It makes good sense to wait with purpose

Books, blogs, articles, and sermons are popular when they discuss the second coming of Christ. Why do we take so much interest in something that Jesus said we would never know or be able to anticipate? Jesus said, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). He could come right now while you enjoy a second cup of coffee and read this blog post.

James had no way of knowing God’s people would still be waiting more than 2000 years later when he told his church, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7–8).

The tulip bulbs I planted last winter are a beautiful reminder to me that, here in Texas, Spring has arrived. When I planted those bulbs, I had no way of knowing when they would bloom. When a farmer plants his crops, he doesn’t know the exact day to schedule the harvest. We can put bulbs and seeds in the ground, but it is up to God to bring the rains, control the winds, and produce the miracle from a tiny seed that turns into something amazing and able to feed our souls and bodies.

Our job is to wait on God’s timing, but we wait with purpose. Weeds need to be pulled and branches trimmed. There are places to step and places to avoid stepping. If God doesn’t send the rain, we must provide water from another source. We wait on God’s timing, but we have work to do while we wait.

We are called to wait with his good purpose

We don’t know when the Lord will return, but James tells us how to wait until that time. The Lord may return for every believer in the world this afternoon. The Lord will most certainly return for several believers today as they pass from this life to eternity. Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The word “today” meant “today” or immediately.

James taught his people to wait with the character of Jesus as we wait to see the face of Jesus. James wrote, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold the Judge is standing at the door” (James 5:9). I’ve often wondered how many words I would have kept to myself if I had thought of this verse first! James taught us to walk through this life as if Jesus were close by, listening to every word . . because he is.

James also reminded us about the patience of Job, a man who suffered the worst things this earthly life can subject a person to. He didn’t enjoy his suffering, but he held onto his steadfast faith, which promised a future life with God filled with joy and hope. Job understood that the Lord was compassionate and merciful (James 5:11). James taught his church that it is common sense to rely on the promises of our faith during the worst of times because our steadfast faith will keep us from grumbling about things. If we walk in faith, even the most difficult times can produce a godly witness that will be eternally blessed.

Our word can be our bond

James wrote, “Above all . . .do not swear, either by heaven or earth or by any other oath but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” It always felt like James 5:12 was out of place or an afterthought verse, but James, after the previous verses, says, “Above all.” James was likely referring to the oaths that were considered the verbal contracts of the day.

I like to think of James 5:12 as a summary of his entire letter. From the beginning, he has offered common-sense Christianity. James is a practical letter about how a Christian can live carefully and faithfully. In some ways, James 5:12 could be an umbrella of common sense for the entire letter. 

  • Chapter 1: There are trials in this life, and we ought not to be tossed about. Our steadfast faith in God should hold us firm, and our actions, especially during tough times, should show others that we don’t just know God’s word; we believe it.
  • Chapter 2: We should be careful to love everyone like God loves, without partiality, because we know we cannot judge anyone else’s character. Our job is to live with the character of Christ so that our faith is not just words we confess but something our daily actions prove we trust and believe.
  • Chapter 3: If we allow God to be Lord of our words, he can also be Lord of our actions. The tongue is a powerful rudder that tends also to steer our actions. If we receive the wisdom from above, we can then know and speak that wisdom to others. Our character can display the character of Christ if we will wisely live with that priority.
  • Chapter 4: We can live for the world and like the world. We can define success by the world’s standards. Or we can live our eternal lives daily as our highest priority.
  • Chapter 5: We can sacrifice our eternal treasure for the treasures of this world and claw our way to the top of earth’s ladder. Or, we can endure this life with steadfast faith in the hope of heaven. In humility, we can claw our way to the foot of the cross and choose to be more like Jesus.

And “above all” or overall, as James has taught in this amazing letter, we can make sure we are known as people who speak the truth of God all the time. Every lesson we teach and every action we take can be trusted because people know we are God’s children and we live truthful, faithful lives. Our “yes” and our “no” can be trusted.

What is your “prayer of faith”?

James closes his common-sense letter about faithful living by speaking about prayer (James 5:13–20). To summarize his words: In good times and bad, in sickness and health, in the sinful times and during your righteous days, confess, pray, and trust the power of your faith to carry you through every circumstance of this life.

