Come Closer: A Weekly Advent Devotional

Bethany Besteman, 2023 © Creative Commons

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Read: Haggai 2:6–7; Luke 1:26–38, 47–55

Reflect: Christmas is almost here! What is your favorite thing to do on Christmas Day? Some people like to eat delicious food and other Christmas treats. Some people like spending time with family. And a lot of us like the fun of giving and receiving gifts. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you’ve gotten someone something that they are really, really, going to love! That’s especially true when the gift is something they’ve wanted for a long time. There is a special joy when you love someone and can give them something that makes them happy—something they want or need.

Did you know that God also loves giving presents? We read in the gospels that Jesus tells his disciples that God, just like a good caregiver, loves to give good things to God’s children: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9–11). Jesus isn’t saying that all earthly parents are evil, but he’s reminding us that if even imperfect parents love giving gifts to the children they love, how much more does God, who is perfect, love to give things to the children God loves!

What is the biggest good thing that God has ever given to God’s people? Most would agree that the greatest gift ever given was Jesus—God’s Son and God’s own self who came to earth and died for our sins. This week in worship we will talk about how Jesus is the “Desire of nations.” That is another way of saying that Jesus is what we’ve always wanted even if we didn’t know how to ask for it. I hope this Christmas you get some presents that you want a lot, but I also hope you realize what a great gift you’ve been given in the birth of Jesus.

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Read: Revelation 1; 3:7–13

Reflect: Can you guess the answer to this riddle? “I have teeth but no tongue. I bite once to protect, twice to reveal; to gain my friendship costs little, but to lose me may cost everything. What am I?”

If you have a set of keys nearby, take them out and look at them. What did the riddle reveal to you about keys that you hadn’t thought about before? Have you ever realized how powerful these little bits of metal are? Keys let us drive a car, lock our doors to stay safe, and keep our homes secure while making sure that we can get back in when we need to. What happens when you lose your keys? Have you ever turned the house upside down trying to find them?

The Scripture we are reading today describes Jesus as the Key of David. What do you think that might mean? What do you think Jesus unlocks? What sorts of doors might Jesus lock up tight?

We can remember that Jesus is the one who made it possible for us to live with God forever and to have a good relationship with God now, so we can think of Jesus as the key to those things. Jesus unlocks the door to heaven, and Jesus unlocks each of our own hearts so that we can have a good relationship with God.

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Read: Proverbs 8:1, 6, 22–36; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25

Reflect: This week we are thinking about how God is sometimes called Wisdom. What do you think wisdom is? Is it being smart? There is a joke about the difference between being wise and being smart: “Being smart is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. Being wise is knowing not to put tomatoes in a fruit salad.” So we might say that being smart fills us with knowledge while being wise helps us use that knowledge to make good decisions.

In Proverbs 8, wisdom is described as a woman calling out to get people’s attention. The chapter reads like an ancient advertisement, naming all the great things wisdom can do for those who let her in. I wonder what sorts of things might be in an advertisement for wisdom today? Perhaps “Are you tired of constantly struggling to know what to do in tricky situations? Do you find your instincts about making important decisions, choosing a new job, or how to spend your retirement, just a bit off? Call now to receive your free wisdom consultation today! Wisdom is knocking—just open the door!”

The way wisdom is described in Proverbs sounds a lot like Jesus. Jesus too knocks on the doors of our hearts and promises to come in and help us make better choices. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit, who can help us make wise decisions. When you pray to Jesus this week, remember to ask for wisdom, trusting that wisdom is already calling out to you.

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September 3rd: “A Church that Prays Together Stays Together”

James 5:13-20

What an interesting statement. Elijah, the prophet of miracles, was as human as we are. Throughout his life he prayed and rain stopped. During famine, food never ran out. People were resurrected. Fire came down from heaven. Armies were wiped out. Fain fell. All from the prayers of one as human as you and I (1 Kings 17-18).

