Category: James

Posted on

Anything Good

Good Things. What are the good things in your life? Loved ones. Home. Health. Peace. Joy, Contentment.

I grew up occasionally seeing Oral Roberts on television. He was famous for saying “Something good is going to happen to you this very day”. That was a novel concept to people and in fact, it made some good church going people mad every time he said it.

You see we had been raised to believe that God was the destroyer – if we weren’t doing what we should then He would wipe out of crops, cause our cars to break down, make us sick or bring our marriages to a rough and rocky end. But in all truth, that isn’t God at all.

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 AMPC

God has been blamed, unjustly, for the things that the devil has been doing for at least the past century.

I was amazed this morning when I opened my Bible app by the amount of “good verses” that were there to greet me. Here are the first two:

“I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again.” Philippians 1:6 ERV

“Some of you have said to the Lord,  ‘You are my Lord.  Every good thing I have comes from you.'” Psalm 16:2 ERV

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

Good Things. Good days. Good gifts. Anything good! It all comes from God.

My friends are some of the greatest gifts I have ever received. The love of my family is greater still. The people who know me best, have seen me at my worst and they love me. That is truly a gift from God.

One gift is greater. The unconditional, unending love of God is the greatest good thing ever. It is inconceivable to think that the One who willingly died for us would not want to fill our days with His goodness.

“No one can have greater love than to give his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I tell you.” John 15:13-14 NLV

“The Lord is the Rock, and his work is perfect! Yes, all his ways are right! God is true and faithful. He is good and honest.” Deuteronomy 32:4 ERV

Wouldn’t it be great if we started each day with a “good” word? Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for encouragement. Find a “good” verse for each day. The Bible is filled with them. It’s easy to do – go to a Bible app and do a search on the word good. You’ll be surprised how many verses pop up. Pick one and make it your day’s verse. It can’t help but give you strength and joy and it will get you looking for the “something good” that our heavenly Father is bringing your way.

When we put our faith in God and search for Him each day we will find Him and His goodness. And then we can share His goodness with others.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6 ERV

Posted on

Summertime Fun

Yesterday, after I had been transferring files to the new computer I took a little time to glance at new posts on Facebook. I saw this delightful image drawn by one of my Facebook friends, Barbara Ann Kenney. It brought back so many dear memories.

For a number of years we spent our summers in Iowa working for friends who have an aerial application business. With all the corn and soy beans grown in Iowa’s rich soil it made for very busy summers. We worked from before sun rise until long after sun set. My friend, Melody, and I had pictures saved to our computers of two chairs on a beach with two drinks with umbrellas in them, big white puffy clouds in the sky and the waves gently rolling in. We said “this is our summer vacation”.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about those summers were the prayer times I had with her and one other friend. We would take time to pray over all the pilots, ground crew, airplanes, weather, office staff and the growers and their crops. As best we could, we made our office area a place where the love of Jesus and the peace that He gives could be felt.

It was a time of refining for me. There was so much to learn on the computer. So many different personalities. Safety precautions were paramount. It was a time when the Lord taught me a lot about how to treat people, to keep my calm when things around me were chaotic and to trust Him implicitly in every circumstance. He taught me how to be joyful even when I was weary.

“My Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests. 3 You know these prove your faith. It helps you not to give up. 4 Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing. 5 If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking.” James 1:2-5 NLV

It was a time of sweet fellowship. I miss those days and the friends that the Lord blessed me with.

Our circumstances may be rough and rocky at times. We may be stretched more than we ever hoped to be but if we keep an attitude of joy and not give up, the Lord will bring us through it with strength. We will grow during these times and the Lord will use us to bring His light to those around us.

Every time I see a picture of chairs on a beach I remember those days surrounded by Iowa cornfields. A place of deep friendships and enduring love.

We can enjoy summertime fun, even if it’s just a picture on a computer, when we keep our focus on Him.

Posted on

Stay on Course

Recently we watched “Kon Tiki”. It’s a movie about the “real life” of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew who sailed from Peru across the Pacific to the Polynesian Islands in 1947 on a balsa wood raft. It was a 4300 mile trip and took over one hundred days. The courage of Heyerdahl and his crew is matched only by their determination. It’s definitely a “must” watch.

The raft’s only means of propulsion was its sail and the ocean’s currents and a rudder were its means of navigation. The rudder helped them hold their course as the current and the trade winds moved them on their journey. I was captivated by their story, after all, Heyerdahl is Norwegian and so am I.

