Three Minute Bible

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020

James 2: 18 – A Puppy Named James

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

If you ever have had a puppy dog for a pet, you know how they like to play tug-o-war. It doesn’t matter if it is a $15.00 toy from Pets-R-Us or an old sock. Given the chance to chomp down on something, growl fiercely, and throw their head back and forth, they will take it every time.

Like a puppy with a sock, James has sunk his teeth into this idea of faith and deeds.

Grrr-rrr-rr—rrrr—rrrrrr—rrr!!

He just won’t let go!

So here we are, talking about faith versus deeds again.

Like a puppy who wants to play, James growls out a challenge: Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds!

Let’s accept his challenge. Let’s show James our faith. And we will do it without deeds. How does that work?

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020

James 2: 17 – Checkup Time

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Where do we start here? What is faith? Is faith alive? How can faith be dead? What is James talking about here?

James uses a word that gets everyone’s attention. “Dead” is a word that everyone understands. Dead is dead. From a worldly point of view, a dead body isn’t going anywhere under its own power. Dead means there is no life in it. Dead means that it is, like Beethoven, decomposing.

As a metaphor for faith, “dead” brings to mind something without life or motion. A dead person or animal ceases to have any worth.

February 12, 2020February 12, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Wise Eyes

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.

— Proverbs 3: 7

What does it mean to be wise in your own eyes? I’ve heard of “wise guys” but I don’t remember hearing “wise eyes” before.

When we look at ourselves “in our own eyes” there is always a tendency to see what we want to see. When we look at someone else we have the advantage of seeing them from outside their head. Inside our head, our vision is cluttered by all the wants, needs and hopes we have collected all our life.

February 11, 2020February 12, 2020

The Question – James 2: 15-16

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

In today’s world, we have a homeless crisis. Hopefully, if someone in the future reads this post, they will be surprised by this idea. In the future God has planned for us, homelessness is not a thing. Sadly, today it is a thing. A big thing.

When people come to Christ, we come from all walks of life. Sometimes we come with no worldly possessions. Other times we come with much more than we could ever use. Sometimes, like Job, Christians with possessions and money lose it all. Sometimes events overtake us and we are in need. Great need.

If a brother or sister in Christ is without clothes or food, what do you do?

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.

February 9, 2020May 26, 2021

Psalm Sunday – Context

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

— Psalm 5: 11

People who study the Bible often talk about the importance of context. Taking a verse out of context can entirely change its meaning. Except sometimes it doesn’t.

Psalm 5 starts as a lament of King David. He mourns the sinfulness of wicked people. He complains about their arrogance and their lies. They offend God and because they offend God, David is offended, too.

February 8, 2020February 9, 2020

Splash! – James 2: 14

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

In “Hearts and Deeds” we listened to Paul’s statement that we are saved not by works but through faith.* We compared this to James’s emphasis on what we do. Today James restates his case. This time with a directness that borders on being blunt.

In essence, James wants us to think about the connection between what is in our hearts and what we do. Can a person believe and yet act like they don’t believe?

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020

Hearts and Deeds – James 2: 12-13

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.

Some people have told me that they feel put off by James’ letter because of his emphasis on what they call “works.” There seems to be a lot of confusion on this point. Paul spends a lot of time in his writings defending the Gentile Christians against the demands of Jewish law. Time and again he returns to this theme which is summed up in his letter to the Ephesians:

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)

The “works” that Paul refers to are a kind of righteousness defined by the laws of Moses. These are the laws of the covenant or agreement God made with the Israelites through Moses. (If you would like to know more about this covenant in general terms read Deuteronomy, chapters 27-30.) Under this agreement, the Israelites were to remain faithful to God. Not just in their actions, but in their hearts as well. God taught the Israelites the difference between right and wrong actions in the hope that their hearts would follow.

Sadly, that didn’t work.

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Hard Time – James 2: 11

For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

As we discussed in “You Break It You Buy It” a glass angel with a broken wing is no longer “new” in the eyes of the Curio Shop owner. In the same way, if you commit murder the whole law is broken, just like that angel. Even something as minor as disrespecting the poor brother in Christ breaks God’s law of loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Using the logic James puts forth, the one who discriminates between the rich and the poor has broken the law. Unlike people, the Law does not discriminate. Once you break the law, the law condemns you to the same place all other lawbreakers go.

February 5, 2020February 6, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Avoidance

For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse…

— Proverbs 2: 10-12

Are there practical benefits to having wisdom? It depends on who you are and what you are looking for in life.

I do not like pain. I avoid it as much as possible. For this reason, I avoid taking unnecessary risks. I think everyone else should think the same way. I cannot fathom a point of view that embraces pain.

Some years ago in the course of my job, I met a young man who seemed impervious to pain. During the few weeks, I knew him I learned that he had an affection for high-risk sports. He would regale me with stories of the adventures he’d had and then tell me what it had cost him in broken bones. I am pretty sure he had broken almost every bone in his body at least once.