did i cause this sickness?...

another time james calls on us to pray is when we are hurting spiritually. james 5.16a (ms), confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.

back in JESUS' day and some today believe that all sickness is a result of sin. if you are sick then you must have some hidden sin in your life. if you confessed it and you were still sick then you still had some other hidden sin. but JESUS blew that idea out of the water in john 9 where he said to the man who had been born blind that nobody sinned.

JESUS did teach that a lot of the sickness we have we do bring upon ourselves. if you and i don't follow GOD's principles, my body is going to find out about it. if I don't take care of my body, eat right, sleep right, exercise right, then all kinds of ailments will come upon me. we all understand that.

for example. if I don't listen to GOD's word where it says, don't be anxious about anything, but pray about everything and i worry, fret, get anxious and i get an ulcer, then i'm to blame for it. if i allow resentment to build up in my life – doctors say it's not so much what you eat but what's eating you that makes the difference – resentment can take its toll in your life and it makes a big difference. if i don't trust GOD and i allow these things to come into my life there will be sin.

there was a pastor many years ago who was invited to see a man who was paralyzed from his waist down who had not been in church for about nine months. the pastor in talking to him found that he was a very bitter man, filled with resentment. it seemed that a cow had kicked him in the back and paralyzed him and he was bitter against members who hadn't visited him, bitter against the insurance company for not paying off, bitter against the doctor for not figuring out how to make him walk, bitter against the cow, bitter against GOD. he was very bitter, resentful man.

the pastor told him, "GOD may want to heal you and restore you to full health, but HE will not heal you until first you get rid of that resentment in your life." the pastor said, the man bowed his head and began to weep, almost uncontrollably, deep sobs, "GOD, i have been so bitter. just flush all this anger and hate from me." he wept for about 10 minutes.

the pastor then prayed with him and he left. the next day the man came to church, in a wheelchair, the first time he'd been in church in nine months. at the end of the service the pastor gave a "come forward" invitation to people who wanted to come and pray and the man got up out of his wheelchair and walked down to the front and recommitted his life to the LORD.

what happened? there was a block in his life that was keeping GOD from doing what HE wanted to do in his life and when he got his spiritual act together, the other fell into place.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

i believe GOD heals today, but...

i believe that GOD heals today. i have seen it in my family, i've seen it in other people but i don't believe it is GOD's will that everyone be healed. now divine healing must be understood in the context of GOD's nature. HE is all-powerful so HE has the ability to heal any illness. and HE is sovereign, which means that HE will act in the best interest of each person according to HIS unfailing goodness, even if it doesn't seem very good to us at the moment.

in the day in which we live faith healing is a big business so let's look at some principles that will help keep us focused on the true source of healing as we ignore the false peddlers who promote a false hope.

1...GOD's will is paramount. now GOD's will is sometimes hard to understand from our human perspective and it is difficult to accept when it involves great suffering. but even when we pray we must remember that GOD is right in all HIS ways including our suffering and HE will bring good out of it. 1peter 5.10 (ms), so keep a firm grip on the faith. the suffering won't last forever. it won't be long before this generous GOD who has great plans for us in CHRIST—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. HE gets the last word; yes, HE does.

2...medical assistance is imperative. prayer was never intended to take the place of competent medical care. medical science is a grace gift from GOD. and HE may choose to use to answer your prayers for healing the hands of an unbelieving physician. luke 10.33-34 (ms), a samaritan traveling the road came on him. when he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. he gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds.

3...intercessory prayer is GOD's commandment. now we are to do everything within our power to bring healing, hope, and encouragement to others. we do this under what GOD has provided. and HE invites us to give all of these matter over to HIM because HE cares deeply for those who hurt and we can trust HIM to do what is right. philippians 4.6 (ms), don't fret or worry. instead of worrying, pray. let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting GOD know your concerns.

4...confession of sins is healthy. not all sickness is related to the person who is afflicted, but we cannot rule it out. confession and repentance of sins – even those we consider insignificant – are never inappropriate. they keep our relationship with the LORD free of distracting issues.
james 5.16 (ms), make this your common practice: confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.

5...all healing is of GOD. whenever someones health is restored whether by a medical professional or through direct, supernatural intervention, GOD deserves the credit. we are never mistaken to thank GOD for healing and sustained health. james 1.17 (ms), every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

you don't need to be sick alone...

now while it may not be GOD's will to heal every sickness james does outline a practical three-step process to give comfort – and should GOD choose, quite possibly healing – to those who are sick. james 5.14-15 (ms), are you sick? call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the MASTER. believing-prayer will heal you, and JESUS will put you on your feet.

step 1. call the church leaders together. if you are bedridden, you have a life-threatening illness then you are to ask the leaders of your church to come to your home. this shows the value of being a part of a local group of believers who will be there to care for us. now the suffering may not be relieved or end quickly, but no one should suffer alone.

step 2. to pray and anoint you with oil. now it is important to note that neither the praying nor the anointing is to be overlooked. so it is important to know what it means to anoint you with oil.

now it seems that the greek term that james used here for anoint has to do with the pragmatic, therapeutic use of oil such as rubbing or massaging with it for medical attention. various herbs and extracts were added to olive oil in ancient times. in the first century, this was the best medicine available. in other words to anoint with oil meant to give medical attention. in today's terms, the leaders are to make sure the sick person is getting the best available medical help.

and james point here is simple and obvious, don't substitute prayer for medical assistance. following your doctor's advice, using medication wisely and applying medical procedures appropriately does not suggest that a person lacks faith in GOD. HE gave medical knowledge to humankind as an act of grace. and while GOD calls these men and women to be the means of HIS healing, GOD alone is the healer.

step 3. to pray...in the name of the MASTER. submit the illness to GOD's will in prayer. it must include prayer. believing-prayer will heal you, and JESUS will put you on your feet.

express your sincere desire for the complete restoration of the one who is sick. pray that they will experienced less pain and will avoid the weakening effects of fear. pray that the illness will yield unexpected benefits, but submit your requests to the sovereign care of GOD in complete confidence that HE is impeccably good and unfailingly right. as JESUS HIMself prayed in the garden of gethsemane, not my will but YOURs be done.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

are you sick? then why?...

james asks another question in 5.14 (ms), are you sick? another great characteristic of the early church was that it was a healing church.

tertullian wrote midway through the third centuray that no less a person than the roman emperor, alexander severus was healed by anointing at the hands of a CHRISTian called torpacion and that in his gratitude the emperor kept him as a guest in his palace until the day of his death. so to ask if you were sick showed that the church was interested in those who were sick.

now the word "sick" in greek, literally means "without strength". it means that you are totally wasted, you are fatigued, bedridden, unable to work. not just acid indigestion or postnasal drip. it is a serious illness here that would keep a person from actually working. it's the word most frequently used for illness. he's talking about a serious illness here.

as you read through the bible you will see three different kinds of sickness.

there is the sickness for death. that kind of sickness GOD allows to take us on home to be with HIM. there will be an illness someday that you will never recover from because GOD doesn't want you to live indefinitely. if every sickness could be healed by faith then anybody who had a lot of faith would never die. there is a sickness for the purpose of taking you on home.

then there's a sickness for discipline. this is covered in 1 corinthians 11:28-32 where they were abusing the LORD's supper. and paul said, because they were abusing the LORD's supper some of them were sick. the LORD sometimes will discipline you because you are out of the will of GOD. when we sin it does bring sickness into our lives.

and then there is a kind of sickness for the glory of GOD. the sickness for the glory of GOD is a sickness that GOD has allowed in one's life simply because HE wants to heal you of it and let it be a testimony of HIS power to the world.

