Tag: James: Mercy Triumphs

“Take Away” Truths from James

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Have you ever eaten a meal that was so good you didn’t want it to end, even when your stomach was past the point of being satisfied?  Maybe you’ve asked for a take away box so you could savor it later and avoid that uncomfortably “beyond full” feeling.

For me, studying Beth Moore’s James:  Mercy Triumphs has been a bit like eating my fill of an unforgettable meal and still wanting more.  Packed with truth layered on top of truth, the book of James is going to take a while for me to digest.  I predicted that studying it would change us, and in my life, it certainly has.  As we wrap up our final week of study, let’s savor what we’ve learned.   Let’s pack up the truths and take them with us after we answer the final question and write the last verse in our workbooks.  Instead of having the study become a fond memory; let’s allow it to transform our lives so that we can be doers of the word, not just hearers.

In the final week of study, Beth Moore describes the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.  She says:  “Yet before a single stone was thrown to the ground, a cornerstone was set in place.  Upon it rolled one living stone after another so that, by the time the sanctuary built by human hands was destroyed, another constructed by God’s hand was under way…Look really closely with your minds eye…gaze further and further up that heap until you make it to the stack where the 21st century sets in place.  See us? You and me?  There we are, two living stones”  (p. 204-205).  All that we’ve been challenged to put into practice while studying James is making us living stones- a human temple used for God’s glory.

“You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.  The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord.  You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”  Ephesians 2:19-22

As I think back on the last seven weeks of study, there are a few truths I’ll carry with me in my “to go” box:

–Not just hearing the word, but doing what it says:  I pray God will continue showing me where and how to apply His word to daily life.  Whether it is caring for the needy with compassion or seeking wisdom from heaven, I want to live out the things I’m learning more consistently.

–Taming my tongue:  Since studying and writing about James 2, I’ve become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit prompting me to keep my tongue in check.  I seem to fail daily, but continue striving to let my words be pleasing to God and positive and encouraging to others.  I am much more cognizant about my conversation topics and what things would be better left unsaid.

–Submitting my long and short term plans to God:  I spend a significant portion of time planning and thinking about the future.   I am working hard to submit this to God daily.  In the past few weeks several major disruptions to my schedule have given me a chance to put this into practice immediately.   (God certainly has a sense of humor!)  I’m learning to see interruptions to my schedule as divine appointments where He is giving me an opportunity to serve or bless someone else.

–Surrendering insecurity:  Beth Moore hits me right between the eyes in her Session Five video when she says: “Insecurity is when your own mind turns on you.”  I’ve been reminded that insecurity is just another form of self- absorption.  When I’m consumed with myself and my perceived flaws and failings, I’m incapable of seeing beyond myself to impact others.  My eyes are on myself, not Jesus.  This is an ongoing area that needs to be surrendered in my life.

–Rejecting cynicism:  In her Session Six video, Beth Moore addresses the perils of Christians who fall into cynicism.  I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a Bible teacher speak on this subject and it certainly struck a cord in me.  The trap of cynicism has ensnared me for much of my life. It is convicting to hear it defined as “carnality that thinks it’s smart and that carries an air of superiority.”  The idea that cynicism can be fueled by disappointment with people has also been a reality in my life.  This is an area where I need to be on my guard and continually looking to Jesus to renew my mind.

How about you?  What will you remember long after you’ve closed the James:  Mercy Triumphs workbook and tucked it on your bookshelf? Look back through the lessons and write down the powerful truths you want to remember and apply to your life.  What will you carry in your “take away” box as you move forward?  Post a comment and let others hear what spoke to you from this powerful book.

The Mush Pot

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“Is any one of you in trouble?  He should pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise.  Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.  If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  James 5:13-16

 We called it “The Mush Pot,” probably left over from when we played Duck, Duck, Goose as kids.  It started back in my college days when I worked at a Christian houseboat and waterski camp in the summers.    Prior to the start of the season, the camp staff would gather for a weekend of training, prayer and fellowship.  As we shared our hopes and fears about ministering to the many kids who we’d meet over the summer, each of us would take a turn sitting in “The Mush Pot” encircled by the other staff members.  We would lay our hands on the one in the middle and pray.  The Holy Spirit was alive and active in us, prompting our prayers and blessing all of us in the process.  I can remember the butterflies I’d feel in my stomach when it was my turn to sit on the floor of the houseboat while everyone gathered around to lay hands on me.  It was both overwhelming and inspiring to hear the things people prayed specifically for me.  I came away knowing that God would give me exactly what I needed to love the kids and serve Him well.

