Author: Scott Lane

Re:Verse passage – James 5:7-11 (day five)

“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”

I am by nature a visual learner, meaning that often times I can understand or grasp a truth or principle if I can see it or visualize it. I suspect I am not alone. Our Re:Verse passage this week has helped me see (in James’ word pictures) that patience is not an inactive or idle task. Whether in waiting or suffering, patience goes hand in hand with activity.  While the farmer waits for the rain, he still must work and tend the land. Weeds removed. Fertilizer added. Patience while waiting requires me to tend my heart (the soil of the gospel).

Patience while suffering looks like activity.  See what the prophets did?  They spoke the Word of God. When I suffer, I can do the same thing. First, I can speak the promises and character of God to myself, then by His grace I can share it with others.

Whether I’m waiting and/or suffering, James shows me what I can do. I can work and serve, I can preach and teach (to myself and others). Thank you, Lord for your helpful pictures and wisdom!

Re:Verse passage – James 5:1-6 (day five) “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.”  God’s economy is so different than the human economy we find here on earth. Those materials we store and hoard on earth as valuable treasures, God uses to adorn gates and pave roads in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21).
Like a “dangerous curve ahead sign” James warns all who travel the road of life on earth (believers and non-believers) that danger may be lurking for those who are so self-focused (attaining and maintaining wealth) that they pay no attention to their surroundings (a gracious and generous God, people created in His image, and an eternal existence where being in relationship and in the presence of God is all that will matter). James warns that wealth and riches can place on a path where grave danger lies ahead. Do you see the sign??  Check your surroundings- your heart, your relationships, your priorities.

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

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?”

Which 2 books give accurate descriptions of our lives?  May I suggest planners (calendars) and diaries. One book (planner) is the accurate picture of how our time is spent, and used- activities, priorities, busyness, sabbath, business, family. Looking through its pages will shed light on how we have planned and managed our time.

The other book (our diaries) gives insight to the people, personalities, and relationships that matter most- questions, concerns, experiences, struggles, feelings, insights, lessons learned, prayers, and convictions. Pastor James is teaching these believers that both time and life is more about the Lord than anything else. That there is a healthy balance that recognizes God’s sovereignty, our finiteness, and the actions and attitudes we must possess.

The Lord who holds time in is hand is also writing the narrative of our story. He is in control!!

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

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Did you ever imagine that being a believer would be so difficult?  Require so much discipline and diligence?  Demand so much effort and intensity?  That it would be… work?  Well, God did. It’s all throughout scripture, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”.

Why is it so difficult?  James answers that in verses 1-4 in our Re:Verse passage this week (it’s you and it’s me). If the Christian life is hard (because of us), it is also heavenly, because of the grace of God. The limitless, inexhaustible, fresh, and generous grace of God.

I was blown away by the words of Alec Motyer this week:  … (God) does not see the inexhaustible supply of grace as sweeping us along to an effortless holiness…The benefits of grace and more grace are ours along the road of obedience and more obedience. The God who says, ‘Here is my grace to receive’ says in the same breath ‘Here are my commands to obey.’

What an amazing economy. The God who knows well the weaknesses and liabilities of the human mind and heart, generously gives a greater supply of Grace.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:13-18 (day five) “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
How do you control your tongue? (that part of our bodies James previously describes as dangerous and potentially destructive) The question that James ushers to our minds in the previous verses in chapter 3, is answered in our Re:Verse passage this week.

Answer: Wisdom.

I love James’ perspective on this seemingly abstract subject. In his teaching, wisdom is not abstract it is tangible and visible. It can be “shown”. Wait! What?  Yes!  Wisdom is meant to be seen before it is heard. There can be evidence of wisdom. James teaches that this evidence is ultimately behavioral rather than intellectual. Knowledge and understanding are important but are clearly demonstrated (according to James) by “good life” and “humility”. Wanna find wisdom (from teachers/leaders/friends?  Look before you listen.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:1-12 (day five) “Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.”  The wisdom of the scripture is amazing. James gives two illustrations (bit and rudder) for the power and potential a “tamed tongue” has for the spiritual growth and maturity of a believer. A tamed tongue is not just evidence of a vibrant and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ (life giving), it is a means to it.

