Killing two birds with one post.

First "bird" - I just always find it interesting when part of what we discuss in class lines up with Buddy/Richard's sermon for the week. Mostly, it's because I can't decide if it is serendipitous or divinely supervised :) This was the message on Sunday, and was also touched on by James in chapter 3 and in chapter 2. The "deeds" that some think Christians can't be saved without need to come from a willingness and love in our hearts, not from obligation. James' words were, "in the humility that comes from wisdom." I found a verse that speaks to this in 1 Thessalonians. Paul writes this:

2 "We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 1:2, italics emphasis added by Nick) whole chapter here.

Second "bird" - This week we will be reading James 4:1-12. There is a lot in this passage but one section that always used to give me trouble was verse 9. The "grieve mourn and wail" passage didn't make sense but makes more sense now than it used to. This week I want to challenge you to read this passage daily, but also to dive deeper with verse 9 (and the verses on either side of it, really). What does being commanded to "grieve, mourn and wail" mean to us as Christians today? Does this contradict other scripture about being joyful? Think and pray on the passage this week and ask God to reveal Himself to you through it.

Joy & Wisdom vs. Happiness & Knowledge

Here are the scriptures referenced in today's post.

In the first part of James' letter to Israel, he talks about wisdom and joy. We sometimes make the mistake of using these words synonymously with knowledge and happiness, respectively. There is an important distinction between these sets of words.

James starts of by saying that we should consider trials of many kinds pure joy. That can be easier said than done, but the usage of Joy here is so important. Joy is the overarching contentment that we find in our lives and our eternal situations as we entrust God with the protection of our souls. Trials of many kinds, if we view them the right way, develop our perseverance and our ability to rely on God in any circumstance. The more we put into this "spiritual savings account" the easier it becomes to face anything because you've got the resources (perseverance of faith) to overcome. Happiness is an emotion. it comes and goes with each event and each day. We may not always be happy that we are going through tough times, but we need to be joyful that those tough times will develop our faith.

Some of this can be hard to implement. We know what the Bible says, but when faced with trials we are to be joyful? How? The answer is in verse 5 of this passage and in James' use of the word wisdom. Knowledge is great but if it is not used it becomes worthless trivia. To know what the Bible says about a topic is totally different than to do what the bible says about the same topic. While it is good to know that trials bring perseverance, they only develop it if you are persevering. The ability to view your trials through this lens takes wisdom that only comes from asking God.

The cliffs-notes version of this post is that spiritually mature Christians do not allow their moment-to-moment emotions trump their over-arching faith in the supremacy of God.

And the SAT version of this post is
Happiness : temporary : : Joy : permanent
Knowledge : trivial : : Wisdom : experiential

Have a joyful week!
Nick