James 2

Well I hope you loved James chapter 1 as much as I did. It's amazing how you can read something you have read many times before and get something totally different out of it. To me, it's proof that the Word of God has a heartbeat. It's living, breathing and working in our lives to bring about change. His Word never changes but it does speak to us differently at different times in our lives. Some of you may already do this but I do something that really helps me soak up the meaning of scripture. Before I read, I pray God will remove the distractions. I am not so much talking about our kids being loud because if you are a Mom, you have learned to hear the TV and carry on conversations through the worst of fits. The distraction I am referring to is your mind. So pray that God will clear out your mind and allow His word to come alive. At times you may feel as if everything you read is just words but the incredible and powerful thing about God's Word is how it penetrates your soul and finds a place to rest without you even knowing it and as it plants itself in your heart, you change. And that's what this is all about! CHANGE!!

So here we go! Time to change!

James 2 (The Message)

1-4 My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row," haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted?

5-7 Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn't it the high and mighty who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind? Aren't they the ones who scorn the new name—"Christian"—used in your baptisms?

Now I won't go off on my soap box here and state the obvious about churches. There are churches targeting upper class people for the sake of building their own kingdom. One of the things I loved about the church plant we were apart of here is that the Pastor had a heart to reach out to all. All income levels. He was never concerned with finding people who would tithe. He wanted people who would serve people. It takes a lot of faith to plant a church in a blue collar community where the men and women are often working by the sweat of their brow. I have attended some beautiful churches in the past with beautiful buildings filled with beautiful people. I am not saying those people do not need to be reached. What I am saying is it is sad when churches forget about those who are not beautiful with beautiful bank accounts. What about those truly in need?

8-11 You do well when you complete the Royal Rule of the Scriptures: "Love others as you love yourself." But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others. The same God who said, "Don't commit adultery," also said, "Don't murder." If you don't commit adultery but go ahead and murder, do you think your non-adultery will cancel out your murder? No, you're a murderer, period.

12-13 Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.

When I read this verse there was a lot of stuff popping out at me regarding the church and all my feelings about how churches really screw this up. But instead of making this about the church, I know this is about me and what it speaks to MY life.

Wal Mart is not a place I like to go because it's a hassle. Sure if I can go by myself and get what I need quick and leave, it's not so bad. But let's face it. The lines are long, the employees are not always helpful, the fellow shoppers are often unfriendly and it just isn't what I call a haven of happiness. Wal Mart is not fun unless it's 11pm and I am doing a late night shop with my friend Heidi. Since I walk into Wal Mart with dread, I tend to somehow pick the line with the friendly, awkward cashier who tells me crazy stories or looks at my items on the conveyor belt and begins to comment on my purchases. As they scan my rat traps they ask, "So you have rats in your house??" And then I have to go into a conversation that annoys me and explain, "No, they are in our garage." Then the cashier says, "Well, if they're in your garage, they're in your house!" I try not to make eye contact hoping they will quit talking. But why? Why do I do that? A few months ago the Holy Spirit nudged me ever so gently and said, "Show yourself friendly. Have conversation. Talk back. Maybe they need to hear from you today." In the church world we think if we are being lead to talk to someone that MUST mean we are supposed to ask "Do you know Jesus?". No, no, no. What if God is only wanting us to say "hello"?

14-17 Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I must admit that I have seasons of words and no action. My heart truly wants to serve, help and do the hard work in my community to show others Christ. But one thing I have learned about myself is that it is much easier for me to tell about him than to show him. UGH! What if I just served and loved and never mentioned his name? This has been a battle raging within me for a few years now. It's not that I don't want to help or serve. I do. I love people and I care about people but I'm selfish. I don't always want to do the hard work. My testimony and the wisdom I have gained from going through pain is worth sharing. But I do need to get better at putting it into action without having to talk about it.

What opportunities have you missed to serve? Who and what is on your radar screen? Those opportunities may seem like a burden or annoyance but does Christ want us to be comfortable or tired from helping those in need? Who is knocking on your door for help? Who has asked you to do something you really don't want to do?

18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Where can I put my faith into action? I think this is where churches miss it! This is where I miss it! We get so busy building our own kingdom that we don't get out into the community to serve for the sake of serving. We serve to bring people in. And that is not what God intended for us to do! This scripture has spoken to me today in a brand new way. In fact, it's really jacked with me and is leaving with me some MAJOR questions. As I type this, I am freaked out! :) There is so much God wants to teach me that I constantly miss and have to go back and learn again.

We live in a world of people who don't know Christ and those of us who grew up in church thinks everyone understands our Christian "lingo". Well let me tell you, they don't! In fact this afternoon I am having coffee with a friend who God has used to punch me in the gut many times with a reality check. I have been so surrounded by CHRIST FOLLOWERS who use the CHRIST FOLLOWER verbiage. Alert, alert! Most people have no clue what you are talking about!

For the past few months I have been making new friends through Ava Beth's dance academy. Guess what? We have never talked about God. I really have no clue as to what they believe or don't believe. But I like these women and I know God has put them in my life and I really enjoy spending time with both of them. With one of them, I have truly made a connection. So much that when she switched her daughter to a more convenient class for their schedule, I was very sad and now I am trying to figure out how her and I can hang out often. I have gone back and forth on so many things regarding the "church" and God always brings me back to relationship and how reaching others and showing others Jesus starts with how we love people.

Who can you reach out to? Who can you show yourself friendly to? Are you trying to make sure they go to church or believe the way you do first? Or are you just loving to love?

19-20 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

The NIV translation of this makes it pretty clear. Even the demons believe in God. I instantly thought of the song by Dierks Bentley called The Heaven I'm Headed To. As Christians we think we got it all figured out. We think we know who will be in Heaven. But I am must say that I have come face to face with many "church people" that I am not so sure KNOW God. They may believe in Him but believing is not enough. I think we will be surprised who is NOT in Heaven, not so much who IS in Heaven.

Are others able to look into your life and truly see something different? It does not matter if you have been baptised, go to church or believe? WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE SAY? Oh and listen to Dierks' song, even if you don't like Country music! It will make you think.

21-24 Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?


25-26
The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

This morning my sweet Heidi called and shared a little story with me about someone on her radar screen. It got me so excited because after we hung up, I thought about what God was doing and what He is using her for. God give us opportunities CONSTANTLY to serve Him by loving His people. It may not be convenient, fun or easy but it is not by chance that you are where you are to DO SOMETHING!

Where is your faith lacking action??? This is something I am seriously praying about because I feel I have missed it in sooooooooooooo many ways. I am so thankful for the people God has placed in my life for seasons and for a lifetime who are teaching me how to serve and love God by loving people.

I sense change coming my way. The good thing about it is, the healthy thing about it is, I am not ticked off about anyone or anything. The change is coming because God has my attention. I'm tired of the status quo! I do not want to be content with where I'm at any longer. There are some people in my life I need to go to and ask for forgiveness. I am praying for the right time and place. I have judged and I need to go back and make things right.

WOW! God is doing something big in me through this passage! It's so amazing because you never know how God is going to use scripture to open your eyes. I'm amazed by His power. Amazed.