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| JAMES LESSON #31 Yesterday we started off with some heavy questions. We took a little look at �where does truth come from� � I want to move further, looking at the rest of the questions and what God has to say about them. Let�s take a look at James � where we�ve been, and where we�re heading. In James 1:1-12 James deals with trials. Then in verse 13-16 he deals with temptation. Why? Because with every trial there is always the temptation to take your way of escape. There�s always a temptation to blame God for how you respond when you respond in error. Yesterday I asked you if you�ve ever stood back and taken a look at your prayer life and wondered, �Is there more than this?� Prayer is initiation and response � interaction � exchange: if you�re asking, �Is there more than this,� and in your mind you�re �praying� - and by definition �prayer� is conversation (joint effort interaction) with God: something is terribly wrong. Right? You�re ready to walk into your day. Teeth are brushed, hairs done, clothes are color coded, keys are in your hand, your �list� is on paper, and �your agenda� is about to begin. First question: Who orders your day? Second question: Do you know how you�re supposed to �fit� in �His� agenda? Oh yeah � I forgot, your agenda is already listed on paper in your back pocket and you�ve pretty much figured out how you�re going to accomplish all of it. Third question: When you get your list done, what have you accomplished? Was it significant? Did it really matter? If you hadn�t been here and it didn�t get done, would it have made a difference in any one else�s life? Fourth question: Why are you doing what you�re doing? What�s �your� purpose. Better question: In doing what you�re doing, what�s God�s purpose? You see, HE is the One who�s directed you into whatever it is you�re about to encounter. Remember �MOSES?� We all listen to that story and think � �what was he thinking?� � but in irony, we ALL fall into the same trap. How? Let me give you a �volleyball� illustration. By the way: all illustrations I use are not direct references to any one particular person, so don�t go there ok? The fall season is about to begin. You�re a half way decent volleyball player. The heat has been incredible. You have practice about 6 hours a day to pre-season train and get ready for games. Your muscles scream. Team selections as to who will play varsity, who will play JV and who will play freshmen team have not been chosen. The coach consistently moves players around on the floor � which causes your insecurity to climb. Your insecurity causes you to play like you�ve never seen a volleyball, and the coach moves you away from your friends to consistently lower playing positions on the team. Discouragement kicks in. You own it. You begin to pray and ask God to help you be your best. You go to practice the next day and resent your team mates � everyone makes you angry. The competition attempts to divide relationships and �partiality� kicks in. The coach seems to be unfair. You can�t do anything right because not only are you horribly insecure at this point, but you�re greatly disappointed, greatly discouraged and highly angry. Disappointment (remember that�s ALWAYS the first blow) moves to Discouragement which, because you owned it moves to Defeat: You prayed. God doesn�t hear your prayers. It�s his fault everything�s falling apart � It�s His fault you�re angry � He didn�t answer you. It�s His fault you hate your teammates � He let them end up together and didn�t help you at all. Something�s wrong with this picture. Sure FEELS right � but, the first thing we usually do when things go sour/complacent/or dry � is blame God. You say- but I HAVE been in the Word. I HAVE been in prayer. God doesn�t do anything. Hmmm � Maybe: you�re not listening. All along James has repeatedly used the analogy of the �hearer� � well, you can�t be a �hearer� unless you �listen.� And when it comes to God, you have to listen with your heart- not your ears. You can�t listen with your heart when you are DISTRACTED. Distraction is a great great tool that the enemy uses to pull us into �noise� � I call it �static� �it�s an underlying �buzz� of busy-ness that shuts out everything except �me�- What�s wrong in this volleyball picture. This person has lost sight of the �joint effort opportunity.� How? First question: Is Jesus included ANYWHERE in this picture or is He merely a peeping Tom? Is He merely eavesdropping? You say � �Well how do I spend the day with Jesus on the volleyball court?� First question you look at is �Why am I playing volleyball? What�s my goal?� Most of us would answer: �To get better- to be the best I can be-to play� If that�s your goal, you�re going to miss the whole point. Huh? LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU in the �joint effort opportunity.� GET THAT. First thing you do in the �joint effort opportunity� approach to your day is UNDERSTAND that it�s GOD who orders your day- It�s GOD who has the plans for how the whole thing is to unfold- HE has a REASON and a PURPOSE for your life in whatever it is you�re doing and HE is the ONLY one who understands what you need to accomplish whatever that PURPOSE is. SO � you start your day by ASKING Him for wisdom, and discernment � a �sensitivity to His voice and heart� �and then you commit to �communicating with Him� at every turn in the road. You ask Him to �include you in HIS day� � we already covered that but I�m going back to that to hone in on a point. THEN you re-enter the volleyball practice schedule. During practice someone hurts you- (turn in the road) � God allowed it: COMMUNICATE: God � here�s the dagger � it didn�t come from the person who sent it � it came from what�s behind the person � from what I can�t see � from what seeks to disappoint and disarm me - Here�s the dagger Jesus: And then you put on the mind of Christ by praying for that person: