Camel Knees

by | Sep 29, 2015 | James

James 5:16-20

What a great journey it’s been going through the book of James one verse at a time this month! Our heart is that you will join and share the conversation about His Word as we grow in our understanding together.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Tradition has an amazing nickname for James. James is often referred to as “Camel Knees” because of how much he prayed! Coming to the end of the book, we can see how much emphasis James puts on prayer. Tradition also tells us that when James was martyred in 62 A.D he was praying for his persecutors.

The first part of this verse is about us confessing sins to one another. There’s so many different ways to live this out. I think its important to find a person / persons that you trust to confess, but it’s also important that we don’t just confess to each other, but we also confess our sins to God—who is the ultimate forgiver of our sins.

I love how James places an emphasis on the righteous person’s prayer. The way we live matters. Have you ever tried to pray, operate in a spiritual gift when living in blatant sin? It feels weird. Not that God can’t use us in our sin, but how much more effective are we spiritually when our lives honor the Lord.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Here’s the deal: We’re no different than Elijah! The same spirit that was with Elijah dwells in us! The outward expression of God’s power may look different, but the power is still with us. James is using Elijah here to illustrate the point of how the fervent prayers from a righteous person is heard by our God.

The story of Elijah: 1 Kings 17-22. 

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

This reminds me of the parable Jesus shares in Luke 15 about the lost sheep. We all know someone who used to proclaim Jesus’ name. Someone who was active in the church, and for whatever reason, they have wandered. James is encouraging us to go after those people.

My prayer today is that we would be inspired and be given the boldness to reach out to anyone that we know that has wandered away from the truth. That we would pursue them regardless of how awkward it might be because as James instructs we are being used by God to save them.

Photography: @brandon_nalley

Conform to the Image of Christ

by | Sep 17, 2015 | James

James 3: 7-12

Over the last few days, we’ve been discussing the first half of James 3: Taming the tongue. Today we’re going to wrap it up by discussing verses 7:7-12.

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 

I never doubt the inerrancy of scripture, but its pretty hard to get my cat to do what I want it to do. The Greek word for Tame here is δαμάζω (damazó), which means restraint and obedience. So its pretty straight forward what James is trying to say here.

8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

I play indoor soccer. Even on my best day, an angry word slips out here-or-there. After the game, I’ll go and shake my opponents hand apologizing for acting a fool. Later, I’ll feel this inward shame of my sin. I pray to God and ask Him why am I so quick to anger. Why do I feel that it’s my right to carry out justice with my words? This verse represents our sin nature. It’s why we’re separated from God, but how BIG is our Gospel though. How big is our Savior—Christ Jesus!

9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 

How strange is the human condition? When people accuse Christians of being hypocrites it’s because we are! We’re constantly at war with our-selfs. We’re genuinely trying to live out Christ, but that doesn’t mean we always choose Christ every time. It’s why we must pray daily to God and plead with Him to make us more like His Son.

11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

I love this verse because James will not allow us to cop out. He’s not giving us the green light to curse and bless. He’s saying you’re either cursing or blessing. You can’t do both. The metaphors are “either/ or” not “both / and.” That’s the call of the Christian life. We cannot live a life of unrestraint, and then profess we’re living a life submitting to Christ. We’re called to a higher standard. You must change. I must change.

Changing our actions is the challenge of the Christian life because when we are saved, we’re still working through years of bad habits and poor decision making.

So here’s what we can do: Daily pray to God asking him to forgive your sins. Ask him to conform you to the image of His Son. If you pray that prayer everyday, God will answer your prayer. You’ll begin to notice that your heart will begin to change. Cursing someone with your words will become less frequent and You will begin to see the change from the inside out.

 

Photography: @fordyates

In it for the Long Haul

by | Sep 5, 2015 | James

James 1: 12-17

“I don’t care and I want it now!” -Veruca Salt Willy Wonka

As I’m writing this, I’m becoming increasing impatient with how long I’m spending writing this and how my wifi isn’t fast enough to stream Apple Music. My life is constantly in a state of irritably looking at the clock and wondering, “Why is this taking so long?” “Cars get out my way now! “The “Uberization” of the world is in full-swing, but at what cost? Even dating is becoming streamlined and hassle-free with Tinder. Relationships must be quick, convenient and less  time-commitment. Let’s get real: We don’t care and we want it now, but what is this doing to us spiritually? To be clear, Uber and Tinder aren’t the problem, we would have this problem regardless. We all have a little Veruca in us, but the Christian life is about rolling up our sleeves and daily pursuing God and asking Him to make us more into the Image of Christ.

James 1:12

Even in Biblical times, James is writing to believers and encouraging them to remain steadfast during trials and that those who remain faithful will inherit the crown of life. Passages like this are a struggle to read. They are in complete opposition of what we experience. Let’s be honest, remaining faithful is boring. It’s antiquated language. Following through with commitments is becoming uncommon, but how our hearts must yield to scripture.