Many of these stories would lead us to believe that whatever we pray will be. At one point, though, a discouraged, frightened Elijah prayed for death. Did the Lord answer that prayer? Yes. Our compassionate Father, who knows the depths of who we are and sees our life beyond our circumstances, saw into Elijah’s soul and answered. He answered with physical nourishment, with a touch, with strength for the journey and with a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19). He answered not with death, but with invigorated life.

James tells us Elijah was a man with a nature like ours—a nature of flesh. Flesh is misguided when it interprets the events around us and feels what is inside us. Flesh has no power to control the laws and forces of nature. We are the created. God’s nature is divine. He is the One who creates. He is the One who directed Elijah’s prayers. Elijah didn’t resist and insist that the outcome be his desired outcome. Instead, He stepped into the Lord’s leading by faith and trust. Through Jesus Christ and through our submission to His will and ways, we have confidence in this same power to move heaven and earth just as Elijah did. Just as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did (John 14:12; Eph. 1:19-20).

Are you suffering? Pray. Let the Lord meet the need in a way that truly feeds your body and soul.

Are you happy? Sing prayers of praise.

Are you sick? Come for prayer and anointing, and be persistent. Jesus instructs persistence (Lu. 18:1-8): Elijah prayed seven times for the rain to come again (1 King 18:43-44); Jesus touched the blind man two times before his sight was fully restored (Mk. 8:24-25).

Be vulnerable. Confess your sins to each other. Certainly there are prayers we offer in privacy, but our vulnerability with others has great power and produces wonderful results. Strength comes from those around us and upholds each other when one loses heart. Answered prayer then becomes communal joy, a knitting together, a tool to keep one from false pride.

Finally, restore those who wander from the truth. The way to restoration is prayer: “If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life”(1 Jn. 5:16).

How beautiful is the kindness of the Lord who moves our hearts to prayer in order to show His goodness to us.

PRACTICE

Consider your prayer life. How is the Lord prompting you? To:
-have faith and trust His outcome in your suffering?
-sing songs of praise?
-receive prayer from another?
-be persistent?
-move into vulnerability?
-confess?
-find a group of prayer warriors who pray together regularly?
-pray for another’s restoration?

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Aug. 27: “Patience in Suffering”

Read James 5:7-12

Patience…it’s not a very popular quality in today’s fast-moving, “I want it now” society. We are more prone to grumble or complain or make something happen than to wait patiently for a situation to resolve. This week’s passage addresses patience in several circumstances; patiently waiting for the Lord’s return, patiently waiting for rains to come and water the land, patiently waiting for the harvest, and patiently enduring suffering.  In all these situations we are powerless. There is nothing we can do to control or change or hasten the outcome we might desire.  We are at the mercy of the weather, or perhaps another person, or the medical system, or our failing bodies, and most certainly God’s sovereign plan. 

M. Robert Mulholland Jr. in his book, The Deeper Journey, writes, “Patience, or longsuffering, as it used to be referred to, is the virtue that attacks the root of our need to advance our own agenda.  When anything stands in the way of the fulfillment of our plans and purposes, especially when we are convinced that they are God’s plans and purposes, we are anything but patient.  Frustration, anger, outrage, and coercion are some of the consequences of our impatience. But patience is not a tense waiting for others to come around to our agenda, nor a dogged forcing of the outcome to suit our ideas, but a willingness to allow God to work in God’s way, in God’s time, to bring about God’s best for our lives.” Wow! That’s a tall order!

There is definitely an element of surrender involved in patience. Surrendering our need to be in control, surrendering our comfort, surrendering our desired outcome, and maybe even surrendering the notion that we are right, we know what’s best, and we deserve something different. Long suffering is a particularly apt description of patience, especially when it involves patience in suffering. We all know people who seem to have suffered and endured more than we can imagine.  For some, bitterness and anger gain a foothold. They focus on the unfairness of their situation and question, “Why me?”. This mindset seems to blind them to any possibility of hope or goodness or healing, and in some cases seems to harden their hearts to God’s love.  But other people seem to have an unexplainable acceptance of their present condition; they look to God, trusting in his kindness, and a sweetness of spirit flows from them. They don’t grumble or complain or make life miserable for those around them, but rather, they look for the blessings in each day, trusting God is at work in them. This is patient endurance! 

