Saturday, November 19, 2011

James 1:27, Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. NKJV

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. NASB

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ESV
To piggyback off my previous study for a moment, the original Greek word translated here as “Religion” is the same and can be defined as ceremonial observance.

Worship is not only singing a song to praise God, it is every act of praise we make. From washing the dishes and teaching Sunday school to babysitting and going to work, if it is God glorifying and done for Him with the right heart then it is an act of worship.

James writes that a ceremonial observance which is “pure and undefiled before God” is visiting orphans and widows in their trouble, i.e. caring for them, and to keep ourselves unstained by the world, i.e. free from sin.

He does not say lighting candles while chanting; he does not say reading through the Bible in a year or memorizing verses; he doesn't even say dressing nicely and singing songs. He says caring for those who have particular need and to keep ourselves holy, set apart from the world, is religion pure and undefiled before our God.

Blogs to share: Kayla's

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

James 1:26, this one's religion is useless.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. NKJV
The original Greek for the words “Religious” and “Religion” found in verse 26 are defined as meaning ceremonious in worship (as demonstrative) and ceremonial observance respectively.

It is duplicitous to worship God yet not control the words that come out of our mouths.

God asks for our obedience before sacrifice.

Today I am going to make a point of waiting 10 seconds when I have something to say and before responding to anything someone says that is not directed specifically to me. I will wear a bandana around my neck, and if needed over my mouth, as a reminder.

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.

James 1:23-25, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of a person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. NASB
I spend way to much time getting ready in the morning. I know it doesn't directly relate to the verses, I first thought of this because of what the verses said about a man looking in a mirror, but reading through it again all the verses relate to my reasoning for why that time needs to be reduced.

Over the past several days I have been working on managing my time to spend more of it in the Word and prayer, as well as finding a better time for IBS. (Now that we've started doing them again I've worked on the last two studies in the car on the way to our day's ministry.)

We are called to be doers of the word and not hearers only, but I can't be a doer if I'm not making more time to at least be a hearer!

I've realized that a lot of my time is lost not in each task itself but rather in getting from one task to another, as well as getting myself organized after first waking up.

I am going to make a point of beginning my IBS first thing after waking up rather than showering or switching over the laundry, and I will work on streamlining my morning preparations; first of all by getting my towel, soap, razor, etc to the bathroom in one trip rather than bringing some of it over, realizing I forgot something, getting it, then realizing I forgot something else and going back, etc, etc, etc, plus whatever other things pop up that stop me in my tracks and keep me from that glorious watery goal. . . which I tend to take a tad too long using to relax and return to full consciousness anyway. Another thing to cut down and take back time with.

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.

James 1:22, and not hearers only,

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. NKJV
If one reads the word and hears it taught but does not apply it, yet thinks themselves a 'good Christian', one who follows the word of God and seeks after His will, then they are lying to themselves.

It is not enough to cling to the words of God and bury them in our hearts, to hoard His law and nature and teaching as gold on Sunday or Saturday or Wednesday or whatever day or days we go to church or read the Bible and yet not put them into practice.

God's word is not like gold to be stored up and spent on a rainy day. His gold is beautiful and perfect, fastened as jewelry and inlaid with precious stones and made into thread for the embroidery of our clothes and great tapestries with which we cloth our families and decorate our homes.

What good are gold and treasures too precious to spend but laid up in a dark place and hoarded, never to be seen?

We are not meant only to hear the word, to read the word, to be taught the word and study the word; the word is living and powerful and meant to be lived and displayed as powerful, lest we mistakenly think there is no wrong in making it seem empty.

I am going to begin making a genuine effort to start watching and listening to the English sermons and teachings I have downloaded so that I can receive regular teachings in the word.

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.

James 1:21, and receive with meekness the implanted word,

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. NKJV
The Websters 1828 dictionary says this:

MEE'KNESS, n. Softness of temper; mildness; gentleness; forbearance under injuries and provocations.
1. In an evangelical sense, humility; resignation; submission to the divine will, without murmuring or peevishness; opposed to pride, arrogance and refractoriness. Gal.5.
I beseech you by the meekness of Christ. 1 Cor.10.
Meekness is a grace which Jesus alone inculcated, and which no ancient philosopher seems to have understood or recommended.

And of the word “meek”:

MEEK, a. [L. mucus; Eng. mucilage; Heb. to melt.]
1. Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.
Now the man Moses was very meek, above all men. Num.12.
2. Appropriately, humble, in an evangelical sense; submissive to the divine will; not proud, self-sufficient or refractory; not peevish and apt to complain of divine dispensations. Christ says, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls." Matt.11.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matt.5.

Of late I had forgotten that meekness was a virtue extolled by Christ.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.” Matt. 11:29

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:5

In the modern United States we tend to have a twisted view of meekness, and consider it more vice than virtue. Rather than a quality to seek out and desire, it is a sign of weakness and a passiveness that prevents us from reaching our goals and allows others to trample over us, a quality that guarantees all our dreams will be crushed.

But God wants to help us and guide us and for us to live our lives in the greatest and most fulfilling way possible under His divine will, the best life we can have*, yet Christ says that the meek will inherit the earth.

I want to consciously seek meekness in myself in daily life, and pray that God would lead me to meekness, that my character might become more in line with what God would have of me so that He can do all that He would do with my life.

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.

*Though he doesn't promise a life free of pain or hardship, and this is something very important to understand.

James 1:19-20, the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. NKJV
Generally it seems like people look at verse 19 and remember it in general terms. “It is good to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath in general.”

We think of them as interrelated yes, but still individual pieces of advice, as independent virtues; and it is true that individually they are Biblical and “generally” sound pieces of advice. However, verse 19, in the New King James Version at least, ends with a semicolon and is followed by verse 20, beginning with the words, “for the. . .”

In other words, 'you should follow what verse 19 says because of what verse 20 says'.

The instructions of verse 19 build off of each other for one; being “swift to hear” encourages one to be “slow to speak”, and both keep one steady so as to be “slow to wrath”.

Being swift to hear means that you wait to form opinions until after having heard what others have said. You do not make a decision to quickly about a situation. You do not decide what to say about a situation. You wait and reduce the possibility of there being any miss-communication about what has happened or the things that someone has done. In many cases, being swift to hear can remove the very reason a person has for being wrathful because it reveals to them a deeper side to the problem.

Being slow to speak means that we consider our words and carefully consider what has happened and what the appropriate response for us to give might be, even if that means saying nothing at all. If nothing else it provides a delay that allows our initial reaction to cool and be considered.

Attempting to be slow to wrath is helped by being swift to hear and slow to speak, which also keeps us from producing wrath in others. However, being slow to wrath is a choice all it's own. It is a conscious choice to control oneself and to have control over one's emotions.

I will pray to God for strength and peace of mind and self control that I might be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath and filled with the patience and love that is in my Father in Heaven.

The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Neither in ourselves nor through the revealing of God's work in our lives. I want to seek after His righteousness.

I pray
to God
that He brings
my heart
to want
what He wants
for the reasons
He wants it.