Jeff’s Favorites – Page 21 – Three Minute Bible

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020

Jude 1: 5 — A Change of Residence

a person carries boxes from a van to a house.

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

Having introduced himself in his letter and explained his topic, Jude begins a short review of history.

In Sunday school, I learned that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. I was also told it took forty years to get there. One day it dawned on me that forty years is a really long time. How is it possible that a trip could take that long? (Even if you only walked one mile each day, a trip of forty years would cover 14,600 miles!)

Of course, there is a lot more to the story.

April 15, 2020April 16, 2020

James 5: 17-18 — Harmony

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.

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020

James 5: 16b — Righteousness

A plasma ball against a black background illustrates power.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

We are almost at the end of James’ letter to the “twelve tribes.” Throughout his letter, James talks about what it means to be a righteous person.

A righteous person considers trials to be a joy. He knows that testing leads to perseverance, and perseverance leads to maturity. A righteous person is mature in faith. They are complete.

A righteous person has the wisdom the comes from God because they have asked and not doubted. They are of a single mind, one that is devoted to the Lord.

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020

James 5:9 — Reflections

Image shows reflections of trees in the water of a still lake.

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?

March 31, 2020April 1, 2020

James 5: 7b-8 — Job or Joy?

A farmer harvest wheat with a combine and truck.

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.

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020

James 5: 7a — Two Sides

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)

March 29, 2020March 29, 2020

James 5: 1-6 — I Warned You

A cartoon of a person yelling wildly as if in warning.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Well, here it is. I warned you! James’ tirade against the greedy rich. Those who live for money, who hoard wealth, who cheat their workers and live to indulge their own desires. Then he says, “You have condemned and murdered the innocent one…”

James starts his letter by announcing that he is writing to “the twelve tribes.” The people he is writing to are Jews. (James 1:1) It seems safe to assume that James is convinced things are not going well in the early church. Jewish believers are falling into old habits. It is as if he is shouting through pen and ink, “SNAP OUT OF IT!”

March 21, 2020March 22, 2020

James 4: 8a — Closeness

A man's hand touches a child's hand, fingertip to fingertip.

Come near to God and he will come near to you.

I’ve always thought this statement to be a little bit odd. But then, I don’t think I have always thought about God the right way. If God is a stationary object, it makes sense (in a worldly sort of way) that if I get nearer to Him, He will be closer to me. But that is not what James says.

God doesn’t just wait for us to come to Him. He wants to be united with us. So he is very willing to come to us. Like the father in the parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32) when God sees us coming home he comes out to meet us.

March 6, 2020March 6, 2020

Anger’s Summary – James 1: 19-20

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Thank you for bearing with me as I wandered through this topical detour about anger. I have learned a lot. I hope you have picked up something valuable as well.

To review, we began with “Anger’s Cause” asking the question: Is it right to be angry? We answered that question with an, “It depends.” It depends on why a person is angry. Then we defined anger as a secondary emotion and described its origin this way:

“Anger is the feeling that results from an imbalance between our expectations and the situation we find ourselves in.”

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020

Anger’s Harbor – Leviticus 19: 15

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

How do we tell the difference between anger that has been harbored in someone’s heart and anger that is served up fresh each day?

Rich raised this question in response to yesterday’s post, “Hyperopia.” He posits a person who harbors “anger, revenge, [and/or] bad feelings toward someone in our family or inner circle.”

What does it mean to “harbor” something? A boat in a harbor has a place to stay protected from outside forces. The idea of harboring a feeling suggests that the person wants to keep the angry feeling alive. This kind of person nurtures a grudge and as Rich points out stews their bad feelings with thoughts of revenge.