James 1
This month will be spent with the letters written by James, Peter and John.
Now, normally when we hear of these 3 names, we will think of the 3 inner circle disciples – closest to Jesus. But this was not that James but James, generally believed to be the brother of Jesus.
The letter of James is full of active advise that we could use today as Christians. In fact, if we were to seriously consider every verse, it could take more than a month to even finish learning. But that was not James’ intention.
His intention is for us to take action.
Learn and do.
Do… Do.. and Do it again.
So without further ado…
Bible Passage: James 1
God is Generous… But Do We Ask for the Right Things?
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
~ James 1:5
Everyday we need to make decisions. And sometimes, these decisions carry with it significant consequences.
We can make a decision that will be best for us. Or we can make a wrong decision – which would be bad for us.
The problem is seeing , which is the good decision and which is the bad ones?
And for that, we need wisdom. And if we really lack true wisdom – there is only one place we can go.
No, it is not Kinokuniya for all those self help books.
We need to go to God and His word for directions and wisdom in our lives.
And when we do. God promises to give us this wisdom that we sorely need. Not just “book knowledge” but actual insights that will have an impact on our spiritual lives.
An God will never find fault in our requests. He wants us to come to Him and seek his Help. We have learned from young to trust in God and not lean on our own understanding. But very often, when we come to God in prayer, we fail to ask for the right thing. Instead, we pour our desires and wants to Him… forgetting that it is true wisdom from God that will help us way beyond our comprehension and expectations.
Remember King Solomon. When asked for what he wanted, he replied that he wanted to have wisdom from God. And God generously gave him wisdom and much much more.
Which brings me nicely to the next verse that caught my eye today…
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
~ James 1:17
We can go to God and ask for wisdom. At the same time, God in His mercy and goodness, has also blessed us with gifts and talents. And these are to be used for His glory and for the building of His holy kingdom.
God is generous and gives us loads of abilities and talents.
But a lot of us, including me, tend to use them for our own profit and gain.
The problem is… when we do this, we become guilty of selfishness.
In the world, when we work for our bosses or companies, we do so in such a way that will contribute to the profit, growth and even glory for the company. When the owner of the company profits, in general, all the employees profit too. And in Singapore, most of us work hard to ensure this happens.
But what about our Heavenly company? The Kingdom?
As stewards of the manifold graces of God, do we invest our talents and abilities for God and His glory?
If God is glorified, we too will be blessed.
Everything we do, we should be doing it for His glory and honour.
At least, it is a start in repaying God for His bountiful generosity to us (not that we can ever repay anything).
Just think about this as we go through the week.