James has said much about God’s faithfulness to his children, his great love for us, and his interest in every little detail of our lives. This doesn’t exclude us from suffering; we live in a broken world, and following Jesus doesn’t exempt us from pain. But James 5:11b, talking about Job says, ^“You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” This is the hope we can have in the midst of suffering….God is with us, God is for us, God will carry us and pour out his tender mercy. We are never left alone and his strength is sufficient for each day’s blessings and suffering. 

Take time this week to remember God’s kindness to you, and let him shape your heart into a patient vessel for his sweet presence to inhabit.

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August 20: “Dangers of Prosperity”

James 5:1-6

Do you remember the 2020 toilet paper shortage? People pushing and grabbing and fighting one another to get grocery carts full of toilet paper. Unreasonable bulk buying of anything and everything left many grocery shelves almost empty, all based on the misguided notion that if the stores ran out, they might not have enough. Fear of scarcity led to hoarding and in some cases even violence! This way of living contradicts everything James is speaking about in this week’s passage, and is the opposite of Jesus’ teachings to be generous, to care for the poor and needy, and to share our resources with one another so no one is lacking. Selfishness, hoarding, and oppressing the poor are incompatible with the way of Jesus.

But we are surrounded by consumerism, steeped in the North American lifestyle, and brainwashed to believe that we are entitled to have what we want. Immersed in such a culture, it can be easy to justify our self-focused ways, and in fact be blinded to the needs of those around us. So how do these words of James and the teachings of Jesus speak to us today?

I think maybe trust enters into the picture. Most of us don’t need to trust God for our next meal, but I wonder if we could trust God enough to be a little more generous with all that God has given us…our money, our possessions, our talents, our time. 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 speaks to this generous lifestyle. Paul exhorts us to “excel in the gracious act of giving” (v. 7), so that there might be some measure of equality among people (v. 13-14). This sounds like sharing. Henri Nouwen is described as a generous man; he gave freely of his time, money and friendship. He found ways to celebrate others, an “others-focused” man. Sharing who we are and what we have is an expression of our trust in God and our love for our brothers and sisters.

Perhaps this passage might provide an opportunity to ask some hard questions…if we dare:

1. How much do we need to be content?

2. Are we willing to share what we have?·

3. Might we consider living on less so that others might have more?

4. What would a more others-focused life, giving freely of our time, resources, or friendship look like?

These questions address the intentions of our hearts. They are aimed at us personally, and are not to be used to judge others’ choices. God’s question for each one of us individually is, “Are you doing all I would have you do with what I have given you?” Only you can answer…

Take some time this week to sit with these questions and the ones below.

*What is Holy Spirit speaking to me personally about generous living?

*Is there something I could begin to do to release the hold that money or possessions might have on me so that the generous spirit of Jesus grows in me?

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August 13th

James 4:13-17

Have you ever been confronted with circumstances beyond your control? The death or health scare of a loved one, job loss, unexpected transition or financial loss. During times like this, Christians often quote and take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” The story around this verse is about more than the Israelites’ consolation during their seventy-year captivity in Babylon. This is about moving “your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you” as we read earlier in James 4. (See Jeremiah 29:12-14a.)

Now let’s consider the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:11-37). A Jewish man, attacked, stripped and beaten, lies beside the road. First one man, then another, see the injured body, decide not to interrupt their day and pass by. A third man, moved by compassion, scratches any plans of business or fun he has for the day, gives a blank cheque—perhaps reallocating money already designated for his own pleasure— and reorders his life around the Lord’s unexpected plans of goodness and hope.