JESUS in john 11 is sent a message that HIS good friend lazarus was sick. and verse 4 (ms) says, when JESUS got the message, HE said, "this sickness is not fatal, or a sickness for death, it will become an occasion to show GOD's glory by glorifying GOD's SON." then HE healed him and it brought glory to GOD.

there are three kinds of sickness: sickness for death, sickness for discipline, sickness for the glory of GOD. the last is the kind GOD wants to heal.

now sickness without a doubt is a time to pray. if it is for death, then you need to get ready to meet GOD, to make sure you have a right relationships with HIM. then if it is for discipline you need to confess what you have done, and stop doing it. make sure you are following the will of GOD. and then you need to pray for healing if the sickness is for HIS glory. no matter what kind of sickness it is, it is imperative that you connect to GOD through prayer.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

when do you sing?...

there were many dominant characteristics of the early church. one of them was that they were a singing church. there was a joy in the hearts of these early CHRISTians that was expressed through songs of praise for the mercy and grace of GOD. and these were a persecuted people.

my favorite book of the bible is philippians. it is a book of joy written by a man in prison. so when james asks us in james 5.13b (niv), is anyone happy? and then answers it, let him sing songs of praise, he is reinforcing how the early church handled their lives.

you see, these early CHRISTians were going through tough times but they understood that happiness is a choice and they chose to be happy and even in tough times they chose to sing songs of praise.

do you remember the story of paul and silas and of how they were thrown into jail because they had cast a demon out of a young women? do you remember what they did in jail at midnight? did they hold a pity party for the injustice that was heaped upon them? no. did they renounce their faith and say, ''i'm done with this CHRIST thing. i thought i was suppose to be rewarded for the good that i do, not put in prision''? no. did they sing songs of praise to GOD in their jail cell? yes, that is what they did.

in the orthodox jewish synagogue, since the fall of jerusalem in 70 a.d. there has been no music because when they worship, they remember a tragedy; but in the CHRISTian church, there has been the music of songs of praise for the triumph of CHRIST over death. we sing songs of praise.

mark batterson said, ''the circumstances you complain about become chains that imprison you. and worship is the way out.''

songs in the midst of trouble is one of the greatest ways that a CHRISTian has to show the difference that CHRIST makes it our lives. is HE is in your life. then let HIM shine through your song today.

just a thought from the front porch...

which do you do, swear or prayer?...

james in 5.13 (ms) gets right to the point, he asks a pointed question, are you hurting? and that is a good question for you today, are you hurting?

so many today are showing their pain by the piercing of their bodies or the tatooing of their skin. many are saying to anyone who will see and listen, ''i am in pain, i am hurting.'' and the question to us today may be better asked, ''where are you hurting?'' not are you but where?

so let me ask you today, ''where are you hurting? where'' and then what are you doing about it? and james has a suggestion to this fact. now it was a fact back then just as it is today. for the CHRIST followers to whom james is writing this letter persecution was a fact of life. and in fact they were hurting in so many different ways. so he gives an answer to them and an answer to us, are you hurting? pray.

now verse 12 gives another answer that many use. when they are hurting or as another translation (niv) puts it, in trouble. for many their option is to swear. many times when we're under tension, that's when we're tempted to swear. when you have distress in your life you have two alternatives -- swear or prayer. v. 13 or v. 12. two alternatives – swear or prayer.

so what about you? what do you do when you're hurting? i know it is so easy to just let go with all of the negative that has built up inside. and that is the way it is. what is inside comes out in times of trouble. it is easy to hide ones spiritual immaturity through good times but trouble many times brings out our true self.

psalm 86.7 (ms), says to do the opposite, every time i'm in trouble I call on YOU, confident that YOU'll answer.

so do you turn to GOD or to anger? to prayer or to swear? it all depends upon what you are feeding your life, the hope and power of GOD or the despair and fear of satan.

have a quiet time today. start your day in GOD's word. strengthen your relationship with HIM so when the troubles come you'll call on HIM with confidence.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

something powerful to be reckoned with...

and now prayer, james here is this last section of his short book mentions prayer seven times. and we are so glad he did.

look at verse 16 of james 5 (ms), the prayer of a person living right with GOD is something powerful to be reckoned with. that is something that everyone of us want said of us isn't it? so we are going to spend some time with james on the subject of prayer.

now what verse 16 says is true, prayer...is something powerful to be reckoned with. it is without a doubt one of the greatest privileges of being a CHRIST follower, being able to talk to GOD, and it is the greatest power in the life of a person living right with GOD. what prayer can do is what GOD can do. anything that GOD can do can be done through prayer. it truely is something powerful to be reckoned with.

now JESUS said, the things that I do, you'll do also even greater works. so how do we do greater works than JESUS? JESUS said in the verse underneath it, it's by prayer. anything you and i need, we pray for. it's our greatest responsibility. it's probably our greatest failure in the CHRISTian life.

we talk a lot about prayer, we study about prayer, but a lot of us are not too satisfied with our prayer life. so let's spend some time with james and see what we need to do to make our prayers more powerful and effective. (niv)

just some thoughts from the front porch...

confidence in GOD...

confidence is such an important thing to have when you are waiting.

i am a la dodger fan. this year's team right now is filled with a core of young players who are growing in confidence. one reason is because they have listen to their manager, joe torre, and their hitting coach, don mattingly as they have taught them a new approach to hitting. the approach is to wait patiently for their pitch to hit and to not be afraid to go deep in the count, not afraid to walk.

there are many different reasons why this patient approach has worked in helping make the dodgers the team with the best record in baseball this year. even when they are behind in a game they have confidence that they will come back. last night they won in the 10th inning with a walk after they had been behind 4-1. confidence and patience. the good teams have it. the tampa bay rays are also a young team who is starting to come back and they know you don't win the pennant in april.

