James the Just - Part 6 - The Upward Spiral of Metamorphosis

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Tuesday, August 20, 2019

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1: 26-27

Metamorphosis is the process of change; complete change!  Tadpoles change into frogs; caterpillars enter the cocoon and emerge transformed into butterflies.  Spiritual metamorphosis (transformation) is expressed as a renewed mind.^[2]  Spiritually transformed believers have…

A Controlled Tongue

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Proverbs 18:21

James called the tongue a raging fire, totally unable to be tamed.  He says it’s like the rudder on a big ship, or a bit in the horse’s mouth.  It is a small thing, behind the scenes, yet the most powerful muscle in the body.  As surely as harsh words cripple people, good words inspire people to live higher-purposed lives: 

·      I regret that I have but one life to give for my country. –  Nathan Hale

·      Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country.  – President John F. Kennedy

Words such as those changed the course of history. They challenged our souls and spirits, and as a result we will never be the same.  I have been the recipient of kind words in difficult circumstances.  There were times when such words put my heart back together and gave me the courage to go on.

Spiritually transformed people have a controlled tongue that speaks words of healing and encouragement.  And they have …

A Compassionate Heart

James visiting, or caring-for orphans and widows, is his way of helping us understand that the least powerful in our society, those who are most likely to be forgotten or fall through the cracks…these are the ones we must always help.  Transformed, spiritually renewed people have their tongues under control, and they are compassionate.

But you probably have known people who are not what we would call religious; they never attend church or even seem to have faith in God at all.  Yet, they are compassionate towards the less fortunate; they do more than even many believers who talk a good talk.  They seem to be more Christian than the Christians.  Are they Christians of “genuine religion” after all?  Well, they might be; it isn’t up to you and me to judge another’s motives for what they do.  But remember this, practicing kind words and even doing wonderful good deeds are not what make you a Christian – those are only indications you follow a strong moral code of kind and unselfish ways.  If living like that could bring about forgiveness for our sins the cross is God’s chief mistake; it would mean Jesus didn’t have to die.  The Apostle Paul said it clearly, you cannot buy salvation:

God saved you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  Ephesians 2:8-9

So, then, if it’s by grace, why all this “genuine religion” talk about doing good stuff?  It’s simple – if you have truly been born again, you will be like the One who gave you life.  

There is a good example of this in the science of fiber optics.^[3]  

The strands of glass or plastic are about the thickness of a human hair.  Bundled together they carry light, electrical impulses and even sound waves at incredibly fast speeds.  They’re the reason why your TV picture is so sharp, and your cell phone works. 

Imagine a thousand of these (hair-sized) fibers bound together like a cable.  Each strand has a beam of light to offer, but each one came from the same, single light source.  The light at the end of the “cable” reflects the source.  And the source, through all the little cable connections, sheds light that changes the world.  This is how it is when you allow yourself, like a caterpillar submits himself to the cocoon, to let God have you in His cocoon of salvation.  In it, he nourishes and changes you – you become transformed and renewed to live a life that reflects His glory and beauty.  That’s metamorphosis!

For You Today

The Christian life is so much simpler when we stop trying to force the change, and simply accept the change God is bringing!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons     Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] Romans 12:2

[3] Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Paul's Legacy

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.  When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears.  I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.  I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.  I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.  “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem.  I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.  But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.  “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.  I declare today that I have been faithful.  If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.  “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.  I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.  Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.  Watch out!  Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.  “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.  

Acts 20:17-32^(NLT)

Final, or parting words are memorable only when the life and words match-up.  Nathan Hale was a patriot who declared:  I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.  The first deacon of the church, Stephen’s last words were of forgiveness for those who were stoning him:  As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.  Acts 7:59-60^(NLT)

While this passage does not record the final words of Paul’s life, they are his parting words to the Christians at Miletus, and all the Asian continent before heading off to Jerusalem.  This was the pathway that would ultimately lead to Paul’s execution – but also his greatest impact for the Kingdom of God.

In this address are:

·      Paul recalling his work in that area to bring the Gospel, overcoming hardship and opposition

·      The call of God’s Spirit to endure even worse as he presses on to Jerusalem

·      An assurance that this was a one-way-ticket; the Apostle would never see them again, and…

·      Paul’s clear heart; his legacy included telling them everything he knew about God and Christ, along with a warning to guard against any enemy that would steal that teaching, or their faith.

All the way to the end – finishing the course – that is what this apostle, a man sent by God to do the work of God, did.  And, in this beginning of the earthly end for Paul, his concern is that whatever legacy he left, it would include first and foremost, the souls of those God entrusted to his pastoral care.

Frankly, a preacher who does not feel this burning inside for those to whom she or he preaches, and those to whom God has sent him or her, is no preacher of the Gospel of Jesus.  To be called of God is to despise one’s own life for the sake of another’s.  It is what Jesus did on the cross; it is that to which Jesus calls his disciples:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  Matthew 16:24^(NLT)

For You Today

Daily, piece by piece, you are stitching-together the legacy you will leave some day.  Whatever “words” you say at the end will not change what you do today. 

For a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ, the marching order today is as unchanging as the course of the sun, moon, and stars; pick up the cross and follow.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com