An angry individual is an out of control person. They create havoc all around them. In James 1:19, one reads that "It is best to listen, speak little, and not become angry." It takes very little to upset us. We need to let anger become a controlled emotion. James says be slow to anger.
In the original language "angry" did not mean explosive anger. The anger that James is talking about does not express itself outwardly, but describes the anger that resides in the heart and builds into deep bitterness and a hostile resentment. This kind of anger expresses itself by grumbling to God or by complaining about others. It is more an attitude of resistance or rebellion in the heart. Some people don't lose their temper, they just keep it inside their heart as a spirit of rebellion and resentment. There are a lot of angry people in the world today. Kingdom people are to be different.
Here are some other Scriptures to consider when it comes to anger.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 The Message
Don't be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Proverbs 16:32 NIV
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 14:17 NIV
A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.
Proverbs 14:29 The Message
Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Twist and Turn of Life
My past weekend was filled with twists and turns.
First twist: On Saturday I drove a van load of twenty-somethings to Boston for a day outing. The day started out foggy, so I traveled with headlights on. We parked outside Boston and took the "T" into the city for a sunny fun filled day. We returned to the van, only to discover that I had forgot to turn the headlights off that morning when we had parked. So we faced the obstacle of a dead battery. It was easily overcome when a helpful young lady and her companion in their car offered to jump start the van after a search for cables which led us to another willing individual who provided them for us.
Second twist on Saturday. Penn State was playing Michigan and I really hated to miss the game on ABC, so I taped the game on my DVR for later viewing when I got home. I was careful not hear or look for the score during my day in Boston. I got home around 10 PM and decided to zip through the commercials and watched the recorded game. I stayed up until a little past mid-night, only to have my Penn State team lose to Michigan for the ninth straight time 14-9. Two critical fumbles on Penn State's behalf really sealed the lost. A dismal loss.
The Lord's Day, Sunday, I make my way to church to worship the Lord and spend time with the family of God. It was a beautiful Fall day. Sunday afternoon, I had to choose between my watching my Patriots or getting a few hours of sun out on the lake. I chose the latter, knowing that my NE Patriots could dispose of Buffalo - which they did. But in the back of my mind I was still thinking about how Penn State had lost, so I didn't tape the game to watch later. The day ended on a positive note - to a packed weekend.
Life is filled with twists and turns, disappointments and joys, surprises and the obvious. Although nothing really serious had occurred to me this past weekend, the events reminded me that regardless what happens to us in life, there is always One who is prepared to help us and lead us. As I opened my Bible Sunday morning in church, I found these notes that I had hand written near the passage of Scripture that described the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:
"Today's decisions foreshadow tomorrow's challenges and reflect yesterday's choices." - Alicia Chole, Anonymous.
First twist: On Saturday I drove a van load of twenty-somethings to Boston for a day outing. The day started out foggy, so I traveled with headlights on. We parked outside Boston and took the "T" into the city for a sunny fun filled day. We returned to the van, only to discover that I had forgot to turn the headlights off that morning when we had parked. So we faced the obstacle of a dead battery. It was easily overcome when a helpful young lady and her companion in their car offered to jump start the van after a search for cables which led us to another willing individual who provided them for us.
Second twist on Saturday. Penn State was playing Michigan and I really hated to miss the game on ABC, so I taped the game on my DVR for later viewing when I got home. I was careful not hear or look for the score during my day in Boston. I got home around 10 PM and decided to zip through the commercials and watched the recorded game. I stayed up until a little past mid-night, only to have my Penn State team lose to Michigan for the ninth straight time 14-9. Two critical fumbles on Penn State's behalf really sealed the lost. A dismal loss.
The Lord's Day, Sunday, I make my way to church to worship the Lord and spend time with the family of God. It was a beautiful Fall day. Sunday afternoon, I had to choose between my watching my Patriots or getting a few hours of sun out on the lake. I chose the latter, knowing that my NE Patriots could dispose of Buffalo - which they did. But in the back of my mind I was still thinking about how Penn State had lost, so I didn't tape the game to watch later. The day ended on a positive note - to a packed weekend.