James illustrates that our goal is not just to gain control of our tongues but to have balanced and healthy lives that reflect the Glory of God.
The bit illustrates all the “internal” things that must be controlled (thoughts, plans, imagination, values). All of these use internal words to formulate and arrange in our minds.  The rudder then, points to the external events and circumstances that can veer us “off course” in our thinking and speaking.
In the Lord’s economy, words are the most valuable- creation (spoken into existence) and redemption (Word became flesh).  Makes sense that He would demand that we have the same regard for words- both internally and externally.

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

My favorite exam questions are multiple choice (had professors call them “multiple guess”). I always thought if I had the answer in front of me, I could spot it. But then, there were the questions that had that last possible answer… “All of the Above”.  If there were a multiple choice question about our re:verse passage this week it might look something like this:

Authentic Saving Faith is:  

A) Not just mental (what you think and believe)

B) Not just emotional (what you feel)

C) Not just physical (what you do)

D) All of the Above

James teaches that faith is D- all of the above. Believing, feeling, and acting are ALL evidence of genuine faith leading to salvation. Not just one. With precision and brilliance, James builds a definition of faith by expounding on what “it is not”. A different kind of lecture. Yet, an effective way to help us test our faith to see if it is Authentic Saving Faith.

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

“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

I am so grateful for the truth and consistency found in God’s Word. We just spent the past three months studying Judges and being reminded over and over again the problem and dysfunction of the Israelites in their relationship with God. “They didn’t remember”.   Here in James, written thousands of years later, same warning. Same truth. Brilliant illustration (mirror). We must remember- Who God is. What He has done.  What he has said about each of us.

How?  We should “look intently”. With focus. With hope. With humility. With hunger, and with honesty.

James is encouraging us to do that frequently, regularly, and intentionally.
What we learn is that we are marred with sin (no one got this better than Paul- see Romans 7) and God is the generous and gracious giver of life and freedom.

If we remembered those truths, how would that shape the way we think, act, and speak??

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

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”

My relationship with God through Jesus Christ is both corporate (I belong to a community of believers- body- family) and personal (God called and saved me). I had a youth worker in Dallas who wanted to illustrate this point. He handed out $5 dollar bills to every teenager who came to our Wednesday night gathering. Students were thrilled and overwhelmed (it was 30 years ago- $5 went a long ways). He began teaching about how God loves and deals with His children. He said, “In a way, I gave all of you $5. But in a more personal and intentional way, I gave each of you $5”.
pThere is certainly community and fellowship with other believers. Accountability. Encouragement. Ministry together. But there are deeply personal and individual facets of our faith as well. My salvation. My sin. My growth. My relationship with Christ.

God holds nations and churches accountable.  But He also holds EACH person accountable. Judgement is a deeply personal and individual experience. Only I will be asked to give an account for my life. Only I must answer to the Holy and Sovereign Lord for my actions and attitudes. Only I must repent and seek forgiveness for my sins. Only I can call on the Lord for my salvation.

God, give grace to each of us to consider our own sin, salvation, and sanctification.

Re:Verse passage – James 1:1-12 (day five)  “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  YES, AND THANK YOU!!  Just at the right moment in this passage James gives us the hope we need to wrap our hearts and minds around his exhortation to “consider joy”.  I believe the ALL is in reference to the kinds of trials. Both big and small. Don’t be confused to think that ALL means that you should only feel joy when various trials come.  Sadness, sorrow, doubt, discouragement all come our way. So what I need most, is the wisdom to process the pain, suffering, and heartbreak in a manner that will let me look through the lens of potential joy found in the promised presence of God in the midst of trials (Psalm 46) AND the promised strengthening of my faith (James 1:3-4) which helps grow endurance to take each step of faith in my race and journey with Christ. How do you “consider”? You need need wisdom. Godly wisdom. And that is what God is willing to give. Just ask.  ISN’T THAT GREAT NEWS!!