Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
An approach to grace through the wisdom of James It has been a long week since the Supreme Court struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Responses included protests and threats, fear and anxiety, joy and exultation, determination and delight-- both within the Church and in the broader secular culture. Extreme reactions to national… Continue reading Grace when courts decide
misunderstood verses #8 Remix by author Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the… Continue reading James 5:15
James 5:13-20 This passage made me think. This section of the letter is where some current religions get the idea that prayer equals manipulating God for physical healing and that staying sick or continuing to suffer is the fault of the sufferer for a lack of faith. But this teaching is wrong. It is not… Continue reading Raised to life everlasting
James 5:12 Don Miguel Ruiz wrote a book several years ago called The Four Agreements. In it, he shares Toltec philosophy for living a happy life. While not remotely Christian, the actual agreements themselves have biblical undertones. For me, it is evidence that God makes Himself known through His creation and in multiple ways (Romans… Continue reading Impeccable to the end
James 5:1-11 Throughout this letter, James wrote about the lure of materialism and the danger of believing that success was God's reward. At the end of chapter 4, James called out those who claimed their success was a measure of God's pleasure, saying they boasted in arrogance. James continued his condemnation of that arrogance, being… Continue reading Steadfast to the end
James 4 Commitment to God is a continuing action of submission to Him. How we treat others is evidence of our submission to Him. James starts by telling his readers that wanting what other people have is not an attitude of submission. Similarly, complaining that we don't have something we think we need is pointless,… Continue reading Submission in action
James 3:13-18 Controlling our words requires wisdom, and true wisdom comes from God. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceful, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (v.17). The US has been increasingly divided among philosophical, political, and social lines for too long. Like many empires of the ancient world,… Continue reading Wisdom in action
James 3:1-12 Teaching is a calling. I don't think there are many other vocations that have the power to permanently change people's lives. Whether the class is made up of pre-schoolers, teenagers, or adults, the truly effective teachers do one thing consistently: watch their words. Words have the power to heal or destroy, to build… Continue reading Teaching in action
Faith is available to everyone, not the select few
James 2:1-13 No matter what is going on in the world or in our culture, our testimony for Jesus is borne out by the way we honor our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to ONE body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, serving ONE God (Ephesians 4). Showing any kind of partiality… Continue reading Mercy and love in action
Defaulting to Grace 