“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” James 4:1

The verse today gets to the root of why my wife and I got in arguments: the desires that battle within me. Desires I do wish hadn’t been there. Desires that are ugly and selfish and petty. Desires that motivated me to seek my own way. Desires that battled within me, then did spill over into my actions.

There is a battle raging within each of us. It is a battle between flesh and Spirit, between reaching out and focusing inward, between living for Christ and living for ourselves. How can we find victory in these battles without claiming more casualties? I have found there are several ways:  Praying: James 4:2 goes on to say, “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.” James is telling us how to avoid fights. Take our unmet needs, desires, expectations and complaints to God. We don’t need to expect our husbands, children, neighbors, co-workers or friends to fulfill our every need.  Walking in truth: It’s easy to believe the lies of the enemy or our flesh: If you were only married to someone else, you’d have a better life. If he would clean up after himself, you wouldn’t have so much work to do. No one around here appreciates you. The lies escalate the battles. We spiral quickly into feelings of self-pity and anger. Instead we can learn to recognize those lies and refocus on Truth—God’s Truth. We can go to His Word and read what He has to say about the people we love and the position we are in. Psalm 26:2-3 says, “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind, for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”  Taking each thought captive: 2 Corinthians 10:5b tells us that we are to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” There are two action verbs in this statement: take and make. These are strong words that indicate effort. It’s not something we can sit back and hope will happen. It’s something we have to be intentional and insistent about. When our thoughts start wandering down those dangerous “if only” paths, we can instead find a fork in the road and change direction, remembering who Christ is and how He lived His life on earth—as a loving, humble servant.  Being silent: I have often regretted my speech. In the heat of battles, I’ve found it is almost always better to walk away and pray. If I feel I have been wronged then I need to ask my Father to defend me. If I feel that battle still waging inside me then I know it’s time to ask Him to quiet my heart. Being silent is hard work! But I know that my silence is not as likely as my angry words to hurt the people I care about. Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.”  When the battles rage within us, we can change the results and stop the arguments that ensue. It’s up to us to pause and choose a different reaction. I hope these things will help us today as we rise to the challenge!

Dear Lord, please help me to remember to pray, to walk in truth, to take each thought captive and to be silent. Help me honor You when the battles rage inside me. I don’t want to fight with the people I love and I need You to help me with that. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  James 2:2-4

During biblical times, it was common for the rich to wear very ostentatious and outlandish garments. The rich were easily identified. Even in today’s fashion-friendly world, we know money when we see it.  When you see someone dressed in the latest name-brand clothes that are tailor-made for the perfect fit or driving an expensive car, you think, “They must be someone of importance to have that kind of cash!” Then, if you see someone wearing hand-me-downs or disheveled clothing, you may write them off as being someone of less importance.  The saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is simply echoing what James wrote hundreds of years ago. When we discriminate; when we show favoritism and don’t look beyond the surface, we miss so many opportunities that God has intentioned for us. However, you and I can overcome this attitude of judgment. Instead, we can learn to look past the make-up and designer suits to discover the true value of each person who crosses our path.

Dear God, It can be so easy to judge people just by what I see. As I go through my life, help me to look past the surface and instead see the value that you place on each person. Help me to see them as you see them. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.   Malachi 3:10

For some people, tithing seems difficult. How can I give the first 10 percent of what I earn to God when money is tight and I have bills to pay? Yet on closer examination, we find that God makes it easy for us to obey this simple request. Everything we have actually belongs to God; we are merely stewards of what God has given us.  Ten percent is not much, really. A candidate running for office who receives only 10 percent of the vote will lose. If professional baseball players get a hit only one time out of ten, they probably won’t be on the team very long. What about business? If you had a partnership with someone and your partner got 90 percent of the profits while you got only 10 percent, that wouldn’t seem fair. But consider that God is the senior partner in our life, yet asks for only the first 10 percent.  God says “test me in this” so we can experience the love and blessing God wants for us.

Jesus said to [Bartimaeus], “What do you want me to do for you?”  Mark 10:51

A young social worker complained to her supervisor that she had difficulty completing her work. “The trouble,” she said, “is that people keep interrupting me.”  Her supervisor replied, “But those interruptions are your work.”

All of us experience interruptions. However, we can also see possibilities that come to us with them. Looking back, most of us can see how some of the most important relationships we have made, some of the most rewarding services we have performed, have come from what we first saw as interruptions.  Jesus gives us a model for dealing with interruptions. During Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, blind Bartimaeus boldly called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). This journey to Jerusalem was an important moment in Jesus’ ministry; the salvation of the world was at stake! But Jesus heard Bartimaeus, stopped, and healed him.  The mission God gives us is always about people. We can never justify disregarding God’s children. The interruptions in our lives may be God calling us to serve.

Teach us, Lord Jesus, always to be sensitive to the cry of someone in need. Amen.

