James 5:16b–The Power Of A Righteous Prayer

James 5:16b–"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Prayer is powerful.  It transforms lives and invokes the power of God.  Even more so, prayer is communication.  It is our line to God.  But as this line is available to all humans through Christ, it is also severed by unrighteousness and sin.  However, while the transaction of prayer is a real ordeal the necessity for the sincerity of our hearts and the value of our devotion is not unweighted in this.  What I mean to say, and what I think James is saying, is that, quite frankly, the righteous person, because of the process of attaining righteousness (devotion to Christ over time) the prayers of the righteous possess a depth and power otherwise inaccessible.

This is to say that righteousness is what strengthens our line of communication with God.  Let us strive for and pursue righteousness so that our prayer would not be merely noise but would be empowered by the Lord!

James 1:2-4–"Count it All Joy in Meeting Trials"

James 1:2-4–"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Many times have I read this verse with a level of incredulity.  I mean, doesn't James have this wrong? Joy, really?  We are called to have joy? But over the years and with the presence of the Holy Spirit, I have come to accept that James is saying something incredibly profound and, quite frankly, amazing. To be sure, James, and the witness of the Holy Spirit, are exhorting believers to have right perspective when we are faced with tribulation.  However, we should not merely think of this passage as only a commandment; it is also a promise.  The promise is that trials are a source of joy for believers.  This is not to assert that they are joyful to be in but, rather, that trials impart a sincerity and depth of character that we would never receive otherwise.

Therefore, we should strive to have this attitude among ourselves to face trials with joy, understanding that it is through trials that we would grow to be more Christ-like.

Romans 12:3–A Statement About Humility

Romans 12:3–"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself any higher than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the faith that God has assigned."

This statement is, in many ways, presenting the very essence of biblical humility.  In it we can see that Paul and the Holy Spirit are exhorting us to keep our views of ourselves in proper perspective, always recognizing with honesty the reality of our disposition, particularly in regards to our own self-love.  But Christ compels us to see others as equal and sacred before Christ just as we are the same, thus preventing us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought for we will continually keep the our focus upward first.

In the end, we should never allow our vision to shift from God, which is precisely the change that occurs when we begin to exalt ourselves. This is at the very heart of the Christian message and we should never forget its necessity in the life of the believer.

The Exclusivity of Christ

One of the central tenets of Christianity is that salvation is received only through believing in Christ. Moreover, this doctrine caries itself into all of the other facets of Christianity.  For instance, apart from Christ there can be no peace, no mercy, no hope, and no eternal life.  These are doctrines that point to Christianity being a very exclusive institution, in that admission is only made possible through believing in the death, resurrection, and testimony of Christ Jesus.

To be certain, it is true to say that Christianity is an exclusive religion, in that there is but one gate of entrance into the community, and that it is through the torn flesh and broken body of Christ.  However, we should not mistake the exclusivity of redemption with its conjoined and purposed inclusivity.  What I mean to propose is that, while being exclusive by way of admittance, Christianity is also inclusive in its availability.  In other words, although one is only made new in Christ, all people who seek after that rebirth are given opportunity for it.

Additionally, the Christianity must be exclusive because, in the end, it claims ultimate truth, and truth is, by definition, an exclusive ordeal.  This is to say that for Jesus to actually be the ultimate truth that He claims to be, the content of His testimony is exclusive.  Therefore, Christianity must be exclusive.  To attempt to modify Christianity in order to make it more inclusive is tantamount to calling Christ a liar, for it is, in the end, making His message something other than true.  God forbid!

Let us never give in to the criticisms that Christianity is too exclusive to be relevant, for if it were made any more inclusive for the sake of whimsical trends of culture, we are diminishing the value of Christ and the reality of His great sacrifice.

A Prayer Request

I want to be vulnerable for a second.  I need prayer.  The last two days have been a veritable deluge of spiritual attack for my youth group kids.  My heart is more than heavy; it is breaking.  Add to that the reality that I start a new class on Tuesday (after almost 8 months off), and my sister is getting married this upcoming Saturday.

In other words, I am overwhelmed.

Because of all of this, and some more, I am asking, imploring, for prayer today and this week.

I am grateful to all my brothers and sisters who would do this.

Thanks.

2 Timothy 3:16-17–All Scripture is God-Breathed

2 Timothy 3:16-17–"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God's Word, His written testimony about HImself for mankind, is a purposed work.  In other words, Scripture is not whimsical or haphazard but it is highly and directly intentional.  Every bit of Holy Writ, from Genesis to Revelation, was written at specific times and for a particular purpose.  In the very least, the purpose of Scripture is about conveying certain historical information.  However, this is just the basic.  Every bit of Scripture also serves to impart specific theological information as well.  It is this theological information that Paul is referring to in 2 Timothy.  This is why it is so vital that we would commit to reading Scripture and making it a foundational part of our lives.

Words About Conviction

Conviction.  It is a simple word with rather particular meanings.  In the legal sense, conviction is the charge and declaration of guilt.  However, in another sense, conviction refers to the strength, the certainty, and the power of belief.  Needless to say, in regards to Christianity this belief is in the Gospel and its truth.

We could speak of conviction in reference to an actor playing a role or an athlete making a play.  On the other hand, we can also speak of conviction when it comes to moral fortitude.  Either way, the unequivocal response is that conviction is a necessary component to greatness, whatever the task may be.

It is with this understanding that I convey a simple and very personal prayer:

Lord, help me to commit with utter conviction to lay myself with abandon upon Your grace, Your mercy, and Your Holy Word.

This is my prayer for myself, my family, and my church.  I long to see a church and a people of God that is strong and right in its convictions to Christ from moment to moment in every facet of life.  This is our call and this is our task.  Let us strive for it!