When someone wanders from the truth, “bring him back.” Pray fervently for everyone because there is no greater use of our time than to “save a soul from death” because the salvation of even one person will cover a multitude of sins. 

The single most important reason to live a “Common-sense Christian” witness is that every person who God calls us to influence might be led to seek a saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

It’s the Lent season, a perfect time to carefully influence others with our faithful observance of all Easter means to our faith. Let’s be careful to live with humble gratitude for God’s Easter gift. Jesus died to pay for every sin. Jesus rose again as the living example of God’s power over death. 

Living wisely and carefully with James’ words in our hearts makes good practical sense. The sermon our life preaches may bring someone to church on Easter Sunday. How many sins could be erased if God’s people steadfastly lived as James taught?

“Above all,” let our words be true and our character Christ-like. Truth is a powerful witness, and its rewards are often eternal. May our common-sense Christianity be a sacrificial gift to Jesus this Easter. 

As we wait for his return, it makes good sense to wait with that purpose.

Sin is common, but avoiding it is common sense

Paul said it well when he said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). How do you handle that fact? Knowing we all sin can cause us to live more carefully because we are aware of our fallen natures. Or that knowledge can cause us to simply shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh well, everyone sins,” disregarding our sins as a normal part of life.

Sin is not a popular topic, but God’s word often deals with the subject, so we should consider it seriously. When we learn to live with an eternal perspective for our earthly lives, we can avoid a lot of sin.

For Christians, avoiding sin makes the most sense. So, how can we learn to avoid sin, especially common ones that sneak up on us?

  1. We can live with an eternal perspective for our earthly lives.

James wrote, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). 

James would not get high reviews for that comment. We live in the “take care of yourself first” era, and “you only have one life, live it well.” That’s the perspective of most people on earth, yet it’s the wrong way for the Christian to view life. We don’t have one life; we have one life on earth and another for all eternity. 

If we live with an earthly perspective, we will have wrong priorities for our time, our choices, and, most importantly, our values. We can invest in the “mist” that quickly vanishes or in the ocean of blessings that will last forever.

How will you spend your day today? What will you accomplish that will matter forever?

  1. We can learn to recognize sin.

One of my favorite verses in the book of James is, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). I think James gives the best definition for sin in the Bible!

When my boys were little, I had a rule for disciplining them. When they did something wrong, I asked myself, “Did they know it was wrong?” That parenting technique came straight out of James 4:17. If I had never specifically said, “Don’t do that,” I disciplined with words. If, on the other hand, I had taught them not to do something, I disciplined them with consequences of some kind. “Whoever knows the right thing to do” and doesn’t do it, for him or her, it is a sin. It really is that simple.

We have a responsibility to learn to recognize sin and then avoid it. God gave us his word, and we need to know what the Bible says so that we can obey it. God also gave us his Son, the Word, as our living example of what a life of complete obedience looks like. Finally, God gave us his power, his Holy Spirit, so we can resist every temptation to sin. 

So why do we still sin? Even though we know the right thing to do, we sometimes choose what we want rather than what God wants for us. I’ve often wished we could see the eternal consequences of our choices because I think we would sin less often. 

Have you ever been in a store, a restaurant, or a movie and wished that person from your church hadn’t just seen you? Has someone in your Sunday School class witnessed you having a bad day in public? Are you the same person at work that you are at church or Sunday School?

Years ago, I was in a hurry at the grocery store, and my toddler son would not stop reaching for the stuff on the store shelves. I had a newborn in the cart, and my three-year-old was supposed to behave. Finally, I had enough, and I popped my oldest on the backside to make my point. He started wailing and woke the baby up, who started crying. As I glanced up, I saw the wife of one of our deacons looking at me with a stunned, deer-in-the-headlights look. The sin in the moment wasn’t the behavior of my small children. I knew what to do, they didn’t. 