job never lost his confidence in all that he did. when the outlook is bad, you look up. now these young teams are putting their confidence in mature managers but we are to put our confidence in GOD.

micah 7.7 (tev), i will wait confidently for GOD.

how do you do that? you have hope. micah 7.7 (niv), but as for me, i watch in hope for the LORD, i wait for GOD my SAVIOR; my GOD will hear me.

rick warren says, hope is holding on praying expectantly - hope.

when you have a problem that's unexplainable, a person who is unchangeable, a circumstance that is uncontrollable then wait confidently. GOD is working.

how do you wait confidently? sit still. don't get nervous, anxious. you don't take matters into your own hands and work things out.

psalm 37.7 (ms), quiet down before GOD, be prayerful before HIM.

i like also how the message paraphrase puts micah 7.7 (ms), but me, i'm not giving up. i'm sticking around to see what GOD will do. i'm waiting for GOD to make things right. i'm counting on GOD to listen to me.

your confidence comes from the one you put your trust in. i am confident because my trust is in GOD. what about you?

just some thoughts here on the front porch...

i will wait but i won't wait quietly...

another thing we need to do when we are waiting is to be quiet. this honking your horn at a light when it just has turned green is not waiting quietly but we all do it. and then what if we are the one in front who just got honked at? that is usually me. and then the battle inside of me. as one of the great thinkers of days past said, ''you know what i mean, vern?''

we have a tendency to run off at the mouth when we're irritated, when we're tense, when we're under pressure, when things aren't going our way and things aren't under our control. look at what james says, 5.9 (ms), friends, don't complain about each other. a far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know.

right in the middle of talking about patience james talks about complaining. why? because it is hard to be quiet when you're frustrated. you want everybody to know about it. you want to grumble, mumble, moan, complain. we don't mind waiting if we can complain about it. i'll wait if i can gripe while i'm doing it. james says, don’t complain. the new english bible says, don’t blame your troubles on one another.

there was this lady who complained at her husband all the time. constantly. the guy died and she put on his tombstone, "rest in peace". then they went and read the will. he willed $5 to his wife and everything else to his secretary. she went back and changed the tombstone to "... till we meet again."

and then in verse 12 (niv) he says, above all, my brothers, don't swear.

do you ever want to swear while you're waiting?

what happens when you get uptight? when you're frustrated and things aren't going your way and things are beyond your control? how do you normally respond? typically, we take it out on those closest to us. we unload on our husbands, our wives, our children, and it's not even their fault. but we're frustrated and impatient. we displace our anger and focus it on those we love the most. james says don't do that.

lamentations 3.26 (ms) says, it's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD.

here is one of my life verses, habakkuk 2:3, this vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. it aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! and it doesn't lie. if it seems slow in coming, wait. it's on its way. it will come right on time.

do you have a dream, a goal in life, a vision-message that GOD's given you? GOD says it will come at the right time, in the right way. so wait quietly and expect it to come.

just an encouraging thought from the front porch...

patience is an action word...

now the word patience is not an exciting word to read about when we are going though tough times. it is to us a non-action word and we are doers aren't we? faith is better or living expectantly sounds better but in reality they are the same thing.

the truth is patience is an action word. there is something that i do, there is a preparation that takes place as i am waiting on GOD.

what does a farmer do while he's waiting on GOD? does he just sit and watch reruns on television all day? no, while he's waiting on the harvest, the farmer is preparing for the answer. he's getting ready.

waiting is a time for preparation which shows your expectation. we get ready for the answer in advance.

psalm 130.5 (lb), i wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for He has promised.

i wait expectantly. what are you waiting for from GOD in these tough times? is it to heal a long-term illness, or to transform your marriage, or to take care of your financial problems or for GOD to reach your teenagers for CHRIST? do you really expect HIM to do that?

now here is where the doing comes in. if you do expect GOD to do something eventually, then you need to prove it! how do you prove it? simple. while you're waiting you're preparing. preparing demonstrates expectation.

the truth is many times when i'm waiting on GOD, HE's really waiting on me. HE was ready to give the answer a long time ago but i wasn't ready to receive it. HE's saying, "grow up! get some spiritual depth in your life. I want to bless your life but you can't handle the blessing I want to pour on you. it's so great but you're a puny pip-squeak, spiritually, you're not ready to handle this blessing. when you've got some spiritual muscle in your life, I'll bless you beyond what you can imagine." waiting is a time to get ready. prepare.

moses waited ninety years for thirty years of work. GOD was preparing him. JESUS waited thirty years before HE began HIS ministry. thirty years of preparation and HE accomplished more in three years than we would in a lifetime.

isaiah 49.23 (tev), the LORD says, no one who waits for MY help will be disappointed.

just some thoughts on the front porch...

GOD is at work...

one of the great thing about patience is that if we stay at it then we can be confident that GOD is out there working things out in our behalf. again the story of job shows that.

james 5.11b (ms), you've heard, of course, of job's staying power, and you know how GOD brought it all together for him at the end. that's because GOD cares, cares right down to the last detail.

i love being able to know the whole story. i love to read and see what is happening all around the main person in the story. that is the way it is when we read about job. from his perspective, he had no idea what was going on but as we can see from our perspective as the reader, GOD knew and HE was working.

now here is a key when it comes to patience. a delay is not a denial. stef my daughter interviewed 3 times for a certain job and the last interviewer told her that they were going to get back to her and finally 3 days after they said they would get to her they called and told her she had the job. now from their perspective she had been hired they just hadn't told her but from her side she didn't know. so much of our life is like that.

another thing we need to learn is the difference between "no" and "not yet". and there is a big difference. ''come on, i wan't to know now.'' but sometimes we have to be patient. you see, GOD is at work, even when we don't see what's going on. and that was true in job's life, even when he didn't know, and he was asking, "why is this happening to me?"

listen, your hands may be tied and the situation may be out of control but it is not out of control from GOD's viewpoint.

would we ever have patience if we could see from GOD's viewpoint? of course we would but that is what patience is, striving to see life from GOD's viewpoint and trust HIM to take care of it.

james talked about the farmer. of how he breaks up the ground and then plants the seed and then does what? he waits for the seed to grow so that he then can harvest it. the farmer waits and GOD works.

philippians 2.13 (cev), GOD is working in you...

you may not see it but HE is.

romans 8.28 (ms), we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for GOD is worked into something good.

no matter what is happening in your life, GOD is at work. just be patient. no matter what the problem is you have this week, regardless of the problem you will go through (financial, relational, health) GOD is at work in that problem. so just be patient and trust HIM.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

the gift of life if...

there are people who live and then there are people who really live.

james 5.11a (ms) says, what a gift life is to those who stay the course!

there are some people who just endure their life. to them life is a disappointment not a gift. they live under a cloud not sunshine. they are always looking for that next big let down instead of the gift of life.

