DAY #334: 1 Peter 1:1-25

Because the prophets had foretold the great privileges of the gospel and, with even the angels, long to understand them better, believers should show the same kind of earnest and alert concern regarding the way they live.

To lead holy lives in an evil world, the believers would need a new mind-set. They also needed to monitor and restrain their sexual and material desires, anger, and words. Exercise self-control is also translated “discipline yourselves.” Peter wanted the believers to remember that as they lived in the world, they needed to keep full possession of their minds and bodies so as not to be enticed away from God.

All believers are God’s children. As such, we are to obey God. Believers ought not live in the same manner that they lived before they were saved. At that time, they didn’t know any better, but now they should not slip back into their old ways of doing evil. The evil desires still exist, but believers have a new goal for their lives. They must break with the past and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to help them overcome evil desires and obey God.

God’s holiness means that he is completely separated from sin and evil. Holiness pervades his character—he is holy. He is the opposite of anything profane. Believers must be holy in everything they do—that is, totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use and set apart from sin and its influence. Our holy God expects us to imitate him by following his high moral standards.

Believers should be set apart and different because of God’s qualities in their lives. Our focus and priorities must be his. We have already been declared holy because of our faith in Christ, but we must work out that divine family likeness in our day-by-day walk, behavior, and conduct. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us.

In Old Testament times, a person’s debts could result in that person’s being sold as a slave. The next of kin could ransom the slave (buy his or her freedom), a transaction involving money or valuables of some kind. However, silver and gold can do nothing to change anyone’s spiritual condition. No amount of money can buy our salvation. It has to be done God’s way, not with money, but with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. That God paid a ransom to save us means that he paid the price to set sinners free from slavery to sin. Christ paid the debt we owed for violating the righteous demands of the law.

Christ purchased our freedom, and it cost him his own life. Only the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross was effective atonement for our sins. The Old Testament saints sacrificed lambs in order to atone for their sins, but New Testament believers have had their sins covered by the blood of the sinless Savior.

Peter expected that growth in purity and holiness would result in deeper love among Christians—not merely outward appearance or profession, but sincere love for Christian brothers and sisters. Despite our differences and disagreements, we can have sincere love for one another, and as we grow in holiness, we can learn to love each other intensely because of the Holy Spirit within us.

Such love is not possible in the world at large, for it doesn’t understand the love that results when people are cleansed from their sins and have accepted the truth of the Good News. This experience brings together even very different believers on the common ground of forgiveness in Christ and requires them to love one another as Christ loved them (John 13:34-35).

Peter gave another reason to love others: Believers have a common ground in Christ. We have all been born again; we are sinners saved by grace. Our new life did not come from our earthly parents; that life will one day end in death. Our new life will last forever because it was given to us by the eternal, living word of God. God’s word lives and endures forever, because God who gave it lives and endures from eternity past to eternity future.




SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

AM I READY? I have to ask myself that question almost daily.

Am I ready to live the life that God has for me TODAY? Am I ready to be used by God? Am I ready to be mis-understood and wrongly accused? Am I ready to be treated like a servant? Am I ready to be a peacemaker? Am I ready to humble myself? Am I ready for conflict in some unforeseen way? Am I ready for spiritual warfare and attack? Am I ready for the temptation that is surely coming my way? Am I ready to pray and get on my knees and ask God to work? Am I ready for a miracle? Am I ready to see God's blessing? Am I ready to share my faith? Am I ready to meet all the needs that I will see in people's lives today?

That's why Peter exhorts us, encourages us, urges us to prepare our minds for action. Be self-controlled. Be alert. On your toes.

Lord, give me a supernatural energy today. Give me Your strength and Your power to love and serve and humble myself today. Lord, make me less so You can be more.

Now, let me ask you today - ARE YOU READY?

DAY #333: James 5:1-20

Believers are to be patient in the midst of injustice. Believers need to endure, trust in God through their trials, and refuse to try to get even for wrongs committed against them. But patience does not mean inaction. There was work to be done—serving God, caring for one another, and proclaiming the Good News. There is an end point, a time when patience will no longer be needed—the Lord’s return. At that time, everything will be made right. The early church lived in constant expectation of Christ’s return, and so should we. Because we don’t know when Christ will return to bring justice and remove oppression, we must wait with patience.

Instead of being like rich people who have “fattened” their hearts on the wealth of this world, believers are to allow the assurance of Christ’s return to help them be patient and take courage. Whatever the circumstances, James encourages us to be rock solid in our faith and to have a faith-inspired joy that permeates every part of life. Like the farmer, we invest a long time in our future hope. The farmer is at the mercy of the weather—it is outside his control. But we do know that the coming of the Lord is near.

Believers, facing persecution from the outside and problems on the inside, may naturally find themselves grumbling and criticizing one another. James doesn’t want them to be filled with resentment and bitterness toward each other—that would only destroy the unity they so desperately need. Refusing to grumble about each other is part of what it means to be patient. Grumbling against one another indicates a careless attitude of speech. Because of the dangers created by our speech, we cannot afford to be lax in the way we speak to and about each other.

James closes his letter as he began it, with a call to prayer. There are many responses to suffering. Some of us worry; some of us vow revenge against those who have caused the suffering; some of us let anger burn inside us. Some grumble. But James says the correct response to suffering is to keep on praying about it. This is not necessarily a prayer for deliverance from the trouble, but for the patience and strength to endure it.

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results because the person who is praying is righteous. The person is not sinless, but he or she has confessed known sins to God and is completely committed to him and trying to do his will. Again, we can say that the righteous people get what they want in prayer because they want what God wants.

The Christian’s most powerful resource is communication with God through prayer. It is the instrument of healing and forgiveness and is a mighty weapon for spiritual warfare. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayer as a last resort, to be tried when all else fails. Our priorities are the reverse of God’s. Prayer should come first. God is pleased to use our prayers to accomplish his purposes and he delights in answering our needs, but he is never bound by our prayers. God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, so it only makes sense to rely on it—especially because God encourages us to do so.

James reminds of the prayers of Elijah. His story is found in 1 Kings 17:1–18:46. Elijah had great power in prayer. A drought came as a sign to evil King Ahab of Israel that the idol Baal did not have power over the rain, God did. And when Elijah prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years. Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured.
James uses Old Testament people to illustrate each of his major themes:

Perseverance is exemplified by Job (5:11). Effective prayer is exemplified by Elijah (5:17-18).
These lives are important to us. They are examples to be followed. When we choose all our models from contemporary people, we may eventually be disappointed by their failures. Other generations of believers cannot let us down. They made their mistakes, persevered, and are now testimonies that life can be lived for God.




SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

When should I pray? James says you can pray whenever you've got a need -- a physical need, an emotional need, a material need. No matter what it is you ought to pray. WHO CAN PRAY?

Some people think you have to be a spiritual giant to pray and get those kinds of answers. "I could never pray and see somebody healed" or "I could never pray and see a financial miracle". Many Christians feel inferior. James uses Elijah as an illustration. "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain and it didn't rain on the land for three and a half years. He prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops." I Kings 19.

This is after the big god contest on Mt. Carmel. He runs to the other side of the desert and goes through a fit of depression and prays, "God, kill me. I'm so depressed." He wasn't afraid of 400 prophets of Baal but he runs from a woman named Jezebel. In that passage -- the first 10 verses -- Elijah demonstrated fear, resentment, guilt, anger, loneliness and worry. Now you know why it says, “Elijah was a man just like us.” We have anger, fear, resentment, worry, loneliness.

The lesson of Elijah's life is you don't have to be perfect to pray. You don't have to be perfect to see answers to your prayers. It's for ordinary people. I Kings 18, Elijah got alone with God and humbled himself praying for rain. It says he prayed seven times. He was persistent. He would not give up. One day a little cloud formed in the sky and he said, “It's going to be a gusher!” The rains came and flooded the place.

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things through prayer.HOW CAN I PRAY EFFECTIVELY?

I want to review four conditions for praying effectively that James mentions in his book.

#1. I must ask. That sounds simple but in a lot of our prayers we never ask for anything. We say "Thank you for..." and "Bless..." and that's it. We never pray specifically. The more specific your prayers are the greater you're going to be blessed in the answer.

James 4:2 says, "You do not have because you do not ask." Be specific. Throw away all your cliches. I love to hear new Christians pray because they don't know all the language, and they're so honest. It's refreshing.


#2. Have the right motive. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." If you're going to ask in prayer, make sure your motives are right. Not for selfishness but for a genuine reason -- the glory of God.

