A Life Worthy

…the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wildflower (James 1:10).

Who do you think you are?

Wealth, power, worldly position—they mean nothing before the cross of Christ.

And that’s OK.

Actually, it’s better than OK.

When I recognize how small and insignificant I really am it drives me back to the Cross.

Which is right where I need to be.

Go back and read verse 9 alongside verse 10 and you get the big picture.  Of yourself you have nothing, you are nothing, no matter what the world sees.

In him…everything.  No matter what the world sees.

And that, Beloved, is the beauty of it.

You are his.  Walk in pride today.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed about by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (James 1:6-8).

Is he God, or isn’t he?

Is Jesus Lord of your life, or is he not?

If he is, then why do you hesitate?

From time to time, people ask me for advice.  

I know…it’s crazy.  But every once in awhile…

When they do, I bathe their situation in prayer, line it up against Scripture, apply good old common sense, and give them an answer that I believe comes from wisdom.

Sometimes they follow that advice…great.

Sometimes they thank me, verbally embrace the soundness of my advice, and go off and do the opposite…and their situation falls apart.

Drives me crazy.

Now, I’m just Michael, and my wisdom is severely limited.  I can’t even imagine what it must be like for God, who has given us Scripture, and experience, and the Holy Spirit, to see us receive his wisdom and respond, “Gee, I don’t know…”

I realize that some situations are complicated, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer.  God knows that too, and I don’t think he faults us for times of genuine confusion.

But

More often than not, the answer is simple enough; it just isn’t the answer we want.  So our emotions come charging in to cloud the issue, and everything becomes more convoluted and complicated than it needs to be.

Have you asked for wisdom, Beloved?  Have you gone to Scripture, gone to prayer, gone to godly mentors?

Have you received an answer?

Well, then…?

Happy Thursday, Beloved.  Walk in wisdom.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4).

Sticktoitiveness.

That’s what my grandma used to call it.  James calls it perseverance, a term that works almost as well.  It’s that quality of taking one more step, trying one more time, going one more mile.

You know what I think is really interesting?  James names perseverance as the character trait that will make us mature and complete.

Not strength.

Not wisdom.

Not intelligence.

Perseverance.

Why that quality, apart from the others?  It’s not very exciting, not very romantic.  There’s really nothing very heroic about it at all.

Which, I think, is precisely why God calls us to it.

I told you that when I was in high school, I ran for the cross country team.  Cross country was a fall sport, but it wasn’t the fall sport.  That, of course, was football.  Football was played by the physical elite, big muscly dudes who went toe-to-toe under the bright lights in a stadium full of people.

And cheerleaders.

Cross country…not so much.  We rarely drew crowds, and I never saw a cheerleader.  We were the leftovers, guys who weren’t big enough to play football, but still wanted that sweaty locker room experience.  There was really only one lesson you had to learn in order to succeed at cross country.

Don’t stop running.

You see, the races were so stinking long.  No matter how big or how fast you were, it ultimately came down to who refused to quit.  It was not unusual to see a sprinter-type jump out to an early lead, only to falter after half a mile or so.  The winners were often skinny little guys who, in the end, just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

I think that’s what God is looking for in us.  Sure, he wants us to be strong and wise and smart.  What he’s really looking for, however, is the one who will run the race, day or night, hot or cold, rain or shine, when no crowds are there to cheer them on.

Are you that one?  Are you willing to run the race that most people never see?  Are you willing to keep putting one foot in front of the other, long past the point where you want to give up?

Cause it’s a long race.

If you’re in trials today, Beloved, know that God is using them to teach you good old sticktoitiveness.  Hold tight to his hand, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  You’re in training, and you are going to make it.

By his grace.

For his glory.

Keep running, Beloved.

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever (Proverbs 10:25).

What storm are you weathering today, Beloved?

Career?  Relational?  Health?  Financial? Emotional?

You will survive it.  The promise is right here in this verse.  

The wicked—the children of this world—are swept away by the storms of life.  That makes sense, because this life, this world, is everything to them.  Literally, it is all they have.  When it blows away, they go with it.

But you are different.

You are his.

Your roots are sunk deep, not into the shifting sands of this world, but into the solid rock of Christ.

Aren’t they?

If that question gives you pause, you may want to spend a little time before the Throne of Grace this morning, getting your righteousness on.

By the way, don’t let that word, “righteousness,” spook you.  It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect.  Righteousness simply means you have a right relationship with God, that when the Father looks at you, he sees past the sin to the Son who died to pay for that sin.  Your sins are forgiven, your debt is paid, and you are right with God—righteous.

So, if you have any business to do with God this morning—any confession, any repentance, any receiving of grace—do it.  Make sure, before you step out into the storm, that your roots are deep in the Rock.

Stand firm, Beloved.

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise (Proverbs 10:19).

I talk too much.  That revelation comes as no surprise to those of you who know me.  I find that this Scripture could easily be my life verse, and probably many of yours as well.  We have all experienced that moment of wishing we could “unsay” that ill-timed, unkind, ungodly word.

But we can’t.

So I’m going to take God’s advice today, and hold my tongue.  Obviously, that will make it difficult to type without getting the keys all wet, so I’ll make my typed words few, as well.

See, now there’s an image you didn’t need.  I just proved my own point.

Enjoy the quiet today, Beloved.