The rudder – a long wooden pole with a flat piece of wood tied to the end of it – was the only thing they had to steer them through the waters. It would have been disastrous to have lost it.

We also need a rudder to stay on course and the Bible tells us what that rudder is.

“All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. 3 By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. 4 It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. 5 Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things.” James 3:2-5a CEV

Our tongue, the words that we speak, are our rudder in life. The things we say to ourselves and the things we say to others will set our course in all our relationships. One of the best examples of controlling life’s circumstances with words comes from the life of Job. Job had lost all of his children, his animals and his crops. Physically he was suffering and this was his wife’s advice:

“Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.” Job 2:8-10 NLT

Job kept his words pure; they were his life’s rudder. He knew if he began complaining about the way things were going, he would lose the only thing he had left, his faith. He had faith that God would vindicate him and He did!

King David said this: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NLT

Jesus said this: “I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. 37 On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.” Matthew 12:36-37 CEV

And the Apostle Paul said this: “and never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.” I Thessalonians 5:17-18 CEV

We don’t need to give thanks for the troubles we face but, like Job, we keep our focus on the One who will bring us through the troubles and stay with us in the troubles to keep us in His loving care.

“Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. 17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:16-18 CEV

When God’s words become our words they are a powerful rudder that will keep our lives on the right course, a course filled with gentleness, kindness, sincerity and peace.

Stay on course!

Posted on

Love In Action

This morning I was reminded of a lady who attended church with us many years ago. She was so sweet and her desire to help people had no limits. Her name was Ruby. Ruby had the best hugs, a contagious laugh and compassion shone from her eyes.

Friday was a busy day for Ruby. She spent the entire day making soups, all kinds of soups, that she would use to feed the homeless in a park in South Phoenix. She had a number of people who would help her but she was the spearhead. She was there come rain or shine.

She was love in action!

She wanted to touch those others had forgotten with the love of Jesus. She said it was hard for them to hear words of love when their stomachs were empty so she did what she could to show them love and not just tell them about it.

I’ve never forgotten her and her sweet husband, Jim. They were some of the most loving people I have ever met. True examples of Jesus.

“Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.” Matthew 20:28 MSG

The Apostle Paul tells us that our love will bring action to our faith.

“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” Galatians 5:6 NLT

During this time of stressful circumstances we can either be self-centered or conscious of others and their needs. It’s in times like this that our relationship with the Lord can really shine.

Since we are to be His examples we need to be asking ourselves “what would Jesus do”. He was always an example of love in action. He healed the sick, comforted those who were sorrowful and loved the outcast.

A kind word to an overworked grocery store clerk, an extra tip to the one who is delivering our take-out dinner, checking on neighbors to make sure they have all they need or a phone call to say I’m thinking of you and praying for you. All examples of love in action!

Let’s not let this situation make us bitter and selfish but let’s be better at loving.

“My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn’t just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!…26 Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!” James 2:17-26 CEV

What action does our faith need to take today? If we listen to the Holy Spirit he will show us who to encourage. Be willing to put some hands and feet on our faith today.

Let’s put love in action!

Posted on

Learn What’s Important

I often remember my college days; the friends I made, some hard life lessons and the kindness and wisdom of some of my professors. At the beginning of each semester, one professor in particular would welcome us to class and then explain his expectations of our learning.

He made a statement that we all made note of. He said, “If I say something twice it’s significant and you should retain it to memory, if I repeat something a third time it’s important and will be on the test. Write it down.” He kept his word; when I heard him repeat something I would write it in my syllabus and underline it. This was my indication that it was important.

I don’t know about you but it seems that we have been going through exam week. There have been so many things to test our resolve. The one thing I have been careful not to do is blame God. He’s not at fault – that I know for certain.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

Our heavenly Father is the giver of life and peace. His character is to give love and comfort. He is always the same. There is a Psalm that reminds me of what my college professor said. Read these verses and see if you can figure out what’s important to the Father.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.

4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights— His faithful love endures His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night. His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-9 NLT

This Psalm has twenty-five verses and each verse boldly proclaims that God’s love for us endures forever. There are two important things we should take away from this Psalm. 1) Give praise to the Lord and 2) His love endures forever. Since the second statement is true it becomes the premise for the first statement.

Since we know that God’s love endures forever we can always give praise to the Lord. No matter what we experience – joys and challenges – if we remember that the Lord loves us unconditionally we can praise Him, knowing that He will protect and provide, knowing that He desires to fill our lives with good and perfect gifts.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.