O God, we give thanks to you! We proclaim how great you are and tell of the wonderful things you have done.   Psalm 75:1

I kept a book of prayers that I’ve written. The book is nothing fancy — a small spiral notebook, rather frayed. I wrote in it prayer requests and thanks to God. I began doing this about 10 years ago when I read a book on prayer. The author suggested that we record our prayers as a method of increasing our focus and intent. I write prayers on matters that concern and worry me, and I write a list of special blessings and pleasant surprises for which I am thankful.  If I’m honest, I have to admit that my requests far outnumber my prayers of thanksgiving. I tend to list my petitions more than I recount God’s wondrous deeds. I personify the 10 lepers all by myself (Luke 17), giving thanks perhaps once for every nine times I take God’s blessings for granted.

 Now as I read back over my prayers that expressed fear and worry, I realize that God has addressed each one. Sometimes my prayers were answered as I had hoped. At other times, God blessed me with an unexpected answer. Some of my prayers are still unanswered. For each prayer I’ve written, God has touched me with love, mercy, and compassion.

Dear God, teach us to live in ways that express thanksgiving and praise. Amen.

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.   James 2:1

Most of us, at one time or another, have had mental lists of the people we like to hang out with and those we don’t. And everyone, it seems, falls into one of two categories: the counts or the no-counts.  Some of us would prefer to rub shoulders with the wealthy, while others have a tendency to resent the rich. But no matter what our socioeconomic status is, chances are that we have found ourselves on both sides of the list—the judging side, and the side that’s being judged. 

In the verse above, James says that this type of attitude is a sin. It does not honor God, nor does it help us become a mature and authentic follower of Christ.  Jesus never showed favoritism. He sought the downtrodden, the prostitute, the tax collector, the sinner. Why? Because we all need a Savior. And because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection being for all people, God is adamant that we reflect the same attitude. Everyone is equal and everyone is to be treated as a part of the royal family of God.

Dear God, I know that there are times when I show favoritism to certain people. I ask that in those moments, you remind me of the selfless work that Jesus Christ did. Help me to look to his example of equality and show that same equality to everyone I meet. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Ephesians 4:26

So often we equate anger with sin. And as we look at this verse, we might assume that Paul is telling us to avoid sin. But anger itself is not sin. Righteous anger, in fact, has a place in the Christian life.  The key is not allowing your anger to cross the line. Keep your anger on the right side of the fence by not allowing yourself to gossip about the situation you’re angry about. Stop talking about it to everyone except the person you are angry with. Also make sure you don’t obsess about it in your mind. It’s so easy for anger to take root in our hearts and fester, causing more damage than the initial act that made us angry in the first place. 

Follow the advice from the Scripture and do not let the sun go down on your anger. Speak with the person or people involved and rationally talk it out. Even if you can’t find common ground, it is better to amicably agree to disagree, than to let the evil one use your anger to damage a relationship that could be used by God.

Dear God, I know that there will be times in life when I am talking with someone I completely disagree with. During those times, help me to remain calm. And if I do become angry, help me to not hold on to that anger but instead resolve it as quickly as possible, so that I can continue to bring honor to you in all that I do. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.  Psalm 49:3

Communication, like many other things we learn in life, becomes something that we just do. And sometimes, we do it without much thought.  So often we can let words slip through our mouths that have yet to go through the filter of our minds. This is especially true if the words are emotionally charged. When we allow that to happen, words of wisdom are generally not what’s on the tip of our tongue. 

However, when you take time to consider your words before speaking, you’ll be surprised by how God can change the way you communicate. What once was a haphazard attempt to convey a point becomes an articulate message that is better received.

Dear Lord, There are times when I want so badly to be heard and understood that I forget to think about what I’m communicating first. During those times, I pray that you give me the patience to consider my words, and to speak with wisdom. And I pray that through my words you will be glorified in every situation. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Matthew 5:9

I remember when I first realized that Jesus and James did not speak of blessings coming to those who keep the peace but rather to those who make peace. There is a difference. Some seek to keep the peace by brushing conflict under the rug — by not dealing with issues that ought to concern us or by keeping quiet when someone needs us to speak out. Others make peace by being reconcilers, by building unity between individuals and groups, by helping persons appreciate the viewpoint of others and love them — in spite of differences and in the midst of conflict.

At times I have tried to keep the peace by withdrawing or even by avoiding persons with whom I might disagree. This could be called peacekeeping, but it is not the active love that Jesus and James spoke of as peacemaking. True peacemaking is an act of love that works for reconciliation and for the good of each person. Jesus blessed peacemakers, calling them children of God.  We live out our identity as God’s children when we become true peacemakers, when we take on Christ’s nature of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

O God, make us into your likeness so that we not only keep the peace but work to make peace in all our relationships. Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.  Proverbs 1:5

Have you ever been part of a one-sided conversation? The other person talks and talks, slowing down only long enough to catch their breath before rambling on some more. Through all the words, what that person is really saying is that they don’t know how to listen.  Being a good listener starts with closing our mouths and opening our ears. And that’s also how we should approach our communication with God. God has a myriad of ways in which he can communicate with us, so we should listen first to what he has to say.  Whether it’s through his Word, the Bible, or through the counsel of a wise Christian friend, you can hear God—if you’ll just take the time to listen. And when you hear what he has to say, you’ll discover the very words that can change your life.

Dear Lord, I know that each day you have something significant you want to communicate to me. Yet so often, I’m more concerned with telling you what I want that I miss your message. Help me when I come to you to close my mouth and listen first so I can hear the words that you have for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.