#3. Have a Clean life. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Righteousness is your standing before God when you became a believer. It has nothing to do with your perfection. If God only answered the prayers of perfect people, how many prayers would get answered? None. But God does want us to have a clean life. In Psalm 66:18, David said, "If I hide [regard, conceal] iniquity [sin] in my heart then the Lord will not hear."

If I am willfully and knowingly doing something I know is displeasing to God and say, "God, I'm going to continue doing this but, by the way, help me out." It's like saying "Dad, will you loan me the keys to the car, but I'm never going to do a single thing you ask." We need to have a clean life before Him. Proverbs 28:9 says, "He that turneth his back from the hearing of the law, even his prayers are an abomination." Isaiah 59:2 says, "Your sins have separated you between you. Your God has hid His face so He cannot hear."

#4. Ask in faith. Expect an answer. James 1:6 says, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..." When you come to God, believe that He wants to answer your prayer. Trust Him. Don't doubt. Really believe.


How important is your prayer life to you? I struggle with this more than any other area in my life -- this area of being consistent in prayer. I talk to the Lord all the time, but I don't really have the prayer life I want to have. I'm never satisfied with it. I want to know Him in a deeper way. I want our church to be a miracle. I want it only to be explained by the fact that God did it. I want our church to be an embarrassment to the devil. I want people to look at our church and say, "Only God could have done that." Would you join me in this prayer?

Lord, draw people to COV this morning. Speak to their hearts, change their lives. I love you Lord. Protect Sharon and Katie in Alabama this week.

DAY #332: James 4:1-17

The conflicts that James talks about here in chapter four are quarrels within the church, among believers. James is describing a condition where a church has come to a state of war, with open skirmishes breaking out among people. Sides have been chosen, positions have been dug in. In cases like this, believers have ceased being peacemakers; instead, they live in open antagonism toward one another. The word fights refers to battles with weapons, an armed conflict. It was used figuratively to indicate the struggle between powers, both earthly and spiritual.

Obviously, disagreements will occur in every church. But when they happen, are we wise enough and mature enough to understand why? Do we know their source? When handled correctly, with godly wisdom, they can lead to growth. Sadly, however, some churches become permanent battlegrounds. New believers find themselves in a cross fire of arguments, resentments, and power struggles that may carry a veneer of spiritual truth, but are more often simply personal conflicts between people. In the process, innocent bystanders are sometimes deeply wounded. Many of us know people who have been alienated from the church because of a conflict that had nothing to do with the gospel. And what's the source of these arguments and fights?

Fights and quarrels are being caused, not by some external source, but by the people’s evil desires. When everyone seeks his or her own pleasure, only strife, hatred, and division can result. At war within suggests a raging battle fought between the desire to do good and the desire to do evil.

The craving described in this chapter becomes so strong that the people scheme and kill to get it. Instead of rethinking their desires, the people being described by James resort to jealousy, fights, quarrels, and worse. Yet, for all their anxious self-seeking and antagonism in getting what they want, they still can’t possess it.

Why? We learned (from getting our first tricycle or doll to driving our first new car) that fulfilled desires don’t satisfy at the level they advertise. Sometimes we actually do get just what we wanted, only to discover that we still do not have what we really needed—the deep contentment that only comes when we are right with God. Trusted alone, our desires will only lead us to the things of this earth and not to the things of God.

In summary, James’s message is: The reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. In other words, “You don’t have what you desire because you don’t desire God.”

Almost as bad as not asking is asking wrongly. If we misunderstand the correct use of prayer, we might not pray at all, or we might attempt to manipulate God. Later, James makes it clear that, when we pray, we must humble ourselves before God, otherwise we will not be answered. People should not be surprised when their prayers go unanswered because often their whole motive is wrong. They were going to spend what they received on their pleasures. The people’s desires were so strong that they were fighting, quarreling, and then using prayer to get what they wanted. Their motives were not to help others, but to satisfy themselves.



SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

James gives some practical advice. James 3:18 says, "And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness." James says, every day in every relationship, you're planting seeds. Seeds of anger, jealousy, peace, confidence, insecurity, many different kinds of seeds. So you will inevitable reap in your relationships. How can I plant seeds of peace? How can I be a peacemaker? How can I have peaceful relationships?

Wisdom. We need to learn how to be wise in the way we act toward people. Often we treat people in very foolish ways and we provoke the exact opposite behavior of what we would normally like to see in them.

Wisdom has more to do with character in relationships than it has to do with education and intelligence. Wisdom creates humility. Knowledge causes pride, but wisdom causes humility.
James gives us reminders about wisdom.


#1. I'M WISE I WILL NOT COMPROMISE MY INTEGRITY.


Proverbs 10:9 says, "The man of integrity walks securely." He's not afraid of being found out because he doesn't say one thing to one group and something else to another group. Someone said, "No man has a good enough memory to be an habitual liar." Eventually you're going to slip up. If you've got integrity you've got confidence, you walk securely in your relationships. You know you're not putting people on. If I am wise I will not compromise my integrity.

#2. IF I AM WISE I WILL NOT ANTAGONIZE YOUR ANGER.

I won't make you angry. Wise people work at maintaining harmony. They're not always looking for a fight. "Wisdom is peace loving." Have you ever met someone who is always arguing, always looking for a fight? I heard about one guy who was so argumentative he would only eat food that disagreed with him. If you're smart you don't antagonize people's anger. Proverbs 20:3 says, "Any fool can start arguments. The wise thing is to stay out of them."

#3. I WON'T MINIMIZE YOUR FEELINGS.

"Wisdom is considerate" and "considerate" means "mindful of the feelings of others". There is a common mistake that if I don't feel the way you feel then your feelings must be invalid or illogical or irrational or silly. James says, “Wise people are considerate; they don't minimize other people's feelings.” If I'm wise I will not minimize your feelings. I don't have to accept them but I can understand them. Proverbs 15:4 says, "Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit." Typically when we react to people's emotions we say things that hurt. Often we belittle the feeling. We put people down, or we play psychologist. "I know why you feel that way..." We're condescending toward people. James says if I'm wise in relationships I will not minimize your feelings. I'll be considerate.

#4. I WON'T CRITICIZE YOUR DECISIONS/SUGGESTIONS.

A wise person can learn from anybody. He's not defensive. He's open to reason. He's not stubborn. He's willing to listen and learn. Let me ask you today, are you a reasonable person? Can your kids reason with you? The Bible says if you're wise, you're reasonable. You're open to suggestions. "Don't confuse me with the facts; I've made up my mind. When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." A wise person does not antagonize your anger, does not minimize your feelings, and does not criticize your suggestions. Don't be defensive. Most of us are too oversensitive. If somebody makes a suggestion we take it as a personal criticism and we're defensive. James says that's dumb. A wise person can learn from anybody.

#5. IF I'M WISE I WON'T EMPHASIZE YOUR MISTAKES.

"Wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit." Do you jump on people every time they blunder, every time they make a fault and fumble it? Do you always use everybody in your family as the butt of your joke. That's dumb. Wisdom is full of mercy. I won't emphasize your mistakes. Do you ever let people go, or do you keep hounding them about their past mistakes? Do you hold them in leverage, and they never can be set free even if they have asked forgiveness? "Remember the time you did..." You're always holding on and bringing up the past for leverage. That's dumb. If I'm wise, I won't emphasize your mistake. I'll be full of mercy. I'll give you what you need, not what you deserve.

Proverbs 17:9 says, "Love forgets mistakes. Nagging about them parts even the best of friends." If you're wise you don't rub it in, you rub it out. You don't hold it over their heads. You forget it. When somebody stumbles, you don't judge them. You encourage them. We don't need judgement. We need encouragement when we stumble. Are you that way at home? If somebody forgets something -- forgets to fill the car with gas and you run out on the freeway, somebody forgets to bring the mail in -- how are you? Do you rub it in or do you rub it out? The wise thing is to not emphasize the mistake.

#6. IF I'M WISE, I WON'T DISGUISE MY OWN WEAKNESSES.

A mark of a wise person is they don't try to hide and disguise their own weaknesses. "Wisdom is impartial and sincere." James says if you're smart and wise, you're not phoney. You don't wear masks and try to be something you're not. I've said before, if you're perfect this is not the church for you. If you're going to wear masks this isn't the church for you. This is for real people, with real sins, real hang ups, real faults, real emotional problems, real family problems. Real wise people are honest and open. They're not phoney. They're genuine. They're real and authentic. "What you see is what you get" with a really wise person. They don't attain or pretend perfection. If I'm wise I'm not going to disguise my weaknesses. There are so many phony relationships today. People try to be something they're not. The number one place you can see this is singles' bars. Phony relationships. Where else in our society do you offer to buy something for a total stranger? Phony! Trying to be something you're not.