James wants us to bring this thought into the minutiae of our days. Consider your life. How does tomorrow look? Or this afternoon? Perhaps you have a calendar detailing your plans, responsibilities, activities. You know very well what you’ll be doing tomorrow. It’s what you have planned. It’s what doesn’t surprise or stretch you too much. Perhaps situations arise which you don’t want to deal with or think you aren’t capable of handling. Maybe you encounter a person with whom you’d rather not engage; you keep your eyes hyper-focused on your plans, deliberately avert the eyes of your heart to keep from any distractions to which you know you ought to give attention. Meanwhile, you have passed on opportunity after opportunity to experience the Lord’s surprises of a different future, one consisting of goodness and hope not only for you, but for those you encounter along the way. Although our lives are like a fog that passes by, your days will bring a bright future of goodness and hope to you and to those whom you meet when you willing to live a life interrupted. “I know the plans I have for you . . .”

Practice: What are your plans this week? Are you willing to trade your plans for the Lord’s future of goodness and hope? Begin each day with this prayer of invitation: “Holy Spirit, I welcome you into my day. Open my eyes to the surprises of Your plan. Give me the willingness of heart to interrupt my day.”

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August 6th

Read James 4:11 – 12

Throughout the Bible, God’s intention for healthy family dynamics is clear: 

*Husbands/wives, love and care for each other. (Eph. 5)

*Parents, comfort, discipline, instruct your children and don’t provoke them. (Is. 66:13, Col. 3:21, Eph. 6:4) 

*Children, honour your parents and follow their instruction. (Ex. 20:12, Pr. 6:20) 

*Relatives, stick it out through troubles. (Pr. 17:17)

Jesus makes this startling statement in Mark 3:35: “Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” The apostles also speak of our relationships with Christ and other believers based on the familial model. John bluntly states, “Those who don’t love their brothers or sisters whom they have seen can hardly love God whom they have not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20)!

Within the family, evil speech has no place. James covers the source of evil at the end of chapter 3 and beginning of chapter 4— jealousy, selfish ambition, pride. Read the stories of Israel’s and Judah’s kings in the books of 1 & 2 Kings or 1 & 2 Chronicles, and you will hear story after story of men and women who, in their fits of jealousy, ambition and pride, believe they are above God’s law. Some of the things they do are incredulous—defiant, malicious, murderous. Who would think they could defy God in the ways they do and get away with it? Yet, James wants us to know that an indiscriminate word spoken against another within the family is just as much an attempt to usurp the authority of God and His law of love. If we disobey the law, we have determined that it has not been put in place for us. We have made a judgement against both the person whom we have criticized and the law. If God has not used his power to destroy, who are we to take someone down with our words? Our duty is to hang onto the law of love. 

PRACTICE

Read through the verses referenced at the beginning of this devotional. Which aspect of caring for the family stands out as missing in your interaction with a brother or sister of whom it is difficult for you to speak kindly?

Thank God for whom He has created them to be. Express your difficulty loving them. Ask forgiveness. Ask Holy Spirit to change your heart and guide you into a new way of interaction.

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July 30:

Read James 4:1-10

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you,” says James (4:8). In chapter three, James contrasts a quarrelsome, bitter life with a life of peace and right living. In chapter four, he informs us the key to stripping away conflict from our lives is to draw close to God. What does that look like to you? How exactly do we draw close? Does it mean read the Bible and you and Jesus will be sidled up next to each other? Does a disciplined prayer life bring us close to God? What if we have trouble engaging in those activities? Is that indicative of an inability to draw close which means the Lord is distant from us?

I have a new job working with a tailor sewing alterations. In the shop, I sew on seven different machines depending on the task. Two of the machines are a typical two thread system while others require three or four thread sources. One uses a single spool of thread. Each machine must be threaded properly to produce a working stitch. One day, with diagram in hand, I attempted to properly thread one of the four-thread machines. It looked as though every loop and hole was sequenced as indicated, but the threads still wouldn’t create a stitch. After an unsuccessful thirty minutes, I asked my boss for help. Having lost so much time, I worked on another task while she resolved the issue. What good is that? What will I do the next time I need to rethread the machine? I can attempt to sit with the instruction manual again, but that on its own hadn’t work. What I need is hands on teaching and practice. 

