Caught in the Worlds Trap

 

James 4:4

When is the last time someone has addressed you in this way? “You adulterous people!  It is not your normal greeting, and James has just stated that we let our passions guide what we ask God, our Father for, and now he is calling us adulterers.  In fact, he is not through; “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”  I am willing to bet the farm, that most Christians do not see themselves as adulterous people, and most would be quick to state that they are not an enemy of God. 

When I compare myself to others who go by the name of Christian, often I have a false sense of I’m on the right tract, I’m looking good, I’m in the race, but then I put my eyes on Jesus, and come to a full understanding of what James is accusing me of, often my actions are not in keeping with Jesus’ commands.  John 14:15, reports these words of Jesus; “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  And Jesus said in John 15:9-10, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

I often refer to my putting my eyes on anyone other than Christ as “putting my latter on the wrong wall.”  Doctor Luke warns us in Luke 21:34, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.”  Many of us overindulge in the pursuit of pleasure and have issues with anger or anxiety, and some are controlled by addictive habits; we have been caught in the worlds trap.   As we read the words of Christ, it becomes clear that we do not abide in His love, we have pursued a life of independence, and God the Father has called us to a life of dependence on Him and His Word.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Our four Hours with Terrorists

 

James 4:1-3

Many years ago our church had a couples night out, and Jan and I volunteered along with others to keep children at the church; Jan and I were assigned to keep two and three year olds for the night.   In that we taught many of these couples, we had been around some of the children and as they dropped them off most of these sweet little children acted as if they were at home, and most went to some object that they had played with or on many times before.  If my memory serves me right, we had 15 precious little boys and girls, and I was sure that four hours would pass quickly. 

To my amazement these sweet precious little boys and girls began to quarrel, it seemed that many of them were very passionate about what they wanted, and what they wanted was precisely what the other sweet precious child had.  In what seemed as minutes, we had battles going on all over this very large room, and these precious children were yelling at each other “it’s mine” and they would try force to back up their claim.  In a matter of minutes, Jan and I went from caretakers to a two person swat-team, we tried to be negotiators, only to end up wondering how so much upheaval, turbulence, unrest, trouble, chaos, and mayhem could have taken place in a matter of 15 minutes.  It was at this point I knew we needed Devine intervention, how could the two of us holdout for 3 hours and 45 minutes against such forces as these?

I remember asking Jan what happened, where did they learn how to be so selfish and just plain mean to each other, most are only two years old.  At first, I was sure that their parents had not taught them such mean-spirited actions, but as the night went forward I was sure they had.  It was at this point that fear filled my mind and heart, and I just knew the parents of these kids would never return!  If they were mine, I would have been looking for any escape.  That brings me to a question that James asks in chapter 4:1, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?  That’s precisely what I was wondering while keeping those children; what, where, how did they go from sweet and precious to little demons?

If only I would have looked past verse one, James gives us the answer in verses two and three.  “You desire and do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”  Before you say that is not true we do not murder, let me return to the longest four hours of my life, while watching, not controlling 15 two and three year olds.  In that room was a large slide, I helped the children up the latter and Jan made sure they came down safely.  A sweet, precious little girl, one I had been around often, was waiting her turn; she was standing at the top of the latter waiting, while the little guy in front of her had his turn, but he was somewhat fearful and was not in any hurry.  This is what my unbelieving eyes saw; that sweet little girl had waited long enough, she took her foot and put it in the middle of his back and slammed him down the slide.  It was at this point, she turned and smiled at me as if to say, he is no longer a problem, and she slid down the slide.  No, she did not murder him outwardly, but she had no concern for his feelings, his welfare; she just wanted the object removed so she could slide.

So James, speaking as the Spirit of the living God moves him, tells us we have two problems; first we do not ask, and second, we ask wrongly.  Are we not more like those two and three year olds than we care to admit?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

My blog; http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Hanging out in James

 

James 3: 13-18

I’m not sure James would have been a fun guy to hangout with!   Put yourself as the one who received this letter, and tell me would you have gotten a little defensive about the question asked in verse 13; “Who is wise and understanding among you?  By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”  A couple points of interest, first, it was a letter and the verses and chapters were added much later, and you were in the mind of God when He inspired James to write this.  So it gets personal, James is telling me that my good conduct will show my works or the lack of them in the meekness of wisdom, and that will help us answer the first part of the question about self and others.

