We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

On the one hand, this letter was published in Greek because that was the best way for James to reach former Diaspora Jews who had converted to Christ. On the other hand, the Greek language was easily the poorest vehicle for Hebrew thoughts. It was bad enough that even Jews in their native land had become Hellenized in their reasoning, despite still using their Hebrew language. Even more so did former Diaspora Jews struggle with restoring the ancient Hebrew mysticism undergirding the teaching of Christ.

Talmudism had abstracted the concept of "faith" from its original feudal submission to God into a kind of Aristotelian rational idealism. This became the trademark of Hellenism's influence on biblical religion. James called his Hebrew brethren back to genuine faith by demanding that, if they must use Greek, then they must also invest Greek terms with Hebrew meaning. Reason and logic are not God. Feudal submission to God does not mean getting better ideas. Faith means obeying and living right.

Thus, a Greek rational "faith" cannot save you. Without the physical obedience, whatever you have is not the Hebrew brand of faith.

Faith shows itself in how you treat people. If someone walks in wearing expensive clothing, don't bow and scrape to ingratiate yourself. If anything, be suspicious of their motives. What James implies without saying directly is that, on average, wealthy people got their wealth by being the kind of people who put wealth first, and people somewhere below that. By contrast, faith in God means you put His people above your personal material comfort.

Jesus said that He went to the poor because they didn't struggle with faith; they had so little to lose. He rejected the Talmudic prejudice against the poor, in which Pharisees claimed that poverty was a curse, a mark of God's disfavor. But rich people were instinctively worried about keeping their wealth, not blessing their covenant brothers and sisters. Had the nation maintained a proper grip on God's priorities, there would not be the predatory practices that oppressed the poor, nor would there be such a wealth disparity in their society as was evident in Christ's day. Showing partiality is a sin; it violates the Law of Christ. It's not a church if there isn't some measure of sharing.

People of faith, by definition, will treat their fellow Christians as family. They will be eager to share whatever gifts they have from God to build up the body. What models of faith do we have in Scripture?

The princely Abraham did not hesitate to offer his son; his faith was obvious, and he was called a "friend of God". At the other extreme was the prostitute Rahab, whose faith was manifested in her handling of the Israeli spies. She knew what submission to Jehovah required and it meant treating the spies as her family. How hard is this to understand?

Unlike the Talmud, which turned ritual acts into "salvation", the genuine Hebrew faith of ancient times drove people to do things that raised Jehovah's reputation. Faith means you are determined to discover and perform whatever it is that makes God smile.

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

James was the second born brother of Jesus. Most of His siblings watched Him die. He appeared to them after the Resurrection to insure they had no doubts about Him. It's for sure they knew something about His teachings and were under the same influences that shaped the human identity of the Messiah.

This letter may well be the earliest document in the New Testament, published around AD 40. It's a very Hebraic work, almost in the style of the Proverbs, full of one-liners and simple epigrams. At the same time, it has deep mystical themes that run through the letter. James simply identifies himself and his audience -- all Hebrew Christians -- and proceeds to address their unique situation. As with the Letter of Hebrews (written much later), these believers were always fiercely tempted to slide back into Judaism, not least because of the pressure of persecution.

Right off the bat he asserts an entirely otherworldly faith. Human persecution should surprise no one who follows Christ. It's a testimony that you are acting enough like Jesus to be accused of following Him. Testing and trials are our native element, he says. Enduring them with grace ensures you will become more consistent in your faith and testimony.

Not sure how to handle something? God does not hesitate to dish out wisdom, so don't you hesitate to ask. Be warned: It will come at a sacrifice. If persecution strips you of your worldly goods, then celebrate the lightening of your load. It all belongs to God anyway, so don't worry about it. Those of you still burdened by worldly wealth have something to look forward to. What beauty are the flowers of the field! But the least bit of heat kills them, and they are individually never seen again. Such is our fleshly nature. Your real identity is in your faith and testimony.

You don't need to wonder if God is messing with your mind; He's not like that. He isn't amused by tormenting people. Don't blame your testing on Him. Testing comes with having a mortal body and fleshly nature. Persecution is privilege and glory to your spiritual nature, but your flesh whines. Discipline the flesh; you can kill it voluntarily on the Cross or let it keep whining until sin consumes your life.