The Passion Translation of James 4:8 is, “Move your heart closer and closer to God and he will come even closer to you.” This depicts an action of the heart rather than the mind. James calls us to purify our hearts, cleanse our lives. Stop the doubt. Live an undivided life. Reading an instruction manual won’t do. Do you want to be close to God? 1) Know God’s desires and where they conflict with yours. This does require time reading His instruction manual and conversation with Him, 2) Allow Him to put His hands on your hands and teach you as you practice choosing His way over your way. Watch peace grow in your life: peace of heart, of mind, and in your relationships. One without two will keep us threading our machine in the same, erroneous way over and over again, and  wondering why the Lord feels so distant.

PRACTICE

a) Where there is lack of peace, there is lack of trust or surrender to Jesus our Lord. Where is there conflict or lack of peace in your life? Would you like peace? Say, “Jesus, I need peace in ____________.” 

b) Search the Bible and ask Holy Spirit what God’s desire is. 

c) Remember, God provides the grace to choose His way over your way.

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July 23: “Worldly Wise or Heavenly Smart?”

Read James 3:13-18

“Will you pray for me? I really need wisdom!” Has a friend ever asked you to pray that they would receive wisdom? Or have you asked a friend to pray that you might have wisdom? What is wisdom? Is it merely good sense, good judgement? Is it making decisions based on knowledge or experience? Is it being able to apply God’s principles in our lives? And how do we get it? Once we have it, do we have it forever?  Is age or experience required before we become wise? Some of those questions were answered in James 1:5: “If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all.”  Proverbs says that wisdom is a gift from God. In many verses we read that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom, not fear in the sense of being afraid of God, but rather having a reverence or an awe of God, and living humbly before him. 

This week’s passage from James 3 talks about two types of wisdom: wisdom that comes from God and wisdom that is man-centered. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. Good advice from a friend can sound like God’s wisdom, and wisdom from God can sometimes sound absurd and completely illogical. But if we are growing in an intimate relationship with Jesus, his voice must be the deciding factor. James contrasts the two types of wisdom by describing what they look like in our lives. James 3:14-16 tells us if we are motivated by jealousy or selfish ambition, boasting or lying, we can be sure we are not filled with God’s wisdom. That seems to suggest that the pursuit to satisfy our selfish desires will impede our ability to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and discern God’s wisdom. In contrast, James 3:13 says if we are wise and understand God’s ways our lives will be honorable, characterized by humility. The Message says it like this: “Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.” 

Many Proverbs agree with this, stating a wise person has a teachable heart, is humble and truthful, speaks life-giving words, and is known for his understanding. Good descriptors! Once again I’m challenged to ask, “Does my life look like that?” James 3:17-18 provides a fuller picture of a wise life: “Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next (steady), not two-faced (authentic). You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” (The Message). All these descriptors of wisdom…they sound like Jesus! May we be a people willing to be changed and shaped and formed by Wisdom.

Consider carving out “listening space” this week to sit with wisdom personified…Jesus.  Ask him what he would like to say to you. Ask him for ears to hear his voice of wisdom. Ask him for a humble, teachable heart, and a willingness to surrender your ways to his wisdom. Ask him what aspects of wisdom he would like to grow in you.  And then…walk in the way of wisdom with the One who is the source of all wisdom.

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July 16: “The Power of Words”

Read James 3:1-12

            Words are small things that carry incredible power! They have the power to hurt or to heal, the power to discourage or transform, the power to speak death or breathe life. Words can build others up or tear others down, and words reveal what is hidden within our heart. This passage from James is very clear about the power of the tongue to affect change or bring destruction. In Luke 6:45b we read, “The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.” (The Voice) or in the RSV “Out of the overflow (or abundance) of the heart, the mouth speaks.” 

