Daily Meditations on the Bible
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.
Continue reading “Salt & Pepper – James 1: 18”
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
What did you get for Christmas this year? Did you enjoy receiving a gift? Was it a good gift? Was it perfect? Does it need batteries? Does it break? Does it wear out? Did you have to return it?
Continue reading “The Perfect Gift – James 1: 17”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1: 7
There is a theme that runs through Scripture and underlies every great piece of human literature as well: Good Guys vs Bad Guys. In Proverbs, this eternal battle is often characterized as a conflict between the “wise” and the “fool.” (See our discussion under the post, “The Big Picture.”)
Continue reading “Wisdom Wednesday – Happy New Year!”
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Whose Rules?
Yesterday, Psalm Sunday’s post generated some interesting discussion on what it means to be wicked and righteous. From God’s point of view, we are all unrighteous in a practical sense.
What I mean by that is that a practical righteousness would be sufficient to allow a person into heaven without any help from God. In effect, such a person would be as good as God himself. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time measured their righteousness by their compliance with the laws of Moses. Unbeknownst to them, there was a little flaw in their measurement system. Because they wrote most of the rules, they were a bit blind to how well they fulfilled them.
Imagine that you want to play baseball. You make the rules so that the pitcher can only pitch balls to you that you can hit. Then you demand that the umpire is a member of your team. Better yet, the umpire has to be a relative and a member of your team. When you hit the ball nobody on the other team is allowed to touch it until you have made it safely to home plate. Sound like a fun game? It is if you are on the right team.
Continue reading “Affirmation Monday – Romans 5: 8”
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
The Big Picture
As I read this passage, the Pharisees of Jesus’ day come to mind. They seemed to think of themselves as righteous. They certainly acted like they thought they were God’s gift to humanity. Yet, what they did in conspiring against Jesus was very wicked.
Among all the righteous men who have ever lived, Jesus is by far the most righteous of all. Being without sin, he defines what it means to be righteous. It might be unfair to compare these people to this verse, but it might also open the door to understanding something about God’s perspective.
Continue reading “Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 4-6”
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Why do we receive the crown of life? Is it something that we earn? Is it something that we can earn?
James’ letter stands out as unique in the New Testament. James presents a “no-nonsense” approach to believing in Jesus. But remember, James himself is unique.
No other New Testament writer grew up with Jesus in the same family. No other writer knew Jesus as a child. No other writer gave Jesus such a hard time when he was alive – before his resurrection. James carries a special perspective on Jesus and a special kind of guilt for his past behavior.
Continue reading “Trials – James 1: 12”
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.
Genesis 3: 15
The Perfect Gift
Today’s “Wisdom Wednesday” text is not from the traditional wisdom literature in the Bible. Instead, we are looking at the wisdom of God in action.
Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The reason we need a savior is that Adam and Eve could not resist the wiles of Satan. Having sinned, they became spiritually dead, separated from God. At the same time, they were able to see something they had been protected from while they were alive in God. They could now see evil. The tragedy was (and is) that people do not always recognize evil for what it is.
Continue reading “Wisdom Wednesday – Merry Christmas!”