Life is filled with twists and turns, disappointments and joys, surprises and the obvious. Although nothing really serious had occurred to me this past weekend, the events reminded me that regardless what happens to us in life, there is always One who is prepared to help us and lead us. As I opened my Bible Sunday morning in church, I found these notes that I had hand written near the passage of Scripture that described the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:
"Today's decisions foreshadow tomorrow's challenges and reflect yesterday's choices." - Alicia Chole, Anonymous.
Friday, September 21, 2007
More Is Less - Less Is More
Now my thought about the title was sparked because of a verse that Jeanne and I were reading during our morning devotions together yesterday. This has been a practice of ours for many years, to read a few scripture verses and pray together to begin our day. We just started reading the book of Proverbs from The Message. Yesterday's passage contained this verse:
Proverbs 1:19
When you grab all you can get, that's what happens:the more you get, the less you are.
That thought stayed with me throughout the past couple of days as I have also been personally meditating upon Paul's words from Philippians 2:5-11. These verses instruct us as to the type of attitude that we should have. Verse 7 reads that Jesus "made himself nothing" in the NIV translation. God's Word Translation says "he emptied himself . . ." How opposite is Kingdom living from worldly living. In the Kingdom of God less is more. To "empty oneself" is to have less of self in order to allow more room for God. But if we choose to grab more of the world and make room for more of our selfish desires the less there will be of God in our lives. More is less and less is more!
Proverbs 1:19
When you grab all you can get, that's what happens:the more you get, the less you are.
That thought stayed with me throughout the past couple of days as I have also been personally meditating upon Paul's words from Philippians 2:5-11. These verses instruct us as to the type of attitude that we should have. Verse 7 reads that Jesus "made himself nothing" in the NIV translation. God's Word Translation says "he emptied himself . . ." How opposite is Kingdom living from worldly living. In the Kingdom of God less is more. To "empty oneself" is to have less of self in order to allow more room for God. But if we choose to grab more of the world and make room for more of our selfish desires the less there will be of God in our lives. More is less and less is more!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Listen Before Speaking
James 1:19-21The Message
19 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. 20 God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. 21 So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
So often, we want to be heard. We want to get our opinion across or point made. We want to convince others that we are right. James urges us to be quick to listen. When reading these verses in the greater context of the verses surrounding these, James is not just talking about listening in general but listening to the Word of God. James is really writing, "When you are listening to the Word of God, give careful attention."
We don't listen very well when we are talking. If we really want to hear what God is saying, then we need to stop talking and listen to him. Very few times does God shout at us. More often He speaks to us in a "still small voice." Prayer for us is seldom a conversation, more often it is a monologue. We tell God what we think He needs to know. Maybe you should try another approach if you think God is not answering your prayer. Try listening. Hear His quiet soft voice.
19 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. 20 God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. 21 So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
So often, we want to be heard. We want to get our opinion across or point made. We want to convince others that we are right. James urges us to be quick to listen. When reading these verses in the greater context of the verses surrounding these, James is not just talking about listening in general but listening to the Word of God. James is really writing, "When you are listening to the Word of God, give careful attention."
We don't listen very well when we are talking. If we really want to hear what God is saying, then we need to stop talking and listen to him. Very few times does God shout at us. More often He speaks to us in a "still small voice." Prayer for us is seldom a conversation, more often it is a monologue. We tell God what we think He needs to know. Maybe you should try another approach if you think God is not answering your prayer. Try listening. Hear His quiet soft voice.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Temptation Under Pressure
James 1:13-15 The message
13 Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way. 14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
James T Draper, in his book Faith That Works writes, "we need to recognize that in every test of our faith, in every trial in our lives, in every pressure that we experience, there is an element of temptation. It contains for example, an opportunity to become bitter or resentful, or to let animosity and hatred build. Within every trial, designed to strengthen and test our faith, there is also a temptation to evil" (page 39).
It is hard for most people to accept responsibility for their own actions. The tendancy on our part is to blame others. We see and hear others doing this daily, all around us. Let's be honest, we do it too. James reminds us that God is not responsible for our actions. He has no affinity toward evil. Temptation occurs because of a sinful side to us. When we do wrong we should not say "God tempted me." God is not responsible for our wrong choice or decision under pressure. We shouldn't even say "That is the way that God made me." It would be more aprropriate to say, "That is the way sin made us."