James also tell us that we need to fess up to what is in our hearts, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.”  My first thought was bitter jealousy and selfish ambition does not belong in the same thought pattern, but is that true?  Do not both have their roots in anger; someone else got the better place on the boat, a better family, a better education, the big promotion, the nicer house, and the root of this anger has it focus on Creator God.  It comes back to God must love them more than He loves me, because they got what they desired, but I did not.  And do not be deceived, selfish ambitions are rooted deeply in self-will and not in God’s will, they also have festered in the root of anger.  James goes on to share; “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”   You may be saying I’m out of here, James has fallen off the bridge on this one, it may be earthly wisdom, but I’m not buying that it is unspiritual and demonic.  Then you must go back to where this battle began, Isaiah the prophet gives light into the fall of Lucifer or Satan in Isaiah 14:12-14.  What was the root cause of his fall from such a high position of importance, Isaiah tells us, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself lie the Most High.”

It all began in a root of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, wanting our will over the will of God.  James tells us; “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”  Folks, stop and look around you, look at our government, and our culture, our problem is self will, not God’s will.  But James tells us we do not have to live that way; “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”  (James 3:17-18)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What is it?

 

James 3:2-12

One of my neighbors told me not that long ago that they enjoyed reading “From the Back Porch,” but that sometimes it seemed to be over their head.  Today’s subject will be on the spot; the object or subject of this paper will have affected everyone over the age of five.  Do you remember riddles that went like this, what is black and white, with lines on it?  Well, today we are talking about body parts, and it is one of the smallest, yet it has been used to do both good and bad, the Bible gives this description of it; “it cannot be tamed by man, it is restless, undisciplined, irreconcilable, evil, full of deadly poison, what is it?

James compares it to a bit that is put in a horse’s mouth so he will obey your orders, or the small rudder that controls a large ship.  I bet you already know the answer, verse five tells us; “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.”  I was never accused of being a silver tongue devil, but in my profession many were, they always had the right words at the right time.  Who else beside salespeople come to mind when you think of verse three, maybe politicians, lawyers, or even preachers?  Do you recall how your mouth made boasts at a young age; my dad can whip your dad!

It would be wise for all of us to stop and listen to what the Bible says in verses 5b-10, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

The other day one of my neighbors was at the mailbox area, and killed a large snake, and sent out an email with pictures to the other neighbors.  He got a response that he was not expecting, and the person who responded, came across with words that were not in keeping with being a good neighbor.  Once more, confirmation that the tongue will get us in trouble, but I must confess that when talking with my neighbor about it I called the person a jerk, and before I walked away the Spirit in me said, wrong, that person may have acted like a jerk, but that does not make him one.  Most of us have come across to others as a jerk by the careless words that have come from our mouth.  Often, but not of late, Jan has said, “Bob your words are harsh, they are unkind, and they hurt.  Who can rescue us from the control of the tongue? 

One of my mothers relatives had passed, and she along with her sisters were being greeted and given condolences by many old friends they had lived around in Graham, Texas.  One lady spoke to mother and said “Lily, do you remember me,” and mother’s response was, “yes, but I did not remember you being so large,” later mother was told that the lady had lost over 75 lbs.  My uncles had to leave the room, they were laughing so loud.  Mother later said she was so embarrassed, and the only thing she could remember about the lady was that she had stolen her boyfriend.  So do you think maybe mother passed on this curse?  It would be nice to have someone to blame for my tongue.

Most of us would be wise to take Proverbs 13:3 and 21:23 to heart.  James 1:26, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”  That’s not my point of view, that is God’s Word, and many in the church have religion that is worthless, so says the only One with a vote.  1 Peter 3:10, gives good council on living life on planet earth; “For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

I needed a Disclaimer!

 

James 3:1

It was many years ago, I was only in my late twenties and someone saw a willing spirit with zeal and excitement, but little knowledge, and that person asked if I would be willing to teach the Bible to a group of teenagers.  At no time did they give me any disclaimers on what I was about to enter into, and being very ignorant of what the Bible had to say about teachers, and most other things, I took on the role of teacher.  After reading James 3:1, I believe a great injustice was done to me and many others who have been asked to teach without giving much prayer and study and council before taking on such an important job.  “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”  (James 3:1)  Now let me ask you, if your boss approached you with a job opportunity and his opening remarks were, we want you to take this job, but it requires a lot of your own time away from work, and most who take this job, we fire within a few months, and your pay will not change.  What is your reply; that was mine also, “you want what”? 

Many a year has come and gone and only in the last couple of years have I not taught a couples group.  I understand that as a teacher, what God’s word says is true, and I will be judged with greater strictness than those who have been my students.  I’ve also had the joy of seeing some young couples develop into mighty warriors, in spite of my teaching. 

