James, part 1

Each morning at work, I have one family who always stops at my little dry erase board and reads my scripture of the day that I post there. I never forget to put that verse up for them, and I feel bad if they show up a bit early and I haven't put the verse up yet. If I am touching one heart for Jesus, that verse is so worth it.

Today's verse was awesome and straight to the point... "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.”- James 1:21 This is the tail end of his whole admonition.... "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 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. " (James 1:19-21)

Good old James. I love the book of James. It is one of my favorite. James is not one to mince with words. In a way, Mark reminds me of James. Mark always says, "Don't ask my opinion if you don't want the truth" Have you ever read the book of James? Right off the bat, this "humble servant" talks about trials and tribulations.... no friendly greeting, "I have fond memories of you" type prelude to his letters. He gets right down to business. He talks about testing of our faith and how it builds us stronger...makes us more complete and mature. He talks about asking God for wisdom, but not doubting that he can't give it to us. He talks about not blaming God for all our trials. Aren't we all guilty of this? And I love the mirror image he planted in my mind! "²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. Oh, do I strive to do this. There are times when I do forget what I look like...I want to be like the man who does not forget what he has heard from the Lord, and I strive in doing his good will daily. And the lesson on the tongue! ²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James is the man. Worthless is a strong word, don't you think, but isn't it true. Dear friends, with that verse, we have only reached the end of chapter one in his book. One chapter full of all that material in just 27 verses.

You know, the first time when I read the book of James ever, I thought, "who does he think he is?" People like him intimidated me. But now I realize that people like James speak the truth in love. In love. He doesn't sugar coat anything, and it is really what we need to hear. Keep ourself from being polluted by the world...isn't that what speaking the TRUTH in love is? This is one area in my life that I really need to work on. My husband, Mark, he is not afraid to speak the truth... me, I think of "a better way to say it" Ask him... he asks me to proof read his emails, and I come up with a "nicer" way to say it... maybe because in emails, you can't hear the person's tone or inflection, and Mark sometimes sounds rude in emails just because of the way people put their own inflection into it...but sometimes the truth might need to be that way. Not rude, but when we fall into the ways of the world, we hear it as rude, and not as maybe God speaking through him with the truth you need to hear. I have some real pondering on this topic to see if maybe all these years, Mark hasn't been the way he is to be rude, but to speak the truth. I hear him in James' words. Mark has been right on SO many things that people might have thought he was just being a PITA. I used to laugh because Mark would tell me that a restaurant we just tried for the first time wouldn't last 3 months....and 3 months later, that restaurant was gone. I stopped being amazed at all the things he can do and accomplish. God has given him a talent and a gift. I won't go as far as calling him a prophet, but there are just things he knows! How? The Lord only knows, maybe because HE gave him that gift.

I love reading the book of James. I can read it over and over again, and hope that he will rub off on me. I have so much to learn from him. If you haven't spent time in his book, I would highly recommend turning your bible to the back and start working your way back to read him.