Ruth: Faithful and True
The book of Ruth is one of the more tender stories in the Bible. First we, see this woman who is a foreigner, who is marginalized by those in Bethlehem, and who even describes herself as not even having the standing of a servant. But we see her as faithful to one who had no means of providing. Willing to trust the word of her mother-in-law, and courageously placing herself under the care of a man who was a stranger to her. God rewards the faithfulness of this marginalized foreigner and welcomes her into his family. Something for us to consider.WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Dec 15, 2019Ruth: Faithful and True
Ruth: Faithful and TrueThe book of Ruth is one of the more tender stories in the Bible. First we, see this woman who is a foreigner, who is marginalized by those in Bethlehem, and who even describes herself as not even having the standing of a servant. But we see her as faithful to one who had no means of providing. Willing to trust the word of her mother-in-law, and courageously placing herself under the care of a man who was a stranger to her. God rewards the faithfulness of this marginalized foreigner and welcomes her into his family. Something for us to consider.
- Dec 8, 2019Rahab: Daring and Defiant (Joshua 2)
Rahab: Daring and Defiant (Joshua 2)
Daring, defiant, and unrefined. All terms that could describe Rahab. Her profession was the only one available for a single woman in 1400 BC. And yet God still used her to help his people. Her faith was raw and unrefined but it was real. She is not just one listed in the genealogy of Jesus, she is considered by the writer to the Hebrews as a hero of the faith (Hebrews 11:31). Consider what we can learn by this woman that while eschewed by others was chosen by God to show us the power of simple, unrefined faith. - Dec 1, 2019Tamar: Forgotten and Desperate (Genesis 38; Matthew 1:3)
Tamar: Forgotten and Desperate (Genesis 38; Matthew 1:3)
Forgotten. If you have ever felt forgotten and neglected, then you can begin to understand Tamar. But there is more to her story. The covenant hung in the balance. Judah's sons are men of evil and sin and God takes both their lives. Tamar is forgotten and takes action in to her own hands. It is unorthodox, unwise, and ill advised. But in his grace, God sometimes works through the forgotten and the desperate. - Nov 24, 2019Elements of Living in True Community (James 5:12-20)
Elements of Living in True Community (James 5:12-20)
Integrity, honesty, communication, humility, and accountability. All are terms that are loaded with meaning. All are words that when lived out to the fullness of their meaning lead to a deep sense of wholeness. These are terms that describe a healthy community. We will examine some elements of a healthy community as we complete James 5. - Nov 17, 2019Faithful and True (James 5:7-11)
Faithful and True (James 5:7-11)
How should we respond when we are being mistreated? What does it mean to wait for the Lord? It seems we live in a time in which there is a constant drift away from things that many of us hold dear. We are reminded in this passage to be people of patient integrity, who live as if we really believe God is in charge, and Jesus is coming back. - Nov 10, 2019The Pitfall of Self-indulgence (James 5:1-6)
The Pitfall of Self-indulgence (James 5:1-6)
It is not about what you have, it is about what you do with what you have. At first glance it would seem that James is against wealth. However, when we consider carefully his words we discover that he is warning us against a selfindulgent lifestyle that is often reflected by taking advantage of those who have less. Each one of us as western Christians need to give careful thought to how we use our relative wealth. - Nov 3, 2019Remember: Leave room for God (James 4:11-17)
Remember: Leave room for God (James 4:11-17)
James brings us full circle in how we treat people and then pulls us up short in how we plan our lives. How often do we make plans as if we think we know the future? How often do we bring God into our plans? Our challenge is to make sure that God is the key element in everything we do and say. We need to leave room for God. - Oct 27, 2019Straddling the fence can really hurt (James 4:1-10)
Straddling the fence can really hurt (James 4:1-10)
James gives us a stark reminder. We can't try to play Christian and fool God. We either follow Him or we don't . We either live lives that are different from the prevailing culture or we don't. God calls us to be humble and trust him for daily strength. We either do it or we don’t. - Oct 20, 2019Smart is not always wise (James 3:13-18)
Smart is not always wise (James 3:13-18)
Throughout this past summer we examined wisdom as it is seen in the Proverbs. In a brief segment of James, tied in contextually with how we use our words, we are given an outline of the differences between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. It should be obvious, what path we want to choose, but it is not always easy. Being smart does not always equate with being wise in the eyes of God. - Oct 13, 2019A Most Powerful Gift (James 3:1-12)
A Most Powerful Gift (James 3:1-12)
The ability to communicate is a gift. God has gifted humans with speech. Words are important. Words are powerful. Words are permanent. Words can build up or tear down. James reminds all of us that we need to be very careful as to how we use our words. - Oct 6, 2019Oh Yeah! Prove it! (James 2:14-26)
Oh Yeah! Prove it! (James 2:14-26)
It is easy to talk about how good we are or how much faith we have. James essentially says "talk is cheap." The proof of one's faith is not in their personal declaration, it is in the way they live their lives. If one is not exercising their faith, then there is a possibility it may not even be there. We learn in this section of James that our faith must be validated by our actions and good works. - Sep 29, 2019Who is unworthy of….? (James 2:1-13)
Who is unworthy of….? (James 2:1-13)
Who is unworthy of your kindness? Who is unworthy of your help? Who is unworthy of your respect? Think very carefully before you answer those questions. We have a tendency to determine who is worthy of our attention based on what we see. No matter who we are we can be guilty of showing favoritism. We learn in this section of James that showing favoritism is the opposite of loving one’s neighbor as themselves. - Sep 22, 2019Don’t Just Look, Do Something (James 1:19-27)
Don’t Just Look, Do Something (James 1:19-27)
A new theme that will play out through the book of James is introduced in this section. James is about living what we say we believe. First we are instructed to be good listeners, and people who don’t adopt ungodly standards for bringing about change. We are reminded that just taking in the word and not doing anything about it is empty. We need to be people who let God’s word change us from the inside out. - Sep 15, 2019Adjusting Our Perspective (James 1:9-18)
Adjusting Our Perspective (James 1:9-18)
Navigating difficult times in our lives can be managed as we learn to have the right perspective. We have learned to have an attitude of joy because of what we know to be true (James 1:3-8). As James develops this thought he reminds us that we need to be dependent upon God, not our wealth. We need to be very honest with ourselves regarding our possible role in the difficulty. We need to remember God is the giver of good things, even when they come through difficult circumstances. - Sep 8, 2019Faith Under Pressure (James 1:1-8)
Faith Under Pressure (James 1:1-8)
We all face pressure. We all have struggles, or tests, or trials that come into our lives which are hard. It is at these times when our faith in God’s presence, or His ability, or His care are called into question. As we begin a Fall study in the book of James we discover that learning to live what we say we believe is often put to the test. We will discover that we can weather the storms of life when we have the long view in mind and when we by faith seek God’s guidance step by step. It is not easy, it is not without pain and struggle, but it will make us stronger.