It’s always good to look at things from heavens view, and so what does God have to say on the responsibility of a teacher?  Ezekiel was a prophet, and also Israel’s watchman, or teacher.  In Ezekiel 33:1-6, we are given the requirements of a teacher, the teacher receives the word of God and his job, responsibility, and instructions are to teach what the Holy Spirit has revealed in His word.  The teacher is to encourage, to challenge, to rebuke, to correct, and to make sure that when teaching a Scripture truth they are transparent as to how they are living out that truth in their personal life.  The teacher is a watchman and has this duty while standing their watch on the wall of the lives God has entrusted them with.  Verse six deals with their responsibility; “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” 

Now how many want to be teachers?  Before you say no way will I be a teacher, the Lord has told every parent that they are to teach, not to just bring them to church, but to teach their children at home and as they go.  And Jesus in His great Commission to all who follow Him, gave this instruction; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Do you have Performance Flesh?

 

James 2:14-26

If you have performance based flesh, you hit the jackpot when it comes to James 2:14-26.  It begins with a question; “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?”  Dr. Bill and Anabel Gilham in “The Life” give this definition of a person who has been programmed or influenced on performance-based acceptance.  “If your self-acceptance is tied to the flesh, it is only a matter of time until you encounter a crisis.  God never intended for you to get your needs met through your own resources.  The flesh is in capable of supplying what God intends to supply Himself.”  Performance-flesh ends up being perfection-flesh, that type of flesh is supersensitive to criticism.  So James is not dealing with performance-flesh, but abiding faith, faith that listens an acts on the prompting of the Spirit that lives within you.

James goes on to give the example of a brother or sister who is in need of clothing or food and your response is “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  And James finishes that example with this statement: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  Jesus spoke on abiding faith in John 15:4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are branches.  Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

James goes on to give examples of Abraham and Rahab being justified by works, and in both examples they acted by faith on the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We are all called to be “as you go” Christians, walking in the light, being light to this evil darkness, and the only way is doing what our Lord has said, “Abide in me, and I in you.”  As a follower of Christ, set your mind on these words of Christ, “for apart from me you can do nothing.”  Yes, you can teach, preach, visit the sick, feed the poor, give to the church, but only abiding faith counts in the kingdom of God.  All other acts of your making may get the acclaims of men, but not of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

I deserve better than that

 

James 2:13

What would your life be like if you got what you deserved?  We have all heard someone say, I deserve better than that; it may have been when your children forgot to call on your birthday, or your husband forgot a special day, and the list keeps going. We are a culture of people with many “I deserves.”  Many of us never give much thought to the giving of mercy because we have not experienced the need for mercy in life.  And yet if for some reason we needed mercy we would deserve it, or would we?

Shall we address the first statement; “What would your life be like if you got what you deserved?”  We are told by many in our government that a person deserves to own a home to live in, no matter if they have the ability to pay for it or not, or what about cell phones, yes, our government will give you one because they believe you deserve one, and the list goes on.  Many a teenager believes they deserve better parents, and if you look at how our culture exchanges mates in marriage, over 50 percent must believe they deserved someone better than the one they entered into a covenant with before God and man.

Where did we get all these rights, and a better question is who has the power to take them away, and if you lost all your rights would you desire mercy or judgment?  Jan and I went to church on Saturday, now that not normal, we were celebrating Easter, and on Easter many of us reflect on the act of love that God showered down on mankind, by taking our place, making our payment, canceling our debt.  Has that act become an (I deserve) or have you pondered the action of love and rejected it because it is so far beyond what anyone like you would do for a people who rejected them.  It may come to you as a surprise, but I totally understand your thinking, it is very logical, you or I, or anyone else that has lived who is not totally insane, would allow their only son to die for people who were their enemies.  But then none listed above are God, and this may come as a shock, He is not like us, His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are higher than ours, His love has no bounds.

As I ponder a love without bounds, my thoughts go to Paul’s account of boundless love in Romans 5:6-10, “While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.  Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.  But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.  Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life.”  (Amplified Bible)

Many years have passed since I’ve wanted what I deserve, I want mercy, not justice, and as a person who God has lavished His love, His grace, and His mercy, I must take to heart what James 2:13 speaks to.  “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  That is precisely what our Father in heaven did, His mercy, triumphed over judgment.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Do You Love your Neighbor?