We shouldn't even blame the devil from a pratical standpoint. Sin is our own fault. The devil can't make us do anything. We give him too much credit. We give into our own desires and lusts. Whatever we do, we do because we choose to do it. Ouch.
The good news is that if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sin (John 1:9). The good news is that God provides us a way of escape our temptations to sin. When we are tempted, we will never be the same again. We will be either better or worse, stronger or weaker, more fulfilled or more frustrated. It is God's desire that we emerge from the pressure points in our lives as victorious over evil and wrong doing.
This week take personal responsibility for your actions and the words that you speak. Don't blame someone else. Own up to the fact that sin still resides within. We are a battleground for good and evil. However, as you and I lean on Jesus, we can overcome temptations.
13 Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way. 14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.
James T Draper, in his book Faith That Works writes, "we need to recognize that in every test of our faith, in every trial in our lives, in every pressure that we experience, there is an element of temptation. It contains for example, an opportunity to become bitter or resentful, or to let animosity and hatred build. Within every trial, designed to strengthen and test our faith, there is also a temptation to evil" (page 39).
It is hard for most people to accept responsibility for their own actions. The tendancy on our part is to blame others. We see and hear others doing this daily, all around us. Let's be honest, we do it too. James reminds us that God is not responsible for our actions. He has no affinity toward evil. Temptation occurs because of a sinful side to us. When we do wrong we should not say "God tempted me." God is not responsible for our wrong choice or decision under pressure. We shouldn't even say "That is the way that God made me." It would be more aprropriate to say, "That is the way sin made us."
We shouldn't even blame the devil from a pratical standpoint. Sin is our own fault. The devil can't make us do anything. We give him too much credit. We give into our own desires and lusts. Whatever we do, we do because we choose to do it. Ouch.
The good news is that if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sin (John 1:9). The good news is that God provides us a way of escape our temptations to sin. When we are tempted, we will never be the same again. We will be either better or worse, stronger or weaker, more fulfilled or more frustrated. It is God's desire that we emerge from the pressure points in our lives as victorious over evil and wrong doing.
This week take personal responsibility for your actions and the words that you speak. Don't blame someone else. Own up to the fact that sin still resides within. We are a battleground for good and evil. However, as you and I lean on Jesus, we can overcome temptations.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Your Faith At Work Under Pressure
James 1:2-4 The Message
2Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
My thoughts today are still on these verses from James. Verse 3 in the KJV reads that "the trying of your faith." The Greek word for "trying" (KJV) or "forced" (Message) carries with it the idea of sterling quality. It carries with it the idea behind the refining of precious metal. It's a purging. The metal is heated until it is liquid and the impurities rise to the surface so that they can be scraped off. This is called purging. Iron and steel are purged so that the metal becomes strong and sturdy.
The "trying" of our faith develops patience. Various translations use the word perseverance or endurance. Have you ever grown impatient under fire? We become stronger and more steady if we allow the purging process to be completed. Our faith is stronger and more pure.We must learn to allow our trials to run their course. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. How many times did you fall before you finally were able to ride shakily in a circle? And with each turning circle became more steady? Have you ever watched a child learn to walk? How many times did that child stumble and fall? Remember the joy by all who witnessed that little toddler taking those baby steps? Don't short change God in his refining of your faith. Instead rejoice and enjoy the knowledge that He loves you too much to leave you the way you are.
We all have pressure points. God uses them to refine who we are in Him.
2Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
My thoughts today are still on these verses from James. Verse 3 in the KJV reads that "the trying of your faith." The Greek word for "trying" (KJV) or "forced" (Message) carries with it the idea of sterling quality. It carries with it the idea behind the refining of precious metal. It's a purging. The metal is heated until it is liquid and the impurities rise to the surface so that they can be scraped off. This is called purging. Iron and steel are purged so that the metal becomes strong and sturdy.
The "trying" of our faith develops patience. Various translations use the word perseverance or endurance. Have you ever grown impatient under fire? We become stronger and more steady if we allow the purging process to be completed. Our faith is stronger and more pure.We must learn to allow our trials to run their course. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. How many times did you fall before you finally were able to ride shakily in a circle? And with each turning circle became more steady? Have you ever watched a child learn to walk? How many times did that child stumble and fall? Remember the joy by all who witnessed that little toddler taking those baby steps? Don't short change God in his refining of your faith. Instead rejoice and enjoy the knowledge that He loves you too much to leave you the way you are.
