Deeply Rooted (When I Read Your Word)

READ THIS:  James 3:9-12 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Have you ever taken a big swig of your glass fully expecting water, but mid-swallow you realize that it wasn't actually your cup and you were drinking someone else's Diet Dr. Pepper? It isn't a pleasant experience, partially because you're not a huge fan of diet soda, but more so because you were NOT expecting soda at all.  When we go to a lake, we don't expect salt water. When we go to the ocean, we don't expect fresh water. And when we look at say an apple tree, we don't expect oranges. If we kno...

READ THIS:  James 3:5b-8 5b  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.   7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Did you know that almost 85% of wildfires are caused by humans, and most of them aren’t even done on purpose? Even though they usually happen unintentionally, when they occur, they cause damage that can last a long time. How similar is that to the way we speak to one another? We rarely think about the words we say to one another, especially if we are frustrated or annoyed with someone or something. God gave us incredible power when He gave us the ability to speak to one anothe...

READ THIS:  James 3:3-5a 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5a Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? A bit is the little metal piece that people put in a horse's mouth that you can attach the reigns to. By tugging on the reigns, you tug on the bit, which moves the horse in the direction you want. A rudder is a little wooden or metal piece on boats (yes, airplanes also have rudders, but let's talk about boats) and when you turn the big steering wheel of a boat, you're actually shifting the little rudder that's in the water so that the whole boat goes the way you want it to.  If you notice...a bit is really small compared to the whole horse, and the rudder is really small compared to...

READ THIS:  James 3:1-2 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?   Welcome to chapter 3! Over the next few days, we are going to learn A LOT about the words we speak!   I'm a big Spiderman fan... and if you know anything about him, this quote will likely sound familiar: "With great power comes great responsibility." But what does that even mean??? When we are given opportunities to have power over others, we must be careful with how we use that power, because real leaders are responsible to care and to love those they lead. James says that teachers are often judged harder than others because they lead!   So what does a good leader or teacher do? James says there are 2 things (in verse 2!): they recognize that we all stum...

READ THIS:  James 2:25-26 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Prostitute=righteous? Yes...you did read that correctly. Remember righteousness can be thought of as "rightness." When we act in a way that is right , that means we are acting in a way that God approves of. Rahab is a lady we learn about in the Old Testament, (specifically in Joshua 2) who helped the Israelites spy on Jericho, the enemies of Israel at the time. As a citizen of Jericho, Rahab was asked to turn over the spies, but instead she hid them, deciding to help God's people instead of hurting them. We can do a LOT of messed up things, but that doesn't mean God will stop giving us opportunities to do the right thing. But we can only really do the right thing when we ...

READ THIS:  James 2:19-24 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?   James makes a pretty big argument here: knowing who God is and having faith are very different things. Knowing God is SUPER important, but there are plenty of examples of people and things that know who God is, but don't live for Jesus (like demons... not great guys). So what does faith look like i...

READ THIS:  James 2:14-18 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.   18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? In short, James is saying love isn't a feeling; it's an action. Our faith in Jesus doesn't just change us on the inside and then stay there. It changes us on the inside and then has a clear difference on the outside, often shown through our love of God that overflows to love of people! Remember yesterday how we spoke about treating people with mercy instead of judgement? Let's say...

READ THIS:  James 2:12-13 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? So we have two words that seem to be the focus of today's verses: judgment and mercy . Let's break them down... Judgment is making a conclusion about someone or something, and it is something we are very familiar with, whether we realize it or not! When a stranger walks into the room, within 5 seconds, our brains analyze and make snap judgments of that person before we even realize it. We can be even quicker to judge people if they treat us or others poorly, thinking less of them or thinking we are better than those people... that is almost the opposite of what mercy looks like! Mercy means "not getting something you deserve." While judgment says "be mean" to someone being mean to us, mercy says we can for...

READ THIS:  James 2:8-11 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? First off, why's it say royal law? Well it's talking about loving your neighbor as yourself which is one part of what Jesus says is the most important commandment or "law" to keep (the other part is loving God with everything you have!) SO: royal=most important.  Anyway, like we've been talking about, showing favoritism does not  show that you're loving your neighbor well. Loving your neighbor can pretty much sum up all of God's laws. For exam...

