“Humble yourselves before the Lord…Do not speak evil against one another” (James 4:10-11).
In a jointly written article by Tim Keller and David Powlison, the authors ask the question, “Should You Pass On Bad Reports?” One of the Scripture passages they expound on is James 4:10-11—“Humble yourselves before the Lord. Brothers, don’t slander or attack one another.”
They write further: “The verb ‘slander’ simply means to ‘speak against’ (Gk. Kata-lalein). It is not necessarily a false report, just an ‘against report’. The intent is to belittle another. To pour out contempt. To mock. To hurt. To harm. To destroy. To rejoice in purported evil. This can’t mean simple disagreement with ideas—that would mean that we could have a debate over a point…James warns against attacking a person’s motives and character, so that the listeners’ respect and love for the person is undermined.”
Something to ponder and pray over.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
MEDITATING ON JAMES-From Pastor Carey
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it…” (Joshua 1:8)
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:15-16)
I encourage you to meditate on the Word of God—to savor it, delight in it, examine yourself in its light, and ponder its application to your life. “Meditate” in the Hebrew language means to speak the Word to yourself. This is what I’ve been doing during these past several weeks of concerted prayer in our church family.
In prayerfully turning James 4:7 over in mind, I was convicted about the nature of my sin and given a weapon to use in the fight against sin. That verse explains how to humble myself and reads, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” As I preached these words to myself the Spirit showed me that sin is submitting myself to the devil and resisting God! This what Adam and Eve did in the garden and it’s what I do when I sin in my mind or attitudes, with my tongue, or by my actions. I reverse the imperative verbs of James 4:7. I believe the Evil One’s lies and reject the Lord’s instructions, even though I know full well that Christ calls us to obey Him so that His full joy may be in me (John 15:11).
When this struck me I was horrified! I don’t want to prefer the devil over Christ!
This understanding serves as a piece of equipment in my arsenal against stepping into sin. I think of it as part of the “shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” and “the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17). When temptation comes to violate God’s Word and discount His commandments and promises to me, it helps me to think, “Do I really desire to believe the devil and distrust God?”
Thus meditating on one verse, James 4:7, has resulted in help for battling sin and building faith in the Lord Jesus. And I encourage you to grow in meditation on the Scriptures so that your delight in the Lord increases, and that you are more thoroughly equipped to pursue the obedience of faith, and that your understanding of Truth is deepened.
COMING ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 17: James 4:11ff.
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:15-16)
I encourage you to meditate on the Word of God—to savor it, delight in it, examine yourself in its light, and ponder its application to your life. “Meditate” in the Hebrew language means to speak the Word to yourself. This is what I’ve been doing during these past several weeks of concerted prayer in our church family.
In prayerfully turning James 4:7 over in mind, I was convicted about the nature of my sin and given a weapon to use in the fight against sin. That verse explains how to humble myself and reads, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” As I preached these words to myself the Spirit showed me that sin is submitting myself to the devil and resisting God! This what Adam and Eve did in the garden and it’s what I do when I sin in my mind or attitudes, with my tongue, or by my actions. I reverse the imperative verbs of James 4:7. I believe the Evil One’s lies and reject the Lord’s instructions, even though I know full well that Christ calls us to obey Him so that His full joy may be in me (John 15:11).
When this struck me I was horrified! I don’t want to prefer the devil over Christ!
This understanding serves as a piece of equipment in my arsenal against stepping into sin. I think of it as part of the “shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” and “the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17). When temptation comes to violate God’s Word and discount His commandments and promises to me, it helps me to think, “Do I really desire to believe the devil and distrust God?”
Thus meditating on one verse, James 4:7, has resulted in help for battling sin and building faith in the Lord Jesus. And I encourage you to grow in meditation on the Scriptures so that your delight in the Lord increases, and that you are more thoroughly equipped to pursue the obedience of faith, and that your understanding of Truth is deepened.
COMING ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 17: James 4:11ff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)