 

James 2: 8-13

Could we be living in a time where many people do not love their neighbors because they have no self-love?  It seems to this writer that many in our culture are not happy with how God made them so they are working to change their appearance, it began with face-lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, and moves to the disfiguring of the body with tattoos, nose bars, and rings placed in the skin.  It is also clear that the first part of my list is acceptable to most of us, and the latter part can create somewhat of a problem, if we follow the instructions in the manufactures handbook.  James 2:8&9 states; “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”  I grew-up not understanding the theory that the more time an energy you applied to your studies, it increased the odds of success; so I was always happy when the teacher graded on a curve.  But James is very clear that God is not one who uses the curve in His grading.  So if your looking to define who is your neighbor, Jesus addressed that in Luke 10:30, when a lawyer ask the question; “And who is my neighbor?”  

Have you ever pondered how life would be if we followed the instruction in the manufactures handbook?  As we contemplate that thought, let the words of Romans 15:1&2, sink into your mind.  “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failing of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbors for his good, to build him up.”  The Bible keeps directing us to this understanding; you cannot live the Christian life in your ability, it requires each of us to let Jesus do it all for us.   And that’s where the rubber meets the road it is coming to grips with that truth.  To love the guy down the street that tells you he wants to throw stones at you for killing a snake that had crossed the road an entered into his yard, that takes Jesus doing it all for you, if not, he’s just some jerk, not a person you have an obligation to bear with his failing.  I dropped the ball on this one.

Paul the apostle tells us in verse three of Romans 15, the following; “For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”  Folks, God had you in mind long before He created you, He is all knowing so He chose to be your Redeemer before creation, and He has a plan in place for you.  You are the focus of His affection, look at verse four, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scripture we might have hope.”  Jesus loves your neighbor, and if you are in Christ, He is in you, let Him do it all through you by His Holy Spirit.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Partiality

 

James 2:1-7

When reading the Scriptures it is always nice when you get a pass; you know, when you do not feel convicted by the Holy Spirit.  It sure would be great to share that James 2:1-7 missed me totally, but I’m guilty of the sin of showing partiality, and before you say shame on you, take a moment to read James 2:1-7.  I’ve often said in jest that only a person who wants to be beat up reads the book of James.  James has a way of cutting to the chase, and hitting me where I live.  So what about the sin of partiality, look at verse 1-4; “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man (who smells or has tattoos all over his body) in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

He’s talking assembly that is what many of us refer to as the building we call a church, totally wrong, but that’s a rabbit we will not chase today.  Let’s take a poll, how often are your deacons or elders picked by how well they have performed on the world stage, by their wealth or position in the community and not on how rich they are in faith.  But God has spoken; verse five, “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”  All my life I was given two messages, and they conflict with each other, first, I was taught not to think I was better than anyone else, and second I was taught to look down on people who performed poorly, at work, in the community, at church, and in the home. 

The Bible tells me not to set myself up as the judge of anyone, for we all have a judge and He only has insight into the heart.  But I judge, we call it class, and it comes in two forms, high and low, but everyone falls in one of the two.  When I see someone with tattoos all over their body, I judge, and as one of my business associates would say that’s class, but it is very low.  What about the obese, yes I judge them, and God calls that sin.  I hope you are not partial.  I hope you never show unfair preference for one person over another, I have a problem and will you pray that I will see things from heavens view.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“When did you get so religious?”

 

James 1: 26-27

Jan and I were with a group of people we have known since our high school days and some of them even longer, and Ronnie asked this question: “When did you get so religious?”  My first thought was, am I acting like some Pharisee, or is it because I am not drinking and making a fool of myself, like I did often as a young person in school?  I do not like the tag religious, it has a way of putting you in a box, it’s like asking, are you a Baptist and then they know; you do not dance, drink, and a few other things like that in public.  Often, I try to explain that I’m into a relationship with Christ, and that is the heart of being a Christian, that religion is what you can do for who or what your god is, but being a Christian is about what God has done for you. 

First, let me state that all of us are religious about something, it may be golf, making money, church, or your family, but if it is not centered in a relationship with Jesus Christ your religion is of no eternal value, your god is not worthy of worship.  I have often said I’m not religious but that’s just not true, I am, and so are you, it’s the object of our worship we must address, each one of us.  The Holy Spirit put these thoughts into James’ mind, and once more I had to subject my will to the authority of the Bible.  This is what James said in 1: 26-27, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart; this person’s religion is worthless.  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

I’m like the guys returning to earth in the Challenger, we have a problem Houston, yes, much of my religious life I’ve deceived myself.  A bridled tongue would not be the description of anyone who has known me.  Too often I’ve been fast to speak and slow to listen, and the world has often stained, or tainted my life.  As I age, it is becoming clear that I need to ask for help in many areas of my life, and dear Father, I’m in trouble, I need a complete make over, I need to be like my Master.  The only One who has a vote has often called my religion worthless.  Now that we have a clear picture of what our Father in heaven calls pure religion that is undefiled before Him, what will you and I do with this information?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Lesson not learned