For all of you who just read that and thought, “She is being too hard on herself” – thank you, but that kind of makes my point. I lost my temper with my child and didn’t have an ounce of grace for him in that moment. It was normal. It was common frustration. But it was also a lack of self-control. I could have and would have done better if I had lived with God’s strength in that moment. That son whose backside I whacked just turned 39, and I still remember feeling like I had not lived my best witness to that deacon’s wife in the grocery store. It isn’t the “big sins” that commonly trip us up. More often it’s the multitude of common sins that accumulate and become stored in our minds as acceptable that cost us the most. 

When we know the right thing to do and choose not to do it, we sin. It’s a pretty simple definition to hold onto.

  1. We can make our witness an eternal priority. 

James wrote, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days…You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter” (James 5:1–5).

Animals that are about to be sold or butchered for food really enjoy the final month or two of life. They get to eat a LOT, and they get to eat the best grains and grasses. They just don’t understand that all that “good food” is preparing them for death. Everything we own on earth has a beginning and an end. James is teaching us that if we live for the sake of our earthly lives, we will miss the treasure that God wants us to have eternally. But he also said something that should be even more convicting. James said, “You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you” (James 5:6).

When we fail to live with eternal priorities, we “fatten” our personal lives with the temporary stuff that seems important but is only important temporarily. When we live with God’s eternal priorities, we make choices for the sake of our eternal treasure. We should be much more aware of the importance of our witness to others. Pursuing wrong priorities in this lifetime doesn’t just harm our lives; we are probably harming others in the process. Murdering our witness might mean we cause someone else to distrust our faith. We trust Jesus as our Savior, but we must live with Jesus as our Lord. Our words often matter eternally.

Avoiding sin is common sense

Paul was right. All of us will sin, and there is nothing, this side of heaven, that we can do about that. We can’t be perfect, but we can probably all try harder to make godliness our high priority. We expect to sin, but that doesn’t mean we should accept our sins. Instead, we are called to avoid sin with all of our hearts and with all the strength God has given us.

Avoiding sin will lead to eternal rewards for each of us and likely for many others as well. I still wish I could do those moments in the grocery store over again. That experience has served as a reminder for a lot of years now. God is so good at redeeming our mistakes and using them for our sanctification. His grace is truly amazing.

We won’t avoid every sin, but living with God’s common-sense values will help us avoid more than we realize. Why live for the mist when we can inherit his ocean of blessing?

It’s common sense to stay off God’s throne

James, chapter 4 begins with two interesting questions. James asks, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” (James 4:1). Remember, James was writing to the members of his Jerusalem church who had been scattered due to persecution. Most of James’ flock had been born into the Jewish faith but then placed their trust and faith in Jesus as their Messiah.

James asks God’s children, these early Christians, what causes their fights and quarrels. Understandably, people of faith will have issues with people outside their churches, especially if the argument concerns important biblical truth and teaching. But apparently, that wasn’t the only issue among James’ flock.

How would you answer James today? Right now, many Sunday School teachers and preachers are steering clear of politics. Every church has both Democrats and Republicans, and we don’t want politics to become divisive and distract people from important faith priorities.

What causes Christians to fight and quarrel?

Jim and I were young when we went to pastor a small Baptist church in the country. There was a lot of love in the church but not much money. It was almost time for VBS when the only water fountain in the church stopped working. A man came to check it out and announced it wouldn’t be worth fixing. 

We were about to have a LOT of kids for VBS, and we needed a new water fountain. We had a business meeting to vote on spending the money to purchase the new fountain, and those attending quickly approved the purchase. Then someone asked, “What color fountain should we get?” For the next HOUR, the people debated what color fountain we should buy. Finally, at the end of the discussion, it was voted that we would get another brown fountain, just like the one purchased decades earlier. (Just FYI. . . . I did NOT vote for brown because I thought it was outdated looking. However, the pretty blue one I chose raised concerns about showing dirty fingerprints.)

Over the years, I have pictured Jesus on his throne, rolling his eyes at some of our church discussions. Christians have so much in common, especially about the most important things. But Satan seems to hide out in the small stuff and is great at making us think the small stuff really matters.

James answered his own questions, saying, “Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:1–4).