Proverbs 28:13 says, "You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins." It's dumb to pretend that you're perfect, that you've got it all together because nobody does. Will you ask God for this kind of wisdom today? Will you seek to become a peacemaker?

DAY #331: James 3:1-18

We all make many mistakes or slip up when we are off guard. We all stumble, but our most frequent failures occur when we are speaking. Because we are prone to make mistakes in our speech, we need to be even more careful to let God control what we say. He is capable of guiding our motivation, our thoughts, our very choice of words, and even the impact our communication has on others.

Many people may think that it is impossible to control their tongues, but most people haven’t even begun to try. The ability to control the tongue is the mark of true maturity for the Christian. When Jesus confronted the religious leaders about their accusations against him, he said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks—showing that what is inside of a person affects what they do with their speech (Matthew 12:33-37).

Bit . . . Rudder . . . Tongue . . . Spark. What do these things have in common? They are all small but very effective controllers—they each direct something much larger than themselves. James is building a case for the damaging power of our words. We see this evidenced in history when dictators such as Adolph Hitler, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein used their words to mobilize people to destroy others. We see it evidenced in church splits and in the ruining of a pastor’s reputation. And we see how verbal abuse in the home can destroy the very personhood and character of spouses and children.

Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle words are damaging because they quickly spread destruction. We dare not be careless with our words, thinking that we can apologize later, because even when we do, the damage remains. A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Remember that words are like fire; they can neither control nor reverse the damage they do.

The tongue is full of wickedness because of the damage it can cause in the world and bring to the rest of the Christian community. Although people can tame all kinds of animals . . . no one can tame the tongue. Why? Because it is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. The tongue is always capable of evil; it remains untamed throughout life. With our tongues we can lash out and destroy. By recognizing the tongue’s deadly capacity, we can take the first steps to keep it under control.

No person can tame the tongue, but Christ can. To do it, he goes straight for the heart (Mark 7:14-15; Psalm 51:10) and the mind (Romans 12:1-2). We should not try to control our tongues with our own strength; we should rely on the Holy Spirit. He will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say. For when we feel offended or unjustly criticized, the Spirit will remind us of God’s love and keep us from reacting. The Holy Spirit will heal the hurt and keep us from lashing out. We can make sure we are in the Spirit’s control by incorporating Scripture into our lives and by asking the Spirit to direct our thoughts and actions each day.

How strange that the tongue is able to speak praises to our Lord and Father at one time, and then it breaks out into curses against other people. We should have the same attitude of respect for fellow human beings as we have for God, because they are created in his image. Yet we have this horrible, double-sided tongue, so that blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. This should not be.




SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

Have you heard this excuse? Someone says something really mean or hurtful and they say, "I don't know what got into me. It's not like me to say that. I don't know why I said that. It's totally out of character. I didn't really mean it." James would say, “Yes, it is. It's just like you. You meant it. Quit kidding yourself. What's inside is going to come out. You don't have a spring that one minute gives salt water and the next gives fresh water. That's inconsistent. It's a natural law: what comes out of the well is what is inside of it.”

Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Jesus explained the Freudian slip years before Freud even existed. He said what's inside of you is what's going to come out. My tongue just displays what I am. It directs where I go. It can destroy what I have. But most of all, it simply displays what I am. It reveals my character.

If you've got a problem with your tongue, it's much more serious that you think. You have a heart problem. What's the solution?

#1. Get a new heart

You've got to get a new heart, that's the problem. Ezekiel 18:31 "Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit!" Painting the outside of the pump doesn't make any difference if there is poison in the well. I can change the outside, I can turn over a new leaf, but what I really need is a new life. What I need is a fresh start. I need to let go of all the past and be born again and start over. I need to get a new heart.

How do I get a new heart? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new person. The old has passed away. Behold all things have become new." New life, new heart, new spirit. When you come to Jesus Christ, He wipes out everything you've done in the past. He says You're starting over. It's like being born again. You need a new heart.

We need to pray like David prayed in Psalm 51 "Create in me a clean heart, O God" because what's in my heart is going to come out in my mouth.

#2. Ask God for help every day.

You need supernatural power to control your tongue. You can't do it on your own. Your life is a living proof of that. We cannot control it on our own. We need supernatural power so we ask God to help us. Psalm 141:3 says, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Great verse to memorize and quote every morning. "God, put a muzzle on my mouth. Guard my lips. Don't let me be critical today. Don't let me be judgmental. Don't let me say things off the cuff that I then regret." You need to ask God for help daily because you need His power in your life.

#3. Think before you speak

Engage your mind before you put your mouth in gear. James 1:19 says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." There's a designation here. They go in order. First be quick to listen and then slow to speak. If you're quick to listen you will be slow to speak. If you're slow to speak, then you will be slow to become angry. If you have a problem with anger you need to work on being quick to listen and slow to speak. The result will be you'll be slow to anger.

What does your tongue say about you? What does it reveal about you? If we were to play back a tape of every conversation you've had in this past week, what would we learn about you? God hears it all. Our tongues display who we are. What direction is your tongue leading you? Some people say, "I'm just sick all the time" or "I can never do anything", "Things are just getting tougher and tougher" -- what direction are they headed? Our tongues control the direction of our lives like a rudder, a bit.

A bit and a rudder must be under the hand of a strong arm. James is saying that the only way to get control of your tongue is let Jesus Christ have control of your heart. What's in your heart is going to come out in your mouth. You let Christ's hand be on your bit, your rudder and let Him direct your life.

Maybe you need to ask forgiveness. Maybe you need to go to your kids to say, "I'm sorry. I'm inconsistent the way I talk to you. Sometimes I'm loving, sometimes I'm harsh. That shows I'm like everybody else. I'm human." We all stumble in many ways -- all of us. Maybe you need to apologize to your wife or your husband. "I'm not as loving to you in my speech as I ought to be. I tend to be apathetic, cold, indifferent. I talk to you harshly. I boss everybody around. I'm inconsistent and inconsiderate." Ezekiel says, "Get rid of all your offenses you've committed and get a new heart and a new spirit." Will you do this?

Day #330: James 2:1-26

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

In today's passage, I want to focus on two key verses - 14 and 26. The person who claims to have faith obviously thinks that his belief alone, without any good actions (deeds done in obedience to God), is satisfactory in God’s sight. However, faith not accompanied by deeds has no saving value. Anyone can say he has faith, but if his lifestyle remains selfish and worldly, then what good is that faith? It is merely faith that believes about Jesus, not faith that believes in him. That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Instead, the faith that saves is faith that proves itself in the actions it produces.

Two images help us remember the importance of genuine faith:
On one side are people who project confidence in their standing before God and yet show no evidence that their faith affects any of their actions. They may even take pride in the fact that they can believe what they want and that no one has the right to challenge their faith. After all, “only God really knows for sure,” they may say.

On the other side are people whose lives demonstrate such a frantic flurry of activity that they literally have no time to think or talk about their faith. Those people, whose lives at first exhibit the marks of someone who believes, turn out to have real doubts. They doubt God’s acceptance and feel compelled to work very hard in hopes of gaining that acceptance. But trying hard to build merit with God becomes a substitute for faith.

James helps us see that genuine faith will always combine deep trust in God and consistent action in the world. It is not the one who claims to have faith, but the one who actually has faith who is saved.

Someone may ask, “But what if genuine belief never really gets a chance to demonstrate itself in action?” One instance of genuine faith given little time is the case of the thief on the cross who believed in Jesus (Luke 23:32-43). In sight of death, this man acknowledged Jesus as the Christ. Did even this man’s short-lived, genuine faith lead to real action? Certainly it did! The dying thief said a few words of profound eloquence: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The thief could not possibly have known how many times his simple trusting witness during his final agony would give hope to others who felt they were beyond God’s help.

Most of us have a great deal more time than the thief on the cross. Do our lives count for as much? Do we declare our faith and then demonstrate its vitality throughout our life?

Even Rahab the prostitute was made right with God by her actions. God’s final judgment on a person’s life considers the righteousness that person shows through works. But why would James bring up Rahab? After speaking of the great faith of Abraham, the father of Israel, James cited the example of Rahab, a pagan woman with a bad reputation (Joshua 2:1-24; 6:22-25). But these two people, as opposite as they were, cemented James’s argument—both people were made right with God on the basis of their actions that resulted from their faith. The contrast is not between faith and works, but between genuine faith and false faith.

Faith and good deeds are as important to each other as body and spirit. Good deeds are not added to faith; instead, the right kind of faith is faith that “works,” that results in good deeds. Otherwise, Christianity is nothing more than an idea.