 

James 1:22-25

My dad enjoyed history, he was a reader and studied the past, but he was not very hopeful that we as a people would learn from history.  Dad often said, if we learned anything from history then we would not repeat it, but in that we do not, we are destined to have the same results.  As I read James 1:22-25, it seemed to be comparable with dads thoughts on history.  “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

I am not addressing non-Christians; in fact let me go so far as not even addressing the Easter, Christmas, and the W’s, and F’s, (Weddings and Funerals) groups, in this message.  What about those who attend and support our local church, which study the Scriptures, are we hearers of the word, and not doers?  Do we often look into the Scriptures and agree that our lifestyle and the way we treat our mate and co-workers is not in keeping with the instruction in the manufacturer’s handbook on living life on planet earth.  Much less, how we handle the resources that our Father in heaven has blessed us with.  Are you and I learners or repeaters?  My favorite person of all the people I worked for was Kim Mulvey, and one of Kim’s favorite sayings was that “We manage ourselves, or that person is just managing themselves,” that is what I’m doing as I write, often I’m a hearer of the word, but not a doer, often I’m like a man in the mirror who looks and then forgets what he is.

My dad had many faults but the older I get, the more I think about his wisdom.   In his discipline he always gave the second chance, but after that came a consistent judgment.  So if you identified with any of this writing it is so important to know that God is about second chances, and His desire is to make us into the likeness of His Son, to have fellowship with us.  He has sent prophets, preachers and teachers to remind us to be doers not just hearers, look at Deuteronomy 4:9, some will need to go to the non highlighted part of the Bible to find this verse.  “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  That sounds like the advice from someone who cares for us, and it is, but does it not also expose us who go by the name Christian, many of us let someone else teach our children, and many of us went to church, many of were hearers but not doers, we were like a person who looks into a mirror, and then goes away and forgets whose they are.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

An Amazing Story

 

You will never believe it, not in a thousand years, what happen to Jan and I?  Now, it’s important for me to share that we did not seek this person out; we had no understanding of his wealth, his status, or his ability to change our lives.  I’m sure you heard stories of how some millionaire came to a person’s door and gave them a million dollars, that’s not even close to what happen to us.  We were at Fiesta a celebration linked to a religious holiday, and thousands of people from the San Antonio area and from all over the United States and the world were enjoying the big party.  Jan and I were enjoying the food and just watching the people, especially the young family as they enjoyed the day, and that is when it happened.

We had stopped at a small café on the river, and were having a cup of coffee, when a gentleman came to our table and ask if he could sit down for a while.  He was wearing khaki, both his shirt and his pants, and his hair was out of place, he was a large man but not fat, and his face had deep lines, as if he had seen some hard times.  When we looked up to see who was asking this of us, both of us were taken by his eyes, it seemed as if they pierced into our souls, and his smile was very inviting.

What was obvious to both of us was that he had picked our table for some reason because all the other tables we empty around us.  My first thought was, I wonder if he is hungry, or is he going to try to sell us something?  But that was not the case; he just wanted to be with us, to ask about why we were there and if we were enjoying ourselves.  He told us that he had watched us as we talked with many of the young couples and admired the children and that it had brought joy to his heart, just seeing such actions.  He went on to share that he loved people and yet was saddened when he saw so many who seemed to have little or no hope.  We sat and talked for what seemed only a short time, but over two hours had passed, when this stranger in khaki asked if we would accept a gift from him.  We both said, as if with one voice, that his time at our table was a very special gift, and we would like to give him our cell phone numbers and address, in hopes that when he was back in town he would come stay with us. 

The man in Khaki, with the eyes that seemed to look into our souls, took our information and said he would love to be part of our lives, to share with us and to stay in our home and then he left.  The day was almost gone and we wanted to leave before the traffic got to bad on 281, so we also headed home.  On arriving at our drive way we saw a man in a dark suit standing on our front porch, and his car a new BMW Z4, was sitting in our drive way, I told Jan that’s not a vacuum cleaner salesman.  As we got out of our car, the man in the suit came to us and explained that he was sent by his boss to give us a message.  We asked, who is your boss and he explained that we had shared a cup of coffee with him that day, and this was the message.  I am a person of great wealth, and your invitations to stay in you home touched me greatly.   I would enjoy beyond your wildest thoughts being part of your life.  Today, I’ve sent my messenger with this offer; I will take care of all your needs from now on, my desire is to give you a quality of life that is far beyond your understanding, the only condition is you must say yes to my offer.

