Here are the scriptures referenced in today's post.
In the first part of James' letter to Israel, he talks about wisdom and joy. We sometimes make the mistake of using these words synonymously with knowledge and happiness, respectively. There is an important distinction between these sets of words.
James starts of by saying that we should consider trials of many kinds pure joy. That can be easier said than done, but the usage of Joy here is so important. Joy is the overarching contentment that we find in our lives and our eternal situations as we entrust God with the protection of our souls. Trials of many kinds, if we view them the right way, develop our perseverance and our ability to rely on God in any circumstance. The more we put into this "spiritual savings account" the easier it becomes to face anything because you've got the resources (perseverance of faith) to overcome. Happiness is an emotion. it comes and goes with each event and each day. We may not always be happy that we are going through tough times, but we need to be joyful that those tough times will develop our faith.
Some of this can be hard to implement. We know what the Bible says, but when faced with trials we are to be joyful? How? The answer is in verse 5 of this passage and in James' use of the word wisdom. Knowledge is great but if it is not used it becomes worthless trivia. To know what the Bible says about a topic is totally different than to do what the bible says about the same topic. While it is good to know that trials bring perseverance, they only develop it if you are persevering. The ability to view your trials through this lens takes wisdom that only comes from asking God.
The cliffs-notes version of this post is that spiritually mature Christians do not allow their moment-to-moment emotions trump their over-arching faith in the supremacy of God.
And the SAT version of this post is
Happiness : temporary : : Joy : permanent
Knowledge : trivial : : Wisdom : experiential
Have a joyful week!
Nick
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
James 1:9-12
These four verses are for Sunday 8/29.
Click Here for the full chapter
9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Giving - At the Heart of the matter
Today's post is on the end of Acts 11, verses 27-30. This passage teaches a very basic but important principle - that God is after hearts that are willingly obedient. (As always, HERE are the scriptures used in today's blog post)
God created us with free will for a reason. Make no mistake, if all He was after was obedience he could have and still could achieve that in us. The problem is that in such a model we become nothing but puppets with whom it is impossible for God to have a relationship. In the early part of the book we saw disciples selling and sharing ALL possessions, giving to each as he had need (2:45). This differs from what we know of socialism in one very important way, and that is that it was voluntary. The early disciples wanted to do this to make sure that everyone was cared for. In chapter 5 we see God strike down two who failed to give everything they had, not because they held some of their earnings back but because they lied about how much they gave so others would think more of them than they ought.
Here again we see willing giving. In 11:29 it says, "The disciples [converts in Antioch], each according to his ability, decided to provide help to the brothers living in Judea." This is a shift from what we saw in the early part of this book (which was a necessity for the early church because of the circumstances) and more toward the type of giving Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 8-9.
This principle of cheerful giving is one that many of us are familiar with hearing, especially if we have grown up in the church, but it can be very difficult to implement. How do I give more than the numbers say I can and be happy about it? The answer is a balance. It comes down to a balance between willingness to give and willingness to be obedient. Jesus preached many times about money and the bible almost has too many references to finances to count. We are called to pray for God to give us an obedient heart, and part of that may mean giving more. When we put ourselves in a position where we need for nothing we can get in a rut that makes us take God for granted, thinking we've got things covered. When we give more we begin to feel that separation from our money and over time will start to view our incomes differently. The willingness spoken of here is rarely a willingness to give monetarily, but rather to be obedient to what God has commanded, knowing that by giving more you are breaking down walls of idolatry and growing your relationship with Him.
I do feel it important to clear up one thing, though. Reading 2 Corinthians 9 alone may lead us to dangerous thinking that falls under the "Prosperity Gospel," whereby the more you give the more God will give you back monetarily. This is simply not biblical. What this is talking about is spiritual blessings that you will sow from living a righteous life of humble obedience to God's word.
God created us with free will for a reason. Make no mistake, if all He was after was obedience he could have and still could achieve that in us. The problem is that in such a model we become nothing but puppets with whom it is impossible for God to have a relationship. In the early part of the book we saw disciples selling and sharing ALL possessions, giving to each as he had need (2:45). This differs from what we know of socialism in one very important way, and that is that it was voluntary. The early disciples wanted to do this to make sure that everyone was cared for. In chapter 5 we see God strike down two who failed to give everything they had, not because they held some of their earnings back but because they lied about how much they gave so others would think more of them than they ought.
Here again we see willing giving. In 11:29 it says, "The disciples [converts in Antioch], each according to his ability, decided to provide help to the brothers living in Judea." This is a shift from what we saw in the early part of this book (which was a necessity for the early church because of the circumstances) and more toward the type of giving Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 8-9.
This principle of cheerful giving is one that many of us are familiar with hearing, especially if
I do feel it important to clear up one thing, though. Reading 2 Corinthians 9 alone may lead us to dangerous thinking that falls under the "Prosperity Gospel," whereby the more you give the more God will give you back monetarily. This is simply not biblical. What this is talking about is spiritual blessings that you will sow from living a righteous life of humble obedience to God's word.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
New Study: The book of James
This week is a transitional week for our group. We are moving away from the book of Acts, hopefully with a better understanding of what our church should look like. Our next study will be in the book of James and we will stay with this short epistle through the weekend before Thanksgiving (an epistle is a writing, usually formal and usually in letter form, that is focused toward a specific person or group of people as an audience).
The Bible says that Christ will reveal Himself to us. His will is not something that we can necessarily find on our own through searching hard enough and reading enough academic/theological essays. His will must be revealed to us. The following scriptures demonstrate this (links are to the given chapter in its entirety):
The Bible says that Christ will reveal Himself to us. His will is not something that we can necessarily find on our own through searching hard enough and reading enough academic/theological essays. His will must be revealed to us. The following scriptures demonstrate this (links are to the given chapter in its entirety):
Numbers 12:6 - He said, "Listen to my words: 'When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
1 Samuel 3:7 - Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
Matthew 11:25-27 - At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Since God tells us that He must reveal Himself to us in order for us to understand, we should approach Bible study with this in mind. We should meditate on the Word and not just fly through it. We should give God an opportunity to speak and ourselves the opportunity to listen.
So here's my challenge for this week: Read James 1:1-8 as often as you get a chance. Carry it with you in some way. Read it every morning or every night, but at the very least read it once daily. See how God will show the meaning of this passage to you in a very real and personal way over the next week.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Work Night at Adventure
We will be helping out at Adventure to get some of the building ready for new fall programs! Show up at Adventure at 6pm on August 10 to help out! We will be laying carpet tiles, painting and priming, so wear clothes that you don't mind getting ruined. If you have paint trays and rollers, please bring them, too, so that we can make sure we have enough! Call or text Nick at 262-7872 or email at nick.burczyk@gmail.com if you plan on being there!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Pampered Chef "Death By Chocolate" Party
The Weavers are hosting a Pampered Chef "Death By Chocolate" party tonight (August 2) at Robbie's Parents' house at 7:00pm! Call Whitney with any questions!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)