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The center of the Traditional Anglican Communion; adhering to the Holy Bible (KJV) in all matters of Faith and Doctrine, a strict reliance on the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, The two Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, the Two Creeds, and the Homilies and formularies of the Reformation Church of England.

Verse of the Day

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Devotion on the Book of James (Part Two, 1:5-11) - 27 November 2013, Anno Domini


5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9  Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. (James 1:5-11)

            In verse 1:4 of our introduction to this Book, reference is made to the perfection expected of the saint through patient endurance. Now the necessary accoutrements of perfection are articulated by James in in verses 5 and 6, and then we are advised of those attitudes and behaviors that diminish perfection in verses 7 through 11. The description continues as well in the following verses through verse 19. The entire first 19 verses describe the trials and temptations of the righteous. It might be noted that were it not for imperfections, there would be no perfection. IT is through our imperfections that God works to makes us wholly perfect. It was through faith that valiant men were made strong out of their weakness:  “Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (Heb 11:34)

            Without wisdom, there can be approach to perfection in Christ. So how is wisdom obtained? 5  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” In fact, wisdom has already been placed squarely in the hands of every man that truly seeks after it – in the form of the Holy Bible. But the Holy Bible is a Book whose Words and meaning far surpass the mortal mind’s ability to comprehend. So being armed with the tool of learning, the Bible, let us pray to God to open our eyes to its meaning as we read through the eyes of the Holy Ghost! “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt 7:7-8) There is never any shame associated with the asking of God for wisdom. He is most happy to supply it through His Holy Word and enlightened by the Light of the Holy Ghost.

            How should we ask wisdom of the Lord and by what attitude of our prayers? But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” Faith is confirmed in truth. If it is the truth we seek and believe, our faith is renewed and we ask out of no doubt of grant. If we lack faith and assurance, doubting the power or will of God to grant us wisdom, then we are victims of every wind of doctrine which is of men, and not God’s, invention. Without the North Star of Truth to Guide us, we are driven hither and yon by the winds of the eternal sea.

            We cannot serve God and Mammon, or God and Baal. We must settle on the pure faith in God when we seek that wisdom desired. “For let not that man thinks that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” If we doubt the reality of God, why pray to that which we doubt. I am emboldened when someone asks me to help them. Why? Because I know that they believe I am ABLE to help them. If we are going to ask anything of God, we had best first believe that He is ABLE to deliver. If our prayers are tentative, they may as well be whispered on the wind. This applies not only to wisdom, but to any petition we make to God.

            Why is adultery such a sin? Or idolatry which is its spiritual equivalent? Because it undermines the institution of MARRIAGE. In the case of adultery – marriage between a man and a woman. In the case of idolatry – marriage between Christ and His Bride (the Church). When we place an equal value on any other woman than our own wives, or any other material or spiritual value on anything but God, we are double-minded. 8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” A double-minded friend is one who sides with you to your face, and with your enemy to your back. Heaven knows we have had our experience with such men in the ministry of our churches – forever seeking to better feather their beds with power, prestige, or even money. Such men cannot be trusted and are never to be depended upon.

            In reality, we are faced with diametrically opposed temptations – one of ADVERSITY, and the other of prosperity. These two are alike only in the fact that our response to each depends on whether it is pleasing to God.

            9  “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted.” The man who is a brother in Christ and who is of lowly estate may rejoice in the fact that he is exalted in the Lord according to his faith. Even spiders dwell in king’s palaces. “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.” (Prov 30:28) It may be a blessing to be lowly for it is a protection against the temptation of riches that often turn our heads from the straight and narrow Way. 10 “But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.” Indeed, the rich may be made lowly in spirit in the same was as Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” He did not cast all of his wealth away, but rather began using it for the purposes God intended. He became humble and lowly in spirit – a characteristic of our Lord Jesus Christ! Money brings much pleasure and a good fragrance, but those qualities are vain and short-lived as the desert flower that blooms one day and blows with the wind the next.


            Wealth and glory are likewise fleeting. We may enjoy opulence for a second compared to the eternity that we shall spend elsewhere. 11 “For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.” One fine morning, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, and the heat of His Righteousness shall wither away all of the external graces of wealth and beauty. At that time, the soul is left naked, as is, before the Great Judge of all men. What will that soul, at last, be and how shall it stand before God. Will it wither in the fires of Hell, or blossom anew in the courts of New Jerusalem?  Have you sought wisdom by the diligent asking and seeking of it from God? If you have known wisdom, you will have known the Author of Wisdom as well – the Lord Jesus Christ!

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