9 – wisdom provides a crown of glory
Lamentations 5:16 – in times of sin, “the crown has fallen from our head”

but James is including all these meanings in his statement.
#1 – We, as followers of Jesus, have joy that other don’t, like always being at a party
#2 – We have royalty that other haven’t achieved, because we are children of God
#3 – We have a victory that other haven’t won because in Jesus we can conquer life and all its trials and temptations.
#4 – We have great dignity because God considered us worthy of the life and death of Jesus.

So what is the crown of life, it is the crown that consists of life, life in Jesus. It is a new kind of living, because in Jesus, our life can be so much richer, so much better.

James is reminding us that if we can meet the testing and trials of life head on and not falter, not crumble, our life becomes immeasurably better than it was before!

QT for 11.10.09

James 1: 9-11   11.10.09

 

TNIV

9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

The Message
9-11When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

I have to be honest, the reason I am posting this QT so late is because i have been wrestling with it for most of the day. i have been reading different bibles, and different books about this section of scripture in order to understand it. i think i finally have a grasp of it and its pretty awesome.

There are 2 different types of people being talked about in this section of scripture, the poor and the rich. But, James sees Christianity as the ground for these people to be on the same level, within the church.
He is saying, for the poor person, faith in Jesus brings them to a new awareness of how valuable they really are. There was no classification of people in the early church. Believers were believers. A slave could be the one teaching and leading the church, while his master would be nothing more than a common attender. James was pointing to the fact that not one person is more important than another, when it comes to following Jesus. Everyone matters. Everyone is of use to God. Muretus, an old scholar wrote “Call no man worthless for whom Christ died.” which means everyone Jesus died for is worth something to God.
When he is talking about rich people he is trying to make them aware that their worldly riches do not elevate their status within the church. If they live their life dependent on their wealth, it gives them a false sense of security, and they will wither up and die like the flower. They believe their resources will help them cope with any situation and that they can buy their way out of situations they might want to avoid. With this, James paints a picture of a plant growing in the desert. William Barclay describes it like this: “In desert places, if there is a shower of rain, the thin green shoots of grass will sprout, but one day’s burning sunshine will make them vanish as if they had never been. The scorching heat is the kausōn. The kausōn (cow-sone) was a wind from the southeast. It came straight from the desert like a blast of hot air when you open the oven door. In an hour, it could wipe out ALL vegetation.”
This is what living your life dependent of your riches can be like. Trusting in money and things that can be taken away/lost at any moment. Life is so uncertain and disaster can come at any moment, that James is saying that people are fools who put their trust in things, like money, which can be lost at any moment. They are only wise if they put their trust in something they can not lose, like Jesus!

Lets listen to James and put our trust in God, because only He can give us the things that will last forever.

QT for 11.09.09

James 1:5-8 11.09.09

TNIV

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Those who doubt should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; 8 they are double-minded and unstable in all they do.

 

The Message

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, and believe, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

I think this is a pretty awesome section of scripture. I would guess that most of us have felt lost, confused, or uncertain when it comes to life, relationships, parents, and especially in our relationship with God. And its kinda crazy, but the bible gives us an answer for the times when we feel lost. JUST ASK!

James is telling us here that no matter what we are facing, if we ask God for help, for wisdom, He’ll give it to us, without hesitation!

BUT…here is the key…you have to believe that God is going to give you an answer or the wisdom you need! You can’t just ask God for help and then decide He’s not moving fast enough, or not giving you the answer you want. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus and give your life to him, you HAVE TO let Him work in you.

this is one of the hardest things to do, even i have trouble, because if something is wrong, or i don’t know what to do, i will ask God for help, BUT THEN i try to go and fix it myself. I’m impatient. and it is something i need to work on, or maybe its something i need to ask God for help on and let him give me the faith, the belief that He is in control and he knows whats best for me.

Because, James says that if we ask and don’t believe, we are like waves tossed in the ocean, blown around by every idea or thought or notion that we come across. and then he specifically says those who doubt should not expect God to answer them! thats pretty harsh, but God wants you to allow him to help you. you don’t have to go through life by yourself, he wants to walk with you!

God bless you guys. I’m praying for you!

Remember…Ask God and he will give you what you need, maybe not what you WANT, but what you NEED!

QT for 11.04.09

James 1:1-4

 

TNIV:

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The Message:

1 I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! Faith Under Pressure

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

 

I figured we’d keep it short today, since this is such a tough section of scripture. James, who is Jesus’ brother, wrote this letter to Jewish followers of Jesus living in Gentile communities AND to Christians everywhere.

After the necessary greeting, James jumps right into the “meat” of things by telling his readers that when trials come, we should see it as an opportunity for joy. He doesn’t say if trials come, but when they come, it is possible for us to make them into good things. The point isn’t to pretend to be “happy” when crap happens, but to have a positive outlook, because of what can come from the tough times. Tough times can teach us perseverance/patience.

