Humility – Page 17 – Three Minute Bible

April 13, 2020April 13, 2020

James 5: 16a — Now What?

A statue of a man and woman embracing depicts forgiveness.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

It is the day after Easter. News of the most amazing event in history has spread around the globe. Everyone has been confronted by the reality of this amazing story. God in the flesh is killed by the beings he created. Three days later, the Son of God is seen alive again. Not just by one or two people but by hundreds of people who knew him before he died.

Myself and others, maybe even you, have chosen to believe in his resurrection and promise of forgiveness. Now what?

Now what, indeed.

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020

James 5: 14 — A Test of Faith

A dog with a cone around his neck symbolizes being sick.

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.

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020

James 5: 12 — Do You Swear…?

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

Note: Today we return to chapter five. We have explored the forgotten verses in chapter four. James has been admonishing us to avoid making boasts about what we will do. Instead, preface every thought with, “If it is the Lord’s will… This ties in nicely with today’s passage.

What kind of swearing is James talking about? Do we still swear in the way James uses the word?

The traditional definition of “swear” is to make a solemn statement or vow promising to do something or affirming something is true. The functional definition in common use today is to express contempt with what is known as a “four-letter word.” (Sadly, the use of “swear words” has become so common that some people are hardly able to speak without using them.)

James is referring to the use of an affirmation or vow. So why would such a statement condemn us?

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020

James 4: 15-16 — Alignment

Close up of the sight glass on a bubble level.

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

I was talking with a friend the other day and the word “alignment” came up. It was a way of describing our relationship with God as it should be. We should be in alignment with God’s will.

If what we are doing is something God wants to be done, it will go well. If what we are doing is not God’s will, it will not go well.