No one is moved to action without faith; no one’s faith is real unless it moves him or her to action. The action is obedience to God. This draws us back to James’s words in the first part of this chapter concerning care for others. The believer must do what God calls him to do—serve his brothers and sisters in Christ, refuse to discriminate among them, and help them out with good deeds.

Understanding how faith and deeds work together still doesn’t mean that our lives will be different. James is about to continue with a series of life situations that we all encounter. It is in these everyday events that we demonstrate our faith to be alive or dead. From time to time, we need to take our own spiritual pulse by matching our lives with God’s word. But we also need to have people around us, the body of Christ, whom we can ask, “How do you see me putting my faith in Christ into action?”

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

But how do I show I am a believer? James says there's five ways you can know you've got the real thing.

#1. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU SAY

v. 14 says, "What good is it my brother if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such `faith' save him?" It doesn't say he, actually has faith, he just claims to have it. He talks about it. He knows all the right phrases. There are a lot of people who claim to be Christians. George Gallup says that 180 million Americans say "I'm born again," but you don't see anything in their lifestyle. Today we tend to label people as Christians if they make the slightest sound of being a believer. It's more than just talk that is involved in real faith. Jesus said, "Not everybody who says to me `Lord, Lord' is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven." Not everybody with a Christian bumper sticker is a believer. Not everybody who is a professor of Christianity is a possessor of Christianity.

#2. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU FEEL

It's more than emotions. A lot of people confuse emotions and sentiment with faith. You can be emotionally moved and never act on it. You can go to church and get a quiver in your liver, goose bumps, but it never makes any difference.

Then he gives an illustration. v. 15 "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him `Go, I wish you well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" Real faith is more than just sympathy and feeling and emotion. You get assistance. You do something about it. You act on it. Real faith takes the initiative. A real believer has real faith and it's practical. It gets involved with people. 1 John 3:17 says, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" Real faith is generous. It wants to give. Who can count on you in a crisis? How many Christians have the freedom to call you up in the middle of the night if they are in an emergency? Not just talking the talk. Not just feeling for people.

#3. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOME SOMETHING YOU THINK

For some people, faith is an intellectual trip -- a matter to be studied, debated, talked over and discussed. James imagines this intellectual objector v. 18 "Someone will say `You have faith, I have deeds'" He's imagining some intellectual guy who says, "You're into faith, I'm into works. That's cool. Different strokes for different folks. Let's debate it. You've got your thing, I've got mine. To each his own way. Stimulate me mentally but don't ask me to make any commitment." "Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do." Circle "show me". Real faith is visible. You can see it. It's apparent. If you claim to be a Christian, people will be able to see it. It's visible.

James would have made a good Missourian. The theme of the state of Missouri is "Show me". James is saying, “You say you're a Christian? Prove it. Let me see your actions back up your words.” If I say, "I believe my health is very important. Personal health is a high priority in my life. I believe that health is one of the most important things we ought to have." You say, "Do you eat right?" No. "Do you exercise? Do you get your proper rest? Do you take vitamins? Do you ever go for a check up?" No. It doesn't matter what I say. What counts are my actions.

#4. REAL FAITH IS NOT JUST SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that -- and shudder!" There are a lot of people who have strong beliefs in God, the Bible, about Christ. They can recite creeds to you and catechisms and talk about doctrines of the Trinity, quote bible verses. James says, "big deal!" Just saying I believe in God is not enough to get you to heaven. Even the devil believes that.

The word believe in Greek means "to trust in, to cling to, to rely on, to commit yourself completely." I believe in Hitler but I'm not a Nazi. I'm a Christian because I believe in Jesus. But it's more than just a head knowledge. A lot of folks are going to miss heaven by 18 inches. They've got it in their head but not their heart. They say "I believe in God." James says, "Big deal. Everybody believes in God. How do you have a creation without a Creator? But that's not enough.”

#5. REAL FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO

Our faith is not determined by what we do, it is demonstrated by what we do. About 50 years ago there was a famous tightrope walker named George Blondin who, for a publicity stunt, decided he would walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. On the appointed day they stretched a tightrope from one side of Niagara Falls to the other. He got out there and there were crowds lining both the Canadian and American side. Thousands of people showed up to see this unbelievable feat. Blondin walked up to the edge of the tightrope, put one foot on the tightrope and put another foot out and began to walk across -- inch-by-inch, step-by-step. He got out in the middle and everybody knew that if he'd make one mistake in balance he'd fall off the rope and into the Falls and obviously be killed. Blondin got to the other side and the crowd went wild, shouting and cheering. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again."

He got to the other side and the crowds went crazy. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again but this time I'm going to push a wheel barrow full of dirt." He pushes the wheelbarrow across. He got to the other side. He did this nine or ten times. On about the tenth time, he pushed the wheelbarrow right in front of a tourist who said, "I believe you could do that all day." Blondin dumped out the dirt and said, "Get into the wheelbarrow."

In a very real sense that's what God says to you. Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. "I believe in Jesus!" Prove it. Our faith is demonstrated by our actions. Actions speak louder than words. Our behavior shows what we really believe. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." Test. Check it out. See if you're really a believer or not.

DAY #329: James 1:1-27

How can a person consider trouble as an opportunity for joy? This is a remarkable command—we are to choose to be joyful in situations where joy would naturally be our last response. When certain circumstances make us angry and we want to blame the Lord, James directs us to the healthier alternative—joy.

This is not joyful anticipation for trials. Instead, it is joy during trials. The joy is based on confidence in the outcome of the trial. It is the startling realization that trials represent the possibility of growth. In contrast, most people are happy when they escape trials. But James encourages us to have pure joy in the very face of trials. James is not encouraging believers to pretend to be happy. Rejoicing goes beyond happiness. Happiness centers on earthly circumstances and how well things are going here. Joy centers on God and his presence in our experience.

This testing of our faith is a test that has a positive purpose. In this case, the troubles do not determine whether or not believers have faith; rather, the troubles strengthen believers by adding endurance to the faith that is already present. Endurance is faith stretched out; it involves trusting God for a long duration. We cannot really know our own depth until we see how we react under pressure. Precious diamonds begin as coal, subjected to intense pressure over a period of time. Without pressure, coal remains coal. The testing of your faith is the combined pressure that life brings to bear on you.

Endurance, like a precious gem, is the intended outcome of this testing. Endurance is not a passive submission to circumstances—it is a strong and active response to the difficult events of life, standing on your feet as you face the storms. It is not simply the attitude of withstanding trials, but the ability to turn them into glory, to overcome them.

When it comes to trials, we would rather escape, explain, or exit the difficulty. In fact, we will tend to do almost anything to avoid enduring a trial. Faithful endurance, however, generates whole people, recognized as strong in character, or mature. We will be seasoned, experienced, well-developed, fit for the tasks God sent us into the world to do. This strength is a quality developed by how much we have learned from the trials we have experienced. We are also ready for anything because we have been fully trained. The weaknesses and imperfections are being removed from our character; we are gaining victory over old sins; we are demonstrating a sense of competence about life. This completeness relates to the breadth of our experience.

There is a finish line. There are successes along the way—spiritual progress has its mile markers. But the trials of this life are contained in this life. Someday the test will be over. The first chapter of James teaches us that God’s long-term goal for us is maturity and completeness, but his eternal goal for us is the crown of life, a rich expression of hope. The believer who patiently endures by trusting God will have a life that, though not full of glory and honor, is still truly abundant, joyful, and victorious. Standing the tests of life gives believers even now a taste of eternity. Looking forward to that wonderful reward, and to the one who will present it to us, can be a source of strength and encouragement in times of trial.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

There are three things I want to remind you about when it comes to the problems and difficulties we encounter in this life;

#1. Problems purify my faith. James uses the word "testing", as in testing gold and silver. You would heat them up very hot until the impurities -- the dross -- was burned off. Job said "He has tested me through the refining fire and I have come out as pure gold." The first things trials do is test our faith. They purify us. Christians are a lot like tea bags. You don't know what's inside of them until you drop them in hot water. Then you know. Your faith develops when things don't go as planned. Your faith develops when you don't feel like doing what's right. It purifies your faith. Christians are like steel; when they're tested they come out stronger.

#2. Problems fortify our patience. "...the testing of your faith develops perseverance." He's talking about staying power, not a passive patience, but staying power, endurance. The ability to keep on keeping on, the ability to hang in there. The Greek here is literally "the ability to stay under pressure." We don't like pressure and we do everything we can to avoid it. We run from it, take drugs, drink alcohol, go to Disneyland, anything to get away from pressure. But God uses problems in our lives to teach us how to handle pressure, how to never give up. There was a time in my life I prayed for patience, and the problems got worse. Finally, after a while, I realized I was a lot more patient than when I first started out.