job spent a lot of time with some of those people who only saw the negative of living and GOD in the second half of his life rewarded his staying the course with more blessings than the first half. GOD doubled everything he had.

listen, it pays to be patient. there are so many different rewards. your character grows, you get along with people better, you're happier, you reach your goals. and not only does GOD reward your patience on this side of eternity, but also on the other side.

look at this. matthew 5.11&12 (cev), GOD will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of ME. be happy and excited! you will have a great reward in heaven. people did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.

now what is our natural reaction when someone puts us down or hurts us? we do the manly thing, we get even. ''they're not going to get away with that. how dare them do that. who do they think they're messing with?'' you want to retaliate, get revenge, take matters into your own hands. when you get criticized, you want to criticize back. if you get insulted, you want to insult back.

and all of that is the natural thing to do but it's the opposite of patience. listen, the next time someone criticizes you, before you strike back, think about this, is it worth giving up the reward i'm going to have in heaven? i'm going to enjoy that a whole lot longer than the temporary pleasure of revenge. let GOD take care of them. HE can do such a better job. and HE will reward you for your patience.

your patience will be rewarded by GOD, both here and over there.

just some thoughts here on bill's front porch...

why is the question...

why is a question it seems we ask a lot. why is this happening to me? why don't things go my way? why do i have to suffer? and why am i to be patient? it is kind of a self focus question, like it is all about me but it is a question that has an answer.

james 5.8 (ms), be patient... stay steady and strong. the MASTER could arrive at any time.
and the reason i need to be patient is because GOD is at work, HE hasn't left me alone, and I can be confident that HE is going to arrive at any time.

look at what james says here in these five verses: wait patiently for the MASTER's arrival; the MASTER could arrive at any time; the JUDGE is standing just around the corner. and i just need to be patient because GOD has a plan and HE knows what HE is doing and HE has promised that HE will return.

all through the bible it talks about JESUS' second coming. HE is coming back to judge the world. GOD has it all planned out, everything is on schedule, nothing is late, it's all moving toward a climax.

listen, none of what is happening in the world, even in your world has surprised GOD. HE is in control. and HIS plan for your life is greater than any problem you're facing right now. and in fact HE is using it for HIS purpose and your good.

look at the phillips translation of verse 8, ...resting your hearts on the ultimate certainty...

i can be certain that if what I am going through is out of my control, it is not out of GOD's control. you and i can't control everything that happens in our lives, but GOD can so let's just trust HIM. because HE is on the job everything is working out, so just be patient.

just some thoughts on patience from james here on bill's front porch...

it is all about staying power...

i know that for many of you are going through problems right now that you just can't explain. you try to come up with reasons for them but you can't find any. you are going to GOD and asking HIM to do something and your asking HIM to tell you what to do.

and james' answer to this is found in james 5.11 (ms), you've heard, of course, of job's staying power... and i'm sure that is not the answer you wanted to hear.

i'm sure you know the story of job and his suffering. you go to the dictionary and look up the definition of suffering and you get job's name.

as you know he was the wealthiest man that ever lived. he had everything going for him. and in a two-day period, everything crashed down all around him. he went bankrupt, his children were murdered, he got an incurable, deadly disease that was very painful. he lost his family, his friends, his finances. he was suffering materially, physically, socially -- every kind of way. and we think we have problems when we look at our 401k's.

one day his wife came to him and said, ''job, why don't you just curse GOD and die!" a lot of people are doing that today. i hope you're not one of them but it is understandable if you are. then GOD allowed the devil to take away everything in his life except this nagging wife.

now the worst part of job's suffering was that he had absolutely no idea why it was happening. for 37 chapters in the book of job, GOD doesn't even talk to him and tell him why it's happening. there was no apparent reason for all he was going through. and of all people, job had the privilege to say, "why me?"

listen, life is not fair! that is true. life is not fair. GOD never said it would be fair. i don't know if you remember but they killed HIS SON. a lot of things in life just don't make sense. maybe we'll never understand on this side of heaven. job didn't understand. but in all of those unexplained problems, job maintained his faith, he never gave up, he had patience.

sometimes we just can't figure out our problems. we don't understand all that has happened to us this past year and we want to focus on all of that. but have you heard, of course, of job's staying power?

now GOD what is this all about? this isn't what i signed up for. faith is suppose to mean that i tell you what i want and YOU get it for me right now. but james tells us to look at the story of job. he had staying power and that is real authentic not selfish faith.

how is your patience when you can't explain the problems you are facing?

just some thoughts from james here on the front porch.

you've got to change - now!...

we also need patience when it comes to other people. you may think they need to change but you can't force it to happen so you need patience.

james also understood this. james 5.10 (ms), take the old prophets as your mentors. they put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring GOD.

isn't that a great thing to be said about someone that they never once quit on you? and that's true of each one of us. so we need to do the same with others. so many times we want to say, ''i'm done with them they're never going to change,'' but that's not what the prophets did in there day.

listen, the prophets were given the task by GOD to help people change in their behavior, to bring them back to HIM. but over and over as you read the ot you find that the people didn't want to change. no matter what the prophets did. but they never once quit.

do you have anybody in your life right now who refuses to change? i understand how difficult it is to live with that kind of person. but we need patience with people. joyce landorf calls these "irregular people" -- they are people who only see their own way. they may never change. but james still says to have patience with them.

here is a great way to see what it means to be patient. the word "patience" in the greek is the word "macrothumos" -- "macro" meaning "long" and "thumos" (from which we get the word "thermometer") meaning "heat". it literally means "it takes a long time for you to get hot". you've got a long fuse, you don't blow up, you don't get overheated with people.

if you're going to be a success with people, you have to learn patience. if you're going to be successful parents, you have to have a long fuse. you don't get overheated. if your going to be a successful husband/wife you must keep your cool, you need to never once quit, you need to be patient. that other person is worth it.

and that is why GOD is patient with you, why HE never once quit, because HE believes you are worth it.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

the honking horn...

now let's get back to james, and we see that he is headed in another direction. in james 5.7 he says (ms), meanwhile, friends, wait patiently... and patience is something that everyone of us needs.

here where we now live those who don't have patience tell everyone around them. the clarion call of the impatient is the honking horn. ''i've got to go, get moving, get out of my way.''

have you noticed that the more expensive the restaurant you go to the longer you wait? there are actually five different waits when you go to a restaurant. you wait to get a seat, then you wait to get the menu, then you wait to order, then you wait to get the food back, then you wait for the bill. and they have the audacity to call that guy the waiter!

we don't like to wait. so we need to learn to be patient. now james isn't saying that we need to be patient all the time but he does show us that there are special times that we should be patient. and one of them is in situations you can't control. and james 5.7(ms) gives a great example of this, ...wait patiently for the MASTER's arrival. you see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work.

don't go into farming unless you've got patience. part of the job description of being a farmer is you do a lot of waiting: waiting to till, waiting to plant, waiting to harvest... there are a lot of factors in waiting. yet more than the factors of waiting on things to do are the factors that the farmer has no control over -- weather, rain, heat, the economy, labor practices...

if you have a lot of faith you can be a farmer but if you don't have a lot of faith don't be a farmer, because it takes patience. you deal with a lot of uncontrollable factors -- circumstances -- in life. even in palestine, where james is talking about, it wasn't the best of farming land, so they needed extra patience.

have you noticed that even when we realize a situation is beyond our control, we still try to control it? how do we do that? by worrying. we think that worry will control a situation. to worry about something you can change is dumb, to worry about something you can't change is useless. either way you shouldn't worry. we need to have patience in situations you can't control.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

HE wants us to be financially free...