That’s a story that was formed in my mind this past Sunday as I listened to my pastor tell of the great love of our Heavenly Father for all of us.  Yes, it did not happen, it was just a story, but I must tell you that something very close to that did happen to Jan and I many years ago.  And like in my fictional story, we were not seeking a relationship with our heavenly Father, nor did we have much understanding of His great love for us.  He came to each of us at different times and places but the offer was the same as the fictional man in khakis, to be not part of our life, but, to come and live in us and to supply our every need.  We have not always been faithful to Him, but we are witnesses to His faithfulness in all that He has promised.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How Extreme

 

James 1:22

How extreme; someone expects us to read the Bible and then do what it says.  In a nutshell that is what James 1:22 is saying; “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  I have a history of reading the Bible from my youth, and most of that reading was required reading by my parents or a Sunday school teacher.  But at the age of 27, I came alive to the Bible, it’s meaning became clear, yet I would pick and choose what parts of the manual I would apply to my daily life, and by doing that I was deceiving myself. 

I believe the same can be said about you; in fact, I would be willing to bet the farm that you have done the same thing.  But why do you and I allow this deception into our life, have we not all paid a price for ignoring the teachings of the Bible?  I can speak only for myself in this area, I’ve read or heard the message and the enemy of my soul places someone else into my mind, and it goes like this; I sure wish you could have heard the message and applied it to your life.  Or I hear the message, I even believe the message, but I do not take the teaching into my mind and heart, so I’m destined to repeat my poor performance.  And then often my actions tell all who watch that I just do not believe Jesus tells the truth, because if I did my life would comply with the teaching of the Bible.

For many who are young in the Christian faith may think the Bible is just rules, much like any other religion, but that is far from the truth; the Bible teaches us that we can have a relationship with our Creator.  Unlike the extreme religions that say kill your enemies, the Bible teaches us to do good to them and to love them, quite a contrast.  But that brings us to places like Ireland where the Protestants try to kill the Catholics and the Catholics reciprocate to the Protestants, all in the name of the same Bible that teaches them to love each other, something is very wrong!

Could it be that we stop reading too soon, or we forgot to apply it to our own life, or as we read, we think how good this would be for the person living down the street.  Could it be that many have never met the author of the Bible, and to them it is just the religion of their parents, if that is true, listen: Religion has its roots in rules, it is all about do’s and don’ts.  It also hinges on performance and it hates those who do not share those rules and actions, its end game is death; it was religion that killed our Lord.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What if?

 

James 1:19

How would life be different if I would have applied these truths to my life, do you ever ask such questions?  One small verse of Scripture packed with such great advice on living life, not in heaven, but on this earth.  “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.”  Being in sales most of my adult life, I’ve become somewhat of an observer of people, and this is what I’ve observed; many of us like to be heard, many of us are quick to speak, but very slow to hear, and in all of my adult life I have never seen so many so quick to get angry.

I know men and women who are slow to speak, who are good listeners, and this is my observation; they are leaders, they seem to be full of wisdom, and people go to them for council.  Have they learned from Proverbs 15:31, “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.”  Or, maybe they read Proverbs 8:34, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”  God tells us that King Solomon was the wisest natural man who has lived on planet earth, and he wrote this advise for all of us in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.  To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.  Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore let your words be few.”  A wise man once said, it is hard to hear when your lips are moving. 

For years I’ve blamed my diarrhea of the mouth on being so small in my youth, and also my lack of education, and the truth is those had some effect on my need to be heard, but the bottom line is, for many years I was very insecure, and insecure people do dumb things.  I often wonder how life would have been different, if my dad would have taken me through a study on being quick to listen and slow to speak?  He might have used some of these Scriptures to guide me: Proverbs 13:3, “He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”  Proverbs 34:13, “keep your tongue from evil and you lips from speaking lies.”  Or what about Proverbs 21:23, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”  What if dad had written these truths on my heart and mind, surely as a dad he observed my quickness of speech.  But that is history, and I’m still in the process of breaking those bad habits, but if you have children or grandchildren teach them these truths.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Misguided Faith

 

James 1:16-18

James sixteen, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.”  But we are, yes, often we are deceived by our own desires, our own lust, and our faith in things that are not worthy of our faith.  Misguided faith is a big deceiver, how often have you put faith in a pastor or leader in your church only to be disappointed?  How often has a parent, child, husband or wife put faith in the other only to be disillusioned, because their actions were below expectations?  Has God spoken to us on misplaced faith?  He speaks in Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”  And we are told in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  Why do we have misguided faith?  It is because we do not abide in Christ, because we do not hold to the truth, or we refuse to believe that it was written for us.  How can we escape?   Only one way, and that is to believe that Jesus tells the truth, and that He has written you a very personal love letter called the Bible, and when it is personal, when it is believed; your life will take-on new meaning, it will be Christ who is living in you, doing the will of the Father.

