“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NIV) Here’s an overview of what we have learned from the first three chapters of James. Respond properly to trials from without. Respond properly to temptations from within. Apply God’s Word consistently in daily living. Value others as God does. Demonstrate a faith that works. Control your speech. Employ God’s wisdom in daily decisions. Do life God’s way by revering, obeying, and portraying Christ. The good life is marked by full surrender to God’s agenda. Allow God to work in you so that He can work through you to bring others to Christ. You matter to God and every moment of your life is significant. Your conversation and your conduct have eternal implications. The way you treat others is a direct reflection of your love relationship with Christ. Abandon your all to the Lord. Give Him first place in your life. Don’t hesitate to ask God for wisdom each day. God is generous and wants to shower you with heavenly wisdom for doing life His way. Trust God to be your sufficiency! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Category: Wisdom
“For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Eccl 12:14 (NIV) As you revere God and obey Him, you will be obtaining and employing heavenly wisdom. Another essential to doing life God’s way is portraying the life of Christ. God pursued you with His love and rescued you so that you would portray the life of Christ on earth. You are to bloom where God has planted you so that others will be drawn to Christ through your witness. Think of the people God has placed in your sphere of influence. Why do you think God brings such people into your life? God wants you to live in such a way as to model Christ before them. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Tim 4:12 (NIV) “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Eph 5:15-16 (NIV) One day you will stand before God to give an account for your life. Seize the opportunities that God gives you to make Jesus known. Do life God’s way so that you will bring honor to God and populate the kingdom of heaven. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Eccl 12:13 (NIV) Another essential to doing life God’s way is obedience. Revering God is demonstrated through obeying God. Solomon recognized the priority of doing life God’s way. After experiencing life in the fast lane and having access to the wealth of the world, Solomon embraced the value of making God his top priority. Keeping God’s commandments became the central focus of Solomon’s life. “‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.’” Matt 7:24-25 (NIV) “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” 1 John 2:3 (NIV) Let me encourage you to obey what you know. As you grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and as you grow in your love relationship with God, seek to obey what God has already revealed to you. Seek to love God and to love others the way God has loved you. How would you define success in this life? Consider the bumper sticker I have seen recently: He who dies with the most toys wins! Is that true success? Success is obedience! Let’s do life God’s way Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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The Good Life (4)
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Eccl 12:13 (NIV) Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee at Starbuck’s with one of the wisest men to ever live, Solomon. That’s right! You are sitting across from Solomon and you ask him to share with you what he has learned after experiencing life in a way that few would ever experience in a lifetime. Solomon pursued wealth, wisdom, and women. At the end of his life, he looks into the review mirror and captures what matters most. Let me share the first essential to doing life God’s way: Revere God. Solomon says to “fear God.” In the language of the Old Testament, to fear God means to revere God. It means to hold God in high esteem. We are to place the worth and value on God that He deserves. We are to reverence God for who He is and for what He has done. Revering God involves giving Him first place in your life. Your ambition is to honor God with your life. His agenda becomes the focus of your life. You revere God by aligning your heart with His heart. Revering God is demonstrated by loving what God loves, and by hating what God hates. In his book, Walking with God, John Eldredge writes, “I assume that an intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal.” As you walk with God and revere Him, your love relationship with God will become intimate. Doing life God’s way always produces intimacy with God and brings Him pleasure. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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The Good Life (3)
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17 (NIV) Doing life God’s way involves obtaining and employing heavenly wisdom. What does that kind of wisdom look like? James has already explained the components of earthly wisdom in the previous three verses. We learned that earthly wisdom is characterized by selfishness while heavenly wisdom is characterized by selflessness. Selfishness is an expression of earthly wisdom. Selflessness is an expression of heavenly wisdom. Jesus, of course, is our model to follow. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Phil 2:3-4 (NIV) “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!” Phil 2:5-8 (NIV) Heavenly wisdom becomes a practical expression in your daily living. As you do life God’s way, you will live a life of moral purity. You will be peace-loving, considerate of others, and submissive to God’s agenda. Heavenly wisdom will be evidenced through your lifestyle of mercy and good fruit, being impartial and sincere. What kind of wisdom are you exhibiting through your conversation and your conduct? Will others be drawn to Christ or repelled from Christ? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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The Good Life (2)
