Three Minute Bible

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020

Ain’t Foolin’ Nobody – James 1: 22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Did I mention that James is … er… somewhat blunt? I did? Good. ‘Cause he is.

James packs a lot of truth into his brief staccato sentences so we might need to unpack some of this. Not that it is complicated or anything. It is just that what he is talking about is something we might be doing at this very moment.

Are you being “quick to listen” or are you “merely listen[ing]?”

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

Affirmation Monday – Philippians 1: 6

… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Confidence

In the opening lines of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he shares an eternal truth: God is not a quitter.

Think about the persistence of God. Before he created the earth and the stars he created the angels. One of them went bad. Then this bad egg, Satan, enticed many of God’s angels to follow him.

When God created the universe and all that is in it, he understood the risk. He had already seen corruption in his creation of the angels. When he created the earth and all that we know, he was not surprised when Satan corrupted his creation again.

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020

Psalm Sunday – Psalm 2: 11-12

Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Picture Perfect

Imagine if you will a placid beautiful lake. The lake is surrounded by rolling hills, fruit orchards, and lush fields. Animals play in the fields and birds fill the air. You and others are in boats of some kind; canoes, sailboats, paddle-boards, all enjoying the water and the sunshine.

At the far end of the lake stands a large figure. In our imaginary world, this is God, the Lord. He rules the land and the people on the lake. At his feet there is a cleft in the rock and the lake flows into a narrow ravine. The Lord guards the way and has commanded all the people to stay away from this place, to enjoy the lake and the surrounding hills, but to avoid the river.

January 11, 2020January 11, 2020

Boots – James 1: 21

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

I wonder if James has done this himself? Did he get rid of all the moral filth and evil in him? Did he humbly accept the word that was planted? What do you think? Do you think that running into his half brother, Jesus, after he had seen Jesus crucified might have had an impact on him? I do. I think he was shaken to his boots. (I know, they didn’t have boots in those days, but who says, “Shaken to his sandals?”)

Having been thus shaken, James vows to change. I think he did, too. I think he became the kind of person his brother, Jesus, is proud of. I think he took inventory of his attitudes and feelings and decided he needed to do a little house cleaning. James thinks you and I should do the same.

So how? Where do we start?

January 10, 2020January 11, 2020

The Patience of God – James 1: 20

…because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

I find it interesting that James says we should be “slow to become angry” instead of telling us not to get angry. Why? Is James saying it is okay to be angry if it is the slow kind? In today’s verse, James sheds a bit more light on what he meant by “angry.”

James distinguishes “human anger” and “slow anger.” So what is the difference? What is it about human anger that James doesn’t like? This is a situation where it helps to look at the underlying Greek to better understand what was meant.

January 9, 2020January 9, 2020

Spiritual Gemstones – James 1: 19 Part III

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

Once more we return to this amazing passage of scripture. It looks like a simple sentence on the surface, but as we dive into the text we find that every word is a gemstone in its own right. The value of these gems is magnified by the fact that they were written by the half brother of Jesus. A man who grew up knowing Jesus as his older brother and who did not believe in him or appreciate him until after Jesus rose from the dead and spoke with him.

Because of this life experience, James has special insight. He spent all his time living with the Son of God being slow to listen and quick to speak. Now he knows better. Besides, he knows one more thing: Be slow to become angry…

January 8, 2020January 9, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Seeking Treasure

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you

turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—

indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2: 1-5

Solomon recognizes that even he, the most powerful man in all the earth in his day, can not force a person to accept his words. He tells his children, and by extension us, that if you accept his words there is a benefit. More than that, he expands on what it takes to acquire understanding.

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.