5 Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:4-7 ERV

Now, what I think Paul is wanting us to see is that even in difficulty we can remain joy-filled. God will not abandon us or have us figure things out on our own. No, to the contrary, He will be there to give us the wisdom we need and we will come through this time stronger, with greater resolve.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

The question on the exam of life may be this: How do we handle the difficult situations of life? The answer, He repeated it several times to make sure we get it: Give thanks because God’s love for us endures forever!

Posted on

The Lamb and The Shepherd

As we enter Easter week so many are focused on the crisis we are going through. That was true in Jesus day as well. He was focused on the events of His week. He came to earth to be our sacrificial lamb. We have His promise of forgiveness and a life-long relationship with our heavenly Father; we must keep our focus on that.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:2-3 ERV

I saw a post on a friend’s FB page “Easter isn’t about the bunny; it’s about the Lamb”! Jesus is called the Lamb of God. He came to be the sinless sacrifice; the atonement for our sins.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world!” John 1:29 ERV

The Lamb of God is also our Good Shepherd. As the Son of God, He recognized that we are vulnerable as lambs and can easily be led astray. He promised to be our Good Shepherd, our protector and provider.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. 11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” John 10:11 ERV

Jesus used this analogy to make his ministry and purpose easy to understand. Raising sheep was a common profession in that day, Jesus used something they were familiar with to teach his lesson. At night the sheep were kept in a gated pen for their protection and early each morning the shepherd would come and lead the sheep out to pasture. The sheep had become accustom to the shepherd’s voice and so when he called, they would follow. They wouldn’t follow someone who would sneak in and try lead them astray.

Jesus was telling them, and us, if they spent time with Him, listening to His word and getting to know Him, they would follow Him and keep His commandments. He would lead them “in green pastures” (Psalm 23).

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Jesus’ mission statement, His purpose, is to give us life and life more abundantly. He warns us that there is a thief who wants to kill, steal and destroy – that’s the devil. Everything that falls in one of those categories – stealing, killing and destroying – doesn’t come from God.

Those things that bring life, abundance and fullness to life comes from God. “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.” James 1:17 ERV

Our Good Shepherd gave His life for us. Let’s keep our focus on Him, following Him and living the life He has provided for us.

Posted on

Wait and See

When Dave and I were dating he lived in California and I lived in Arizona. This was in the “olden” days before cell phones, text messaging and internet. Our communication had to be done the old-fashioned way with land lines and mail service.

Each morning on my way to work I would wonder if there would be a letter waiting when I got home. We had to be conservative with our telephone time; long distance calls were expensive. Every day was exciting. I would wait to see what had been on his heart when he wrote me a letter.

None of us are mind readers; we can imagine what we would like someone to say but until those words are expressed the best we can do is guess. Sometimes we do that with God. We think we can never really know what’s on God’s heart or what He’s thinking. Often, we have had a wrong impression of who God is or what He does.

But let me tell you there is a way to know what is on God’s mind and in His heart. It’s in the love letters that He writes to us and we can read them each day.

“The Holy Writings say, “No eye has ever seen or no ear has ever heard or no mind has ever thought of the wonderful things God has made ready for those who love Him.” 10 God has shown these things to us through His Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who looks into all things, even the secrets of God, and shows them to us. 11 Who can know the things about a man, except a man’s own spirit that is in him? It is the same with God. Who can understand Him except the Holy Spirit? 12 We have not received the spirit of the world. God has given us His Holy Spirit that we may know about the things given to us by Him.” I Corinthians 2:9-12 NLV

The Father has wonderful things in store for us who love Him and He has given us the Spirit to show us from God’s Word what they are. We should get up each morning with an excitement and anticipation to see the wonderful things that God has for us.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

God’s word is our love letter. I can’t wait to see what He’s written to me today!

Posted on

The Crowning Touch

When I was in high school we were required to write an essay for English. In it, we were to describe what we wanted to do as a career. I thought long and hard, then it came to me, I would like to be a florist.

I worked at the local Dairy Queen after school and on weekends. Right next door was a florist. I would see the people come and go, picking up beautiful bouquets and arrangements. They all had smiling faces. When you stepped in the door, the fragrance was heavenly. I decided I would like to bring that kind of joy to people!

That career path never came to be. However, my love for fresh cut flowers and the beautiful arrangements is still close to the top of the list of things that bring a smile to my face. This morning I found these verses in Proverbs and I thought “how wonderful, God has blessed me with the beauty of flowers”.