“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:14-16 (NIV) James distinguishes between earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom. Your conversation and your conduct will demonstrate the kind of wisdom you are operating from. The way you treat others will indicate the wisdom you draw from. The earthly wisdom that James identifies comes naturally. Heavenly wisdom is supernatural and is reserved for the child of God. However, it is possible for a believer to operate in the realm of earthly wisdom and neglect the wisdom from heaven. The poison of envy and the toxin of selfish ambition are earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil. The good life that God calls us to is not rooted in earthly wisdom which is marked by selfishness. Earthly wisdom feeds the cravings of the sin nature. The gratification of the flesh is centered in earthly wisdom. The devil seeks to get people to resist heavenly wisdom and to settle for the vanity of envy and selfish ambition. Disorder and every evil practice are the byproduct of a self-centered life steeped in earthly wisdom. Take personal inventory. What kind of wisdom are you drawing from? Does your life give evidence to the good life God has designed for you? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
The Good Life (1)
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 (NIV) What does the good life look like? The good life is doing life God’s way. God has created you for His glory. You are here to fulfill God’s will. God has included you in His master plan. In order to do life God’s way, you will need God’s wisdom. Moses felt overwhelmed by God’s assignment to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Notice what Moses requested of God. “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” Ex 33:13 (NIV) “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Prov 4:7 (NIV) Wisdom is something that is given by God and is also something that you seek. What you will discover in your love relationship with God through the saving work of Jesus on the cross is that God invites you to participate with Him in doing life His way. Would others consider you wise and understanding? Have you demonstrated the good life by doing life God’s way? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
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Real Trials (2)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NIV) View your trials from God’s perspective. Knowledge is needed to take things apart. Wisdom is needed to put things back together. When your life is coming apart, you need God’s wisdom to put your life in order. Trials tend to skew our vision and stifle our passion. It is so easy to lose perspective when facing trials. Our tendency is to be captured by the immediate and bypass the future that God has in store for us. Why do we wait so long in the process to turn to God in prayer? We try to figure out circumstances on our own and frantically search for answers apart from God. Nothing comes into our lives without God’s permission. If God permits trials, then God will use those trials for our good and for His glory. If only we can embrace that reality earlier in the process of our trials. God is both the Creator and Sustainer of our lives. He knows where we are and what we are facing and where we are heading. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10 (NIV) “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Prov 3:5-6 (NIV) In faith, turn to God and ask for His wisdom. Seek to gain God’s perspective on the trials you face. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
God’s passion is for you to know Him intimately and accurately. However, you cannot know Him without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Eph 1:17 (NIV) The Holy Spirit imparts wisdom to the child of God so that the believer can know God on an intimate level. Wisdom is the God-given ability to discern truth. Truth is not a cafeteria of facts, but rather the second Person of the Trinity, Jesus. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) The third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, imparts wisdom to the believer which awakens spiritual sight. This illumination enables the believer to detect the activity of God. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to impart God’s wisdom in your life? Have you sought Him today and asked for the Spirit of wisdom? He freely gives to His children. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Eph 1:7-8 (NIV) God gives you wisdom to know and comprehend the redemption you have received. God’s wisdom enables you to embrace your new identity in Christ. His wisdom gives you the ability to walk in His ways. Yet, without the Holy Spirit living in an individual, the things of God will not make sense. A person without the indwelling Holy Spirit will not be able to detect the activity of God. It will not make sense to them. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) Spiritual realities are detected by spiritual sight. The wisdom God grants enables us to see His realities. The things that come from the Spirit of God can only be discerned by spiritual vision. Are you lacking God’s wisdom? Then ask God to make His wisdom evident in your life so that you can discern His activity. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does”James 1:5-8 (NIV). Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care