How does God teach you patience? By everything going your way? No. God teaches you patience in traffic jams, in grocery lines, the waiting periods of life.

We live in a comfortable and convenient society. Everybody wants it now. If I can't have it now, forget it. Endurance, today, is a rare quality. Lombardi said, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

#3. Problems sanctify my character. They make me like Jesus. They help me mature. They help me to grow. "The testing of your faith produces perseverance that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." That's God's long range goal. His ultimate purpose is maturity. God wants you to grow up. He wants you to mature. In the Christian life, character is the bottom line. So many Christians I talk to have absolutely no idea of God's agenda in their life. They don't know what's happening and as a result they are overwhelmed by their problems.

We've talked about it so many times - Remember - God's number one purpose in your life is to make you like Jesus Christ. God is much more interested in building my character than in making me comfortable. If God is going to make me like Jesus, He's going to take me through the things Jesus went through. There were times when Jesus was lonely, fatigued, tempted to be depressed and discouraged. The Bible says there are two ways that God makes us like Jesus:

Through the word of God. John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy word is truth." James 1:22-25 says "The word makes us like Jesus" it builds our character, matures us. But even if you read the Bible two hours a day, how many hours of your life are you not reading God's word? God demands even more in the second way.

Through the circumstances of life. Here's where James hits it right on the head. So many Christians I meet say, "Everything was going great when I first became a believer. Then all of these problems came. Maybe God doesn't love me. Maybe I'm not a Christian. Maybe I'm not really saved. Maybe I've missed the boat." You are exactly where God wants you. You're in a character course. He's making you like Jesus. Romans 8:28 "We know that all things work together for good" [not all things are good but they work together for good] if we love God and are called according to His purpose." The secret of Romans 8:28 is 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow He did predestine to become conformed to the image of the Son of God." Why do all things work together for good? In order to make me like Christ.

Remember these things today and as you go forward in life. God has a plan and a purpose - always.

DAY #328: Hebrews 12:18-13:25

This passage again contrasts the old and new covenants by contrasting the earthly Mount Sinai and the heavenly Mount Zion. As the Israelites were camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, God was preparing the nation for receiving his Ten Commandments. God commanded that no one, not even an animal, should touch the mountain under penalty of death (Exodus 19:12-13). The fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind describe the awesome scene on the mountain, for God himself descended there to speak with Moses (Exodus 19:18-21).

A blazing fire engulfed the top half of the mountain; this illustrated the Lord’s presence. The loud trumpet blast came from the mountain and caused the people to tremble. They begged God to stop speaking. The fear caused the people to beg that Moses be the lone mediator. They thought they would die if God were to speak directly to them.

The old covenant, with its display of God’s awesome power, still was not superior to what God had planned in the new covenant. The old covenant caused only fear from the people; they begged that they would not have to approach God themselves. God, in turn, did not allow them to approach him. God has offered something new. Returning to this old way would be foolish.

Instead of coming to a threatening mountain of fear and death, you have come to Mount Zion. Mount Zion represents a new community and a new relationship with God, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Here believers live with God and can worship him without reserve. In this city, thousands of angels in joyful assembly continually worship God. The new Jerusalem is the future dwelling of the people of God. All Christians will have a new citizenship in God’s future Kingdom. Everything will be new, pure, and secure.

Christians do not enter a covenant in which someone like Moses must go up the mountain to meet with God. Rather, we have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children. The assembly means the church or congregation, referring to the gathering of believers who have been called out by God for the special purpose of loving, obeying, and worshiping him. We are no longer separated from the angels, but join them in praising God. All believers are God’s firstborn, for all are promised his inheritance.

The only access to God is through Jesus Christ, who is “the way” (John 14:6). This new covenant far surpasses the old covenant; no person who understood the new covenant could ever intelligently choose to revert to the old way. We come to the sprinkled blood because through it alone can we receive God’s gracious forgiveness.

If people refuse to follow God’s new covenant, they reject his plan. But more than the plan, they reject God himself. To do so is final and tragic, so the writer again warns his readers: See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you.

Eventually the world will crumble, and only God’s Kingdom will last. Those who follow Christ are part of this unshakable Kingdom, and they will withstand the shaking, sifting, and burning. When we feel unsure about the future, we can take confidence from these verses. No matter what happens here, our future is built on a solid foundation that cannot be destroyed. Don’t put your confidence in what will be destroyed; instead, build your life on Christ and his unshakable Kingdom.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

I read today's passage and there is so much to take in. What God has spoken to my heart today is the issue of Eternal Security. At COV, we believe God's word is irrevocably clear about Eternal Security. Read the passages below. I pray they bring comfort to your soul.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1 (NIV)

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."

John 10:27-29 (NIV)

The point is simple; if we can't do anything to earn our salvation, and we can't - Ephesians 2:8-9 - then we can't do anything to lose our salvation.

DAY #327: Hebrews 11:32-12:17

The roll call of heroes continues. The Old Testament records the lives of many people who experienced great victories; a few are selected for mention here. None of these people were perfect; in fact, many of their sins are recorded in the Old Testament. But these were among those who believed in God:

Gideon, one of Israel’s judges, was known for conquering the Midianite army with only three hundred men who were armed with trumpets and jars (Judges 6:11–8:35). Barak served with Deborah (another judge of Israel) in conquering the army of General Sisera from Hazor (Judges 4:4-23).

Samson, another judge, was a mighty warrior against God’s enemies, the Philistines (Judges 13–16). Jephthah, still another judge, delivered Israel from the Ammonites (Judges 11:1-33).
David, the beloved king of Israel and a great warrior, brought peace to Israel, defeating all of his enemies.

Samuel, the last judge of Israel, was a very wise leader. He also was a prophet. Samuel, along with all the prophets, served God selflessly as they conveyed God’s words to an often rebellious people.

These people demonstrated that faith will accomplish much: They overthrew kingdoms. Throughout their years in the Promised Land, the Israelites had great leaders who brought victory against their enemies. People such as Joshua, all of the judges, and King David were great warriors. They ruled with justice. Many of the judges, as well as leaders such as Nehemiah, administered justice to the people.

They shut the mouths of lions. Daniel was saved from the mouths of lions (Daniel 6). This statement could also refer to Samson (Judges 14:6) or to David (1 Samuel 17:34-35).
They quenched the flames. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were kept from harm in the furious flames of a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). They escaped death by the edge of the sword. Elijah (1 Kings 19:2-8) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:19, 26) had this experience.

Their weakness was turned to strength. Hezekiah was one who regained strength after sickness (2 Kings 20). They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. This refers to Joshua, many of Israel’s judges, King Saul, and King David. Some even received their loved ones back again from death. The widow from Zarephath received her son back from the dead because of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24), and so did the Shunammite woman, through Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-37).

We, too, can experience victory through faith in Christ. Your life may not include the kinds of dramatic events recorded here, but it surely includes moments where faith is tested. Give testimony to those moments, publicly and honestly, and thereby encourage the faith of others.
While the above examples mention great victory—there is a victory that may not seem so. Other believers were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God. These faithful people experienced the blessings and endured persecution because they placed their hope in the resurrection. These people lived by faith because they knew that gaining the world and achieving this world’s success was not their objective.

They waited for a better life that would begin after death. This promise of a better life encouraged them during persecution and other difficulties. These descriptions could apply to many people who lived by faith—including some who were part of the community of the original readers of this epistle. Many Christians were persecuted and punished for their faith. They were: Mocked—like Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-25), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:12). Cut open with whips—like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:15). Chained in dungeons—like Joseph (Genesis 40:15), Samson (Judges 16:21), Micaiah (1 Kings 22:26-27), Hanani (1 Chronicles 16:10), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:16; 38:6). Killed by stoning—like Zechariah (1 Chronicles 24:20-21); according to Jerome, Jeremiah was stoned at the hands of Jewish Egyptians because he denounced their idolatry. Killed by being sawed in half—like Isaiah.

Many of God’s followers who lived before Christ and many who have lived after Christ have been persecuted. Their clothing was the skins of sheep and goats. Many faced being hungry, oppressed, and mistreated. Some had to wander and hide in the wilderness. Despite their difficult lot, the writer of Hebrews claims that they were too good for this world. These people were great men and women of faith. All of the above people mentioned by name and those alluded to received God’s approval because of their faith. These people looked forward to a better day and salvation, but none of them received all that God had promised. Of course, they saw some of God’s promises fulfilled, but not the promises that referred to the new covenant and the promised eternal Kingdom. These people did not live to see the Kingdom arrive, but their future citizenship was secure there. Thus, they were able to endure suffering.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Have you ever gotten to the point in your life that you just feel like you can’t do it anymore? Whatever “it” is for you, you just are tired, maybe defeated, disillusioned, frustrated? Do you ever feel like you want to stop trying? I know I have! We all have at one point or another. Maybe some of you have felt that way spiritually. Just can’t go on. This morning, I want to share with you that there is hope from HIS word.