As you read verses 17 and 18, agree with God that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 

Dear Father, you know us, not one thing is hidden from you, we have a big problem with misguided faith, in the created and not in You, our Creator.  We trust in men, in government, in our army, and in ourselves, but so often we do not act on Your word, your love letter to us on how to live life on planet earth.  Change our unbelieving hearts of stone to hearts that long for Your authority in us as we go living.  We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Someone to Blame

James 1:13-16

It a good thing to have someone else to blame for the wrong we do in our daily life, and for many God is who they blame.  Do you recall the line that Flip Wilson used often, “The devil made me do it” but did he really make you do it or is he just one more person to blame?  It seems as if no one is to blame for just about anything these days, it’s not their fault it’s how they were raised, it was the schools fault or the parents, but it seems no one wants to say I made a wrong choice, it was my fault.

James, who wrote this under the direction of the Holy Spirit, said you had better think twice before you try laying your bad choices at the feet of God.  “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  And yet often your family, friends or fellow Christians will try passing the blame for their sins on God Himself.  Often, they will tell you they are angry with God for allowing this or that to come into their life, as if they had no choice in the matter.

The appropriate approach to being enticed by our desire is not blaming God or anyone else, but to bow down before God and confess that we try to go it alone, we attempted to live independently from the authority of our Father in heaven.  The apostle John had this insight into the subject; “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”  (1 John 1:5-6)  If you are into the blame game, it is so important to blame the right person, go to the mirror, and in that mirror you will see the one who is responsible for the sin in your life.  Now it’s time to make a choice, blame self and confess and be free from the guilt of your sin.  One choice, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Take the view from Heaven

 

James 1:9-12

Why the Bible makes no sense to our culture, it tells the poor man to boast in his exaltation and the rich man in his humiliation.  No one, including many pastors, acts like this Scripture is true.  That is not how the world works; we look for the ones who have successes, not the poor, and we sure do not tell them to feel excessive happiness or exhilaration because of their lowly status.  And whom do you know in or out of the church that tells a rich man that he should feel like he has less dignity, is he not the one we look up to?

If we look at life from heavens view, we understand clearly the message to those of us in the church that are blessed; God needs us to refocus on these verses.  “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.  So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.   If we look from heavens view, we understand that we are greatly loved by God, but He is not impressed with our status in this world.  He compares us to the flower on grass, and no matter how remarkable it is today, if you go back the next day it is gone, that’s how God sees us, and a wise person would move his thinking to the view from heaven.

It would be somewhat of a bummer if we did not read verse 12, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”   Life on planet earth is not one exam but many, and it has a reward that is out of this world for all who remain steadfast under the trials of this life.   No matter what status you find yourself in, take the view from heaven and rejoice that God has chosen you to be part of His family, you are a very rich person.

From Heavens View,

Bob

Religion - End game is Death

 

Quote

 Blaise Pascal, "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction"...and he said that nearly 400 years ago. Can we go to the Scripture and find validity in Blaise Pascal’s statement?  The answer is a profound Yes!  One of the best examples is Jesus He often brought the passion of the religious leaders of His day down on Him.  We have too many examples to list of Jesus rocking the boat of the Jewish religious leaders, but often it was not what He did but when His action took place.  One such occurrence is found in the gospel according to John, chapter 5:1-18.  It is the account of Jesus healing a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, and it was done on the Sabbath.  Now after he was healed Jesus told the man to “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”  Now that was a big no-no, that was breaking the Sabbath, and so when confronted by the religious leaders, the man that was healed, reply was the one that healed me said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’  Later he found out it was Jesus who had healed him and he told the religious leaders and verse sixteen states: “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.”  And if this is not enough evidence to support Blaise Pascal’s statement, then look at verse 18, “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

I have a very dear friend that our relationship goes back to Jr. High and he loves to pull my chain or anyone else that is close to him.  His favorite quote is the one from Blaise Pascal, listed above, an one that I am in agreement with, I believe religion end game is always death, it was religious people that demanded the life of Jesus. 

My friend began by asking me who was the winner of the Crusades, the Muslims or the Christians, and our exchange went on for weeks on this subject.  One of our last exchanges, and I am only using the last paragraph of an exchange that went like this: “Christians although they said they were and the millions and millions of people killed over hundreds of years in repeated religious wars in what they said was His name were just unlucky victims. It seems to me that doesn't speak very well for Christianity in general and whatever doctrine is taught under Jesus’ name has historically been ignored. If it were an isolated incident I might understand it better. Unfortunately it follows a historical pattern. But...from what you say, the fault is not Christianity, it's the Christians, even if it happens time after time and the losers are the poor bastards that lost their lives and the winners are the survivors...simple as that. Does that make Christians any different than Muslims?”