So what is the overflow of your heart? What do your words reveal about the condition of your heart? Is your speech seasoned with love, patience, kindness, gentleness? Do your words encourage gratitude and openness, extend grace and healing, and affirm the beauty in another person? Do you seek to build others up, see the good, focus on the “Jesus-likeness” you see in others? Or do your words tear down, criticize, and pronounce judgment, pointing out faults and flaw in others, focusing on the rough edges? Do you speak harshly about others behind their backs, spread gossip and slander, or expose brokenness, justifying your words as your right to your opinion? James seems to say that our words are a very good indicator of what is growing in our heart…IF we are willing to take an honest look at them.

Jesus’ invitation to us is to be a people who speak life-giving words to others and about others. He invites us to view every single person we meet as a child of God, a beloved child of God who may or may not yet know their Heavenly Father, but who is every bit as loved by God as we are. That is a powerful way of reframing the way we see others. That person who bugs me, who has hurt me, who doesn’t do things the way I do, or see things the way I see them is deeply loved by the God I love and he calls me to love them too; love those who are like me and those who aren’t, those who believe like me and those who don’t, those who are kind to me and those who aren’t. Love…period, in word and in deed. 

This invitation is extended to all of us as a community of Jesus-followers. I wonder what Hope Community might look like if we all committed to speaking words of encouragement and life to one another? to walk away from gossip or complaining? to look for and affirm the beauty and goodness in one another? I pray that the Spirit of Life will convict us and empower us to become a people and a community where our words create a stunning environment of hope and healing.

It is supposed to take 3 weeks to break an old habit. Choose a habit of speech you wish to break and replace: complaining, arguing, criticizing, judging, dismissing, controlling, gossiping, impatience, harshness, defensiveness.  Ask the Holy Spirit to work this change in your heart and help you to replace your old speech patterns with words of life! Ask 2-3 people to pray with you over the next three weeks while you attend to this habit.

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July 9th: “Faith on the Move”

Read JAMES 2:13-26

“Just as a body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works”
(James 2:26).

Have you walked along the Bow River, gingerly maneuvering over layers of smooth, round stones? These rocks, once rough with pointed edges have been
worn down by their journey downriver, banging into each other with damaging impact and smoothed by abrasive sediment. They now line the riverbed and its
banks. A bed for the flow of forceful waters. A natural barrier to help prevent erosion.

As I spent time on the river the other day, I thought of how faith is formed by life’s turbulence, relationships that bang into us, and sedimentary words rubbing
against our hearts and minds. If Jesus is our bedrock, these experiences strip away our rough edges, and the smooth, round stones of faith settle to become a
solid, protective barrier between us and life’s rushing waters.

I looked at these stones in the Bow and saw how lifeless they were unless the water carried them. They were without breath, but if I took the flattest stones in
my hand, they could make the best skippers across the water’s surface. If I gathered a collection of shapes, they could be formed into an inuksuk. Our faith,
too, is dead and useless unless we take it in our hands and give it life and breath by holding it out to others. It is a vulnerable action, exposing where we have
been banged up or where we have tripped up. We leave ourselves open to the deepening of faith through continued abrasive smoothing. Like Abraham who
built a sacrificial altar on God’s promise rather than on fear (Ge. 22), so can we, in faith, gather our stones and use them to help another lay a solid, protective
barrier for the rushing waters of their life. Without this action, our faith is incomplete (Ja. 2:22).

PRACTICE

Take time to be quiet before God. Ask Him to reveal to you the ways in which life’s rushing waters have formed your faith. Make a paper list or go to the river
and gather stones. Write a different faith formation on each stone. Let Holy Spirit settle your eye on one stone. In whose life will you place that stone this week?