We can’t really know the depth of our character or our faith in God until we see how we react under the pressure of trials and temptations. God wants us to grow up and be mature and complete. He doesn’t say he will keep us away from pain or tests. So, instead of complaining about our struggles, lets try to see them as opportunities for growth and change.

 

God,

thanks for the power you give me to handle the tough times that come my way. For the trials, and the temptation…and God thanks for promising to be with me when i face these trials.

Father, as i face these trials give me the wisdom to change the situation or to solve the problem…or give me the strength to endure, to not cave in to the temptation to sin. Help me to be patient, to wait for you because i know you will never leave me to do this on my own, but you are always with me.

be glorified in me.

amen.

QT for 11.03.09

Galatians 5:13-15 and 22:26 from The Message 11.03.09

13-15It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

22-23But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to live a certain kind of life, and that is a life that is honoring and glorifying to God. The grace and forgiveness He has given is not a license to sin, because that enslaves us to our sinful nature, and we should not be slaves to sin, but in the freedom we have been given we should do right and glorify God by loving and serving others.
The qualities of living the life God has called us to live are called the fruits of the Spirit. And these are the by-products of Christ’s control in our life, meaning we can’t obtain them by our good works, but we need His help. In order to see these fruits grow in our life, we must know Him, love Him, remember Him and imitate Him. In doing these things we will fulfill the 2 greatest commands, to love God and love our neighbors.
But living this life does not mean there will not be times of temptation. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but the grace and freedom from God means we do not have to give in to those desires. We must daily commit our sinful desires and tendencies to God’s control, daily crucify them and minute by minute ask for God’s strength and power to overcome them. And it CAN be done!

God,
Thanks for giving me your son, Jesus. Thanks for the power to overcome my human nature to sin against you. Forgive me when I fail and I chose to sin rather than live in the freedom you have given me.
Give me the strength and wisdom to put my selfish desires to death and live for you. Help me love others and to think of them before myself.
Be glorified in me through Jesus.
Amen.

where have you been?!?!

For those 5 or 6 people that read this…i have not forgotten about you. i have just forgotten to remember.

i have been writing some short quiet time devos for the past couple weeks, and a much wiser man suggested i put them on here as well. i have been posting them on my student ministry’s Facebook page, but now its time to blog em’.

i will post them in the order written, because i started the book of james.

so, check it out.

in my last post, we talked about dividing the junior high and senior high ministries at our church. we have had the 2 separate ministries for 3 weeks now and it has been going very well! the junior high kids love having their own group and the senior high kids like that the “little kids” aren’t with them anymore.
things have been going well with the planning as well. it seems to be going better being able to teach separate lessons to the different groups.
i hope things continue to go as well as they have been and that the groups begin to grow as the students start bringing their friends. and we can share Jesus to other junior and senior high kids.

I’m back.

hey folks. for those of y’all that have been keeping up i hope you have been checking out ifwebuildittheywillco.me and the blog there about The Loft Project. in case you haven’t seen it in a while, The Loft is done and it looks great! thanks to all of those who volunteered time, energy, blood, sweat, tears and even money to help get the project done!
for those who are a little behind let me catch you up to speed. i have been here 3 years now and we have always kept the student ministry mostly the same as it was when we first got here. the junior and senior high students were always together in our events and meetings. and it was working, not great, but not horrible either. but as we have seen some growth in the student ministry, the student ministry team and i have been talking for a while about how we can continue the growth and allow the students more freedom to be themselves. one of the ideas we came up with was to divide the group into a junior high specific group and a senior high specific group. so with much prayer and brainstorming, we developed a new ministry for the junior high students called “Live Wire”.
we launched our first ever Live Wire service last night in the newly renovated Loft, and i thought it went great! We had 9 junior high students and from what i am hearing from their parentals, the kids liked it too. it is 90 minutes of fun, food and learning more about Jesus.
i am very excited to see this group grow and watch the students lives be changed by what God will do within Live Wire.

hey y’all, check this out…

http://www.ifwebuildittheywillco.me

so, i’ve slacked a bit

do you have any idea how much energy is involved in Vacation Bible School. IT’S ALOT!!! and i wasn’t even the one in charge. but let me tell you, it was all worth it! VBS was great! we had more than 50 kids every night. there was singing. there was snacks. and most importantly, 16 kids gave their life to Jesus on Wednesday night! it was amazing!
there was also a small competition to see who could earn the most points. the kids got points by bringing their bibles, bringing in items for the offering, or wearing something tied to the theme of the evening. and the winner of this competition got a special prize…their team got to put a pie in my face! well, needless to say THEY LOVED THAT!!! it came down to friday night, one team would lead then the other team would lead and by friday night, there was a miracle! somehow, the teams tied! so what did that mean for me…2 PIES!!! it was great, until 15-20 minutes after i started smelling like sour milk. but again, it was all worth it.

to God be all the Glory.