James____4

Scripture

James 4:5

 

5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the spirit He has caused to dwell in us?

Observation-What does it say?

James, the brother of Jesus, continues to write to Jewish Christians to "encourage them to continue growing in their new Christian faith (got questions.org)." In this chapter, James is encouraging them to submit to God and flee from the desires of the world, "for the spirit that the Lord has caused to dwell in them is jealous for their affection (vs. 5)." The way the footnotes paraphrased it is "that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us longs jealously."

Understanding-What does it mean?

God is a jealous God.

The Lord will not settle for 2nd place in our lives. His Spirit wants to be the first and the only One in our hearts. He desires all of our affection, all of our time, all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you. Exodus 34:14 NLT

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deut. 4:24 ESV

Life Application

Submit to Christ's love for us.

When we submit to Christ's love for us as our bridegroom, everything else pales in comparison. The Church is the bride of Christ. In marriage, sometimes we think that jealousy is a bad thing, but honestly, if a spouse is not jealous for his bride and if he is okay with her giving her focus and attention to someone else (or vice versa), then there's a problem. It's no different with our relationship with the Lord. He loves and desires relationship with us and we break His heart when we choose the world over Him. There is an ongoing spiritual battle ensuing in the lives of believers (Eph. 6:12), but as we DAILY choose to submit to Him, be in His Word, pray, sing songs of praise, stay connected to the Body and stand firm in the faith, the devil flees. 

Dear Lord, please forgive me for the many times I have broken Your heart when I've desired things not in line with my calling in life and identity in You or when I've complained instead of been grateful for Your love for me. Thank You that You are jealous for my affection and that You relentlessly pursue me as a result. With Your Spirit's help, I commit to choose You everyday as You have chosen me. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

James_3

Scripture:

James 3:13,17-18¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom… ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Observation:

James 3 speaks to the power of the tongue, the challenge in taming it and how we are called to show a living faith by watching what we say and using wisdom…but there are two wisdoms.

Understanding:

The timing is such that we are regularly seeing examples of the two types of wisdom play out – often times on news headlines.  So, based on the scripture, what should our response be in our daily interactions with others?Listen to understand.Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; - James 1:19Respond with love.Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. – Romans 12:10Follow government mandated rules.Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." - Romans 13:1-2Put others first.Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:4

Life Application:

God is the way maker; but we are called to be peacemakers. 

 

Remember that in ALL things, we are representatives of the God we serve and love.  As such, we should be an extension of his love to those we know and encounter.  When we respond first with love, the rest often follows. 

And where constructive conversations cannot occur, do good (with your actions) anyway. For so is the will of God, that with well doing, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. -1 Peter 2:15 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9Go love on somebody today! <3 Rei

James____2

Scripture  James 2:12-13   Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Observation-What does it say?  The book of James gives practical advice on Christian conduct and it covers a variety of subjects: rich and poor, pride and humility, wisdom, patience, prayer, controlling the tongue- and most importantly, faith and action.  James addresses works as a display of our faith.  Real faith shows in the way we behave and act.  The beginning of the chapter talks about the way we show partiality between the rich and the poor.  At the end of the chapter, James gives us examples of how faith is displayed in works, and people in the Old Testament who were honored because of the actions.   Understanding-What does it mean?  I have been with my department for nearly 13 years.  Like everyone else, I started my career working in the jail and also spent some time working in the courthouse.  I have been on patrol for over six years, making me one of the most experienced patrol deputies on the department.  Now, as newer deputies transition from working in the jail to working “on the streets,” I see some pretty strange decisions being made.  To be fair, I made the same type of decisions and had the same struggles when I was new to patrol. One morning, while having coffee with one of my friends, who is also a more seasoned patrol deputy, he began to ask me why I was taking so much interest in two newer deputies who were struggling with the transition from jail work to patrol work.  Even though I have done my fair share of complaining about their behavior and work habits, something had clicked in my perspective that made me realize my tenure put me in a position of responsibility.  I had the responsibility to make my new partners better.  Realistically, standing around complaining about their behavior wouldn’t ever change anything.  But, if I humbled myself, knowing that I had made the same mistakes before, I could help them get better. Similarly, if we take a look at people who are struggling in places that we are not, whether they be homeless, addicted to wine, frequent gossips, etc., and we judge them for their behavior, then we lose an opportunity to share God’s love with them.  Sometimes, we shy away from helping because we feel unqualified.  But, James uses the example of Rahab, who had been a harlot.  She put her faith above her past, believing that God could do good even through her.  
Life Application  God, your word tells us we are new creations in you (2 Corinthians 5:17).  With this in mind, help me to look at people through your eyes.  Help me find ways to be the love that people who are hurting need.  Give me the humility to remember that I am saved by grace and it isn’t a result of my works (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

 

-Tyler Galloway