 My oldest son is now old enough to go to the camp where I first learned this practice, but  “The Mush Pot” tradition has continued to be a part of my life.   Looking back, I can see how God has increased my faith by giving me opportunities to offer and receive prayer.  I can picture intimate and tearful gatherings around hospital beds praying for different friends and family members.  Some were healed, some went home to Heaven, but all of us experienced peace through those sacred gatherings, even in the most clinical settings.   I can also remember laying hands on people to pray for them in different small groups and Bible Studies over the years.  Some of the most meaningful prayer times have happened spontaneously in unlikely places.  I remember crying my eyes out while a friend prayed for me out on the mountain biking trail during a time of grief.   The memories are powerful and tender.  It was an honor and privilege to take part in them.

We don’t need to wait for the “really big” things to ask for prayer or to offer it.  Beth Moore says it well in James:  Mercy Triumphs:  “If it has to do with us, then it has something to do with Him… we have an open invitation to a divine invasion. If we’re willing, God is our song when we are happy, our escape when we are tempted, our hope when we’re despairing, our joy in tribulation, our strength in weakness, and our immortality in dying”  (p. 176).  She goes on to say:  “A pair of hands clasped in earnest prayer is the best means we have this side of Heaven to hang onto Jesus for dear life”  (p. 178).  As far as I can tell, there is nothing that is “off limits” for receiving prayer.  If it’s happening in your life, it is worth asking for God’s intervention.

Sometimes we can be fooled into thinking God doesn’t want to be bothered by our needs and we try to handle things on our own.  We might feel undeserving or awkward asking others to pray for us.  I remember the first time I walked to the front of a church to ask for prayer during Communion.  Struggling with the weight of a painful situation, I needed some comfort and wisdom.  Even though I’d seen other people go forward for prayer, I’d never been one of them. For some reason, that day I just felt prompted to get out of my seat.  The woman standing in front greeted me warmly.  I fumbled through a vague explanation for why I needed prayer and then stood stiffly as she held me close and prayed.  I don’t remember a word she said, but I recall being amazed that she knew what to pray with the small amount of material I’d shared with her.  I returned to my seat relieved and at peace.  My difficulty didn’t end immediately, but calling in reinforcements gave me the strength I needed to persevere in trusting God.  I’d been carrying around the burden all on my own strength when God had been waiting all the time for me to share it with Him.  Having another person pray for me made all the difference.

Sometimes we can also be fooled into thinking that we aren’t “righteous” enough to offer to pray for another person.  However, the Bible makes it clear that if we have accepted Christ and are living for Him, we can claim His righteousness as our own:  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them…We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-19a, 20-21).  We have righteousness, what we need to ask for is confidence!  If you find yourself in a situation where a person needs prayer, you may feel awkward or fearful offering.   Let me encourage you to ask God for courage.   There is something powerful about praying for a person in their presence instead of just saying “I’ll pray for you” and doing it later.  Jesus says in Matthew 18:20:  “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

In the Session Five and Six videos for James: Mercy Triumphs, Beth Moore points out two subtle adversaries to our faith:  cynicism and insecurity.   Maybe you’ve watched others walk to the front of the church and have thought:  “That person must really have problems” or “Why do they have to be so dramatic and get up in front of everyone?”  Maybe you’ve known someone needed prayer, but didn’t offer because you thought she would think you were “too religious.”  Cynicism and insecurity stunt our ability to be used by God and rob us of opportunities to be a blessing to others.  I know this from personal experience and pray regularly that God will rid me of those destructive trains of thought.

It’s been over 20 years since I first sat in “The Mush Pot” to be prayed over by my fellow staff members at summer camp.  It’s been less than two weeks since I last laid hands on someone in “The Mush Pot” to pray for God’s intervention in her life.  In all the time in between, I have rich memories of connecting with others through accessing the power of God together in prayer.   I’ve been blessed beyond measure witnessing the powerful and effective prayers offered by followers of Jesus.

Do you have a “Mush Pot” experience you’d like to share?  How has joining with others in prayer blessed you and them?  How have you overcome your fears about praying with and for others?  Post a comment and share your thoughts.

