Pray, Pray, Pray

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:13-16.

James managed to name every person in every situation. He called out the person who was experiencing troubling circumstances. He searched for that person who was experiencing joy and blessings in their season of life. He exhorted the one who had become sick as a result of unconfessed sin in his life needing to confess and receive forgiveness. He singled out the person who needed to approach someone for forgiveness for the way they had treated another. He demanded his audience to pray for those they had wronged. I believe his message was to pray! Pray for everything and everyone. Pray like there is no tomorrow, for there may not be.

First and foremost, prayer should not be motivated by resolution and desire. Prayer is about intimate fellowship with God. The relationship with God is primary and the responses from God are secondary. God promises many blessings regarding those who approach His throne with confidence. We only develop this confidence by getting to know the One with the ear to hear and the heart to respond. We would never go to God without the circumstances listed above. If we were soaring through life without any demands, challenges, out of control emotions, etc… we would have no reason to approach God at all. Think of the times we enter into God’s presence in prayer. Truthfully told, the majority of time is when we are requesting something from Him…not just Him.

As we continue to experience trouble, blessings, sickness and sin let us take it all to the Father who knows and loves us best.

Yield for Yield

“Be patient…until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! …As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy…Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will condemned.” James 5:7-12.

I love the beauty of rose bushes and have a few of my own. In the early spring, when I first see a red bud peeking out of the tightly attached stem leaves surrounding the rose, I am tempted to prematurely pick the rose. I certainly have been impatient before and plucked them off the top of the stem only to abort the growth process and stunt its beauty. I soon realized that whenever I would collect the yield before the matured growth, I always got a disappointing version of the beautiful rose. It would never fully open and the potential of its beauty was never fulfilled.

Waiting is one of the most difficult things in life. Whether we are waiting on something specific or a resolution to a situation, everyone generally hates to wait for anything. James was speaking specifically in our passage above about the second coming of Christ but I think his words can certainly be applied to our own struggles.

Waiting to yield our valuable crop…what does this look like? Is it the person waiting for their life partner with no person in sight? Is it that couple who has planned for years to welcome a little one into their family with no success? Could it be the business owner who, after several years, is still waiting for financial profit? Waiting is both critical and necessary in all circumstances for it builds certain traits required as we move towards the image of Christ. The Lord knows the yield for which each of us anticipates. He is well aware of the time required to fulfill our desires and what must occur to bring about His will for our lives. When we hear His yes, we must thank Him for the answer and courageously move forward in Him. When we hear His no, we must thank Him for the wisdom He obviously used in the decision, sitting on our situation until we hear His yes. Many times, His no in the present is His yes in the future. But if we move ahead of Him, ahead of the autumn and spring rains, we threaten the very outcome of our desire.

We must stand firm on His will, His wisdom and His timing. When we yield our determinations, calculations and manipulations in any given situation, He will produce a yield of valuable crops in our lives that will display our full potential of beauty and blessings.

The way to receive our yield from Him is to yield our circumstances to Him.

Wild Fires

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God…Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Tim. 1:6, 14.

We live in the middle of the woods with few neighbors in sight. To the left of our property is a wooded lot on which the owner has never built a home. For many years, they have brought a load of dead Christmas trees together and set them ablaze as part of their tradition after New Year’s Day…and man is it a blaze! The height and intensity of the flame is overwhelming and the heat must be so intense that faces must be turned away for a break. All of this however fails in comparison to the impact it would make if it were to no longer be contained and spread throughout the property. This brings me to our little patio, our little propane heater, the little pilot light and the limited heat it puts out. In relation to my spiritual gift of compassion and mercy, I offered a space heater this weekend.

God has entrusted me with a grief ministry that provides me the privilege of witnessing first-hand the healing work of the Holy Spirit. I am tenderly connected with a raw heart to the pain and suffering of those who are experiencing the loss of loved ones. But this morning, I am both convicted and saddened by my lack of compassion and mercy to someone who tearfully shared with me the pain of facing the one year anniversary of the loss of their loved one. This particular person has provided me with a more than challenging relationship over many years. I am completely ashamed to admit that her tears fell on a cold heart this weekend. Apparently, at some point along the way, I forgot that I was created in the image of God – not created to be God. Emotionally, I decided my ministry didn’t extend to all and apparently only to some. ‘But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it…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!’ James 2:9-13. Like most mornings, the Word had a voice louder than any other noise.

