Patience' Perfect Work

Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

We could all use a little more patience. My problem is that I want it right now!

The word "patience" here means a "cheerful endurance." We extol old Job. The phrase "the patience of Job" has worked its way into our colloquialisms. That poor rich man lost anything and everything a man could lose in a very short time. One thing he didn't lose, however, was his trust in God. "What…" he said to his wife, "Shall we receive good from the hand of the Lord and not evil? Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!" Way to go Brother Job!

The floodgates of hell came against this man of God of ancient times, yet he endured. In the end, he was twice the man and had twice the things he had before.

Patience, we are told, has a perfect work to accomplish in us. That work is to make us complete and mature in every aspect, in need of nothing. That is the literal rendering of "perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Please, brethren, don't get impatient with patience. The trials are going to come, you are going to have setbacks, the wheels are going to fall off of your agenda. But God is not going to allow anything to happen that isn't for your good and your growth if you are faithfully serving Him.

Let patience do her perfect work for you.

Oh Joy!

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

What brings joy? "The joy of the Lord is your strength" says Nehemiah 8:10.

In the Old Testament, Joy came about through great victories, by bringing the ark of the covenant back home, bearing a child, coronating a king, national repentance, righteousness, dedication of the temple, relief from suffering, worship and quite a few other things.

The New Testament adds several joy givers to the list. However, James gives us a new and strange reason to be joyful, falling into various temptations. What? Psalms says that weeping endures for the night, but joy comes in the morning. But James says to consider it a joyful thing while the night of weeping is still upon you.

Verse 3 tells us why joy is called for before the relief comes. Trials make us better. They temper our mettle, they cause us to rely on God's grace and draw near to Him in prayer. Remember, God never does things to us, He always does things for us! So we are to have joy in the midst of the storm anticipating the great blessings that will result from enduring the storm.

Next time trouble arises in your life, don’t despair, take heart in knowing that God can make this trial a blessing which will strengthen your faith, work patience in you, draw you close to the Savior's side and make you a better Christian.

The Miracle of the Diaspora

Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Imagine a certain ethnic group, let's call them the Walenthians. And say that 1900 years ago, they were persecuted and scattered to the four corners of the earth.

1900 years later, travel to any Walenthian enclave...Paris, the Pyrenees, Ethiopia, Poland, Russia, Brazil, Miami, Cleveland or New York. Observing them for a while, you may notice that their language has taken on a local flavor, perhaps even their dress, but their practices are identical, the manner of their diet, their religious observances, even the taboos. How could this be possible?

It would be made possible by their allegiance to a common code which ties them, out of every nation and culture, to their own sub-culture.

If you ever get about three months to set aside other reading ventures and are able to devour a certain book, The Source, by James A. Michener, I highly encourage you to do so. As in any book, eat the meat, but spit out the bones. But I guarantee you are in for an education about the first set of "God's people" the Jews.

Author James (the apostle, not the Quaker) writes to all the Jews of the Diaspora, the scattered ones. He testifies and instructs of the Christian faith by which they may maintain their commonalities and peculiarities. He is a Jew writing to Jews, a pastor admonishing sheep. His epistle is scattered by the four winds to the four corners to further tie together a sub-culture of a sub-culture of different cultures. That is Jews who believe in the Messiah Who came to set them free.

So before you plow into The Source, take a long look at Pastor James' epistle to the redeemed part of the Diaspora.

The Inspiring Uninspired Parts of My Bible

Heb 13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen. Written to the Hebrews from Italy, by Timothy.

Have you ever thought much about the parts of the Bible which are not God-breathed but are a big help?

1. The headings of the Psalms written as instructions for the mood or background of the Psalm
2. The addendums such as the one above to give historical, biographical or geographical context
3. The italicized words added by the King James translators to add clarity to the thought.
4. Chapter and verse divisions which facilitate the reading and study of the Word. By the way, those of the New Testament were developed by a preacher on horseback as he traveled his circuit. I am glad he didn’t have a cell phone!
5. The Apocryphal books, which, while not the Word of God and not included in most of our Bibles, are of historical value.
6. Concordances and study helps such as word translations, cross references, etc., which greatly aid in our understanding of the Bible.

I could add one more of my favorite parts, not really related or even on par with these. That is the notes we write on the fly-leafs and margins of our Bibles. Personal blessings that we pen or pencil in as God spoke to us through the preaching or our personal study. These are the things that we wanted to preserve, so we reverently penned them into the eternal record.