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Did you get that promise? Maybe in your power you can’t go on – perfect – you are right where God wants you. Why? He wants you to go on in His power, and His strength! If you didn’t recognize it, this is another promise from God to us! You can’t become a person of faith without getting the promises of God in your life.


Today, I want to give you three secrets of staying in the game – the three keys to getting through those times when discouragement is pounding on your life. Three keys to taking the initiative in your faith, so you will grow strong spirtually and not just wallow around in defeat or self pity.

Here’s the faith story we are going to look at this morning. One day Jesus was walking through the streets of the city of Jericho. A large crowd was following Him. There was a blind beggar by the side of the road by the name of Bartimaeus. To be blind in Jesus’ day meant you couldn’t work, obviously you couldn’t read or write, and you probably couldn’t go anywhere because there were no seeing eye dogs, no wheel chairs, no social programs to help the blind. So he was reduced to simply begging for living. Everyday somebody would carry him out to the side of the road, set him on a pallet. He would beg for sustenance every day and at the end of the day they would take him back. It was a miserable life. This blind beggars name was Bartimaeus. This story is found in Mark 10:46-52.

The first step to taking the initiative in your faith…
#1. SEIZE THE MOMENT

When Bartimaeus got up that morning he had no idea that Jesus was going to be passing by him. As best as he knew it was just another ordinary day. Same place, same thing, same begging, same miserable, lonely, pitiful lifestyle. So he had no time to prepare for Jesus, he had not time to plan for Jesus. It was just an opportunity that was dropped in his lap. It’s now or never. He seized the moment!

Bartimaeus thinks, “This is my chance. I’ve got to go for it. I’m not going to miss this opportunity,” Mark 10:46-47 (NLT) says “As Jesus... left town, a great crowd was following. A bind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was nearby, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” He seizes the opportunity, the moment. Why is this so key? All around you daily there are opportunities. You get them all the time. But you don’t take advantage of them. Why? We think we have all the time in the world!

The Bible warns us over and over about presuming upon tomorrow. I’m not guaranteed a tomorrow, neither are you. Whatever you’re going to do you better do it now.
Ÿ Job 9:25 ”My days go quickly. More quickly than a runner, they sprint away.” The older you get the faster they run.
Ÿ Job 8:9 “Our life is short. We pass like shadows across the earth.” Your life is really just a blip, a shadow.
Ÿ Proverbs 27:1 “Don’t boast about tomorrow for you don’t know what a day will bring forth.”
Ÿ Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are. Help us to spend them as we should.”
Ÿ Ephesians 5:16 “Make the most of every opportunity.”

I think God brought some of you here this morning just to hear this truth. He wants to say to you, “Stop making excuses. Get on with it. Start living the things you know to do. Give Me your life now. Start living for Me now.” Luke 9:62 (MB) says “Jesus said, ‘No procrastination! No backward looks. You can’t put off God's kingdom till tomorrow. Seize the day!” What am I saying? Stop doinking around – get on with your faith and spiritual life – start today.

The second step to taking the initiative in your faith…
#2. GO PUBLIC WITH your faith.

Go public with it. Announce your goal, your intention, the change you want to make in your life, what you’re asking God to do. Clarify what you really want and then state it publicly. You need to tell people because a secret faith is a shallow faith.

Mark 10:48 (GN) says “Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, ‘Have mercy on me!’” This guy was not afraid to make his need known and to shout out to Jesus that he needed help. It seems to me that the scorn of others is often a reason we often shy away from making our faith more public.

But, if you’re going to make a change you need to go ahead and make a public announcement about it and say, “This is what I’m asking God to do in my life.” In Mark 10:51 it says, “Jesus asked him [Bartimaeus] ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man answered, ‘Teacher, I want to see.’” He said, I want my sight. I want to be healed.

Here’s the amazing thing. Jesus Christ asks you the very same question right now. “What do you want Me to do for you?” God wants to use you. He wants to bless you. He wants to make changes in your life. He wants to do incredible things in your life. Things you can’t even imagine. But you have to ask. And you have to ask in faith.

Why should you announce what you want HIM to do in you and through you and for you publicly? The more people who know the more support you’ve got. If you want to make a major change in your life and you keep it to yourself, that’s a pretty shallow faith. The more people you share it with, the more people can pray for you, the more people can support you,
the more people can encourage you. You need to go public.

How do you go public with your faith? Two ways! The first way – make your decision to live for Him public – let people know that you have indeed accepted Christ into your heart. Let people know He is your savior and Lord! (Romans 1:16) how do you do that? Get baptized! This is a no brainer. Baptism is a public announcement saying, “I’m not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I’m not a secret agent Christian. I am a disciple. I am a follower. I’m not ashamed to say that I belong to HIM.” It’s a public act.

The second way to go public with your faith – announce to your small groups the goals you have for the new year. Put your hide on the wall. Every time you set a goal it actually is a statement of faith. People who don’t set goals, who don’t go public with them – people of little faith. Here’s a reminder -

There is one qualifier when you set a goal, when you say, “I’m going to do ‘this’ with my life.” you need to add the phrase, “... if it’s God's will.” Folks, you’re not sovereign. He is. As followers of Christ, we need to set goals, set off in the direction we think God is leading, then let Him guide us. Let Him open doors. You say, “Here’s my goal... if it’s God's will.”
James 4:15 “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that.’”

The third step to taking the initiative in your faith…
#3. Receive God's grace

In Mark 10:52 we read this, “Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way. Your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight.” What happened here? Old Blind Bart accepted the grace of God. I know that there’s a lot of hurt here. Some of you barely made it here today. Some of you are carrying major conflict, major pain, major disappointment, major grief in your life. Some of you are quite lonely and you feel that happiness has passed you by. You’re kind of like Bartimaeus on the side of the road. You’re in a lot of misery. The truth is you can put on a happy smile but inside you’re hurting.

John 1:16 says “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” How do you receive God's blessings in your life? You do it by faith. Some of you say, “I’d like to change. I just can’t.” And you’re right. You can’t change. If you could, you would have already done it. But you need a power greater than yourself to make the changes that really make a difference in your life. You need grace. Folks, grace is the power to change! Just like you receive Christ for salvation, you have to receive His grace for the power to change. (That’s why you need to memorize Philippians 4:13 – this is a promise you can build you life on.

I heard a story about a little boy. His father asked him to go to the back yard and move a big bolder. He goes in the back and he pushes it and it won’t move. He pulls it and it won’t move. He uses a lever and it won’t move. He ties up his dog and tries to pull it with a rope and it won’t move. All these different ways. He finally comes back in and says, “Dad, I can’t do it. It’s impossible.” The father says, “Son, Have you tried everything?” He said, “Yes.” “Have you tried everything?” “Yes! I have! I’ve tried everything!” The father said, “You didn’t try asking me to help you.”

Many of you are in situations where you’ve tried all kinds of stuff. You think, “It’s impossible. It’s never going to change. It’s never going to be any different.” Have you tried asking God for help? Have you tried receiving God's grace and letting Him give you power that you don’t have on your own?

Folks, Bartimaeus was blind. But he had enough vision to see that Jesus Christ could help him out. He had enough vision to see that he needed grace. Do you? Do you realize how much grace you need in life or do you just think you can go through life on your own? Spiritual blindness is far worse than physical blindness. Because if you’re spiritually blind, you don’t realize how much you need God's grace in your life.

Grace isn’t just for salvation. It’s not just for you to get your sins forgiven and get you into heaven. Grace is for the daily mistakes of life.

DAY #326: Hebrews 11:1-31

This is one of my all-time favorite passages of the bible. In this wonderful and well-known chapter, faith is explained as the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. Faith starts with believing in God’s character, that he is who he says he is. Faith culminates with believing in God’s promises, that he will do what he says he will do. We often think of the word hope in terms of uncertain desire—”I hope it doesn’t rain on Saturday.” For believers, however, “hope” is a desire based on assurance, and the assurance is based on God’s character.

Faith is the evidence of things we cannot yet see, meaning we have complete confidence that God will fulfill his promises, even though we don’t yet see any evidence. These include eternal life, future rewards, heaven, and so forth. Faith regards these to be as real as what can be perceived with the senses. This conviction about God’s unseen promises allows Christians to persevere in their faith regardless of persecution, opposition, and temptation.

People with faith please God very much. But faith is not something we must do in order to earn salvation. If that were true, then faith would be just one more deed, and human deeds can never save us (Galatians 2:16). Instead, faith is a gift God gives us because he is saving us (Ephesians 2:8).

