Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – James 4:13-17 (day seven) 

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” vs 15

In 2012, an acronym caught fire across social media and became one of the most popular words of a generation.”YOLO” (You Only Live Once) became the war cry of college and high school students as they sought adrenaline thrills and social media recognition through acts that most adults would define as sheer stupidity.

What young people saw in “YOLO” was an opportunity to live out their vanity using the excuse that this life is short. What was missed in “YOLO” was an understanding that this life, albeit short, is bigger than oneself. The truth is, we do only live once, and we should live each day like it is the last… not just for ourselves but for everyone! How would your life change if you knew that you were promised tomorrow, but your neighbor was not? Do not miss an opportunity to be the Christ that your neighbor needs today, because you are waiting on your tomorrow.

Re:Verse passage – James 4:1-12 (day seven)

Do you ever feel stuck spiritually? Do you feel like you are in a rut and your wheels are spinning but you aren’t going anywhere? Maybe you even feel like the spinning wheels are digging you deeper into the hole. It seems like the harder you try, the further you get away from God. The issue is that we are focusing on what we can do. In other words, we are trying to fix God sized problems with man made solutions.

James give us simple steps to get us out of a rut. Submit. Resist. Draw near. (vs 7-8) The simplicity is made perfect in consistency. It is not a one time decision that makes everything well and gets us moving. Rather, it is a daily decision to submit your whole self to God while continually fighting off the barrage from the enemy. The promise is that when we do this regularly, we will get closer to Him, and the closer we get to Him, we will realize He was near to us even in the rut.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:13-18 (day seven)

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. vs 18

Depending on what translation of the Bible you use, the english word “peace” shows up over 300 times. Some translations even have it over 400 times. What should that show us? Peace is important to God. Among some of these references, God is described as “the God of Peace” (Romans 16:20). We are promised His peace will guard our hearts when we are anxious (Philippians 4:7). In our passage today, we see that the byproduct of heavenly wisdom is peace (James 3:18). Scripture is clear that God is the source of peace, and those who are near to Him exude His peace.

The enemy thrives in conflict. Our world seems to thrive on conflict too, but God has given us the tools to be peacemakers to the conflict we are immersed in, we need only to draw near to Him.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:1-12 (day seven)

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. vs 1

“Okay, I just wont become a Sunday School teacher so I don’t get held to a higher standard.” It doesn’t quite work that way my friend. James would probably agree that preachers and Biblical teachers should be held to a very high standard, but in a sense, he is speaking to all of us. If we look deeply into our lives we can see that God has placed people around us that learn from our actions. Family, friends, and coworkers are all watching us, especially once they know that we are a Christian. They are watching to see how the Christian handles pressure, how the Christian treats others, and even how the Christian spends his free time. Our actions are teaching someone a lesson. The question is, what are they learning from you?

Re:Verse passage – James 2:14-26 (day seven)

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. Vs 19

Belief in a higher being isn’t enough. Even believing that the higher being is named God whose Son is Jesus isn’t enough. The demons know these facts. This is just head knowledge. There are thousands of self-proclaimed “Christians” in the world who are stuck in head knowledge. They know facts, stats, Bible verses, and may even go to church regularly, but they don’t know Jesus. You can know all about a person and not truly know them. This is heart knowledge. This type of knowledge is intimate and personal. They know your heart and you know theirs. Heart knowledge is love.

How do we differentiate head knowledge and heart knowledge? Jesus tells us in John 14, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It’s not just a command but a promise. When we love God, we will keep His commands! Heart knowledge (love) manifests itself in obedience.

Re:Verse passage – James 2:1-13 (day seven)

“Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” vs 5

What must it have been like for James growing up in the same house as Jesus? Did James hear the phrase “Be more like your Brother!” too often? Did James have to listen to the story of the miracle virgin birth at every birthday? Was it jealousy or resentment? Or was Jesus hiding his identity from His brother? Something was off, because John 7:5 states “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

He may not have believed in the moment, but James was watching, listening, and internalizing everything Jesus did his whole life. James’ Epistle is full of quotes and teachings from Jesus. This passage of scripture in particular is a reference to the Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are the poor…” But who did James give credit for the quote? God. James was watching!

Re:Verse passage – James 1:19-27 (day seven)

But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.  vs 19b

We live in a polarized society. There is no doubting that. You feel the tension when you log in to social media. You feel it when you turn on the news. You feel the tension in the break room at work. You may even feel it around the table at family gatherings. No matter who your “Us” is, it feels like it is Us vs Them.

The truth is, it is Us vs Them, but our “Them” is not each other. Rather, our true enemy is “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Pairing this text with our reverse passage, we need to remind ourselves when we begin to feel this tension, it is time to slow down. The anger we feel is not warranted. Listen to what they have to say. Listen to what the Lord has to say. When you do, you will find peace in knowing that “Them” is not the enemy, and in fact, you might even be on the same team.

Re:Verse passage – James 1:13-18 (day seven)

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. vs 15 (ESV)

Desire is a snowflake. Seemingly innocent and charming, dancing in the wind as it makes its decent from the clouds. It lands harmlessly on top of a mountain, finding a home amongst other snowflakes of desire. As these snowflakes pile up, it is evident that the mountain can no longer contain the energy of this mass. It begins to roll slowly down the mountain. As it rolls down the mountain, it picks up more snowflakes and in turn gains steam. Faster, faster the mass is growing. It is now out of control barreling its way down the mountain leaving a trail of destruction in its wake…

Desire and sin left unchecked in our hearts can lead to this type of disaster. When we let it pile up, we risk it leaving a trail of destruction not only in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us.

Re:Verse passage – James 1:1-12 (day seven)

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. vs 12

As a junior in high school sitting in my Sunday School class at FBC Lubbock, broken leg from a football injury, broken hearted from a recent breakup, I gaze past the teacher to to see a poster on a wall with James 1:12 written across it. In my juvenile frame of mind I come to the conclusion in that moment that this is the pinnacle of trials. This had to be what James was talking about. Broken hearts and broken legs. If I can just persevere through this trial, the Lord will reward me. I will be back on that football field and will have a new girlfriend! So I claimed James 1:12 as MY verse.

I tell this true story for several reasons. One, now that I work with teenagers, I find great humor in my narrow mindset, but even in adults, we can still become preoccupied in the moment of our own struggles to not see the struggles of those around us. Two, we often believe that our reward for enduring trials is going to be provided to us in terms of earthly success, but the “crown of life” is not a king’s crown. Rather, it is peace and assurance knowing that we are children of the King and our reward is beyond this world.