Hope you are having a great Saturday! I got to do something new last night and go out to a sound bath on a very secluded pond and watch the stars. Would you believe I saw THREE shooting stars while I was there? I wish I would have remember my bug spray but other than that, it was very cool. I did sleep in though and I have a busy day and a busy weekend so here we go on our Bible Study for today. We are on part 2 of a 4-part series. Today we are looking at James 2:5-7
So, we will jump right in using our HEAR method.
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
Verse 5 Highlight = in the eyes of the world. Explain= do you realize how big of a difference this phrase makes in this verse? It would be entirely different if it just said, "Has not God chosen those who are poor to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom....". I have seen some very blessed people who the world would call poor because they don't have an abundance of money, but they are content. They have learned that God will take care of them, and He may not have given them excess, but He gives them enough. You all know someone like that, you think, "how do they survive?" "How are they so content?" Because they are the ones who truly, truly have grasped, God will take care of them. They have something a lot of the rest of us long for, that total and complete faith in God. I guess I look at these folks as special missionaries as they aren't off in a foreign country, or even in the inner-city problem areas but right here, ministering through their very existence. Apply= We need to practice that kind of faith. When an unexpected bill, or diagnosis, or tragedy comes up, God needs to be the very first one we turn to, before the doubt hits, before the "what am I going to do" or the "this will never work out" or the "this is something I will never recover from", I have seriously heard someone who would have this label straight out say, "Dear Lord, what are WE going to do about this". And He answers. Respond= Dear Lord, I know I still have a lot of work in this area and help me learn to always lean on you first, help me lean on you as if you are the only thing in this world that I have because truly, everything I have is from you and through you. I want that faith, I want the dependence on you.
Verse 6a Highlight= you have dishonored the poor. Explain = why do we think we have the right to look down on anyone? God made all of us, and yes, some have made poor choices to put them in the situations they are in, some are in the situations they are in by no fault of their own, but they are all in a situation where they may have less here on earth than you. The thing is, if you profess to be a Christian, isn't it your job to help everyone you meet come to Christ? Is there a verse in the Bible that I am missing that says you should just witness to this set of people and not that one? Nope, pretty sure there is not. There is not a single soul out there that God didn't design and put on earth. We have all seen people in our lives that we just know God made them with the intent of being part of our lives. But guess what? EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU MEET--God put them there or allowed them to be there. Satan puts people in our lives too, but just like in Job, God allowed it. Unlike a true Christian, who, if you are truly saved, you may backslide, but you can't be taken from God's hand, someone that is following the devil can be saved. Did God know that would happen when he allowed this interaction? Is this a test? Apply= I have worked in the limited income field for 25 years now and come to realize some of the most precious people out there have had to sit across from my desk. I have also seen people sitting across from my desk that just want desperately for someone to acknowledge them as a person, not a burden and that is what I try to do. I made the statement once that some people got so far down and were beaten down that it was hard for them to have faith. A well-meaning Christian friend said they didn't believe that. Come sit in one of our outreach offices for a day. You know what is sad? When we have people come into the office and you can see they just expect to be treated badly. It is heartbreaking. There are way too many judgmental people out there and not enough compassionate ones. Let's be the compassion Every. Single. Time. Respond= God, please help me realize every person I meet may be an assignment from you to me to show compassion, to make a little difference, even if it is just to bring a smile. We never know what that 10 seconds might do for someone.
Verse 6b-7 Highlight= are they not the ones who are dragging you into court. Explain- Yes, I broke this verse down into two sections because I felt it was important. In this case, the rich are those who put their wealth first, we all know the verses regarding "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24). You do understand this doesn't have anything to do with how much is in the bank account, it has to do with what priority it is in your life. That is why verse 7 says, are they not the ones slamming God? Now, let me turn the tables on this for a minute. Do you also realize that in the eyes of those people who are eager to "drag you into court", you are poor to them? They are lording their power over you, to scare you, intimidate you, and usually over stupid stuff. I have a plaque that says on those really tough days, I remember who my Father is, and I straighten my crown. We are children of the One True King, and He will not be defeated. The lesson here is that God is greater, but it is also to make sure we aren't one of those dragging others into court, even if it is the court of our own minds. Apply= We need to live daily not letting the ones who seem to have more than us intimidate us, we belong to the King. We also need to live daily not intimidating those who are different than us. God made us all, every last one of us. The devil has no power to create, remember that. A person may be sent of the devil, but they didn't come into your life without permission from God. What are you going to do with that? Respond= Lord, help me to look at every single soul, even those who want to torment me in some way, with compassion and your love. Help me to always show compassion and not ever lord anything you have gifted me with over anyone else.
Hope this helps you wear those God colored glasses this week.
On those really tough days, remember who your Father is, and straighten your crown and go live the life He wants you to live, sharing the love He gave you with everyone you meet. And to any readers who don't quite understand this yet and don't feel you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, if you want to know more. Please pm me on my fb page, I would LOVE to share how God sent Jesus to save you.
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