Suffering – Page 7 – Three Minute Bible

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020

James 5: 11 — Summer Storm

Dark clouds and rain sweep across fields and farm.

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

James began his letter with encouragement to his readers who are facing trials “of many kinds.” He then mentions Job, a man who’s suffering and trials are almost legendary.

As an aside, I used to dread reading the Book of Job in my annual trek through the Bible. But somewhere on my journey, I came to appreciate Job and even look forward to him. The text is Shakespearian in form. Each of the main people in the story is prone to make long speeches and Job is no exception. Yet, the speeches have a purpose and meaning.

April 2, 2020April 3, 2020

James 5: 10 — A History of Pain

A picture of an hourglass sitting on a log.

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James, remember, is talking to fellow Jews. Jews, by nature, are innately historical. I know of no other race or tribe that has such an extensive, detailed and authentic written history of their existence. They also seem to have a perverse inclination to record their most embarrassing moments and worst impulses.

God has impressed on them a need to know who they are, and so even Jews who do not believe in a judgment or an afterlife still know their history. It is a long history of failure. Failure to listen to God.

March 25, 2020March 25, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday — Soft Hearts

Picture of a teddy bear with a cloth heart.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

— Proverbs 3: 11-12

Discipline is almost always a little bit painful. Not because it involves physical pain, although that is sometimes a part of discipline. Instead, it is because it is painful to see ourselves as we really are.

The whole point of discipline is to correct someone’s behavior or attitude. To do that, we have to be made aware of what we were doing wrong. Our underlying character is what determines how well we take correction.

March 4, 2020March 5, 2020

Three Angry Men – Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

In the story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son,* there is a minor character that we don’t get to meet until the end of the story. After the prodigal is welcomed home by his father, his dad throws a party for him. The older brother is out in the field and is incensed that his wayward brother should be honored in this way. Even when his father comes out to him to beg him to come into the party he refuses. I think it is safe to say that the older brother was angry.

Our definition of anger in “Anger’s Cause” goes like this:

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

The older brother expected that the younger brother would get what is coming to him. After all, he had demanded that his father give him half the estate and then ran off and squandered it. Who knows what he did with all that money! Then he has the nerve to come home and ask for a job from his dad.

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.

February 28, 2020March 1, 2020

Anger’s Power – Zechariah 1:14-15

Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’”

Yesterday in “Anger’s Cause” we talked a little about where anger comes from. But anger is not like a light switch. We do not simply become angry. There are many degrees of anger, just as there are many degrees of happiness.

When things in our life do not match our expectations (here I should add that we are talking about those things that are worse than what we expect) we start to become irritated. Irritation leads to frustration, and frustration can lead to anger. As we see in today’s verse, anger can range from a little angry to very angry.

Sometimes the change from happy to angry happens so fast that we miss all the warning signs along the way. And that is what irritations and frustrations are; warning signs. They tell us that there is danger ahead. If we heed the warnings, sometimes we can avoid the anger. The main point today though is that there are degrees of anger.

Where does this power for being very angry come from?

February 10, 2020February 10, 2020

Affirmation Monday – One Foot In Heaven

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

— Colossians 3:1

What do we do when our heart is breaking? Is there any pain as great?

We live in bodies that are obsessed with our own needs and wants. Our emotional vision is short-sighted. We see what we think is right, what we need, what we want. But our vision is earthbound. Only God knows what is best.

Because of this myopic condition we sometimes take great risks. In our need for an emotional connection we tend to entrust our hearts to people instead of God.

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 26, 2019December 27, 2019

Trials – James 1: 12

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.

December 22, 2019December 23, 2019

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 1: 3

That person [the one who delights in the law of the Lord] is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Good Soil

There is something you may have heard about called the “prosperity gospel.*” I acknowledge this because it is a hot topic for many Bible-believing Christians. In the study of James that we just started James dives right in by talking about “trials of many kinds.” Paul, in his letter to the Romans (Chapter 5) starts with a discussion of sufferings and how believers are to “glory in our sufferings” (vs 3). So there is a potential for confusion. Some verses, like today’s, offer the hope of prospering while others talk about the reality of suffering. Yet I firmly believe that “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

So what do we make of this?