God- please give me a deep love for this person so that I can love them in ways that will strengthen them, encourage them and help them to move closer to your heart. God please help me to discern what it is that they need, and please meet that need in them through me. Please help me not miss the opportunity to be Your hands, or Your voice when that person desperately needs it, because I�m taking on daggers I should be giving to You. Let me ask you a question. If you continued to pray for your teammates and your coach in that way � asking God for sensitivity and direction at every (turn in the road: by the way, those turns are usually abrupt and painful) � and you began to see God do a work in your team, in the life of your coach� Would it matter if you sat the bench the whole season? Would it matter if you didn�t get better? If you didn�t get stronger? If you stand back and take a long look at your prayer life and wonder, �Is there more than this,� my response is � �Where has your focus been?� If you�ve lost sight of adoration, awe and wonder � my response is: where�s the awe, adoration and wonder in �making it on your own� - handling the �turns in the road� with a sixth cup of coffee and another donut � while shoving a knife into the character of someone who�s just been used to disappoint you. Hmmmm � It�s God�s fault? Don�t think so. When James says that we�re tempted and carried away by our own desires � those �desires� can actually be �good� things that take the place of the �best� things. Distractions come from a lot of different directions. You can�t �listen� as to �hear� with your heart � if your heart never grows quiet. GET THAT. In James 1:4 the word �perfect� is �teleois� � to come to �maturity.� He is talking about a continual growing process of become like Christ. Your journey may take you to school � to a wedding � to a volleyball match- to a football game- to dinner out - Wherever your journey is leading you GOD has put you in that position. GOD wants you to �participate� WITH HIM in that situation. It�s not, �you want God to participate with you� in that situation. WRONG! If that is the way you approach your day � you�ll end the day an perhaps will say: I canned some beans today: I played a volleyball match today: I worked with 45 clients today: I made it through my kid�s wedding today: and in sadness step back and say, but you�d roll the film backwards and play it again, without me in the picture, it wouldn�t make a difference in any one�s life in terms of what I did or did not do � or what I did or did not say. Every one who met me, left me � the same as they were before our encounter. Ok � if �Christ dwells in me� �you answer the next question: Do you think anyone who ever had an encounter with Jesus walked away uneffected? THAT, is something to think about. Look at Psalm 37:3 How do you �cultivate faithfulness?� You LABOR in prayer for your friends and family ESPECIALLY when they hurt you � RECOGNIZING that THEY are merely the vessel chosen to �send the dagger.� Why? Because they�re closest to your heart. �Cultivate�- to break up the soil in order to destroy weeds, prevent crusting, and preserve moisture: -to improve with care, training and study so as to yield the highest quality: THAT only happens in your family and friends as a response to LABOR in prayer. Why do we call it �labor?� Well � how fun is it to pray that God will allow you to meet the needs in someone�s life who�s just told you to get lost, and walked away with your best friend? THAT is �labor.� I�m at a turn in the road God � I know you�ve put it there, help me �listen� so I know what to do in order to get to where �we� are going. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord (it IS a delight to have the privilege of participating in HIS day) and He will give you the desires of your heart (your desires will be HIS desires � that doesn�t mean if you put your time in, He�ll give you what YOU want: IT�S NOT ABOUT YOU � get that. Verse 5 Commit your way to the Lord (I�m not going my way today Lord- it accomplishes zippo: Please include me in what you�ve got going on for this day � I want my way to go Your way) and who will �do it?� HE WILL. Believe me, if GOD kicks into gear in your day 1) your prayer life will NOT be a has been 2) your wonder will be awestruck 3) your life will leave significant imprints on everyone you meet: because when they encounter you, they will encounter HIM. How do I know? Look at verse 6. When I do all this stuff, what�s HE do? He brings forth my righteousness : He shows Himself through me and meets the needs in others. Ok � so how do I �listen� � How do I become a �hearer?� -Look at verse 7: Rest and wait patiently Verse 8: Stop being angry and don�t fret: why? Because it just gets you into trouble Look at verse 23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord (notice the man is not �including GOD into his picture� � God�s the one ordering the menu for the day) And GOD delights in his way. Look at verse 30-31 When I move in God�s day � seeking His heart and purpose in whatever it is that I�m doing - I mean EVERYTHING � even the most insignificant stuff: My mouth utters wisdom why? Because I�ve �heard� the Word of God � it�s in my heart � and I�m living it out. How�s it happen according to verse 34? I wait. Why do the turns in the road all of a sudden have significant meaning and purpose : for my good and His glory? Verse 40 � Because I TOOK REFUGE IN HIM. The cry of God�s heart to yours in this day is found in Psalm 46:10a �Cease striving and know� That I am God.� In response to this- As noted on a saying I read today: The heart of one who �listens� roars up to the edge of a cliff in total darkness, facing eminent death and knows that one of two things will occur : �they will either step onto solid ground �or they will fly. Loving you, Robin � copyright 2001 Jim and Robin Hibschman |
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