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July 2nd: “Playing Favourites”

Read James 2:1-12

You and I, we are royalty. We are children of the Father-King. Our kingdom is often referred to as the upside-down kingdom. It was established by our first-
born brother the Prince of Peace, who was born in a stable located in a good-for-nothing land. His message maintained that the first shall be last, and the last
shall be first. He declared that the seats at His feasts would be filled by the rejected. He came to exemplify and fulfill the royal law of our Father-King. It is the
perfect law. Upheld, it means every aspect of our life—what we think, say and do—will profess love for our neighbour and value their place in our community.
We won’t insult or shun. If, in fact, we are a child of the King, the royal law says we will love all of His children. This is not a burden we carry. Love brings liberty;
its mercy dominates over judgement. We are victorious (1 John 5:1-5)!

Between the 1600’s – 1800’s, churches saved pews near the pulpit for the elite or those purchased through “offerings” of the wealthy. Favouritism is not
always so blatant. It might be granted on the basis of educational status, popularity, perceived giftedness, political opinion, ethnicity, or appearance. It is
demonstrated in our choice of whom we take time for, have intentional conversation with, or invite into our homes for meals and celebrations. It is the
position of our heart towards another.

How do we refrain from merciless judgement? We are sealed in this life by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14). Through Him we live nobly to receive our crown of
life.

PRACTICE

Ask our Father a hard question: Lord, King of this world, who do I reject out of prejudice? Who do Your eyes of mercy see as heirs while my wounded eyes
judge and scorn? Become aware of the person God pointed out, then choose a way in which you are safe but uncomfortable to practice the royal law. Here are a few
suggestions:
*Listen to what God has to say about this person and so discover something for which you can appreciate them. Then offer a word of thanks to the Lord for the
gift of who they are in your community.
*Invite this person to participate in an activity with you and your group of friends this week. Then offer a word of thanks to the Lord for the gift of who they are in
your community.
*Ask this person out for coffee. Find commonalities, appreciate differences. Then offer a word of thanks to the Lord for the gift of who they are in your community.

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June 25: “Mirror, Mirror On the Wall”

Read James 1:19-27

Listen! This is the word that jumps out to me in this passage; listen to those around you and listen to God’s Word. When we listen well, without trying to push our own agenda, or convince someone to think what we think, or believe what we believe, without having to be right or win the argument, we are creating heart space. This kind of listening is other-focused, inviting each person to feel heard, to feel understood, to feel accepted, just as they are, with their wounds and their gifts. This kind of listening is welcoming; it is a safe space where we can share deeply, openly and authentically. This kind of listening puts loving others first, and this kind of listening is rare! James says, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” It’s hard to be angry with another person when we listen in this way, because we are
honoring them as a person created by God, a bearer of His image, and worthy to be seen, worthy to be heard. James Houston said, “I doubt that Jesus did anything more important in his ministry that listen to people in such a way that they discovered the image of God in themselves.” What a beautiful picture of the power of listening well!

The second “listening” that James talks about is listening to God’s Word. The Passion Translation (paraphrased) says, “With a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word. Don’t just listen to the Word and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception.” The Amplified version of the Bible says it this way: “But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].” Self-deception! Deluding yourself…Yikes! Those are strong words. I have been guilty of this, justifying my selfish behavior, my anger, my judgement or criticism of another, thinking I have grounds to treat others poorly, or blame others, which is really just downright disobedience to
God’s Word on my part. I don’t want to be that person! Lord, open my ears to hear your Word as it applies to my life! Open my eyes to see where I am deceiving myself, blind to my sin.

So how can we become people who listen well to others and who listen to and seek to live out God’s Word? I think maybe it’s connected to a sensitive spirit, attentiveness to the still small voice, and living from that place of hearing Holy Spirit’s leading. Two practices that can
help us listen well are:

Slowing: Refuse busyness and hurry in order to live in the present moment; move slower, talk slower, read slower, drive slower. Keep company with Jesus often in your day: breathe in his presence, breathe out your anxiety.

Unplugging: Deliberately put your phone away and avoid the lure of social media. Refuse to allow devices to interrupt relationships or intentional time with God.

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June 18: “Trial and Temptations, O No!”

