Relationship Wisdom
“Who is wise and understanding among you?” James 3:13 James 3 discusses relationships and contrasts two ways of relating to others. These he describes as two types of “wisdom.” First, there is the wisdom from heaven. Second, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, there is earthly “wisdom.” The appropriation of heavenly wisdom will do wonders […]
Taming the Tongue
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his […]
Dead Faith?
“… faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.“ (James 2:17) The American church has systematized and codified Christian faith. We’ve boiled it down to a list of statements we accept as true (how many are on your list depends on your brand of Christianity). Is Jesus God’s Son? Check. Was […]
Pride and Prejudice
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.“ (James 2:1, NIV) One of the problems with the church in the first century (and still today) is prejudice. James begins chapter two with a clear injunction against it, reminding Christians that it is incompatible with the Christian faith. And just to […]
Jumping to Conclusions
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…(James 1:19). The media circus around the “Covington Catholic Kids” and Nathan Phillips is like a car crash where you can’t avert your eyes. Everybody seems to be jumping to conclusions before all the facts […]
Living (the) Truth
“He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” (James 1:18, NLT) God’s “true word!” Man o’ man, is truth hard to come by these days!? Everyone seems to have an agenda – from marketing companies to politicians to universities to […]
Judge Not
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) As some of you may know, I write a column in the local paper that sometimes makes people mad. Being a contributor for the religion section, I will point out societal ills that you and I would consider unbiblical. It makes some folks pretty […]
The Gospel According to Mephibosheth
Paul Harvey once told the story of “The Man and the Birds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddai8rkXWRs ).” It’s about a man who wanted to help a flock of birds, caught in a snowstorm, get into the safety of his warm barn. He tried to shoo them…he tried to catch them…he tried to lead them with a trail of […]
Margin for 2019
The other night, my wife and I were in Dallas celebrating our anniversary. We were dressed for a very nice dinner and a show. We were headed home and I was tired. Walking to the car, we saw a lady in an SUV parked near us who couldn’t get her car started. I kept walking. […]
Responding to Christmas
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about (Luke 2:15, NIV).” The shepherds give us a great example to follow when we hear God’s word. They responded immediately. We […]
Where’s the Real King?
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2, NIV) Try to imagine, for […]
God with Us
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23, NIV) The two pivotal facts of Jesus’ incarnation are found right here: Jesus is God and Jesus is human. He is Immanuel, God with us. Why is this important? Consider […]
