JEWELS FROM JAMES #5

FORTIFY YOUR FAITH!

So far in James, Chapter One, we have considered the following truths James taught us:

1) How faith responds to trials or testings - verses 1-4

2) The importance and value of Seeking Divine Wisdom - verses 5-8

3) How faith handles Poverty and Plenty - verses 9-11

4) How faith responds to temptations - verses 12-17

Today our thoughts center on how Faith Responds to Truth - verses 18-27. These verses teach us how to Fortify Our Faith! The word "fortify" is a verb and it means to make something strong and secure. So, we are talking about making our Christian faith stronger and more secure, as we truly live in a very hostile and anti-Christian faith culture. How we respond to Truth will determine how we are able to Biblically respond to trials/testings, as well as to temptations. What James taught about Truth takes rise in verse 18: "In the exercise of His own will, He (God) brought us forth by the word of Truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creations." The picture that James painted here is one that shows us "how to fortify/strengthen our faith"!

First, James said we must have a READINESS TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD! He is speaking directly to followers of Jesus; "My Dear Brothers". "This you know, my beloved brethren." (James 1:19). He continued, "But everyone must be swift (quick) to hear" (listen)! How we hear or listen has a very direct effect on our Christian faith! As the Apostle Paul said, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). To strengthen our faith, we must be reading the Word of God consistently! The source of what we are ready and willing to hear has much to do with whether our faith will be fortified or will fail. We can either digest God's Word, meditate on it, study it, seek for deeper understanding, OR we can chose instead to spend time reading secondary, secular, fiction, novels, and make-believe literature. Can I ask, "What do you read and listen to?" You know what? Without any apology, I say to all of us . . . how we hear and listen to the Word of God (Scripture) says a lot about the strength of our faith and our fellowship with God! Jesus Himself said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:16). The Apostle John told us, "We are of God, He who knows God hears, he who is not of God does not listen" (I John 4:6). There are three kinds of listeners . . . (which are you):

1) There are those people who are slow (reluctant by choice) to hear. These type of listeners can hear repeated sermons, read a host of blogs, listen to Christian podcasts, engage in consistent Bible studies and never give any of it a second thought; they fail to act on what they have heard or read! You know the old saying "it goes in one ear and out the other." It is true and sad that one day they will surely regret the fact that they were not ready or interested enough to hear the Word! Listen to Moses at this point, "THE LORD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM (JESUS) YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22-23). "Heeding" implies LISTENING!

2) There are those people who are selective in what they hear. This type of listener hears ONLY what they want to hear (mostly things which suit them and make them happy). We all listen for the things that are important to us. We choose that which is both important and desireable to hear!

3) Then, there are those people who pursue (seek after) and are indeed ready to hear Truth! This is the kind of listener that God wants us to be. We read about Cornelius who sent for Peter to come to his home, saying ". . . Now then we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord" (Acts 10:30-33). The characteristics of a person who seeks after the Truth of God are Availability, Teachability, Alertness, In Tune, Interested and Ready for those opportunities God provides for us to listen to His Word! If we are ever to fortify our faith, then we must be actively seeking for the Truth and be ready to listen to it! I want to assure you that with God's help and your will, you can choose to be a GOOD and responsive listener!

Second, we must BE SLOW TO SPEAK! James hit the nail on the head when he said, "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless" (James 1:26). Many of us would do well to put our hand over our own mouth and pratice self-control when it comes to speaking. God gave us two ears to hear with, but only one mouth to speak.

Third, we are to BE SLOW TO WRATH (anger)! Again, James clearly said, "slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20). James meant we are to guard against and avoid persistent and uncontrolled anger; man's wrath and God's righteousness are complete opposites!

Fourth, James taught that WE MUST DISCARD THE BAD (SIN) AND EMBRACE THE GOOD (RIGHTEOUS HUMILITY)! Make no mistake, followers of Jesus must discard (get rid of, avoid, walk away from) all moral filth and evil which are the prevalent remains of wickedness. Sometimes we stop short in our repudiation of sin; our repentance or severance from past sin may not have been as complete as it should be! James said, "Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word (of God) implanted, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). This IS A MUST IF OUR FAITH IS TO BE FORTIFIED!

Fifth, to strength our faith, WE MUST OBEY GOD'S WORD! The truth James taught is, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). Hearing is one thing; acting on what we hear is quite another! Obedience to God's Truth of His Word is NOT an option for His people; it is an absolute requirement. "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by (obeys) it, not having become a forgetful hearer BUT an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:23-25). James gave us three assurances regarding obedience to His Word: 1) We realize our own short comings - vv. 22-24; 2) We realize that good only comes from obeying God's will - vs 25; and 3) Obedience results in freedom and blessing - vs. 25.

Sixth, James taught that for Faith to be Fortified, WE MUST PROACTIVELY CULTIVATE THAT FAITH WHICH INDWELLES US! God honors and blesses the faith that is fruitfully pure and faultless as in: The tongue is controlled (vs. 26); distressed orphans and widows are cared for; and our life-style remains pure or unpolluted. He said this as he closed Chapter One, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:27).

Reading this blog, or even reading the first chapter of James' Epistle is not sufficient for our faith to be fortified, it will take our personal and persistent application of the Truth in the chapter for our faith to flourish! I want to exhort all of us to apply these six principles to our own lives; starting today!