And my answer is yes, the Muslims faith is based on “Do” what I must do for Allah to earn his acceptance, and that is religion.  The Christian faith is based on “Done” it is a relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus pay the price for sin.  And the Bible give an account of a man who was religious and did many evil things in the name of that religion, his name was Saul.  He took great joy in hunting down this new group of followers of Jesus Christ, and putting them in prison or killing them all with the blessing of the leaders of that religion, and he and they believed they were doing the will of God.  But if we follow this very religious man after he encountered Jesus Christ, and after entering into a personal relationship, we discover a new man, who became Paul the apostle, and his life and goals changed because he went from a “Do” religion to a “Done” relationship. 

Anyone who follows the teachings of Christ, as the apostle Paul did, will not do harm to their neighbor, or their enemy to make them conform.  You may recall that my friend ask this question: “who was the winner of the Crusades, the Muslims or the Christians?”  After much though, I’ve come to this answer; the “Do” won, it matters not what name they were fighting the war under, it was all about religion, and power, it was not God centered, it was not doing the will of our Lord.  But, it does seem on spot, to blame Christians and God for just about everything. 

The prophet Jeremiah had this to say about our hearts: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”  And the one who put those thoughts into Jeremiah’s mind had this to say in the book of Matthew 15:18-20a, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart, comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  These are what defile a person.”  I believe the Scriptures have stated, that the real winners will be the ones who do the will of the Father and who obey His commandments.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Frivolous acts we equate to trials

 

James 1: 1-4

A letter to the twelve tribes in Dispersion, many Bible historians believe this is addressed to Jewish converts who lived outside of the Holy land; and also to the devoted Jews who dispersed over a wide area because of persecution.  Many also believe that the brother of Jesus is the James being referred to.  This is what we know for sure; James is a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he cares deeply about the people he is writing to. 

In that I believe God tells the truth and that He has stated, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of men, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  (2 Peter 1:21) We also have this account in 1Timothy 3:16, where the Bible is called God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.  And because it is a living book, it is the same today as yesterday and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, then we must understand that all that is written happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us on whom the fulfillment of the age has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)

When we see the following; “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  (James 1:2-4)  What should you and I take from this?  Lets get honest, many of us believe that having to wait in line at the store is a trial, or the car not starting, and if most of us in these very frivolous acts do not apply this teaching, how can we hope to when our world turns upside down?  And trust me if you are part of the American Church, your world is getting ready to turn upside down, we are going to see change that is going to rock our world.  So how can we count it all joy?  And if we refuse to count it all joy, then we will be without joy, and that means we will become bitter, angry, and sorrowful. 

So how do people like us move from letting these many frivolous acts we equate to trials, prepare us for things that will rock our world?  Folks, it is so simple, but it is not easy, in fact, it is impossible in your abilities, it’s going to require you asking God to do it all for you, and knowing that He will never bring anything into your life that is a surprise to Him, and that He will provide the grace that is needed for that moment.  We also must make the choice to bring His word into our actions and reactions and stop trying to live life without dependence on our great and Mighty God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What I should have learned in Sunday school

 

Hebrews 13:14-19

What I should have learned in Sunday school, but I did not, and how my life would have been different, if I would have taken to heart the teaching of Scripture.  Verse 14 states clearly; that my home is with Jesus, and in this world I am at best a wonderer and strangers.   And if I had learned that, I would have known that it was a lasting city, and it is coming, and it is perfect, it has no plumbing problems, no decks to build, and no one is going to break in and steal.

I would have learned to live my life with this thought process; how can I bring pleasure to my heavenly Father, what act of kindness, or services will show others my Father’s glory?   I would have learned to share with others the many blessings that my Father has blessed me with, and I would not be fearful of what is to come.  Why, because I am His and He is mine, and He has a wonderful plan for my life on this planet.  By acts of kindness and sharing with others, it brings great joy and it pleases the Father.

If verse 17, had become part of my belief system how would life have been different?  “Obey your leaders and submit to them, as those who will have to give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”  In the army I submitted out of fear, and often that is the kind of submission to my Father in heaven, not out of love but fear.  But once we grasp that God loves us and has placed leaders to teach and guide us to an individual relationship with the Father, fear is replaced with an understanding of the value God has placed on each of us.

From the Back Porch,

Bob