God’s Plan – Page 35 – Three Minute Bible

January 25, 2020March 27, 2020

Distractions – James 2: 5

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

As we gently sift through the words that James wrote down so many years ago, we get a sense of his deep love for those he is writing to. Something has happened to trigger this letter. We do not know what it is or how James came to hear about it. His letter testifies to the fact that he did hear, and he is doing something about it.

Somehow the poor are being dishonored by his brothers and sisters in Christ. This is wrong. James makes that clear. Now he begins to walk us through the reasons why it is wrong.

Who is poor in ”the eyes of the world?”

January 23, 2020January 23, 2020

Time Machine – James 2: 1

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

Imagine for a moment that you have been transported back in time to the days just after Jesus was raised from the dead. God has picked you, yes YOU, to be responsible for the shepherding of a thousand newly converted believers. The believers you are responsible for are all Jewish converts.

Now, answer the following question: When your believers accepted Jesus as Messiah, were they immediately changed into people who reflected God’s values?

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020

Affirmation Monday – Happy Ending

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

— Romans 10:9

Do you want to be saved?

One day I took a small sailboat out on a large lake. I had not sailed on this lake before and I did not know its tricks and traps. My sailboat ride started very pleasantly. The sky was blue and the sun was bright and warm. I had sailed perhaps a mile from the park where I had launched the boat when I noticed the wind was picking up. It was blowing me away from the boat launch so I turned the boat around and started sailing into the wind.

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020

Ain’t Foolin’ Nobody – James 1: 22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Did I mention that James is … er… somewhat blunt? I did? Good. ‘Cause he is.

James packs a lot of truth into his brief staccato sentences so we might need to unpack some of this. Not that it is complicated or anything. It is just that what he is talking about is something we might be doing at this very moment.

Are you being “quick to listen” or are you “merely listen[ing]?”

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

Affirmation Monday – Philippians 1: 6

… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Confidence

In the opening lines of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he shares an eternal truth: God is not a quitter.

Think about the persistence of God. Before he created the earth and the stars he created the angels. One of them went bad. Then this bad egg, Satan, enticed many of God’s angels to follow him.

When God created the universe and all that is in it, he understood the risk. He had already seen corruption in his creation of the angels. When he created the earth and all that we know, he was not surprised when Satan corrupted his creation again.

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 2: 11-12

Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Picture Perfect

Imagine if you will a placid beautiful lake. The lake is surrounded by rolling hills, fruit orchards, and lush fields. Animals play in the fields and birds fill the air. You and others are in boats of some kind; canoes, sailboats, paddle-boards, all enjoying the water and the sunshine.

At the far end of the lake stands a large figure. In our imaginary world, this is God, the Lord. He rules the land and the people on the lake. At his feet there is a cleft in the rock and the lake flows into a narrow ravine. The Lord guards the way and has commanded all the people to stay away from this place, to enjoy the lake and the surrounding hills, but to avoid the river.

January 11, 2020January 11, 2020

Boots – James 1: 21

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

I wonder if James has done this himself? Did he get rid of all the moral filth and evil in him? Did he humbly accept the word that was planted? What do you think? Do you think that running into his half brother, Jesus, after he had seen Jesus crucified might have had an impact on him? I do. I think he was shaken to his boots. (I know, they didn’t have boots in those days, but who says, “Shaken to his sandals?”)

Having been thus shaken, James vows to change. I think he did, too. I think he became the kind of person his brother, Jesus, is proud of. I think he took inventory of his attitudes and feelings and decided he needed to do a little house cleaning. James thinks you and I should do the same.

So how? Where do we start?

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 8, 2020January 9, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Seeking Treasure

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you

turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2: 1-5

Solomon recognizes that even he, the most powerful man in all the earth in his day, can not force a person to accept his words. He tells his children, and by extension us, that if you accept his words there is a benefit. More than that, he expands on what it takes to acquire understanding.

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!