We all have pressure points. God uses them to refine who we are in Him.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Pure Joy?
James 1:2-4 The Message
2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
The NIV starts the above verses with the words Consider it pure joy . . ." By human standards, we do not consider trials of life to be joyful experience. But most gifts are considered an enjoyment to receive. James is writing to the twelve tribes that had been scattered throughout all the nations. Jewish believers had faced persecution in Jerusalem and were now scattered. They were still facing difficulties or trials for their faith. The Greek word used for "trials" (NIV) or "temptations" (KJV) means "testing" in the sense of a young bird testing its wings. Testing does not mean to fail, but to fly. Our trials or testings are not meant to make us stumble but to stand up. Tests are a measure of achievement. God's testing is to strengthen us, not to defeat us. A perfect example of this would be the story of Abraham offering up his son, Isaac in Genesis 22. When Abraham raised his knife to kill his son on the altar, God said, "Stop! I just wanted to see if you would withhold your son from me. I was testing you." According to James, our testings come in many different ways. How we handle our trials reveals the quality and depth of our faith. Our faith is tested everyday. Sometimes in very big ways such as a terminal illness or more often in little things such as an unkind word that is spoken to us. How we respond to either reveals the kind of faith we are living. Our joy is not in the test but in the sure knowledge that God believes in us enough to live in such a way that we will glorify Him. God is with us and wants us to live successful lives.
2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
The NIV starts the above verses with the words Consider it pure joy . . ." By human standards, we do not consider trials of life to be joyful experience. But most gifts are considered an enjoyment to receive. James is writing to the twelve tribes that had been scattered throughout all the nations. Jewish believers had faced persecution in Jerusalem and were now scattered. They were still facing difficulties or trials for their faith. The Greek word used for "trials" (NIV) or "temptations" (KJV) means "testing" in the sense of a young bird testing its wings. Testing does not mean to fail, but to fly. Our trials or testings are not meant to make us stumble but to stand up. Tests are a measure of achievement. God's testing is to strengthen us, not to defeat us. A perfect example of this would be the story of Abraham offering up his son, Isaac in Genesis 22. When Abraham raised his knife to kill his son on the altar, God said, "Stop! I just wanted to see if you would withhold your son from me. I was testing you." According to James, our testings come in many different ways. How we handle our trials reveals the quality and depth of our faith. Our faith is tested everyday. Sometimes in very big ways such as a terminal illness or more often in little things such as an unkind word that is spoken to us. How we respond to either reveals the kind of faith we are living. Our joy is not in the test but in the sure knowledge that God believes in us enough to live in such a way that we will glorify Him. God is with us and wants us to live successful lives.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
I Am Back
Hi All! Sorry about my lack of blogging. I have been traveling a lot during the month of August. After General Council in Indianapolis, I was in the office for a few days then went on vacation. We spent some time home relaxing and enjoying the boat and beach on the lake. We then spent the Labor Day weekend visiting with Joy at Valley Forge Christian College.
I did get to read a book during this busy time in preparation for an upcoming grad class. The book: Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. I would highly recommend it.The author, Sherwood Lingenfelter discusses the tension between time and event orientation, dichotomistic and holistic thinking, crisis and non-crisis orientation, task and person orientation, status and achievement focus, and concealment or willingness to expose vulnerability. He includes a basic values questionnaire and graph in order for the reader to observe and think about their own basic values. The author also dicusses how Jesus was able to bridge these cultural differences.
Enjoy your day. I have lots to catch up on.
I did get to read a book during this busy time in preparation for an upcoming grad class. The book: Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. I would highly recommend it.The author, Sherwood Lingenfelter discusses the tension between time and event orientation, dichotomistic and holistic thinking, crisis and non-crisis orientation, task and person orientation, status and achievement focus, and concealment or willingness to expose vulnerability. He includes a basic values questionnaire and graph in order for the reader to observe and think about their own basic values. The author also dicusses how Jesus was able to bridge these cultural differences.
Enjoy your day. I have lots to catch up on.
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