1 corinthians 16.2 (ms), every sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. be as generous as you can. and it's proportional. the bible says in deuteronomy 14.23 that the purpose of tithing is simply to teach us to put GOD first in our life. GOD doesn't need our money. HE's wealthy. but HE wants us. HE wants what our money represents. HE wants our lives. and that also means through difficult times such as right now.

i believe the bible teaches that GOD wants us to be financially free. if your finances are in a mess right now, GOD has promised over and over that HE will care for us if we place our financial burden in HIS care and follow HIS principles. these principles are all throughout scripture.

now when you think about it unmanageable finances are really a symptom of a much deeper problem – an unmanageable life. that is, trying to live without GOD's guidance. and if we try to live without the principles of HIS book we're going to get into trouble. unmanageable finances simply means misplaced priorities. we're putting physical things before our spiritual relationship.

so the starting point for financial freedom is to make JESUS CHRIST the manager of your life. you start to live abundantly by letting HIM come into your life and making HIM the manager of not just your money but of your time, home, past and make HIM number one in your life.

now all of this that we have been looking at is in GOD's word. to leave out any one is going to short circuit the plan and give you less than GOD's best in your lives. GOD is not opposed to wealth, but HE is opposed to the wrong use of it. HE wants us to put HIM in charge of our lives. not only in the area of money but in every other area.

HEAVENLY FATHER, i pray that as we've looked at your word that you'll take it and apply it to our lives in areas that each of us need to use it that we might be a testimony to the world in finances that you are number one in our lives. we know the verse that says, seek first the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you as well. we pray for your guidance. we pray that you'll become the manager of our lives. in JESUS name I pray. amen.

just a thought from the front porch...

where do you keep it?...

proverbs 11.24-25 (ms), the world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. the one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.

this principle is taught over and over again in scripture. give and it will be given back to you. just like seeds, the more we sow the more we reap. there are more promises in the bible related to giving than any other subject. it's incredible what GOD promises when we learn to give. HE wants us to learn to be givers because HE is a giver.

if we are going to learn to become like GOD we've got to learn to be giving people. no matter how wealthy i've become, i'm not financially free until i've learned to give. in order to live abundantly, i've got to give abundantly.

now you've heard many people say, "you can't take it with you." that's very true, but you can send it on ahead. matthew 6.20-21 (ms), don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. it's obvious, isn't it? the place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

in heaven there are no moths or rust of things james mentioned. there aren't any up there.

heard about a guy who died and got to heaven and he say all these mansions and then one little shack and he said, "is that where i'm suppose to live? why?" answer: that's all the building material you sent ahead.

how do you send it on ahead? the only way you can store up treasure in heaven is by investing it in people who are going there. there are only two things that are going to last forever: the word of GOD and people. everything else is going to burn up in the judgment. invest your time and money in the word of GOD and people. when you invest in these two things then you will store up treasures in heaven.

JESUS told us that when you use money and invest it in people who come to know HIM, you're making friends for eternity. when you get to heaven, they'll say they are there because of you. many of you give to your church and many people will be in heaven because of your church.

there will be people up there who will say to you, because you gave i am here in heaven. JESUS says use your affluence for good influence. then people will welcome you into eternity.

some thoughts from the front porch...

it's how you spend it that matters most...

here is another one. proverbs 21.5 (ms), careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

he's talking about planning how to make money and planning how to spend it. we spend 16 years in school learning how to make money but not six weeks learning how to spend it wisely. have you figured out yet that it is easier to get into debt than to get out of debt? buy now, pay later.

the number one reason for financial pressure is not that we don't make enough money but that we don't spend it wisely. the median income in this area is just under $100,000. that's incredible and there are people who are still under pressure. it shouldn't be. the problem is not that we don't make enough but we don't spend it wisely. it is not how much we make but how much we have left.

now because we do make good incomes in america, it tells me that we're never going to have enough money unless we know how to spend it. the more your income goes up it seems your expenses go up. our yearning capacity always tends to exceed our earning capacity.

spending money wisely means having a budget. what is a budget? it is planned spending. telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went. the wise man plans. careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind. the opposite of budget spending is impulse buying. that leads to poverty. i see it, i want it, i'm going to buy it.

part of this means keeping good records. proverbs 27 (lb), riches can disappear fast...so watch your business interests closely.

GOD wants us to make money honestly, save it faithfully, spend it wisely.

just some thoughts from my front porch...

as long as...

here is another proverb about money, proverbs 13.11 (lb), wealth from gambling quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.

i lived in a town that was built on this concept. the only winners in vegas were the casinos. what is gambling? it is a get-rich-scheme. at lease six or seven times in proverbs, it teaches to not get involved in get rich quick schemes. easy come, easy go. you make it quick, you'll lose it quick.

look at proverbs 14.23 (ms), hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.
over and over again the bible teaches the value of hard work. work is a legitimate honest way to increase your income. if you talk all the time, dream, plan-get-rich-quick schemes you're not going to prosper in life. GOD approves of work as a means to wealth.

proverbs 14.23, in the niv says, work brings profit, talk brings poverty. proverbs 11:16 in the today's english version, lazy people will never have money, but aggressive people will get rich.

what matters to GOD is not so much how much money you have made but how you make it. now there is no set limit to the amount of money you make. the bible says you can make as much money as you can in your life as long as...

… it doesn't hurt your own health. some people literally work themselves to death. they pile up a personal fortune and then have a heart attack. the bible teaches that health must always take priority over wealth. proverbs 23.4, don't wear yourself out trying to get rich; restrain yourself! there are so many people working themselves to death trying to afford things that really we don't need. don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. health must take a priority over wealth.

...it doesn't hurt my family. how many families have fallen apart because kids are being ignored while parents are too busy making money to buy things for their kids? have you discovered that what your kids wanted was you more than things?. they just want you to spend time with them. as rick warren has said, ''we get so busy making a living that we forget to have a life.''