READ THIS:  James 2:5-7 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?   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? James says that God has chosen the poor to receive God's kingdom... does that sound familiar? Well, Jesus actually said the same thing in His most famous sermon! Matthew 5:3 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Luke's version makes it even more simple in Luke 6:20: " Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." While many people, both back then and even today, can look down on the poor and see them as less than themselves, God not only sees them, but lov...

READ THIS:  James 2:1-4 1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? People who believe in Jesus are called to have the same heart toward everyone by loving others as Jesus loves us. Jesus doesn't decide to love Dan more than Liz on Tuesday and then decide on Saturday to love Liz more than Dan because Liz decided to dress better. Our love for others doesn't depend on ANYTHING they do or say. Our love for others depends ENTIRELY on what Jesus does and says. Jesus lived a perfect life where He spoke to the poor...

READ THIS:  James 1:26-27 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 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.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Religion, by the definition I just found on google, means "a system of faith." James makes two arguments about our systems of faith here. The first argument is that if we say we have a strong system of faith, but our words to one another don't line up with what we believe (remember being slow to speak?), that system is worthless ... Ouch. So what should our faith system look like? According to James, we should be caring for the people in need around us, and we should be less and less like how the rest of the world lives. Jesus showed both of these things perfectly! He lived differently than everyone els...

  READ THIS:  James 1:22-25 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Have you ever looked in a mirror to check if there was something in your teeth? The other day I was doing that because I had eaten a bunch of popcorn, and I was pretty confident there was still some shoved in my teeth. But, as I was looking in the mirror,  I started talking to someone and totally forgot about the grossness wedged between two of my teeth in the top right of my mouth. I might as well have just not looked in the mirror at all, because the sam...

  READ THIS:  James 1:19-21 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? If the author of something says "hey, pay attention to this part," it's usually a good sign that something important is about to be said! James says we need to specifically take note that God calls us to be good listeners who don't say the first thing on our mind and choose to hold their tongues when they are angry. Why? Because God desires for us to be righteous (doing what is right... right-ness!), and anger doesn't lead us there. So how can we learn to be better listeners and slower talkers and anger-ers??? We allow God to plant His word (the Bible) and Himself (the Ho...

READ THIS:  James 1:16-18  16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? James says don't be deceived (tricked)...but tricked by what??? What we read yesterday was about trials and temptations, and how trials come from God, but temptation from the devil. So, let's not be tricked into believing that God gives us temptations. God only gives us good  things. But when bad things happen, we start to believe that maybe God isn't good. This is just like the story of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk starts falsely accusing God of doing bad stuff. But what's also like the story of Habakkuk is our ability to go to God through prayer and the Bible! By doing that, we can learn the word of truth that J...

READ THIS:  James 1:12-15 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.   13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? What are the two biggest differences between a trial and a temptation? Where they come from and what they lead to! Trials (if you remember our devo on verses 1-4) come from God, and they lead us to grow in perseverance and give us life forever with Jesus. Temptations come from the world/the enemy (NEVER from God), and they lead to only one thing: death... But don't worry, that's not the end of the story. If we ask Jesus...

  READ THIS:  James 1:9-11   9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? We can find ourselves in a lot of different circumstances, but whatever situation we're in, it isn't going to last for long. We might be poor our whole lives or we might be rich or we might be popular or we might be geeky or whatever, but all of that is worldly things. Sure, it's okay to be excited when something awesome happens, like if we find twenty bucks or if we're voted onto the homecoming court, but we should also be excited for the times when we talk to the uncool kid or get our hands filthy on a mission trip. Our situations don't last...

READ THIS:  James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? If you've ever spent even a day at a beach, whether you're watching the waves or playing in them, you can picture how they move. I used to sit by the waves when I was younger and try to guess exactly when they'd break or crash against the ground in front of me, but I could never guess it right. Waves are tossed around and crash into each other without any sort of pattern we can understand... what a perfect description of the way it feels when we doubt God and His plan for us! God wants us to ask Him for help... but He also wants us...

READ THIS:  James 1:1-4 1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. 2  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything .  WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? James says WHENEVER we face trials, not IF we face them...and that's facts. L ife is really rough a lot of the time.   But, what's neat is that God doesn't let a hard time go to waste. If we push through the hard times, the "trials," then we grow in amazing ways, becoming mature and gaining character we didn't have before. It's kind of like the whole caterpillar turning into a butterfly thing. Being in that cocoon was dark and scary, but there is so much joy in a butterfly BECAUSE of that dark, scary time....