James told his church they were quarreling over their personal wants and needs. Why? Because they hadn’t taken the time to ask God and wait for his answer. Most of the arguments I witnessed in the churches we pastored had nothing to do with what was important to God and everything to do with what was important to certain groups of people. A lot of the quarrels about the contemporary music style were led by the people who sang the “high church” solos. They argued about the merits of contemporary music, but they were concerned with the fact that if the music style changed, they would likely not be asked to do many solos in the morning worship service. (Our services were on TV, which made that an even bigger issue than it should have been.)

Those who know me know that I like the hymns the best. I like the words, the theology, the music, and the tradition of the great hymns. But I’ve also come to appreciate some contemporary music’s joy and praise. I measure music now by one standard: “Does it cause people to praise and worship God?” If yes, then it is good music.

James makes a key statement about quarrels and fights. He said, “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Maybe we should ask every contentious person in our churches, “Do you realize you could be making yourself an enemy of God right now?” THAT would likely shut me down. A brown water cooler is just fine if it means I’m choosing God’s side!

Why does God put up with our fights and quarrels?

James wrote, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ’God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:6–8).

God puts up with us because of his grace. He loves us so much he chooses to offer patience to his kids. At the same time, God calls us to do better. How many of the issues in our churches would become a “non-argument” if we realized Satan was behind all of our self-important, self-driven thoughts and desires? Paul encouraged the Ephesian church to remember, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” If we paused to realize that our arguments were actually helping Satan, we would probably give up a little more quickly on the things that don’t matter eternally.

James said, “Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 1:10). The answer to almost every Christian argument is to humble yourself. The triune God sits on the throne of heaven, and none of us have been invited to sit beside him. If we humble ourselves, he can exalt us. If we crawl up on his throne, refusing to humble ourselves, God will likely humble us. It’s a LOT BETTER if we take the initiative so we don’t have to accept his discipline.

How do you know if you need a “humble thyself” session with God?

It isn’t difficult to know if you are at odds with some of your Christian family and at odds with God. James gave us a good way to measure ourselves. He wrote, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:11–12).

Do you sit in judgment on people who vote differently than you? Do you sit in judgment on people who want only contemporary music while you want only hymns? Do you sit in judgment on your brothers and sisters who dress differently, parent differently, give differently, attend differently, and worship differently?

Do you slander, gossip, and gripe about your brothers and sisters in Christ? Most of us can probably answer, “Not usually.” Thank you, Lord, for your loving grace. None of us deserve all the love and mercy we have received. 

How can you humble yourself today?

When I know I am not right with God and too consumed with judging, I like to picture God on his throne as Elijah saw him, “high and lifted up.” I sometimes place myself beside Mary at the foot of the cross. I see her agonizing tears, and I see the blood of Christ pooling at the bottom of the cross. I am deeply grieved and humbled by the grace and love that have literally been poured into my life through Jesus’ sacrifice.

My next thought is often, “Why does that fight or quarrel even matter?”

God is on his throne of glory, and we have made him our King. It’s just common sense to fight the temptation to “think more highly of ourselves than we ought.” It’s common sense to stay off the throne and honor God as our Sovereign King.

The water from that brown fountain was just as cold and refreshing. Fighting and quarreling among Christians are rarely worth our effort. Extending God’s grace and mercy to one another is worthy of our best efforts. 

Who will need God’s grace today from you, his humble servant?

Common-sense Christianity

Patricia Heaton is a Hollywood actress known for her comedy and her Christianity. A friend sent me one of Heaton’s recent tweets, and I thought it summed up the way a lot of us are feeling these days. 

Heaton wrote, “If you are a common sense person, you probably feel like you don’t have a home in this world right now. If you are a Christian, you know you were never meant to.”

Heaton has been living in Hollywood’s culture for some time. Feeling out of sync has come to feel normal to her. A lot of us are new to that path. We grew up during a time when our Christian values were not only accepted but respected. 

Common sense doesn’t seem as common anymore. 

IS COMMON SENSE COMMON? 

Merriam-Webster defines common sense as “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.” 

I looked up the definition because I thought common sense might mean the perception that most people held in common. That’s actually the definition of democratic thinking.  

Patricia Heaton was right when she wrote that “common sense people don’t have a home in this world right now.” Why is that? 