Even in days of old (Old Testament times), grace, not deeds, was the basis of salvation. This is why the book of Hebrews says, “It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”. God intended for his people to look beyond the animal sacrifices to him, but too often they instead put their confidence in fulfilling the requirements of the law. When Jesus triumphed over death, he canceled the charges against believers and opened the way to the Father (Colossians 2:12-15). Because God is merciful, he gives us faith. It would be tragic to turn faith into a deed and try to develop it on our own!

When believers have faith, that is, when they have confidence in God, they receive God’s approval. Faith allows us to understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command. God created the world from nothing by his creative word alone. Believing this fact requires spiritual perception—that we receive only by faith.

God gave his approval to these Old Testament people because of their faith. In fact, it is impossible to please God without faith. This would have functioned as a warning to those Hebrew Christians whose faith was wavering. No one (not Abel, Enoch, or anyone else) can please God without faith. It is an absolute requirement. All the rituals mean nothing without faith.

Abraham demonstrated his faith through his actions. His faith made him right with God.
Abraham’s faith is first seen in his obedience to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. Abraham trusted in God’s promises of even greater blessings in the future. Abraham’s life was filled with faith.

It took faith for both Abraham and Sarah to trust in God’s divine intervention in their physical bodies that were both too old to produce children. In addition, Sarah was barren (unable to have children) in her childbearing years. God promised Abraham a son, but Sarah at first doubted that she could become pregnant in her old age. Abraham was one hundred and Sarah was ninety when Isaac was conceived (Genesis 17:1, 15-16; 21:1-7). But Abraham believed that God would keep his promise.

All these faithful ones so far described died without receiving what God had promised them—the promise of the new, eternal city. But these heroes saw and welcomed the promise even though it was, as it were, from a distance. These people of faith died without receiving all that God had promised, but they never lost their vision of heaven. Their future hope was not for this earth. Thus they agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth. Their “agreement” was not passive receptivity, but an active declaration and pronouncement because of their faith in God.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

Hebrews 12:1 says, “We have around us many people (talking about these lives in the Bible) whose lives tell us what faith means so let us run the race that is before us and never give up.”

I love that verse! You know why? It tells us that life is like a race, like a marathon. It’s not a sprint. So, stay in the race until the end – keep on keeping on. Endure, persevere – Unfortunately very few people finish the race of life well. We get discouraged, we get distracted, we get hurt, we get sidelined and very few people actually make it to the end of life finishing well. We give up. And we end our lives with unrealized dreams and unfulfilled potential.

We leave a lot of things in life unfinished. We start something and get tired, bored, distracted, whatever then we move to something else. Our lives are strewn with rubble of unfinished projects, unfulfilled commitments, unkept promises. Because we get discouraged.

If you’ve been discouraged over any issue in your life, let me encourage you to look at how to finish what you start even when you feel like giving up. The Bible tells us there are four things you need to do if you want to finish the race of life well. The first thing is this:

#1. Remove any distractions.

Remove any distractions that keep you from running the race of life that God meant you to run. The rest of the verse, Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.” He says remove anything that gets in the way, that keeps you from running your race.

What could distract you from your life mission? What could distract you from the purpose you were put on this earth to fulfill? I thought about that and came up with a few things. One, trying to be like other people will distract you. Another thing is making wealth the primary goal of your life. If wealth is the primary goal of your life obviously God’s purpose is not the primary goal and you are being distracted. Habits can distract you from finishing the race. The wrong kind of friends can distract you from what God put you on earth to do. Television. Good things can distract you. The Bible says remove those things.

I have found as I have worked with people over the years, the biggest distraction of all is our past. Our past keeps us from finishing the race. It loads you down. You continue to hold on to hurts from way back and you refuse to forgive and you keep on beating yourself up over some bad decision you made a while back. That’s a distraction.

Guess what? The apostle Paul had a lot of regrets. He had a lot to regret. Before he became a believer in Jesus Christ, he was a religious terrorist. He went around killing people who were Christians. But notice what he says in Philippians 3, “Forgetting the past (underline that) and looking forward to what lies ahead I strain to reach the end of the race.” He says I'm not going to let the things in my past keep me stuck.

You need to do that too. To be persistent in life, to finish what you start, you’ve got to focus on the future not worry and regret and guilt on the past. You’ve got to let go of grudges against other people. You’ve got to let go of guilt and you’ve got to let go of grief.

You want to finish well? The second thing you and I have to do is:
#2. Remember the reward.

Remember the reward that God has out there in front of us. You cannot run the race well without an eye on the finish line. If you’re going to finish well in life you have to remind yourself why we do what we do. Otherwise you’re going to end up thinking, “Why even make the effort?”

The “why?” behind what you do determine shows how long you’re going to last in what you do. If the “why?” is immediate gratification, you’re going to last for five minutes. The only “why” behind what we do that makes us last all the way through life, through some of the tough things you have to face in life is the eternal reward that God will give to us.

So when you feel like giving up, when you feel like you’re not going to make it, sometimes the only thing that will get you through is to say to yourself “My faith will be rewarded.” In fact, that is so important I am going to ask you to write it down. My faith will be reward – I have to keep on. I can’t quit. I can’t give up!

1 Corinthians 9:25-26 in the Living Bible says “To win the contest you must deny yourself many things that would keep you from doing your best. We do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. A heavenly reward, personally rewarded by God.”

Think about this: if you’re having a tough day at work about the middle of the day what happens? You start thinking about the way you’re going to reward yourself on the way home. If you’re having a tough week you think at least there’s the weekend. I'm going to do something different on the weekend. If you’re having a tough year you start thinking, "At least I’ve got vacation.”

What do you do when you’re having a tough life? What do you do when the weekend isn’t long enough to help you make it through, there’s no vacation good enough to give you hope in life? There are many times in life when the only strength that’s big enough to help you make it through to know you can finish well, to encourage you in tough times is knowing that God has a reward that is out there for us personally given to us.

We look at ourselves sometimes and think, “Why can’t I get motivated today?” Sometimes the reason is you need a higher motivation. The next paycheck, the next business opportunity is not enough to motivate you any more. You need the motivation that can come only from the reward that God will give as we are faithful to Him. Not external motivation or internal motivation but the eternal motivation that keeps you going forever.

You need to memorize the promises of God. These promises help you have hope and faith in tough times. Here's a promise you need to memorize; Galatians 6:9 “Let us not get tired of doing what is right for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” Could any of you use this verse in your life? ABSOLUTELY! That’s a verse you can build your life on!

That verse gives us the third key of finishing the race of life.
#3. Resist all discouragement

Whatever you’re discouraged about I'm sorry. But as your pastor I need to be honest with you and tell you something. It’s your choice.

You are discouraged because you are choosing to be discouraged and that is your choice. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head. Nobody is forcing you to feel discouraged. Discouragement is always a choice just like any other attitude. If you’re feeling down, if you feel like quitting, if you feel like giving up it is because you’re choosing to think discouraged thoughts.

You don’t have to. In fact, the Bible says don’t do that. It says to do the opposite. It says fight the discouragement. Resist the discouragement. Move against in. Discouragement is Satan’s favorite tool in making you ineffective. If he can get you discouraged, you’re locked up. Forget it! You’re history.


One of the great tests of faith is how you handle discouragement. Will you persevere or will you throw in the towel? When you’re doing the right thing and you don’t see the immediate reward , the immediate results. What do you do when you do the right thing for weeks, months, even years and nothing happens. Do you have a pity party and invite yourself? Do you start complaining? Do you start griping? Do you start saying, “Forget it! I'm going to give up. This isn’t worth it.”

The Bible says resist that discouragement. Folks, I’d be lying to you if I gave you the impression you could do this on your own – you can’t. I can’t. You have to plug into God’s power.

My hope as your pastor is at the end of your life you will be able to stand before God in heaven and say to Him what the apostle Paul was able to say at the end of his life. “I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” That is my prayer, my desire, my wish for you. I pray we all will FINSH WELL!

DAY #325: Hebrews 10:1-39

The old system in the law of Moses simply offered a shadow of what was coming. The daily and yearly repetition of the sacrifices reminded the people of their sins, and taught them that it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Animal sacrifices provided only a temporary way to deal with sin until Jesus would come to deal with sin permanently.

Although sacrifices were necessary to pay the price of sin, in many places in the Bible, God revealed that he didn’t want the sacrifices of a person whose heart was not right. God wanted his people to obey him. The sacrifices were necessary, however, because the people did not live up to the regulations that God had given them.