...it doesn't hurt other people. this is the exact opposite of the world's view which says, it's a dog eat dog world, get all you can get, sit on the can and spoil the rest. GOD demands that we make money honestly and fairly. proverbs 16:8 (ncv), it is better to be poor and right than to be wealthy and dishonest.

...i keep my spiritual life on the same level. the principle of balance. as long as my spiritual growth is progressing at the level as my financial prosperity, go ahead and make what you can. 3 john 2 (ms), i pray for good fortune in everything you do...as well as your soul! john says i pray that GOD will bless you financially as you are blessed spiritually. i pray that you will prosper as much financially as you prosper spiritually. GOD wants us to be in balance. if my income and your income were at the same degree as your walk with the LORD would you be a millionaire or a pauper or somewhere in between? there must be a balance.

GOD says if you're going to set financial goals, you need to set spiritual ones too. set some relational goals. if all you do is set financial goals then you are out of balance and GOD says it's wrong.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

so why?...

again proverbs 21.20 (lb) the wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.

another thing about saving is to learn to be content with what we have. because if you don't learn contentment, you'll spend all the money you have as soon as you get it. one guy used to say, "use it up, wear it out, make do or do without." today that guy is a millionaire. we watch tv, we see things and think, "how am i going to get along without that?"

so why do we save? now, here's where the bible differs from the world's thinking. the world thinks you save for security. if i can just accumulate a big enough bank account i will be financially secure.

but the problem is, there's no such thing as absolute security. no matter how much money you've got, you could lose it instantly. just look at what has happened on wall street. and there are stories upon stories of people who have lost and lost big in the last few months.

that is why so many of you today are having trouble sleeping. you have your security in something that is not secure.

and you can lose it no matter how much you make, no matter what kind of job you've got, you could break a leg, get sick, the economy could bottom out as it has, the place can burn down, electrical and gas prices could go through the roof.

now in order to have security you've got to put your security in something that cannot be taken away from you. everything i have in life can be taken away from me: my family, my money, my reputation, everything. there is only one thing that cannot be taken away from me and that's my relationship with CHRIST. i've got to put my trust and security in CHRIST and not in a passbook account, cd's stocks.

we don't save like the world saves simply for security. paul said in philippians 4.19 (ms), you can be sure that GOD will take care of everything you need, HIS generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from JESUS. that's security. that's the way to be prepared for financial reverses to find security in the LORD.

so why does a CHRISTian save? rick warren says there are three valid reasons for a CHRISTian to save:

1. it prevents us from impulse buying. we don't spend money on foolish impulses. if we're not saving it, the tendency is to spend it as soon as we get it. you'll see things you want and buy it and you really don't need it. proverbs 21.20 (lb), the wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. you've got to save it so you don't use it on foolish impulses.
   
2. it allows us to be able to help other people when they have need. we save in order to help others. that is so great to have money and give it to someone who really needs it. we've also had the blessing of receiving from people who've helped us in a time of need.
   
3. it gets your money working for you rather than you working for your money. that's the principle of investment. when you're saving your money it's being invested wisely.
   

just some thoughts from the front porch...

not abuses but good uses...

the bible gives us some practical uses of our wealth. we've dealt with some abuses now lets look at some good uses of our wealth. and a good place to start is in the book written by the wisest and wealthiest man in the bible. let's go to the book of proverbs in the ot written by solomon.

here's one, proverbs 21.20 (lb), the wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. that's a good one.

here's another one, proverbs 30.25 (niv), ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.

JESUS was an awesome communicator and one of HIS tools that HE used was parables, HE told stories and over half of them dealt with money. HE talked more about money than HE did about heaven and hell. HE talked about investment, how the wise man invested his money and the foolish man didn't invest his money. and HE came back and said "you're wicked." it's wicked not to make our money work for us. when we save our money we get our money to work for us rather than working for our money.

now in order to develop the habit of saving we need to learn some things and one of them is to live on a margin. that means live on less than you make. we in the usa aren't very good at this. back in 2005 the number-crunching folks at the u.s. commerce department's bureau of economic analysis said that americans spent more than they earned in 2005 -- a negative savings rate of 0.5 percent for the year. that's the first time that had happened since the great depression.

a man from a different era, john d rockerfeller said many times, "save 10%, tithe 10%, live on 80%." obviously that worked for him. he was a very wealthy and influential person.

i think the principle of margin also applies to our time. one of the reasons we are late to things is because we plan to arrive on time. and if you want to arrive on time you actually have to plan to arrive early. leave on a margin so when all the unexpected things that are going to happen come up, you will arrive on time.

let's start there with some thoughts about good uses of wealth from the front porch...

wealth has power...

wealth also can be used to influence in your favor, it is powerful.

richard foster in his book, money, sex and power, says that money has a lot more power than simply buying power. you and i want to hear what people with money say more than people who don't have it. people with money have more power, more influence. and they get away with things that you and i can't get away with.

why do they?

the bible says, the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. they recognize that money is influence. they use it to influence people, often for very poor reasons.

they use it to manipulate, finance campaigns. we have just gone through an election and we have seen this fact first hand. we CHRISTians need to recognize that it has influence and use it for good. and the point that james is making in this passage is that we ought to use our affluence for good influence. james says that we should recognize that it's powerful and not abuse it. use it on good ways.

but too many time we use our wealth to influence in a wrong way. james 5.6 (ms), in fact, what you've done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.

evidently in james time, the rich were buying off judges and circumventing justice. if they wanted to take advantage of a guy, they'd take him to court, talk to the judge and slip him a couple of bills and they would get their own way. james says, you have condemned and ruined innocent men and they were powerless to stop you.

even today, a lot of people use money to manipulate others. there are families where one person would keep the relatives under control by threatening to cut them out of the will. we keep our kids under control, a lot of times, by bribing them with their allowance. this is the wrong application of wealth.

the consequences of misused wealth are in verse 2-3. hoarded wealth is going to decay and devalue; dishonest, wasted abused wealth will be judged in eternity. james has some pretty
strong words on the abuse of wealth.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

the waste of it all...

james talks about another abuse. james 5.5 (ms), you've looted the earth and lived it up...

we live in a world where so much is wasted. did you know that at one point in time our plates that we use to eat off were the size of our salad plates? now they are twice as big. do you really realize how much waste we throw out everyday. we have big mountains that we are building that all they are is waste.

as a nation, americans generate more waste than any other nation in the world with 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste (msw) per person per day, 55 percent of which is contributed as residential garbage. the remaining 45 percent of waste in the u.s.'s ‘waste stream' comes from manufacturing, retailing, and commercial trade in the u.s. economy.