James 1:13

This is one of my favorite verses because it speaks to the human psyche. The thought pattern is: When temptation happens, it’s God’s fault. Why would God allow temptation into my life. Or well I just can’t stop doing….[fill in the blank]. James is very quick to correct this. God is not upstairs playing some sick game with humanity. The story of Job is the most accurate depiction of how God allows, but does not cause.

James 1:14-16

Bad things happen because of our sin, which originates in our desires, which ultimately leads to death. You’re the problem!!!! I’m the problem!!! My temptations come from the depths of my black heart that’s constantly wrestles with my spirit for control. Temptation is the elusive carrot dangling that our heart yearns to reach for. It’s the soft whisper of deceit that edges us one step too far. James is warning believers to stop thinking temptation is out of our control and start taking control. Be responsible for your relationship with God.

James 1:17

In contrast of our own ugly, sinful desires, God is good. He’s a God that gives magnificent treasures. He gives perfection. Unlike our ever-changing state, God is unchanging. God doesn’t turn his back casting a shadow on anything. He is a patient God.

In a world of. “I want it now,” we must fight the temptation of thinking our relationship with God is temporal, immediate, and can be completed. “I am spiritually in it for the long haul” must be the response as genuine Christ-followers.

 

 

 

Photography: @jacobnnorris

 

In the Word.

by | Aug 6, 2014 | Gospel of Luke

God has used this chapter to radically reshape my life. Through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, these are three things God has taught me:

1. Work really hard to make someone else’s vision come true before trying to make your vision come true.

I did an unpaid internship at a church for a few years and many times I had to do things I didn’t care about, and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t always do these things with the best attitude. Instead of thinking how I could make my leader’s vision better, I would dream about the time when my vision would happen. “God when are you gonna give me the keys to the kingdom?” I’m embarrassed to admit this but it’s nothing God doesn’t know already. Now as I lead the Press Bible team, I’m very thankful for our team’s inspiring loyalty to do the small things. I believe that God will bless each of them as they begin to experiment with their own dreams. My encouragement is do what I didn’t do. Be inspired to work for other people. And really care.

“And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?” Luke 16:12

2. Nobody likes a dirty liar.  

Liars are the worst. I used to work at a restaurant and would notice my co-workers cheat customers by charging them a little extra and pocketing the extra cash. At the end of the night, my co-workers would have an extra fifty bucks. In high school it may be funny, but sadly some of them carried those habits into their lives to this day, never really growing out of cheating people. Their lying and cheating reputation made them sketchy to others, and they were often excluded. Be honest, you’re not really hiding anything, just hurting your relationship with God and with others. They may seem small at times, but lies have the potential and power to ruin your life.

“And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? Luke 16:11

3. Cut the Crap.

Recently, my brother and I watched “Leave it to Beaver.” My favorite character is Eddie Haskell. Eddie’s the kid who acts polite on the surface, but inwardly is a schemer and a brat. At the climax of the movie, Beaver’s mom finally sees through Eddie and tells him to “cut the crap.” Our Almighty God who sees all and knows all isn’t fooled by our faux righteousness. God can see through any ploy. Our hearts matter to Him. If there is one thing God would tell us I fully believe it would simply be: “Cut the Crap.”

One More.

by | Jul 28, 2014 | Gospel of Luke

I hate when my Instagram photos don’t receive love. Let’s just be real. I’ll work so hard perfecting my filters and crop hoping for at least a few hours of Instafame! Imagine taking the best picture with the best filters and writing a warm, heartfelt caption only to be welcomed with one little heart…

If this happened to me, I would honestly delete my pic and repost it later.

How do you think God would react? “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “ Luke 15:7

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

My hearts battles with always wanting “one more,” but God just wants more of one.

Each day, we battle with this internal struggle of wanting one more. “If I had one more ________, then ________.” The kingdom of God is not like this. Jesus is relentless at pursing the individual. Have you ever been at 99 likes and you need one more to get to 100? We get worked up and hope someone, anyone, will just “Like” our picture. If we’re honest, we could care less about who it is, we just want to see the numbers. As silly as an Instagram comparison might seem, doesn’t this represent the nature of our hearts?

Jesus, our amazing savior teaches, us to forget about the 100 and focus on the one.

Jesus revealing this characteristic about the Father teaches us the value we hold to God. If God holds such a high value on just one of His creations, then that must affect how we treat each individual person.

My prayer is that we may treat each person, whether a stranger, close friend, or social media follower, with the insane amount of worth they hold. Let’s take a moment to celebrate what that person means to God. This attitude will compel us to break our routines and begin to love others so much that we begin to share what Jesus has done.