This is divine wisdom, and such gifts are the wealth of the God. He is utterly consistent from ancient times. We who follow Christ are the Firstfruits of the New Covenant; we shall inherit everything He ever created.

What is the inheritance of the New Covenant? Take His bit and bridle into your mouth. Talk less and listen more; hold your fleshly nature in check. Human passions cannot carry out His agenda. You've heard the gospel; that's your real treasure. Stop looking for a way to pamper the fleshly nature.

The message is not like a quick glance in the mirror to see if your hair is in place. It requires studying and comparing yourself in depth with the image of the Messiah. We call on His wisdom and power to make us more like Him. It will take the rest of your life, but it will be a clean and healthy life.

Jewish people are notorious for having sharp tongues (like modern Karens who seek to rule everything) and this is not what God wanted for us. We are not the pinnacle of humanity. Rather, He wants us to focus on those who live on the bottom of society, like widows and orphans. If you can understand how to embrace them and get involved in their lives, then you'll understand why Jesus chose you and kept the wealthy rulers at arm's length.

My wife and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Maui, HI to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.  We took our daughter and her husband and our 11 year old twin granddaughters.  Here are just a few of the pictures we took.  God's creation is certainly beautiful 

   
View from our balcony.  The island in the distance is Lanai.

   
A white dove on our balcony.

   
Sunset from our balcony.

   

   

   
There was a full moon while we were there.  This is the "moonset" at around 5:30a

   

   

   

   

   

   
This is the crater of the volcano that formed the island of Maui.  It's at about 10,000 feet above sea level.

   
On top of the volcano looking the west.

   
Sunset from the top of the volcano.

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.

My cook at work lost her sister Saturday morning and now her dad lost his home in the storm last night. Also one of the teachers at school lost her home last night. So many of the home lost are people we know.

Seasonal heavy storms are coming a little late this year. Last night a series of tornado-producing storms swept across Oklahoma, mostly from south to north. Nothing like plowing a path, but a few structures here and there show damage in the morning light. In a couple of spots, cars were overturned and a few homes were shredded, several lightweight outbuildings are gone.

But the worst we have to deal with personally is local flash floods. The rain will continue through today and likely into tomorrow evening. The drainage is pretty good around our residence, so it's not destructive. It's more of an annoyance if you are trying to walk across the central drive, because it can run a couple of inches deep at times. The Lord has protected us from the worst.

God no longer recognized the Jewish people as Israel. That name was taken from them, and given to His Son and His followers. The mission of Israel was carried on in another people. Sure, the recipients of this letter were formerly Judean, but now they were Christians, the true Israel. And in a just few years after they received this letter, the City of Jerusalem was destroyed and the Temple torn down. The Roman recognition of the Judean government would end.

Oddly, the first few verses here offer the same moral boundaries that had always belonged to Israel, all the way back to Abraham. It was now the moral code of Christians, particularly those in a tight spot like the Hebrew believers in Rome. Persecution had just begun and it would get worse. The way to fight it was to be even more obedient to Christ's Law of loving one another.

He has promised to never abandon us. He will carry us through all our sorrows, so that nothing mankind can do to us or take from us will ever destroy what really matters. We have plenty of models to work from, people who now rest in Eternity. Christ does not change, so don't be easily swayed by false doctrine and philosophical fashions of the day.

The author tells them not to worry about being excluded from traditional Jewish feasts. We have a feast of grace that those who serve in the Temple cannot touch. Their sin offerings have to be burned outside the camp, so our Lord also was sacrificed for His people's sins outside the city (which will soon be destroyed). Let us all join Him as outcasts; our city is in Heaven. No earthly city can compare. Let us praise His name, for He loves the fruit of our lips, a sweet offering to Him.

Our righteous lives are also a sacrifice He enjoys. The author encourages his readers to ditch the old Jewish habit of carping and challenging leaders on every little thing. God has chosen those elders and pastors; do not cause them grief as they serve the Lord. Their grief is God's grief; who's wrath do you fear?

The rest of the chapter is personal in nature.

We are participating in our weekly prayer time at 5pm EST. Check out the prayer request forum for some prayer topics, but feel free to lift up your own.

You may also fast. There's no obligation or guidelines to how you should do it, or if you should do it at all. Just fast as the Lord leads and speaks to your convictions.