Key Topics – Page 94 – Three Minute Bible

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!

January 6, 2020January 6, 2020

Affirmation Monday – John 1:12

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

A Child’s View

There are moments when life seems simple. They are moments when everything comes into focus at once and makes sense. I wish those moments could last forever. Of course, someday they will.

For now, in this life, we are consigned to a complicated world. Sometimes even trying to reconcile the Word of God with itself can seem complicated. How are we to understand the Old Testament? How do we understand the New Testament? How do we even begin to get our minds around the concept of Creation or God himself?

January 5, 2020January 5, 2020

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 2: 1

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

Conspiracy Theory

I am not going to say a lot on today’s verse except to point out that this is a GREAT question! It seems especially appropriate with all the drama in the news these days.

One phrase I’ve heard a lot lately is “conspiracy theory.” It seems like I was able to live most of my life without ever running into a conspiracy theory. Now I cannot turn around without someone claiming that what someone else has said is one.

The way I have heard the phrase used usually involves a complicated plot by shadowy political figures. The problem with such plots is that there is no way to verify the truth. Because of the number of these alleged plots these days, one is caught between succumbing to total paranoia or bemused incredulity.

January 4, 2020January 17, 2020

Stop the Spinning! – James 1: 19 Part I

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

Today James gives us a recipe for harmony: Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. How many situations have gone bad because someone did not listen? Have you ever opened your mouth and stuffed in a foot or two? When your feelings are hurt do you become angry before stopping to figure out what happened?

If I were to chart out all the problems I have suffered in my life, I wonder how many would be the direct result of doing the opposite of what James suggests. Just guessing, I am inclined to think that the answer is upwards of ninety percent.

Think about that for a moment. If you could eliminate ninety percent of all your unhappiness by following these three simple rules, would it be worth it?

January 3, 2020January 4, 2020

Salt & Pepper – James 1: 18

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.

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020

The Perfect Gift – James 1: 17

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?

January 1, 2020January 2, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Happy New Year!

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.”)

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019

Blindness – James 1: 16

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

Today we jump back into James, chapter 1. James has been instructing us about trials and testing. He then mentions the importance of believing in God if we want to receive anything from Him. Almost instantly he starts putting the “rich” in their place, and then he explains the difference between being tempted by our own desire and being tested by God. At this point, he takes a breath and says, “Don’t be deceived…”

December 30, 2019December 31, 2019

Affirmation Monday – Romans 5: 8

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.

December 29, 2019December 30, 2019

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 4-6

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.