and james is telling us here to not waste our wealth. one of the greatest temptations, i think, that we have to avoid as we make more and more, we're tempted to spend it selfishly on ourselves. the more money you make the easier it is to waste it. we tend to say things like, "i'm worth it. i can afford it, so why not?"

folks, just because i can afford it doesn't mean i need to buy it. james says, don't waste it. it's easier to waste your money, the more you have it.

verse 5 (ms), ... but all you'll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse.

did you know that the average american gains two pounds during the CHRISTmas season.

just some thoughts here on the front porch...

how you get it is important...

another thing that james says GOD is concerned about with our wealth is how we got it. look at james 5.4 (ms), all the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. the groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the MASTER avenger.

now in the time of james people were hired at the beginning of each day. they would work all day and at the end of the day they were given their pay. these day laborers lived on the verge of starvation. there were no contracts, no labor unions to protect them and if a boss wanted to rip them off, he could. he through some technicality could say ''i'm not going to pay you. i don't like your work'' or whatever and then not pay them. he would keep there money and get their work. he would get rich at the expense of other people.

now if they did that even for a day, literally the worker and his family would not eat. that is why the scripture again and again insists on the prompt payment of wages to the workman.

both luke 10.7 and 1 timothy 5.18 (ncv) says, a worker should be given his pay. and james here is dealing with deep emotion against this unjust way of accumulating wealth. and we must not forget that the groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the MASTER avenger.

let me give you another way to look at it. when an employer doesn't pay a worker what he should be paid then he is stealing from him. and i think one of the big 10 had something to say about that. and their punishment was death.

james is saying here that people are more important than money.

it seems in some ways that we as today's CHRISTians are on a different side from what CHRIST would be on if HE were here. that may be why many look at us in the church and look at what they perceive CHRIST is like and wonder what happened. somehow we have missed something or maybe we are looking to the wrong thing to worship and to give our allegiance.

all the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. the groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the MASTER avenger.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

it is to be used...

james heads into the 5th chapter like it was written last year. james 5.1 (ms), and a final word to you arrogant rich: take some lessons in lament. you'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. wow! is that ever true today.

let me give you a little background. back in the days when this was written, there was no middle class. you were either rich or poor, no in between. and the system was set up for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer and the poor were constantly being abused by the rich.

and james here unleashes his strongest attack in his book on the arrogant rich and their abuses. but it also seems that his purpose here is more to warn those CHRISTians of the day who were generally poor about the total foolishness of their trusting in riches and of the danger that wealth poses to the character of those who possess it. so in this section he start laying out these dangers and encourages the avoidance of them. so let's look at them.

look at verse 3 (ms), you thought you were piling up wealth. what you've piled up is judgment. he is saying here that wealth is not to be stockpiled, collected in piles just for the sake of having it.

now he's not talking about savings. GOD encourages us to save money but he's referring here to getting more and more simply for the sake of getting more – so you can have it. he is talking about hording it because you are afraid of losing it. and that is what has been happening in our nation for so many years.

people during the time that the new testament was written would hoard their stuff in three ways: they stockpiled food, collect clothes and gathered precious metals and jewels. this was the way they showed off their wealth. and james deals with this in verses 2 and 3 (ms), your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within.

here is the point he is making...what accumulates, deteriorates. GOD doesn't want us to get wealthy just for the sake of getting wealth. HE want us to put it into circulation.

your food has corrupted or rotted. it's not the food you eat but the food in the back of the fridge that rots. new life forms are back there.

your fine clothes stink. i don't know if they had moth balls back then or not but you get the point. it isn't the clothes you wear that stink but the ones in the back of the closet.

your luxuries cause you to get ulcers because all you do is worry about them. your looking online all the time at the price of gold and silver, at your investments and your getting sick over them. your afraid that you will get robbed or whatever.

and james is saying here that wealth is not to be hoarded, it is to be circulated, it is to be used.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

but when...

another obstacle james deals with in our looking toward the future is our putting off doing what we know we are to do, to procrastinate. james 4.17 (niv), anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. james tells it like it is.

most of our time we are looking at this verse from the not doing something side. if we do such and such it is sin but there is another side to it that also is sin.

dr. neal roese in his book, if only, looks at these two sides of sin, two types of regrets: regrets of action and regrets of inaction. a regret of action is ''wishing you hadn't done something''. in theological terms, it's called a sin of commission. a regret of inaction is ''wishing you had done something.'' in theological terms, it's a sin of omission.'' that is the side at which we are looking.

mark batterson, a creative pastor in washington d. c. has written a book called, in a pit with a lion on a snowy day (read 2 samuel 23.20-21 to understand the title) and he said that ''goodness is not the absence of badness. you can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right...and our calling is much higher than simply running away from what's wrong. (the sins of commission) we're called to chase lions...and when we don't have the guts to step out in faith and chase lions, then GOD is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to HIM.'' it is serious, folks. it is serious to procrastinate.

many people today in this matter of stepping out and doing what GOD shows us to do, are controlled by anxiety. seth rodin in his book. the big moo says that, ''anxiety is what happens when you imagine negative outcomes instead of embracing the reality of right now.'' we give in to negative instead of faith and we know that without faith it is impossible to please GOD.

does any of that describe you? GOD gives you a view at what HE wants you to do but you put off and put off and put off until it is too late. anyone...who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

don't put off doing what GOD shows you to do. trust HIM. HE knows what is ahead, HE knows what is best..

just a thought on the front porch...

what does HE want?...

there are many different ways that we can look at our future. some look at it with fear and anxiety. others look at it with excitement and anticipation. we can look at it from i will or GOD's will. now james here shows us the way to do it. james 4.15 (niv), if it is the LORD's will, we will. if HE gives me the opportunity to live another day, i will do whatever HE wants. that's the way he is telling us to live out our life. what is YOUr will GOD? that is what i will do. it is pretty straight forward and simple but not easy to do.

but what if HE wants me to ________ and you fill in the blank with whatever you would say is a foolish thing to do. of course that is something that you think is foolish. you don't have the ability to see one second out into the future, you don't really know all there is to know about yourself, your abilities, your gifts, your potential, you think you do but you don't really. you don't have any preconceived ideas whatsoever about this foolish idea. the truth is you do or you wouldn't have thought it was foolish.

now on the other side, GOD has built you with this purpose in mind. HE has something that only you can do. HE knows everything about it. HE created you for it and it for you. HE knows what it will take for you to do this what you call a foolish thing. and the truth is you are foolish if you don't do it.

and that is where we are in this matter of following either our preconceived ideas or following GOD. in whom do you put your trust?

now when you come to a GOD's will situation there are rich warren says basically three responses you can have:

