Delusional

Am I delusional or am I a doer of the word. I love when a phrase sticks out when you read the bible. James 1:22 came out of nowhere. I have read James more than any other book of the bible. It was one of the first books I ever taught through and the second half of James one has always convicted me. But I never noticed or I do not ever remember noticing a phrase in the NAS that asks if I am deluding myself to think that all I have to do is hear the word. What a powerful picture. I have no desire to be called delusional. I know I always want to be someone who has a firm grasp of reality. In fact I get annoyed when I feel like people do not see things as the really are (or if I was honest, how I think they should be seen). But here James is saying you are delusional to think that all you have to do is hear the word and that makes you right with God. We are called to be effectual doers not forgetful hearers. Wow, I get the picture of a three year old being asked to get something and then never coming back with what you asked them to get. Then you ask them “why didn't you bring me what I asked you to bring.” They respond “I forgot.” How often do we say this to God. How often are we delusional. I know I switched to we. It is because it lessens the blow when I think of the fact that I am not the only delusional one. Not that I am always delusional. I think I am more than I like to realize but with time I hope by God's grace I will be better at doing what I know to be right. Again it is nice when the word comes alive.

Will I ever learn

Tonight as I study the book of James I was hit with truth. It seems that God uses the book of James in my life as a keel a rudder. When I was in high school. My youth pastor would take us sailing. I love to sail. It has been many years since I have had that pleasure. Sailing always amazed me because you are in the middle of a large body of water letting the wind power you. Under the water you have this keel and rudder. The keel keeps you from flipping over and the rudder helps you control where you are going. It seems anytime I need my life to be checked God has me in the book of James. I get as one friend puts it “yelling at.” Tonight I read through the whole book of James, which I have done on many occasions. It seems no matter how many times I read James, God uses the same passages in my life.

For instance James 1:19-20 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” I do not consider myself an angry person. I would not say that I struggle with anger issues. I am reactive and emotional. I am not the type to cry, but I am the type to react quick and usually selfishly. When I read this passage it screams at me to be less reactive. Because God is in way more control than I. He understands the situation and he is not counting on me to make the situation right.

My youth pastor wrote a book and in it he said their church has a 24 hour rule. It is where you are allowed to take 24 hours to blow off emotional steam and react to yourself or someone you know that can handle you venting. After that 24 hour period it is your responsibility to use wisdom and a level head to make the wise choice in the given situation. That to me is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. You have the right to be human, but no right to make a rash or harsh decision.

At some point I pray I will be able to step back easier from situations and trust God more than I trust myself. If he created the world and holds it together, then who am I to think he needs my opinions. He may ask for it, but it is not because he needs it. He may desire me to work in a certain situation, but it is not because he needs me. It is most likely a testing of my faith so that my faith can grow and I can become more like him. At some point I may learn this and use this. But, so far, I seem to fail in these situations.

Haymaker to the face

Wow, Paul with a haymaker to my face. I read the passage that is below and was convicted. The first question I have is “do I live in such a way that no one's walk is hindered by my life?” I am sure there are people that I hinder. I cannot believe Paul would throw this out there, but he did. It is definitely something I need to strive for.

“We serve God whether people honor us or despise us.” I had someone once challenge a group us by saying that sometimes we love the ministry more than we love God. The ministry validates us because people affirm us in ministry. Would I be willing to minister for God without any validation? I would hope so. This is definitely cause for a motive check. Why am I in ministry? Is it because I feel like I have something to offer, or is it because God has called me to be a minister? My prayer is that the latter is true.

Do I live close to death, or is death far from me? I was challenged today by a book I was reading on discipleship. The author said that living for Christ is like you dying in plane crash in the middle of Kansas. A farmer finds your body and decides to bury you. He gets the hole dug but then it gets too dark for him to finish. Jesus comes along that night and asks you if you want to live. If you say yes, you live only for him. If you say no, then you stay dead. You choose to live for God, so your old self is dead in Kansas somewhere and the new self is living completely for God. Living close to death because you are living for Christ in every moment. This is because you know at some point you will die and you desire to be ready for that moment. You desire to make the most of your time on this earth to give it to God and live wholeheartedly for him with joy. Understanding that through Christ you have everything, but apart from him you have nothing. What an amazing passage. What vision for who we are supposed to be, for how we are supposed to live. Our God is amazing!

2 Corinthians 6:3-10
3 We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. 4 In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. 7 We have faithfully preached the truth. God's power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.