Applying to Christ the words of Psalm 40:6-8, Christ came to offer his body on the cross for us as a sacrifice that is completely acceptable to God. God’s new and living way for us to please him comes not by keeping laws or even by abstaining from sin, but by turning to him in faith for forgiveness and then following him in loving obedience. This was what set Christ’s sacrifice apart. He followed God’s will, obeyed him, and offered the perfect sacrifice of perfect obedience.
The entire Old Testament (the Scriptures) had written about Christ and his coming. The law and the sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come. Christ fulfilled the law as well as the prophecies that announced the coming of the new covenant.

God wants his people to be made holy. The God of Israel and of the Christian church is holy—he sets the standard for morality. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use, and set apart from sin and its influence. Holiness comes from a sincere desire to obey God and from wholehearted devotion to him. God’s qualities make us different. A follower of Christ becomes “holy” (sanctified) by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us obey him and to give us power to overcome sin.

Here again is the point of once again; the priests had to offer sacrifices day after day. These sacrifices could never take away sins. By contrast, our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. The sacrificial system couldn’t completely remove sin; Christ’s sacrifice did so. Christ now sits at God’s right hand. He is able to sit because his sacrifice was completely sufficient to take care of sin.

Although we are made holy when we accept Christ as Savior, God is also continually making us holy. In Christ, we are free from the penalty of sin (judgment) and the power of sin (compulsion to sin, death). But while still alive on earth, we are not free from the presence of sin (temptations) and the possibility of sin (failures). We are saved by God’s grace, but we still need to grow. We can encourage this growth process by deliberately applying Scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving God control of our desires and goals.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

What's the response God would have me make as a result of what Christ has done for me? Change. Obey. Love. Sacrifice. Serve. Worship. Share.

The Bible says this “From the very beginning God decided that those who came to Him, and He knew who would, should become like His Son.” God says, His goal for us, before He even made us, is that we'll grow up and become His Son, Jesus Christ.

But don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. He’s not saying you’re going to grow up and become god. You’re never going to be a god. Not even a little teeny, tiny, itty-bitty God. You’re human and you’re not a god. If you were a god you could solve all your problems. You’re not god. But God says I want you to grow up and become godly. I want you to love the way I love and I want you to think the way I think and I want you to feel the way I feel and I want you to act the way I made you to act. The model of that is Jesus Christ. “God wants us to grow up like Christ in everything.”

What does that mean? For me to become like Christ? Does it mean that I lose my personality? No. Does it mean that I become some kind of religious nut? No. Does it mean I go join a monastery and talk about blessings all the time? No.

Actually to become like Jesus Christ means to become fully alive. The most fully alive person who ever lived was Jesus Christ. The Bible says this, Jesus said, “I came to give you life in all its fullness.” Jesus didn’t say I came to give you religion. He wasn’t in to religion. He said I came to give you life in all its fullness. When you love like Jesus loves you’re going to have better relationships. When you live like Jesus lives you’re going to have fewer problems. When you think the way Jesus thinks you’re going to have less stress and worry. When you do what Jesus did you’re going to have more peace in your heart. When you love and do all these things the way He made you to do, life is going to be at a higher level.

You don’t become more religious when you become like Christ. You become more human. You become what God made you to be – fully alive to the glory of God. Learning how to think and act and speak and love and share and serve the way Jesus did. To become like Christ.

You say, that seems like an impossible goal. How in the world do I do that? Do I go to a meeting and I get changed? No. Do I take a pill? No. Do I do some kind of seminar? No.

It’s a process. And the process is going to take your entire life. It’s not an easy process. Learning to think less about yourself and more about others. Learning to see things less from your viewpoint and more the way God sees it. It’s going to take your entire life.

That process in the Bible is called discipleship. You may have heard of that word, you may have not. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus Christ. It is God’s goal for your life. When will you start?

DAY #324: Hebrews 9:1-28

The tent (or Tabernacle) that God’s people used for worship was constructed while the Israelites were en route to the Promised Land. It was a portable structure that could be taken apart and carried when the people moved from place to place. God’s instructions for building the Tabernacle are in Exodus 25–31.

The tent had two rooms: an inner room (called the Most Holy Place) and an outer room. A priest on duty would enter the first room, called the Holy Place, each day to commune with God and to tend to the other elements located in this room. The lampstand, the menorah, was a seven-branched candlestick standing in the south side of the room (Exodus 25:31-40; 37:17-24). Its candles burned day and night and provided light for the priests as they carried out their duties. The light also symbolized God’s presence. The Menorah still remains as a major symbol of the Jewish faith.

The table was made of wood and overlaid with pure gold (Exodus 25:23-30; 37:10-16). On this table sat the loaves of holy bread. Once a week on the Sabbath, a priest would enter the Holy Place and set twelve freshly baked loaves of bread on a small table. This bread symbolized God’s presence among his people as well as his loving care in meeting their physical needs. The bread was to be eaten only by the priests on duty.

Beyond the first room, the Holy Place, there was a curtain (described in Exodus 26:31-33). This curtain prevented anyone from entering or even getting a glimpse of the interior of the second room called the Most Holy Place, symbolizing that sinful people could not approach the holy God. The curtain formed the separation between the holy God and sinful people. The original readers would have known of the magnificent curtain in Herod’s Temple. It was made of blue, purple, and scarlet woven linen. Figures of the cherubim were embroidered on it. The Most Holy Place was where God himself dwelt. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then, only once a year (on the Day of Atonement) to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation.

The elements in the Most Holy Place included a gold incense altar, placed just outside the curtain, for it was used daily (Exodus 30:6-8; 37:25-28; 40:5). The high priest burned incense on the altar twice daily. The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden chest, the most holy piece of furniture in the Tabernacle. The wood was acacia wood covered with gold on all sides (Exodus 25:10-22; 37:1-9). The Ark symbolized God’s covenant with his people. On the annual Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood on the top of the Ark (called the atonement cover) to atone for the sins of the entire nation.

The Ark of the Covenant itself contained certain holy objects. First described in Exodus 16:32-35, the gold jar containing some manna symbolized God’s care in providing food for his people in the wilderness. It was lost when the Philistines captured the Ark and held it for a time. Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves is first described in Numbers 17:1-11. This staff showed that Aaron’s descendants had indeed been chosen by God to care for the priesthood. It certified their authority as priests. This staff was also probably lost during the Philistine control of the Ark. Also included were the stone tablets of the covenant with the Ten Commandments written on them. These two stone tablets were put in the Ark at Mount Sinai. When the Ark was placed in Solomon’s Temple, only the tablets of the Ten Commandments were still inside (1 Kings 8:9).

The place of atonement was also called atonement cover or the mercy seat. This place was significant because it was where sin was taken away. The blood from the sacrifice given on the Day of Atonement was sprinkled by the high priest on this cover (Leviticus 16:15-17) and the people experienced God’s forgiveness.

Having reminded the people of the basic arrangement of the holy rooms in the Tabernacle, the writer gets to the reason for this discussion. As part of the yearly ritual, the priest would enter the Most Holy Place with the blood of a bull. This blood would serve to cover his own sins. Then the priest would leave the room and return with the blood of a goat. This blood would cover the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The blood that the priest brought into the Most Holy Place would be sprinkled on the altar of incense and on the front of the place of atonement. (In the day of the original readers, the Ark of the Covenant was missing, so the priest would simply sprinkle the blood into the Most Holy Place.)

The ceremony carried out on the Day of Atonement revealed that people had no direct approach to God. Ordinary people could never enter God’s presence and had to depend on the high priest. A heavy curtain blocked the Most Holy Place; thus, this place was not open to the people. The way had not yet been revealed—Christ would do that. As long as the first room as well as the entire system were still in use, people would be unable to approach God directly.

The Holy Spirit revealed that the sacrifice system was ineffective for bringing unhindered fellowship with God, and that one day, people would experience a new kind of relationship with God that would effectively remove sin. The old covenant pointed to what Christ would do in the new covenant.

Under the old covenant, the people did not have direct access to God. But under the new covenant made available through Christ, God’s people can have access to God and be free from guilt. This guilt was never fully relieved in the old covenant, for the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. These sacrifices symbolized atonement for sin and provided a way for the people to continue to worship God, but the sacrifices could not change the people’s hearts and lives. Only God can do that we He enters the heart of one who accepts His son Jesus.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

The old has gone, and the new has come.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV)

He doesn't count my sins - numerous and many as they are - against me. Is there any greater truth than that? Is there any greater news than that? We must get the word out. We must tell everyone who will listen. Jesus saves. Who will you tell today? Who will you invite to church this Sunday, so they can hear the message of GOOD NEWS?

Pray for Sharon and I as we head up to Seattle this morning to watch Katie play in the first round of the NAIA National soccer championships.