Read James 1:9-18

In this week’s passage, we once again see the word “endure” and once again it’s linked to troubles, trials, and temptation. “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.” (v.12) Hmmm…it seems like we can’t avoid tough situations! But James reminds us that in the enduring, not only do we see our faith grow, but we receive God’s blessings, his good gifts. This is why we can welcome every thought, feeling, emotion, person, situation and condition, as we prayed last week. None of it is wasted! It will all be used to grow us and what’s more, God will bless us in the trials! One of my favorite quotes comes from the book, The Land Between, by Jeff Manion: “God often leads us through the land we most want to avoid in order to produce the fruit we most desperately desire.” I have found this to be true!

These first 12 verses have made it very clear that we will go through trouble in this life, It’s also clear that God will use difficult circumstances to grow us, mature us, and bless us; He reveals his heart of love, his compassion, his grace, and his faithfulness to us in the middle of it all. But our response to trouble is really important; it dictates how we walk through these times, and even determines whether we have eyes to “see” God in the middle of it all. Will we live with open hands and open hearts, trusting that God is doing something good, or blame others or try to control people or circumstances, forcing things to go the way we want them to?

God offers us many opportunities to choose Him and follow his ways every day…many tiny little choices. James 1:13-15 make it clear that God does not tempt us to do wrong or to follow evil ways. That temptation is a result of our divided loyalties, our misplaced desires, our self-centered thoughts, our entitled mindsets, and the idols in our lives that capture our attention. When we are tempted, it is always because we have taken our eyes off Jesus and fixed them on our circumstances or on something or someone we think might get us what we want. It is our desire for love or approval or esteem or pleasure or ease which entices us and drags us into temptation and sin. But the hunger in our hearts can be satisfied by God alone. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift (v.16-18).

This week consider practicing “Acceptance and Surrender” through Gratitude. A simple prayer something like the one below, prayed throughout our day can help us to fix our eyes on Jesus’ way and avoid the temptation to be enticed by our selfish or unhealthy desires. “Lord Jesus, I surrender my agenda and plans into your hands. Help me accept myself, others, and my circumstances, trusting your heart and being grateful for your presence with me.” And then thank God for his good and perfect gifts!

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June 11: “A Faith Shaped Life” 

Read James 1:2-8 

“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy!” (v. 2 NLT) 

What a challenge! Respond to troubles with joy? This is not my natural response, and I have had to intentionally cultivate this mindset. We can only do this when we believe God has a bigger purpose for everything that comes to us and that we don’t have to do life alone, in our own strength; He is with us in the middle of all our circumstances! 

The Welcome Prayer, by Father Thomas Keating, begins with these words: “Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it is for my healing. I welcome every thought, feeling, emotion, person, situation and condition.” This has been a transformative prayer for me, shifting my mindset, bringing acceptance and an unexpected sense of peace in hard realities, and opening my eyes to the truth of these verses in James: trouble or hard circumstances REALLY are an opportunity for great joy! We get to see God do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, and our faith is multiplied! And James 1:3-4 says this testing of our faith grows our endurance, a good thing in God’s eyes. Instead of pouting or getting angry, we have an opportunity to develop endurance, patience, perseverance AND Joy!! 

James goes on to say that God gives wisdom to his children, generously, without rebuke, to anyone who asks. But the qualifying factor, again, is faith…faith in God, believing, trusting that he wants to give us good gifts. If our loyalty is divided, we are told not to expect anything from the Lord. (v. 5-8) 

My encouragement to you this week is to cultivate faith, to pray the welcome prayer every day, inviting God into every part of your life, believing that He is doing something good in you and that His presence, his love, his wisdom and his strength to endure are as close as a breathed prayer. 

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! 

I welcome everything that comes to me this day because I know it is for my healing.

I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations and conditions. 

I let go of my desire for power and control. 

I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure. 

I let go of my desire for survival and security. 

I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself. 

I open to the love and presence of God, and God’s work within me.

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