1. i can make reference to it. i admit that GOD has a will and i accept it, acknowledge it, make reference to it.
2. i can show deference to it. i really want GOD's will and i accept it into my life.
3. i can show preference for it. more than anything else i want GOD's will in my life. what GOD wants – that's my plans. i deeply desire it.

now i'll be honest, i have moved clear across the united states to do what i believe GOD wants me to do. HE has placed within me a burning desire to make a difference with HIM...to make a difference in someone's life everyday, to make a difference in the area where i live and to make a difference in the world. i have moved to new york city for the last one.

now i say with HIM because i can't make a difference without HIM and i know that i have a part in there so it is with. and also if i said, i want to make a difference by myself then that would go totally against what we have been looking at here in james 4.

now I have had through out my life this burning desire to make a difference with GOD. even in retirement I can't get away from it. after my son preached yesterday i couldn't get away form it and i went forward to the altar and all i could pray with deep emotion was, i want to make a difference with YOU. i want to make a difference with YOU GOD. i say that with deep emotion right now, i want to make a difference with YOU GOD. GOD brought me to new york city to live HIS plan out in my life.

is your life filled with anything like that? our reason for existence is to do what GOD has created us to do. but we too many times give in to second class causes to live. and i pray that our time together today will make a difference in your life.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

instead, we should...

ok, james now gets away from the brash announcements we make about our future to what we are suppose to say, instead. james 4.15 (ms), instead, make it a habit to say, "if the MASTER wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."

instead, make it a habit to say. it is not something you do just on sunday or maybe just during lent or advent but all the time. it is a habit that we need to get into.

now there are some habits in life that we need to break. this week i have been having a banana at starbucks instead of my plain stick donut and vanilla cream filled donut at dunkin donut. of course i have said that i went to dunkin for the coffee but in reality it was for the donuts and i had to quit going to dunking to break my sugar habit which was not good for me.

as you know, we live with a lot of habits in what we say that we need to break. on twitter this morning a person i follow said, "positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will" and i responded by saying, "so true as will faith."

i do everything i can to keep from saying anything negative. being negative, responding negatively, reacting negatively is a habit that needs to be broken.

there are some habits that need to be broken but james says, make it a habit to say, "if the MASTER wills it." the niv says it this way, if it is the LORD's will. we use the word LORD more than MASTER but of course they both refer to GOD.

some might say, but couldn't that be a cliché? and of course it could be. you could trivialize it but he's not saying that. he's saying that the whole attitude of our life should be "it's up to GOD. whatever HE wants me to do is what i want." it's just a good reminder.

followers of CHRIST for hundreds of years used to write the initials d. v. at the end of their letters. they'd sign their name and then write d. v.. and d. v. stood for the latin phrase, "deo valente" – "LORD willing". james says that ought to be our response to life. it's ok to plan but include GOD in your plans. make it a habit to say, if the MASTER wills it.

just some thoughts from my front porch...

we are just a wisp of fog...

a new friend of mine from vegas on facebook gave me the news that danny gans died yesterday morning. that news really bothered me but it also again lives out the reality of james 4.14, (ms), you don't know the first thing about tomorrow. you're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. danny gans left his show thursday night at the encore thinking he would be there friday night.

i lived in vegas during all of danny's career there. this 52 year old CHRISTian was a favorite performer in the city, earning the title of las vegas' best all around entertainer 11 times in an annual local newspaper poll. i remember when he debuted as a headliner at the stratosphere. from there he moved to the rio and later to his own self-titled theater at the mirage where he performed for eight years and then in february of 2009, he debuted his award winning show at the new wynn resort, encore.

in his biography on his web page it told of the excitement of his future. it said, that danny "has found his new home in the gorgeous, first class resort, where he will continue to break box office records and delight capacity houses." but his death shows us that we are nothing but a wisp of fog. the niv translation says it this way, you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

our life is like a mist, a fog, that rolls in in the morning but burns off by noon. none of us knows how long we're going to live.

our life goes so fast from hot wheels to wheelchair. diapers – dignity – decay. life's brief. so we must watch out and not presume we have the rest of our life. don't take tomorrow for granted.

that is brought out in a sentence at the end of an article on danny's death where it says, "vegas.com customers who purchased tickets to gans' show will receive a full refund."

don't waist a single day of your life without GOD in it.

now here is a key, matthew 6.34 (ms), give your entire attention to what GOD is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. GOD will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

live one day at a time, that's how GOD says to face the uncertainty of our future. plan for the future but you can only live now. matthew says, don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. we should plan for the future but take advantage of the present. rick warren says, "life is what happens to us while we're planning something else."

also just because our future is uncertain and brief doesn't mean that we should get uptight, get paralyzed, panic and worry. it just makes us motivated to trust GOD more. you put your trust in GOD and HE will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

just some thoughts from the front porch...

just a blind squirrel...

i read a lot of different blogs everyday. a lot of them deal with my dodgers but others deal with a varied of interests that i have. one of them is seth godin's blog which is the most popular marketing blog in the world. well yesterday's was called a million blind squirrels and in it he said,"my dad likes to say, 'even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.' and it's true."

look at what james 4.14 (ms) says, you don't know the first thing about tomorrow. you're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing.

we are all a bunch of blind squirrels running around and we get a success once in a while and think it is all because we are extraordinary and then we believe we can do anything. there is that cockiness again thinking that we know what to do all on our own because we might have been successful.

seth goes on to say, "you shouldn't pick your strategy by modeling someone else's success. the success might have been strategic and planned, but it's just as likely to be a matter of blind luck. someone had to get that big deal, and this time it was him."

james says, you don't know the first thing about tomorrow. so why is it we put so much trust in ourselves and not in GOD?

now i lived in las vegas for 15 years. i knew some guys who could have bought some dessert property 25 years ago but didn't and they talked about what would have happened if they had. you see for over 15 years vegas was a boomtown in real estate and a lot of people got rich. but now a lot of those same people who had been so smart are stuck with property that they can't sell. just blind squirrels who don't know the first thing about tomorrow.

what about that sure thing that you knew would make you rich and today you have lost it all? james 4.16a (ms) says, you are full of your grandiose selves. we think we are so smart when we are successful and that is so dumb and we get so depressed when we've lost it all and that also is so dumb. you see we are just like a bunch of blind squirrels running all around.

proverbs 27.1 (ms), don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.

we love to announce our plans don't we? those successful people tell us to make our goals and declare them. "in 2010 i'm going to double my income!" "next year I'm going to take over three territories!" now the announcing of a goal can either be a statement of faith or it can be a statement of arrogance. so what makes the difference?

well, the answer is your motive. why you are saying what you're saying. the truth is GOD says it is great to have goals but HE also says, check in with ME first. let ME share with you what I think your goals ought to be. remember you don't know the first thing about tomorrow so go to GOD, HE does.

we will talk about that here on the front porch in a few days...