Committing Our Calendars to God

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“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”  James 4:13-15

As a born planner, this has never been one of my favorite passages of Scripture.   I am alternately irritated and inspired by people who thoroughly live “in the moment.”  I like schedules and lists.  My mom can attest to the fact that once I started elementary school, I planned all my birthday parties.  The guest lists, invitations, games, favors and food were carefully selected months in advance.   Now that I am a mom, I jokingly refer to myself as “Julie the Cruise Director” because of all the planning I do for my boys.  (If you didn’t watch “The Love Boat” in the 70’s and 80’s, just ignore that example and read on).  When my older son was two or three, he would wake up, rub his eyes and say, “What do you have for me today, Mom?”  I hope eventually I can show God that same kind of trust daily.

The compulsion to plan sometimes arises out of fear or the need to control.  We think if we can plan something well enough, we can avoid what we fear.  Similarly, we think if we have control over something, we can avert mistakes or failures.  We have the illusion of control over our lives, but James reminds us that God is the only one with real control.  It’s not a sin to make plans, but it’s important to entrust them to God.  I’m learning to ask for His leading instead of telling Him to bless my unilateral decisions.  People often quote Jeremiah 29:11,  “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”  However, my favorite part of this passage comes in verse 12:  “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  This requires time, patience and trust.

God has bigger and better plans than we do.  Beth Moore says it well in James: Mercy Triumphs:  “God is the one with the real plan….We have all sorts of plans jotted on our calendars pertaining to the next year, but they’re mostly based on theory.  His is the only day-timer based on certainty.  That’s one reason why spending time with God in His Word in the morning is so vital.  He wants to prepare us for the reality of our upcoming day.  Not our theory”  (p.152).   Abiding with Him closely is the best way I’ve found to surrender my plans and to let Him shape them.  Many mornings I come to Him fretting over something and leave feeling grounded and at peace.  That doesn’t necessarily mean He gives me a clear-cut answer, but He does change my perspective.  I don’t have to know the details of what the future holds because I know God will be with me, no matter what.

If you are not in the habit of spending time with God daily, let me encourage you to give it a try.  Pick a length of time that feels reasonable, but that will stretch you a bit too.  One day isn’t enough, 365 might be too ambitious.  Maybe it’s two weeks; maybe it’s the forty days of Lent (which starts on Feb. 13 this year).  Just pick an amount of time and commit to seeking God daily for the duration.

If you are not a morning person, pray and ask God to give you the self-discipline to get up earlier.  Plan ahead by turning off the TV or computer; close your book or iPad instead of staying up late.  That way you can wake up to be with God first thing in the morning.  Ask Him to help you make it a priority.  He honors our desires to spend time with Him and will enable you to follow through.  Starting your day with God puts you in the right frame of mind to face whatever comes your way.   It is even more important than your need for coffee or a hot shower in the morning.

Not sure how to start?  There is no “magic formula” so don’t worry.  Some people like the ritual of doing the same thing at the same time in the same place every day; others like to mix it up.  The good news is that God is there with you in it, no matter what you choose to do.  Here are a few ideas to try:

-Start by praying and asking God to reveal Himself to you and to show you what He wants you to learn

-Read a devotional to get your mind focused.  There are many to choose from; two of my favorites are Jesus Calling by Sarah Young or My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.

-Read the Bible; if you are involved in a study I think it is OK to incorporate your homework into this time as long as you are using it as a way to hear from God and not just trying to check it off your “to do” list.  If you’re not in a study, try reading the passages mentioned in the devotional so you can see their context.  Another idea is to choose a book of the Bible and to read through a small portion daily (start with something in the New Testament).

-Pray:  You can talk out loud, pray silently, write your prayers in a journal or put on Christian music and sing your prayers.  Consider mixing up your routine by getting up early some mornings and taking a walk while you pray; try listening to worship music on headphones and using it to prompt your prayers.  When you pray, start with praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what He’s done.  I used to think prayer was just asking Him to do what I wanted, but I’m learning that it’s more about aligning my heart to His.  Sometimes I intentionally don’t ask anything about specific situations and just spend time thanking or praising Him.

-Listen to music: throughout your day, try listening to music that focuses your thoughts on God and reminds you of His truth.  If you are not one who follows Christian music, listening to KLOVE at 107.3 FM or The Message on satellite radio are great places to start.

Most importantly, DO NOT beat yourself up if you miss a day!!  We have a God of grace and He is not keeping a record book logging the minutes of the time you spend with Him.  If you miss a few days, don’t give up!  Keep trying.   You will be blessed and God will be honored.

Post a comment and share what you’re learning about submitting your schedule to God!

