James – Page 7 – Three Minute Bible

January 21, 2020January 22, 2020

Two Pictures – James 1: 27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I can relate to James. I like the way his mind works. What we are reading in his letter is the mind of God expressed through the lens of James’ life. (Keeping in mind that all of this is orchestrated by God’s Holy Spirit!)

In the prior verse, James describes the very worst kind of religion. It is so bad that he calls it “worthless.” In today’s verse, James goes to the other end of the spectrum. Today he shows us the kind of religion that is “pure and faultless.”

January 18, 2020January 25, 2020

TWCTRAYDNKATROTT – James 1: 26

I love this picture of the goose. He seems to be saying, ”Are you talking to me?!” – JE

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

A little while ago, in verse 19, James laid out a roadmap to spiritual success in God’s eyes. He said we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. (We examined these three principles in the posts titled: Stop the Spinning! – James 1: 19 Part I, Pause Button – James 1: 19 Part II, Spiritual Gemstones – James 1: 19 Part III, and The Patience of God – James 1: 20.) Today he returns to the principle of “be slow to speak.”

Are you religious? Wondering what James was thinking when he chose that word, I looked it up in Strong’s Concordance. The Greek word James used was, thrēskos. It suggests a pious and public kind of attitude towards God. Such a person might cry out to God loudly in the street, or find other ways to show others how religious they are.

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020

Dinner Time – James 1: 25

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

The Greek word for “looks intently” is parakyptō. Strong’s Concordance says that the word suggests a person is stooping or bending over to look into something. I was trying to think of an analogy for this kind of looking and I finally found one. Have you ever found yourself gazing into the refrigerator looking for something to eat?

January 16, 2020January 20, 2020

Mirror Mirror – James 1: 23-24

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

The human mind contains an incredible array of built-in abilities. One of those abilities is being able to recognize faces.

Faces are especially interesting. A person’s eyes are incredibly unique and able to convey hundreds (maybe thousands!) of expressions. The rest of our face frames the eyes and adds more information to our expressions.

January 10, 2020January 11, 2020

The Patience of God – James 1: 20

…because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

I find it interesting that James says we should be “slow to become angry” instead of telling us not to get angry. Why? Is James saying it is okay to be angry if it is the slow kind? In today’s verse, James sheds a bit more light on what he meant by “angry.”

James distinguishes “human anger” and “slow anger.” So what is the difference? What is it about human anger that James doesn’t like? This is a situation where it helps to look at the underlying Greek to better understand what was meant.

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020

Spiritual Gemstones – James 1: 19 Part III

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

Once more we return to this amazing passage of scripture. It looks like a simple sentence on the surface, but as we dive into the text we find that every word is a gemstone in its own right. The value of these gems is magnified by the fact that they were written by the half brother of Jesus. A man who grew up knowing Jesus as his older brother and who did not believe in him or appreciate him until after Jesus rose from the dead and spoke with him.

Because of this life experience, James has special insight. He spent all his time living with the Son of God being slow to listen and quick to speak. Now he knows better. Besides, he knows one more thing: Be slow to become angry…

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020

Pause Button – James 1: 19 Part II

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

In “Stop the Spinning” we discussed what it means to be quick to listen. Today I would like to revisit this verse and look at the second part of James’ admonition: being “slow to speak.”

There is a similarity between these two instructions. When we discussed “Stop the Spinning” we referred to the tendency of the mind to get caught up in what is going on. Slowing down the mind and focusing on what is being said to us is the first step James alludes to. But what then? Do we allow the mind to spin wildly again after we have listened?

James says, “No.”

James has captured a very human tendency and turned it around. Instead of being slow to listen and quick to speak, he tells us to do the opposite. And what happens when we do? Miracles!

January 5, 2020January 5, 2020

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 2: 1

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

Conspiracy Theory

I am not going to say a lot on today’s verse except to point out that this is a GREAT question! It seems especially appropriate with all the drama in the news these days.

One phrase I’ve heard a lot lately is “conspiracy theory.” It seems like I was able to live most of my life without ever running into a conspiracy theory. Now I cannot turn around without someone claiming that what someone else has said is one.

The way I have heard the phrase used usually involves a complicated plot by shadowy political figures. The problem with such plots is that there is no way to verify the truth. Because of the number of these alleged plots these days, one is caught between succumbing to total paranoia or bemused incredulity.

January 4, 2020January 17, 2020

Stop the Spinning! – James 1: 19 Part I

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

Today James gives us a recipe for harmony: Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. How many situations have gone bad because someone did not listen? Have you ever opened your mouth and stuffed in a foot or two? When your feelings are hurt do you become angry before stopping to figure out what happened?

If I were to chart out all the problems I have suffered in my life, I wonder how many would be the direct result of doing the opposite of what James suggests. Just guessing, I am inclined to think that the answer is upwards of ninety percent.

Think about that for a moment. If you could eliminate ninety percent of all your unhappiness by following these three simple rules, would it be worth it?

January 3, 2020January 4, 2020

Salt & Pepper – James 1: 18

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

By now we have seen that James is a salt and pepper kind of guy. His writing is not bland or detailed. He is a man with a mission and he wants to fulfill that mission with as few words as possible. This sentence in James 1: 18 is a perfect example. Let’s unpack it a bit and look at all the treasures James has placed here.