I am praising God this morning for His forgiveness and for sending the Holy Spirit to rescue me from myself. I humbly expose myself this morning to exhort everyone to live out your faith ‘burning dead Christmas trees’ with the possibilities of catching every heart around you on fire for God. Don’t live your life hunched up against a cold metal pole searching for that one little spot that provides warmth for a few.

Let our gifts from God fan out to everyone instead of handpicking the ones who we deem as worthy. Let our hearts be focused on setting the cold hearts of this world ablaze in order that all will know God. Jesus Christ obediently and submissively climbed up on that cross for every person on this earth, including the ones who nailed Him to the cross.

May each of us bring our own spiritually dead Christmas trees for God’s holy match to ignite!

Heaven's Museum

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph. 2:10.

It never ceases to amaze me how the interpretation of art on a canvas can vary from person to person. Each admirer sees their own explanation of what they believe the artist is trying to communicate through his work. Each interpretation is rooted in theory, but it is only the artist who can interpret in reality. After all, it was the artist who created the work in thought first, then in creation. He had pictured the outcome many times and knew the intended finished beauty that would ultimately be displayed.

One Greek translation for the word ‘workmanship’ is ‘work of art.’ God considers and knows us in thought before one splash of color is ever put to the canvas. He has the completed work of our lives laid out before He ever picks up the brush. ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you…You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.’ Jeremiah 1:5, 7.

We were never meant to be the interpreters of our own lives. With God as our Creator, His interpretation is accurate and perfect. Through getting to know Him we begin to see through the eyes of the Artist and are able to make out the images and picture of our lives. We become more and more dependent on His vision for our lives since every day and every experience is one that builds on the previous day and prepares for the following day. Hopefully, we eventually live out Acts 17:28, ‘For in Him we live and move and exist.’ We rise if we are given another day; we go where He has ordained us to go; we speak His thoughts and His wisdom to His intended people… in Him we live and move and exist. We are because He is!

His handiwork is shown in nature everyday with its marvel and beauty. We do not try to alter the beauty of the mountains or tune out the songs of the oceans as the waves break and crash. Why do we strive so hard to alter the person for which God has both ordained and created? Why do we try to interpret our lives instead of seeing the beauty of who we are through the eyes of the Creator?

In past times there have been instances where amateurs have painted over valuable pieces of art from brilliant artists. As the surface images are slowly removed the beauty of the original artwork is revealed and the value of the piece skyrockets. The same is with our lives when we allow God to remove our brushstrokes and display His original art work.

We will have a spiritual worth beyond anything in this world. We will all hang in heaven's museum displaying our unique reflection of the most brilliant Artist who ever painted.

"Who Are We?"

“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge…you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12. “Any one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things." Romans 2:2.

The Bible speaks loudly about the attitude of judging and speaking about the actions of others. The Greek term translated ‘slander’ in the NIV also means ‘criticize’ (HCSB) and ‘speak against’ (NASB). To judge anyone, no matter what has been done, is a matter of the heart and to speak it takes judgment to the next level of slander. The very moment we judge, we become guilty of breaking it ourselves. ‘For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.’ James 2:9.

Even Jesus was held up to this law with the expectation of living without judgment over others. ‘For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ John 3:17. So who are we to sit on that throne and lift or lower the king’s scepter for acceptance or refusal? Christ is the only one who earned the seat to the right of God. The life of Christ was all about ‘doing the work of his Father,’ not playing jury, judge and executioner. He left that up to the Judge who knows all truth. ‘We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on truth.’ Romans 2:2. God is not only an eye witness to everything that is done but He is a heart witness and knows the motivation behind why it is done.

Bottom line is that when we criticize, speak against and/or judge others we place ourselves at the mercy of the court for we have become guilty of the very thing for which we judge. It seems that this is one of those impossible laws to keep and, at first glance, could discourage our walk with God. The opposite is true as the point is to increase our awareness of our own flaws and tendency to sin as we deal with the flaws of others. ‘The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.’ 1 Co. 2:15 (NIV). This translates in the life of the believer that as long as we judge the things people are doing and not the people we will not be judged. We have all heard the statement ‘Hate the sin and not the sinner’ which is a present way of echoing the passage from 1 Corinthians.