Widows and Orphans: Thoughts on Compassion

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“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says…Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  James 1:22 & 27

 Tenth Avenue North is a Christian band whose music speaks powerful truth.   A few months ago my son and I went to see them in concert.  The lead singer, Mike Donehey, is not only a great musician, but also a gifted speaker.  Before the concert, he spoke passionately about the importance of serving the needy.  He highlighted a ministry that connects impoverished children with monthly sponsors.  Mike explained that sponsoring a child is sometimes the only thing that keeps him/her from being sold into slavery.  A human trafficker will approach unsuspecting parents in extreme poverty and offer to give them money and take their child to get a “better life” in the city.  The well-meaning parents accept the money, thinking they are helping their child and the rest of the family at the same time.  However, unbeknownst to the parents, the “better life” in the city is actually a life of prostitution.  After sharing this, Mike asked the crowd to consider sponsoring a child, costing just under $40 per month.  The funds cover the cost of food, schooling, clothing and other necessities.  He ended his sharing by saying:  “You don’t need to pray about whether or not to show compassion to widows and orphans because we already know God wants us to do it.”  His directness may make you squirm, but there is no denying the truth of his words.

There are many worthy organizations that offer the option of child sponsorship including Compassion International, World Vision, Children of Grace, Macedonian Outreach and City Impact.  If you don’t already sponsor a child, consider looking into it.  Your monthly giving makes a world of difference to a child and a family in need.

Recently I heard a sermon online by Pastor Jim Wallis.  In it, he describes volunteering at a shelter for the homeless when he was a young man new to the faith.  He loved arriving early for the prayer time before serving the long line of hungry people waiting outside.   As those volunteering bowed their heads, an old woman with a deep faith would lead out with soulful prayers that always ended with: “Lord, we know that you’ll be coming through this line today, so help us to treat you well.”  Wallis was struck by the woman’s understanding of Matthew 25:40: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”    She knew that when we serve those in need, we are serving Jesus.

With this story ringing in my ears, my family and I decided to participate in a Coat Give Away at City Team Ministries in Oakland in December.  A family of four came through the line with a boy and a girl who were probably 6 and 8.  As I helped the mom comb through the racks for her daughter, the little girl spied a sparkly pink fleece sweatshirt.  Delight shined in her eyes as I helped her try it on.  The sweatshirt fit her perfectly, but had no growing room.  Her mom stood alternately smiling and looking anxious.  It was cute, but not particularly warm.  Pulling a heavier coat from the rack, I held it out:  “This one looks good, do you want to try it?”  It was thick; well made and had plenty of room for growth.  Relieved, the mom thanked me.   Her daughter unzipped the sparkly sweatshirt and started handing it back to me until I stopped her:  “You know what?  That sweatshirt looks so cute on you, I think you need to keep both.”  Gratitude and disbelief flooded their eyes.   Their smiles could have lit up the whole room.  As I walked them out, they were given bag lunches, blankets and a small care package.  The whole family left with warm coats, but I probably felt the best of all of them.  It cost me a Saturday morning, nothing more.

Let me stop you before you think I volunteer in homeless shelters every weekend.  Serving the needy feels awkward and uncomfortable for me.  I don’t know how to do it well or how to fit it into my schedule regularly.  I’m not gifted in it naturally, but I am trying to grow.  I’ve committed to praying and asking God how He wants to show compassion through me.  The rest is up to Him.  I wonder what would happen if each follower of Jesus did one act of compassion consistently.  I think the effects could be astounding.

Compassion is contagious.  Once you start serving, you want to do it more.  When you share what you’re doing with others, they want to join you.   Beth Moore says “Social consciousness beckons each of us across the board, but the ways we could respond are as varied as our holy passions…. God is practical.  He doesn’t ask us to do what doesn’t matter.  What seems a drop in the bucket to you is a sip from the wellspring of life to someone about to thirst to death.  Let’s muster the courage to ask Him to show us who to help and how. True religion is all hands on deck and all heads out of the sand. The mystery is that there, we often find our own healing and fulfilling” (James:  Mercy Triumphs p. 86).

Take a moment to post your thoughts and ideas about compassion.  Just click on the number in the circle to the right of this post’s title above to enter your reply.

Where do you serve or want to serve?  How do you find the time? How have you seen God bless you as you’ve shown compassion to the needy?  Let’s encourage each other to live out this scripture!


Below are the lyrics to a song about compassion by Audio Adrenaline called “Kings and Queens.”  You can also click on the link at the bottom to hear it and watch the music video.  I hope it will bless you and motivate you to serve the needy joyfully!