I have preached from the flyleaf of my Bible a few times and was greatly blessed by doing so. It included quotes, quips and quiet time thoughts from the back of the old black Book that keep on blessing even though they fade and wear gracefully.

Without all of these mentioned above, the Bible would still be complete, but I thank God for them and for the aid they bring us rightly dividing the Word.

And so endeth my blogs from the book of Hebrews. Written to whosoever readeth from a kitchen table, by Gary

Postscript: I didn't even mention the autograph page where signatures of the great pulpiteers are etched for the ages. Nor did I mention the introductory pages where license was given by King James for the translating and publishing of our English Bible.

Something to be Said for Consistency

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

The recent presidential elections brought the present regime in on the promise of change. Boy, did we get plenty of that! About the only change we aren't experiencing is change in our pockets.

Sometimes some change can be good; socks, underwear, inept leadership. But when it comes to the bedrock of society change is nothing more than erosion. Which of the Ten Commandments could use a makeover? I, for one, vote that lying, cursing, adultery, coveting, theft and murder remain blacklisted. Though, I am sure, those in power would say, "Yes we can" to altering God's law.

Listed here in verses 7 through 9 are six things that must be constant.

1. The Word of the Lord. "...who have spoken unto you the word of God:"

God's Word must be spoken, that is, taught and preached, in truth. We must speak it as it is to people as they are. Speaking of change, the only way to change the darkened heart of man is by pounding it with the hammer of the Word. faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

2. Faith in the Lord. "...whose faith follow," This is the faith that was once delivered unto the saints for which we must earnestly contend. Jude 3. This is the faith that must be unfeigned, that is, real. I Tim 1:5, II Tim 1:5. The only change needed with true faith is growth!

3. A Good Testimony. "...considering the end of their conversation." The world needs to see Christianity that lives what it preaches. This phrase literally means, "attentively beholding the behavior of a believer upon their exit." Now, that's a mouthful, but it simply means that when a consistent Christian exits this life, you can only extol the virtue of their lifestyle. Something must be said about clean living in line with God's Word.

4. Jesus. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." The theologians use the word "immutability." This means unchangeability. In Malachi we are told, "For I am the Lord, I change not." When it seems that everything around us is settling into shifting sand, we can always hold to God's unchanging hand. Each of us can point to an individual in our lives who has always been there for us, usually that is a mother or a spouse. But even they are limited in their ability to always be dependable. But Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

5. Doctrine. "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." The Scripture likens people who are biblically double-minded individuals to objects floating to and fro on the sea, anchorless, moving about with the winds and the waves, undependable, without character. Eph 4:14. Doctrine simply means teaching. We need to be consistent in our teaching of the Word.

6. Grace in the Heart. "For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;" Our hearts, the very core of our beings are established, anchored, made sure, by God's grace. It is His work in our hearts and lives that makes us steady, solid citizens of heaven.

Keep your change, I'll hang on to the Word of God, a sincere faith, living a good testimony, my Savior, solid Baptist Bible doctrine, and God's unmerited favor.

Follow the Leader

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Hēgeomai is the Greek word used here concerning those who "rule over" us. The word means to consider and command. In democratic circles we appoint over ourselves those who have the capacity to think and act on behalf of others.

In some venues, such as the church, it is God Who appoints, yet, in a sense, we get to ratify His man. (Pity the church which fails to do so).

Under that leadership, we are called upon to remember our thinker/actors.

By remembering, we do three things; 1) We are to make mention of them, especially to God. 2) We are to be mindful of them, that is we consider their motives, their calling, their responsibilities, their "case load," Their schedules, ad infinitum. 3) We remember that they are also made out of the same stuff we are. Though they are held to a higher accountability, we understand they are subject to emotion, mistakes and limitations like we are. 4) We should also remember to be a blessing to them in our support, our subjection to them, our showing of appreciation and our teachability.

Ask yourself today if you are properly remembering those under whom God has placed you.

I Want, I Want, I Want!

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Kids these days! Never content with what they have and always wanting more. Kids nothing! Most of the adults I know, even Christians are constantly wanting more of this world's goods, hoping that things will bring fulfillment.

The writer of this passage gives these immortal words of wisdom, “be content with such things as you have - Jesus will never leave nor forsake you.”

If you have Jesus, you always have everything you will ever need, for He has promised to meet our every need according to His riches in glory.

The word conversation, as used here, is not talking just about the things we say, rather it infers the way we live. When others watch our lives, they ought to see that we are not covetous, but satisfied and grateful for what we have.

So, instead of an attitude of "I want, I want, I want", portray a spirit of "I thank, I thank, I thank."