Rick Henderson

Heart Knowledge

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.

Watching

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!

Us vs Them

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.

Trail of Destruction

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.

What is Our Reward?

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.

Came and Stood and Called

Re:Verse passage – Judges 2–8; 1 Samuel 3:1-11 (day seven)

Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times. vs 10

I love how this one short sentence shows us an in depth look into the nature of God. Look at this combination of action verbs: He came and stood and called. God is personal. He wants to be active and present in our lives. Look also at the modifier: as at other times. God is patient and persistent. Though Samuel didn’t get it the first few times, God didn’t give up on Him. He kept on coming and standing and calling. He was waiting for Samuel to hear and respond back to Him.

Do you think God is doing this for us? Do you think He is coming and standing and calling out to us? Is it possible that in the busyness of our lives we are mistaking His voice for that of the people and things we serve in the moment? God is personal, patient, and persistent. He hasn’t given up on you, He is just waiting for you to respond!

Narrative

Re:Verse passage – Judges 8:18-34 (day seven)

His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. vs 31

The Bible is Divinely inspired and written over thousands of years. Throughout that time, various authors use many different genres to communicate God’s Word. Judges falls into the category of historical narrative. What is the point of a narrative? To tell the story. There is no fluff, no frills, no beating around the bush. It is “straight to the facts.” In narrative we don’t get to hear the author tell us point blank, “Gideon made some poor choices.” That wasn’t his point. He was just stating the facts. However, if we catch the context clues, we can see that the author is foreshadowing the consequences that come from Gideon’s poor choices. The son of a concubine, Abimelech, is going to be a thorn in this family tree. Sometimes it may seem like the Bible doesn’t condemn our heroes for their sinful behavior, but the narrative is just showing us the facts. It’s our job to interpret the facts in context of what else we know to be true about God. Isn’t the Bible cool?

No I in Team

Re:Verse passage – Judges 7:23-24, 8:1-9 (day seven)

“When I return safely, I will tear down this tower.” Judges 8:9

Pride goes before destruction… Proverbs 16:18

If you have ever played some sort of organized sport, you have probably heard a coach say, “There is no I in team.” Why is this phrase so popular in athletic circles? Tell me, do you think kids who are playing basketball in their driveway are imagining themselves sitting on the bench while someone else shoots the game winning shot? No, they are imagining being the one who hits the buzzer beater and being carried off on their teammates shoulders!

It is human (sinful) nature to want to be in the limelight (pride). Especially once you have gotten a taste of success, you begin to crave it! Coaches fight this attitude in their players, because self centered play in sports can destroy a team. Similarly, self centered leadership can destroy an organization. Gideon has tasted success, but he is beginning to let that success change his leadership.

Your Battle

Re:Verse passage – Judges 7:12-22 (day seven)

“Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled.” vs 21

Imagine yourself as one of the soldiers in Gideon’s army. Imagine the confusion as you watch 32,000 fellow soldiers dwindle to 10,000 then again to 300. Imagine the feeling in the pit of your stomach as you marched up on a camp of 100,000+ with only a jar of clay, a trumpet, and a torch. Imagine the relief as you watch your battle be fought for you right before your eyes.

How many of you didn’t have to imagine this? How many of you have lived it? You found yourself asking “God what are you doing?! I don’t see your plan!” Then you begin to fret because you feel ill prepared for the task at hand, only to be relived when you see God had already fought your battle for you.

“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” Exodus 14:14

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Love > Fear

Re:Verse passage – Judges 7:1-11 (day seven)

Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. – Judges 7:3

This was actually Law. Deuteronomy 20:8 ordered the officers to give permission for men to leave the battlefield if they were afraid “so that he might not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart.” Not only was God dwindling the army so that He may be glorified, but He was strengthening the mental health of this group. God knew that fear can become toxic. The spiritual enemy uses fear as a weapon to derail the plans that God puts on our heart. By making the group smaller, God purged the camp of toxicity so that the group that was left would trust Him and obey with confidence. 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.”