“Kings & Queens”

Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me

Will we leave behind the innocent to grieve

On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun

These could be our daughters and our sons

And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating

I know my God won’t let them be defeated

Every child has a dream to belong and be loved

[Chorus:]

Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free

Shout your name in victory

When we love when we love the least of these

When we love the least of these

Break our hearts once again

Help us to remember when

We were only children hoping for a friend

Won’t you look around these are the lives that the world has forgotten

Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open

[Chorus]

If not us who will be like Jesus

To the least of these

If not us tell me who will be like Jesus

Like Jesus to the least of these

Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free shout your name in victory

We will love we will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

We will love the least of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U64bongHqYU

Buckle Up and Get Ready for the Ride

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“Sometimes we can know something is right, wonderful, and as it should be yet still be pierced by it.”  Beth Moore tells us in the opening week’s study of James:  Mercy Triumphs.

If you’re a mom, that quote resonates in a way that can bring tears to your eyes.  Watching home videos of our kids in younger days can make our hearts ache.   I used to joke when my boys were younger that I was going to stack books on their heads to prevent them from growing taller.  A few months ago, my thirteen year old surpassed me in height, much to his delight and my chagrin.  In a few years I’ll be buckling my seatbelt as he begins driving. Being a good parent ultimately means that we work ourselves out of our jobs.  We raise our kids and eventually they mature to a point where they are adults standing on their own two feet.  We can lament it or embrace it, but change is an inevitable part of life.  This is “right and wonderful” but it pierces us.

Continual change is a fact of life for kids, but sometimes adults do all they can to keep things the same.  We find our niches and stay put.  We tend to struggle with fairly minor things like switching small groups or deviating from the usual church service we attend.   Welcoming major, life altering changes and perspectives takes us way out of our comfort zones.  However, if we are earnest in our desire to apply the Word of God to our lives, then studying the book of James is not going to let us stay the same.  It is going to stretch us and pierce us to the core.

From the first week of homework, Beth Moore sets the stage:  God uses unsettling things to grow us and to further His kingdom.  She references Acts 11:19-21 and describes how the disciples scattered as a result of persecution after Stephen was martyred.   She says “The very thing meant to stamp out the fires of Christianity only kicked the coals across the land and set a parched forest ablaze” (p.26).  Followers of Jesus fanned out to remote locations to escape persecution, but also continued sharing the good news of Jesus with Jews and Greeks.  Acts 11:21 says: “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

During this time, three men arose as leaders of the Christians:  Peter, John and James.  James grew up in the same household as Jesus.  They were literal brothers sharing the same mother.   Beth Moore says:  “James skyrocketed to a place of tremendous prominence in the early church.  He bounced from doubter to leader in a mind-spinning flash of time” (P. 31).  Peter, John and James are referred to as the “pillars” of the faith in Galatians 2:9.  They extended “the right hand of fellowship” to Paul and Barnabas after they recognized God’s grace in Paul’s conversion.  At the Jerusalem Counsel described in Acts 15, these leaders grappled with hard questions about what it meant to live out the Christian faith- especially for newly converted gentiles.  (Melissa Moore Fitzpatrick goes in depth on this in her “Next Level” articles in Week 1 of the study). Because the church was so new, they had no traditions to follow, no clearly defined protocols or best practices.   They had to rely on the Spirit, the teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament to guide them.  There was no option for saying:  “Let’s do it like this because we’ve always done it that way.”  Tempers likely flared, feelings might have been hurt, but they pressed on.  Life was not predictable or ordinary; it was full of the unexpected and was changing rapidly all the time.

Conversely, today it can be easy to be lulled into complacency and not to feel that same sense of urgency to lean into God and seek His wisdom.  We have protocols and policies.  We know the spoken and unspoken expectations.  If we want to live life by a checklist, we can easily find one.  Sometimes we might follow the Christian lifestyle more than we actually follow Jesus. It’s safer and less messy but not really full of abundant joy.

The book of James is not going to be safe, easy or comfortable to study.   It is going to make us squirm from the very beginning as we study about trials producing joy.  Things will continue to heat up with topics like actions vs. words, faith vs. deeds, taming our tongues, favoritism, wealth and more.  The things we are challenged to think and do are going to pierce us.  However, they are also “right and wonderful.”  So, let’s all buckle our seatbelts and get ready for the ride.  Change is coming, and we’d be wise to embrace it so we can discover all that God has in store for us.