Common sense is “sound and prudent judgment.” Common sense is based on “a simple perception of the situation or facts.” 

When I read the definition, my first thought was this: There is a LOT of Scripture that is not common sense because God’s ways are not common. 

Consider these examples: 

  • “Noah, I need you to build an ark. A really big ark. You build it and I’ll take care of the rest.”
  • “Jonah, tell them to toss you in the sea.”
  • “Moses, I need you to confront Pharaoh and tell him you need to walk off with most of his workforce. Oh, and by the way, you don’t need to worry about the Red Sea.”
  • “Joshua, I want you to gather all the people and cross the Jordan River today. Yes, Joshua, I know the river is at flood stage, but it isn’t a problem.”
  • “Hey everyone, you just need to march around Jericho a few times each day. The fortress walls will simply fall down and then you can take the city. Oh, and remember to save the prostitute and her family.”
  • “Gideon, send most of your soldiers back home. That’s the best way to fight your enemies.”
  • “Mary, you are going to have a baby. And, by the way, Elizabeth is pregnant too.”
  • “Peter, leave your fishing business and family behind because I have a better deal for you.” 
  • “With just a little faith, you can move mountains.”
  • “You can be forgiven of everything.”
  • “You can do all things . . . when I strengthen you.”
  • “You can live eternally in heaven.”

AREN’T YOU GLAD GOD IS UNCOMMON? 

American’s have been raised to value democratic thinking. It was easier when more of the nation shared or valued our biblical point of view. No generation has ever lived perfectly, but some have lived with higher standards. 

Biblically, a family is supposed to include a dad, unless there was a tragedy. A married couple is defined as a husband and wife. The sexual relationship is a blessing for a man and a woman after they commit their lives to each other and to God in a wedding. Children are created to be raised by both parents who want them to thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  

Scripture teaches us to forgive, even when wronged. Scripture teaches to give and not just keep. Scripture teaches to love, even when someone is not loveable. And Scripture teaches us that the God of the universe “so loved the world, that he gave us his son” (John 3:16).  

Living for God has rarely been the democratic choice, but it should be common sense. God’s plan is “prudent judgment based on facts.” 

THE SIMPLE PERCEPTION OF THE FACTS 

Pew Research published “20 Striking Findings from 2020.” It was a fascinating and sobering article. I found the following two points thought-provoking and in some ways prophetic.

  1. “Around half of Americans (49%) say the Bible should have a great deal or some influence on the laws of the U.S., including 28% who say it should take precedence when it conflicts with the will of the people.”
  2. “A large majority of US adults (86%) say there is some kind of lesson or set of lessons for mankind to learn from the coronavirus outbreak, and about a third (35%) say these lessons were sent by God.”

What should be our commonsense perception about the statistics above? 

The facts tell us that people who believe God is in control of our world and should be in control of our choices make up about one-fourth of our population. 

Is common sense less common than you thought? 

CHRISTIAN COMMON SENSE 

Patricia Heaton was right: God’s people have never felt at home in the world. We weren’t supposed to feel like the earth is our home. 

Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

He also said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2). 

Common sense and the Bible both indicate Christians won’t have much in common with the world.  

When the Holy Spirit entered our lives, we became uncommon people with common sense. Through the Holy Spirit, we have all things in common.  

There is a great need in our culture today for joy, encouragement, and trust. Our job is to help people gain a commonsense perspective on the events in our news. 

But, that perspective belongs to the people who have “sound and prudent judgment” or, biblically, “the mind of Christ.” 

THE SENSE WE HAVE IN COMMON 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). God knew we would never think like him, so, through his Holy Spirit, he gave us the common sense we have in common.  

As Patricia Heaton said, “If you are a common sense person, you probably feel like you don’t have a home in this world right now. If you are a Christian, you know you were never meant to.”  

One day, we will be sitting on the wraparound porches of our heavenly mansions, viewing the vast expanse of heaven’s beauty. Common sense tells us to define home as God defines it. 

Aren’t you glad we have eternity in common?  

Commonsense Christianity is being filled with the “sound and prudent judgment” of God’s Holy Spirit. 

Let’s spend the week having a LOT in common with him.