Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them…
One of the most amazing aspects of the Bible is the amount of detail it contains about the past. Of course, whether or not you believe this information depends on your view of the Bible.
As I have mentioned before, my personal view is that God exists. God created everything there is, and if God wanted to get a book published He could. If he did, it would be exactly the way He wanted to it be.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 14a — A Faithful Walk”
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
Yes, Elijah was a human being. There is no indication in scripture that Elijah was anything more than a man. And yet he was called to be a prophet of God. He listened to God’s words and did what God wanted him to do.
Perhaps more important than whether he was human or not, was his righteousness. He obeyed God even at the risk of his own life.
The interesting thing I see about Elijah is that there is no difference between what Elijah wanted and what God wanted. Elijah prayed in harmony with God’s will. It is as if they were singing a duet together in close harmony. Elijah’s prayer was God’s will.
Continue reading “James 5: 17-18 — Harmony”
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.
The title for our meditation is the Greek word, “sōzō.” It is the word that the NIV translates as made “well” in today’s verse. In English, we generally expect that if someone is made well, they are restored to complete health. After looking into the meaning of the Greek, sōzō, I am not entirely sure that is exactly what James meant.
Forgive me, I don’t mean to be questioning the fine minds that did the translation for NIV. Instead, I am questioning our understanding of what it means to be made well. Once again the challenge is discerning who’s point of view we should look at the word through; God’s or ours.
Continue reading “James 5: 15a — Sōzō”
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
As I read this verse I am almost overwhelmed by the implications. How should we begin? Perhaps we should begin with being sick.
Who among us has not been sick at one time or another? Often our sickness passes and we get better. Some kinds of sickness affect the body for years. Other sicknesses lead to death. Sometimes quickly, other times very slowly.
As a Christian, we do not fear death. Yet almost no one yearns to be ill. We like feeling well. That is how we are intended to be.
Continue reading “James 5: 14 — A Test of Faith”
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Note: Somehow I skipped over verses 13-17 in chapter 4. I’m not sure why, but as I started preparing for James 5: 12 I was reminded of the passage I had skipped over. So, let’s rewind for a few days and visit these words of James.
As I write this the world is embroiled in a war against an unseen enemy. A virus known as “Covid-19” has been unleashed and is running rampant. Wherever it goes, it lashes out at everyone around it. What sets it apart from other viruses is its speed and the potential nastiness of its effect on a person’s lungs. Within a matter of weeks beginning last December, the virus has infected most of the rest of the world. Slowly (it seemed) more information has become available. Suddenly, it seems, the country was shut down and we are all sitting at home.
Today we wonder how this happened. How did we become virtual prisoners in our own homes?
Continue reading “James 4: 13-14 — Stage Fright”
As you know, we count as 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.
James began his letter with encouragement to his readers who are facing trials “of many kinds.” He then mentions Job, a man who’s suffering and trials are almost legendary.
As an aside, I used to dread reading the Book of Job in my annual trek through the Bible. But somewhere on my journey, I came to appreciate Job and even look forward to him. The text is Shakespearian in form. Each of the main people in the story is prone to make long speeches and Job is no exception. Yet, the speeches have a purpose and meaning.
Continue reading “James 5: 11 — Summer Storm”
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
In yesterday’s post, “Job or Joy?,” we posed the question, “How do we apply this truth in our fellowship with other Christians?” The “truth” we were discussing had to do with what James said about faith and deeds. He wrote:
“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2: 17b)
So how do we apply this truth to others in the fellowship of believers?
Continue reading “James 5:9 — Reflections”
See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
I want to continue the thought that we started yesterday in, “Two Sides.” In short, we contrasted what Paul writes in Ephesians 2: 8-9 with what James writes in James 2: 24. Paul tells us that we are saved by faith, not by works. James writes, “…a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” Are these two statements contradictory?
The key here is in Paul’s use of the word, “works.” The word “work” comes from the Greek, ergon. It describes the kind of work one does for pay. In other words, a job. At the end of the day, one who works at a job is paid in coin or currency. Both parties have what they bargained for. But salvation is not something any of us can afford. The price for our salvation is so far out of reach that we might as well believe that we could jump over the moon by using our own two legs.
Continue reading “James 5: 7b-8 — Job or Joy?”
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.
At the beginning of his letter, James encourages his readers to face trials with joy. The goal, he says, is to produce perseverance. Now he says to be patient. I wonder, aren’t perseverance and patience two sides of the same coin?
James’ letter is sometimes disparaged because he ties what we do to what we believe. Martin Luther, in particular, was critical of James’ letter. Luther had broken free of the legalism imposed by the Catholic Church. His means of breaking free was Paul’s assertion that we are saved by faith alone. Paul writes:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
Continue reading “James 5: 7a — Two Sides”
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James is taking us by the hand and showing us something that he considers very important. There is no room for hypocrisy when we stand before God. James does not tell us this to shame us or discourage us in our faith. Rather, he wants us to enter heaven victorious in Christ.
Continue reading “James 3: 7-8 – The Pause”