Choose A Horse!

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:6-7

Oppose - to be in competition, conflict, or battle with a...fighting force; Gives - to allow somebody to have something such as power or a right; a verb used to indicate that somebody presents or delivers something that he or she owns to another person to keep or use

Resist - to remain unaltered by the damaging effect of something; to yield, to accept somebody else's authority or will, especially reluctantly or under pressure. Draw/come near - to move in a particular direction, often alongside, toward, or away from something else, and with a smooth steady motion

I have chosen these definitions in an effort to expand on these powerful words of James. He spoke to his audience with a sense of urgency and exhortation. Throughout the book of James he continuously addressed his audience as his brothers. His exhortations were grounded in love but bluntness with no flowery language.

I remember another time when I heard bluntness grounded in love. Bruce and I were trying to make a life-altering decision. We held our prism to the light a million times and had turned it every single direction trying to see the reflections of our decision. Finally, my father-in-law, in his loving wisdom, looked at us and said, ‘You are riding two horses with one foot on each – choose a horse.’ We will never forget that image and within the week a decision had been made.

This image comes to mind with James’ words this morning. We go through life with one foot on two horses – pride and humility, our will and God’s will. Applying our definitions this morning I am drawn to fact that the word opposes is not an attitude but an action. It is God’s desire to present us in both this life and the next with everything He possesses. He will ride into battle and fight everything that may prevent us from this goal. God opposes the attitude of pride, not the person. He is aware that the horse that carries pride is the one the devil is leading and the horse that carries humility is the one on which He rides. ‘I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.’ Rev. 19:11

So I ask myself this morning, why risk it? Why keep that foot on the back of pride? Why not, in everything, submit myself to God and receive what He desires to give me? By simply lifting one foot off of the back of a horse named Pride and faithfully riding alongside Faithful and True, I can remain unaltered by the harmful force of the devil.

So, in my desire for you to have all through Christ, I say with the same love in which my father-in-law said, ‘Choose a horse!’

Friend Request

“Was it not our ancestor, Abraham who was considered righteous when he offered his son Isaac on the altar…Abraham believed God…and he was called God’s friend.” James 3:21, 23 ‘…that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.’ John 15:13-14

In our cyber world of social networking the concept of ‘friend’ has taken on a life of its own. Like any invention, the greatest value lays within its purest form. We are all tempted by its intoxicating lure of self promotion. We all have a fleshly desire to be accepted, approved of and chosen. Social Networking can be a worldly master to whom we enslave ourselves. We update our status to our circle of friends who have become our friends by simply pressing a button. With a simple click we invite friends into our make believe cyber lives and choose to exclude others. Our ‘friendships’ can be based upon nothing more than our moods and prejudices.

Jesus made it clear in John as to the manner in which He chose friends. His friends were those who opted to fellowship with Him, learn under Him, watch Him and respond to Him. It wasn’t until Abraham acted upon his belief in what God was telling him that he became God’s friend. Friendships with God are more than ‘Liking’ a Bible verse or clicking on a button to accept Him. Friendship with God will always accompany action. ‘The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.’ Gal. 5:6.

He has status updates and postings that will never time out or disappear in the News Feeds – the Holy Bible. The friendship He esteems is one of privacy and intimacy that involves spirit to spirit and presence to presence…not click to click. His heart beats for fellowship and authenticity in intimacy with each of His children.

Don’t get me wrong…Facebook has reconnected me with so many precious friends from the past, but these friendships came about through walking together, living together, and spending our lives together. It has also connected me with new wonderful friends. Leave it to the enemy to use something good to tear us down. Facebook has also stirred up in me feelings of insecurity and resurrected deep tendencies to measure myself against others. We must be careful that we define ourselves and our friends by God’s standards and not our own.

We will never see our Divine friend face to face on earth but we will see Him in the same way Moses saw him – presence to presence. ‘The LORD spoke with Moses…just as a man speaks with his friend.’ Ex. 33:11.