“Be wise and learn good sense; remember my teachings and do what I say. 6 If you love Wisdom and don’t reject her, she will watch over you. 7 The best thing about Wisdom is Wisdom herself; good sense is more important than anything else. 8 If you value Wisdom and hold tightly to her, great honors will be yours. 9 It will be like wearing
a glorious crown of beautiful flowers.” Proverbs 4:5-9 CEV

Each day I can come to God’s Word and find wisdom. Did you notice that Solomon talks about Wisdom as a person, a beautiful woman? That she is. Wisdom provides direction, nurturing, common sense and loving provision. She is a wonderful asset and she adds beauty to our lives.

These are the words of the wisest man who ever lived. When the Lord asked him what he desired from the Lord his answer was Wisdom. Solomon wanted to rule wisely; he wanted His kingdom to be respected and honored. God blessed him with his request.

We can bring beauty to our kingdom by gaining wisdom. Our homes can be filled with it; we can bring respect and honor to our places of business and the schools we attend.

You may be feeling that you lack wisdom. I know that feeling well. However, God has not abandon us or left us to our own devices.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8 NLT

Let’s take some beauty to the world. Wear wisdom like a crown, a crown of beautiful flowers!

Posted on

You Don’t Have to Give It Back

Here we are just a few weeks after Christmas. If you’re like me you have probably made room in the cupboard, the closet or on the table top for the gifts you received at Christmas. Just yesterday I was out in the RV making room for the great camping items we received. Every gift was given with love and no one has called or come by to ask for their gift back. That would be so strange – a gift is an expression of love, it’s not something we take back.

Well God doesn’t take back His gifts either!

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:29

I’ve read this verse and heard it taught on many times. In the context of the chapter, Paul is talking to Gentiles about how the Jews didn’t accept Jesus as their Messiah so that now the message is being preached to the Gentiles, us, who are non-Jews. God’s calling for salvation is available to everyone who will believe! That’s the calling of God.

However, yesterday I stopped and focused on the first few words. “For the gifts…are without repentance.” That’s when this verse took on a whole new light. The gifts – the gifts of God are without repentance, God doesn’t go back on his word. God doesn’t regret giving us something and then come take it back.

“God never changes his mind about the people he calls. He never decides to take back the blessings he has given them.” Romans 11:29 ERV

In early Bible history the Israelites or Jews were considered a blessed people and today they are still walking in that blessing. We, as believers, are also blessed of God.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

When Jesus was teaching the Sermon on the Mount He compared God’s character with that of man. God’s love is unconditional, unearned, unchanging – man’s love can be tainted by circumstance. If earthly parents, with natural affection, know how to give good gifts to their children how much greater are the gifts that God gives to us.

“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. 9 “Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? 10 Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! 11 You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:7-11

So when circumstances try to get you down, when people criticize and walk away, when it looks as if your world will shatter, remember God has spoken good into your life. If you’ve accepted His gift of salvation, you’re His child and He has many gifts and blessings lined up for you, He won’t go back on His word.

Posted on

The Gift List

I’m sure most of us have a “gift list” for December. It has the names of those we hold dear and want to do a little something special for. The love of our life is probably at the top followed by family and friends; somewhere, a little ways down the list could be the names of the neighbors, the kids teacher, the mailman, the garage collectors, the white elephant gift for the office and the secret sister gift.

Now that we’re thinking about the “gift list” let’s redirect our focus just a bit.

In November, I asked you all to join me in making a daily gratitude list. Each day I wrote down at least three things in my journal that I was grateful for from the day before. Yesterday I took time for go back and read those pages. You know what? It made me smile and my day was just that much better.

Since today is December 1st I’m going to ask that you join me in making a new list, the gift list.

Every day we receive small gifts from family, co-workers, even strangers but many times they pass unnoticed. I’m going to make a conscious effort this month to list the gifts I receive.

Those gifts could include a plate of cookies, a cheery phone call, a lunch date or a helping hand, a kind word or a gentle smile. It may be hearing your favorite song on the radio or in a store – just the thing you need to brighten your day. If we look, we will find little gifts everywhere.

“Loving-favor has been given to each one of us. We can see how great it is by the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7 NLV

The most wonderful gift of all, of course, is God’s gift of His Son. Through the life and death of Jesus we have been given mercy, grace and love. Those should be the first gifts we recognize and put on our gift list.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

As we go through this month and make our gift list let me encourage you to share what you receive with others. If you receive an act of kindness, share kindness. If someone gives you the gift of patience then share that patience with others. If you receive a box of chocolates or a plate of cookies, share those too. (Said with a smile on my face.)

When we give freely, our gifts may have a life long impact.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress