James’ audience are the Jewish believers who have been driven from Jerusalem after the murder of Stephen. As their pastor, James was interested that they would see their plight had first passed through God’s hands. So he encourages them in the first few verses to count it all joy facing different circumstances knowing that God has a purpose for them. So let God have his way and allow Him to take you to maturity in faith. James’ counsel is good advice for us today as well. The Lord has our life in His hands, His purposes for us are all good, and we can rejoice in all He allows and takes us through!
Counting, knowing, and letting God have His way today,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
The Philippian church sent Epaphroditus to Rome with a financial gift to support Paul who was under house arrest (Acts 28:30). Epaphroditus was a person who had a servant’s heart for the Lord and he labored ceaselessly in the gospel of Christ, helping to establish the church at Colossae (Colossians 1:7). Observe how the mighty apostle Paul refers to Epaphroditus: My brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier. All of these terms reflects Paul’s view of their relationship as being one of partnership. Paul was certainly in a position of authority, but he knew that he was saved by the same blood of Jesus and shared the same mutual faith (Romans 1:12).
The church does not have a spiritual hierarchy: Jesus is the head and we are the body. We each have a calling, some of whom are called to leadership. The rest of us still have a job to do and we are to use our spiritual gifts to serve alongside those the Lord has placed over us with the common goal of furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ, while at the same time ministering to each other.
Has the feeling of intimidation prevented you from stepping out and serving the Lord? Perhaps you look at those in charge or those who have been serving for a while and think that you do not have the same abilities and therefore cannot serve. God does not want you to think that; instead, He just wants you to be available and obedient, and then He will work through you to accomplish His purposes in whichever ministry you have been called to. Pray that the Lord will reveal to you where He would have you serve, then step out in faith and watch His amazing work.
Jeff Mericle
Are you hungry? Our cravings change depending on what we’re hungry for. Did you know that your spiritual hunger works much the same way? As newborns, we start out with milk but graduate to solid foods once we have developed enough to absorb it. From a spiritual context, if we don’t feed on the Word, our level of spiritual maturity won’t have a chance to develop and grow. As a believer, spiritual growth is essential in our daily walk if we intend to grow deeper in our relationship with Christ.
The good news is, spiritual maturity can be obtained by reading your Bible on a daily basis (Hebrews 4:12); praying (Ephesians 6:18); gathering together with other believers (1 Corinthians 5:4); and getting involved in a ministry to serve the body of Christ (Acts 6:3-4). God’s desire is that we would be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:11). The more we feed on His Word and absorb it into our daily lives, the more of a hunger and craving we have for Him. After all, in about four hours you’re going to be hungry again for a taco plate with rice and beans. As you study God’s Word, may your relationship with Him be nourished and your commitment to Him strengthened. “So, as you daily walk with our Lord Jesus Christ, may you continue to grow in His grace.”
Craving Jesus,
Tom Moore
This verse is a straight kick to the stomach for me as I reminisce all the times I spoke all that I felt without any type of filter. I’m sure many of you reading this can relate. Think about all the pain and heartache, or even anger, you may have caused another person because you felt it was about time they get what’s coming to them. At first you think it was a good idea because you couldn’t hold it in anymore only to soon realize you did a great deal of damage that you might never be able to repair outside of the hand of God, of course.
I must admit, I very much hate this type of regret because as the proverb says, I feel very much like a fool after it is all said and done. And not only do I feel like a fool, I look like one as well. The wise man, however, holds back his tongue. He weighs out his feelings and processes them in such a way to realize that what is being said is only going to cause damage and bring regret. So he stalls, he goes to God, he lets God minister to him. He lets God work in his heart so that if there are things to be said, it can be done in such a way that speaks to your love for this individual and edifies them even if the information is difficult.
Our feelings can get the better of us and when we see that happening, the best thing to do is hold your tongue. Allow yourself time to process and seek the Lord, then move forward in however the Lord directs. This doesn’t mean avoid conflict, this means handle conflict appropriately and when you do, you’ll end up looking wise at the end of it.
Pastor Jason Witt
In Daniel 6, we are told about the plot against Daniel. We are told that the governors were looking to find a charge against him. They come up with a law that said if any man prayed to anyone else other than the king, they would be fed to the lions. The king signed it and Daniel, hearing about it, goes to his room, and prays to God. We are told that was his custom since early days. Daniel had a personal and intimate relationship with God. He had a healthy habit of going before the Lord in prayer.
Daniel did not let the laws of the king interfere with his personal relationship with the Lord. I’m sure he was disgusted at the law, but nevertheless, he goes to pray. There are times where things get in the way of our prayer life. There are times when we are told we can’t pray at work or at school. But notice Daniel’s behavior. He knew the law, but he wasn’t obnoxious about it. He didn’t pray at the top of his lungs. He went to His room, knelt down, and prayed just as he’d always done. May we all follow Daniel’s example.
Joshua Navarro
The Assyrians were a powerful and brutal nation, and they were coming to attack Jerusalem. King Hezekiah made preparations for war, and the people worked hard fortifying the city and arming themselves. Fear, nevertheless, had a grip on the people. To fall into the hands of the Assyrians would bring torture, pain, and death.
Hezekiah called the people together and gave them a reason to hope. He reminded them God was willing to fight their battles. The people were strengthened when their attention was rightly focused on the Lord rather than their fear of the enemy.
When we are faced with the impossible, when the battle looming on the horizon threatens to take us down, let’s not forget that our God is not only with us, He is prepared to fight our battle for us.
Jeff Deal
In the Old Testament, you see these words, “And eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth” and they always speak of laws given to the nation to be used by the judges and the courts. They say the punishment should fit the crime. But it was never given to the individual to exact judgment for him or herself. As believers, we don’t have the freedom to say, “Well they did this to me, so God says it’s ok for me to do the same back to them.”
But when it comes to self, you should be willing to suffer loss to serve the Lord with a pure heart. “Does that mean I’m to be a doormat?”, some Christians will ask. I would say, what was Jesus’ attitude toward those who wronged Him? Did He retaliate towards them? What Jesus is saying here is that we should not avenge ourselves but instead trust that God will set things straight. It does not say that if we are wronged that we have no legal recourse, but that we should not lash out at someone that wrongs us.
Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything He wasn’t willing to do. Would you rather have your rights or have the heart of God? “Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Pastor Doug Hardin
When I am driving, it seems like I am in another mode. I know that a lot of pastors joke about this, but it seem to be true. You’re driving and someone cuts you off intentionally. I know this isn’t the most evil thing in the world, but the intentions behind it are not good, they are selfish. So we get enraged with something that doesn’t really matter.
I know the example is small, but if something so small can make us so upset that we possibly return evil verbally, physically, or mentally, how much more can come out of us in more meaningful situations. We are told here by Paul to overcome evil with something good. We should look for a practical way to help that person. Don’t let the enemy take this victory, show people Jesus and see how they can come to love Him more.
Blessings,
Pastor Sean Boehm
Stephen was one of the seven chosen by the early church to wait on tables and help with the distributions to those that were in need. So how did he get to the place of doing “great wonders and signs?” In his day-to-day, routine tasks, Stephen remained sensitive to two things: the leading of the Holy Spirit and the needs of others. He didn’t just toss stuff at people but looked them in the eye and asked how they were doing. He took his deaconship in meeting the physical needs of the people seriously and God gave him more and more as he was faithful in these mundane tasks.
We should never neglect the opportunities we have in our routine to go a step or two beyond and really see how people are doing. It could give us a chance to pray with folks or even lead someone to the Lord.
Being faithful in the little,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
When Israel eventually enters the Promised Land, Moses tells the nation it will face many enemies. In order for this beleaguered nation to win, they’ll have to count on the Lord fighting for them. Did the people listen?
In his book, Joshua was given instructions on how to defeat Jericho and he followed them to the letter. The directions seemed strange. Walk around a city multiple times and then blow trumpets and the Lord will bring victory. That’s exactly what happened and Israel conquered the mighty city of Jericho.
Israel then went up against a smaller nation named Ai. They went in with cockiness and a lack of prayer and were defeated. They tried to fight on their own power and not the Lord’s.
As Christians, we battle the devil, the world, and our flesh constantly. We shouldn’t fear these things, but instead let the Lord do the battle for us. Pray for God’s strength every day in your life and let Him handle the difficulties ahead.
The battle belongs to the Lord,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
