My Reflections on James 1:9-18
This post goes with the other two posts on James 1:9-18:
Read + Reflect + Respond and Study Helps.
IN MY WORDS
(This is my personal expanded paraphrase of this passage. You could try writing one, too! Give it a shot before you read mine!)
In the Kingdom where the first shall be last and the last shall be first, God elevates the status of those who don't have many material possessions or opportunities. While others look down on them or even despise them, poor Christians are worth just as much to God, who looks on the heart and not the outward appearance. He wants them to realize that they have his mighty power working within them. They can have complete confidence that he loves and cares for them. Rich people, however, should humble themselves. Many of them think they are so high and mighty, that they can get away with anything because money is a source of power to them. They think don't need God, so they don't take the time to experience the true riches of his grace. Not only that, the material wealth they value is not secure. It can be wiped away in an instant with a stock market crash, a natural disaster, a health setback, or a family crisis. And since they haven't invested in their spiritual lives, their souls wither away. Even if they are surrounded with fancy stuff, it won't do them any good in the long run if they have empty souls. So they should ponder their mortality and their eternal fate, and be thankful that God helps them climb down from the precariousness of living way up high, down down down to the solid foundation of a humble reliance on Christ. The ground at the foot of the cross is level.
People who love God will ultimately be rewarded! It might not seem like it when they are going through troubling times. But good things come to those who keep on trying, who go the distance even when the way is hard. When they cross that finish line, the victory crown is theirs for all eternity!
Not everyone gets that, though. Some give in to temptation and wallow in cesspools of sin. They aren't racing toward victory. They are losers. Then they blame God when they don't receive his blessings. They don't see that their own habits and choices have dragged them off course and sabotaged their success. They had their own desires which became a higher priority than pleasing the Lord. They didn't care about living a sanctified, consecrated Christian life until they were deep in defeat. It's their own fault, but they still have a chance to change! They can choose to resist temptation and to pursue God's heart. However, without repentance, they will have absolutely no chance of winning. They are on the road to Deadsville. It's sinning or winning - our choice.
Don't believe the lies, my friends. God is the one who gives the very best gifts, picked out just for us, and sent from Heaven. So if you want to live the good life and be blessed, stick with him! Why waste your time running after anything else? He is completely reliable and trustworthy, not acting on selfish whims. His gifts are good. The best gift is that he has brought us to new spiritual life, new birth, through the truth of his word and into his presence. We're the crown of his creation. The best gifts last a long time, and his are eternal.
HERE & NOW
I see so much in the news about conflict between groups of people, which in many ways reflects stark differences in generational socioeconomic status. I'll bet you've heard discussions about privilege. Basically what it means is that if you were born into a higher socioeconomic class family, you didn't get there because of your own hard work or your intelligence or your street savvy. Even if you did add those efforts to your opportunities, you still started off with greater advantages which you could then leverage into more success. Unfortunately, our culture is still also rife with racial prejudice, and much of that affects economic opportunity and social safety, so "white privilege" is a big deal. I believe that if anyone has any kind of privilege, it should become a personal priority to leverage it for the sake of others. I'd love for you to read my essay about these issues and let me know what you think: What About Privilege, Justice, and Social Responsibility?
This is also about plain old respect, not just giving money or stuff. You can give a bunch to the poor, 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, and still not have a whiff of love about you. Do we see people as God sees them or not? In our minds, are they objects to be pitied? Lesser creatures? Trailer trash? Or do we see with eyes of love, and recognize the Imageo Deo, the image of God, the dignity of his creation, in each one? Do we allow ourselves to think or speak of them with contempt, even if it is subtle? Are we better than them? Get real. If we want to be authentically better people, it won't be by comparing ourselves. We need to do better than that and we need to become better than who we are. That, paradoxically, starts with a humble and realistic appraisal of the heart and not the wallet. Also, if someone has less, don't gloat. Help put them in a position to earn a living wage. Take a close look at what it takes to rise from poverty if you haven't even had access to a decent education. It's not pretty, and you probably wouldn't want to start in that position, would you?
I was very blessed to read Fierce Convictions, the biography of Hannah Moore. This British poet, reformer and abolitionist who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries embodied the ideal of enduring hardship and serving the poor and helpless.
A few words on choices and temptation: As I mention on the Study Helps page in the section on Justin Martyr, I've been reading about free will (God choosing to limit his own sovereignty for a time so that we can choose) versus determinism (God actively planning every moment for every molecule, including sinful behavior). It makes me realize that my choices matter. I alone am accountable for the good or evil that I choose, and it makes such a difference in my life and the lives of those I impact. I can't be passive and chalk everything up to "God is in control so it doesn't matter in the end." Yes, it does. It all matters. Our individual lives each have enormous significance. We're not just random drops of water in the ocean. We each have potential for positive or negative influence in our world. We need to choose well and live well. Reading about that in conjunction with studying these passages is so much food for thought. I'm still chewing on that.
Some of the verses in our passage were about the movement of light, about shadows. God is light, all light, day and night. Yet we still experience darkness, physically and emotionally. We do not yet see him face to face, so we look in the mirror dimly. This poem is about the flux of light and dark, shimmer and shadow, and how God is within both. The last few lines have sustained and nourished my soul in tough times. I hope you enjoy it.
"Shimmer and Shadow"
by Virginia Knowles
I.
Epiphany dawns to blaze of day
Fiery sun and cooling shade
Then sunset glow
Seeping dusk
Star sparkle, honey gold of moon
Obscuring haze of deepening dark
Dark deep
Wait
Rest
Heal
Epiphany dawns
Hope rises on the horizon
II.
My life is shimmer and shadow
Shadow and shimmer
A chiaroscuro portrait, clear and dark
The Artist draws and draws
Draws me into scenes of day and night
Draws me to himself in glimmerings and glimpses
There is still life
I am still here
I am here and so is He
In shimmer and shadow
I see so much in the news about conflict between groups of people, which in many ways reflects stark differences in generational socioeconomic status. I'll bet you've heard discussions about privilege. Basically what it means is that if you were born into a higher socioeconomic class family, you didn't get there because of your own hard work or your intelligence or your street savvy. Even if you did add those efforts to your opportunities, you still started off with greater advantages which you could then leverage into more success. Unfortunately, our culture is still also rife with racial prejudice, and much of that affects economic opportunity and social safety, so "white privilege" is a big deal. I believe that if anyone has any kind of privilege, it should become a personal priority to leverage it for the sake of others. I'd love for you to read my essay about these issues and let me know what you think: What About Privilege, Justice, and Social Responsibility?
This is also about plain old respect, not just giving money or stuff. You can give a bunch to the poor, 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, and still not have a whiff of love about you. Do we see people as God sees them or not? In our minds, are they objects to be pitied? Lesser creatures? Trailer trash? Or do we see with eyes of love, and recognize the Imageo Deo, the image of God, the dignity of his creation, in each one? Do we allow ourselves to think or speak of them with contempt, even if it is subtle? Are we better than them? Get real. If we want to be authentically better people, it won't be by comparing ourselves. We need to do better than that and we need to become better than who we are. That, paradoxically, starts with a humble and realistic appraisal of the heart and not the wallet. Also, if someone has less, don't gloat. Help put them in a position to earn a living wage. Take a close look at what it takes to rise from poverty if you haven't even had access to a decent education. It's not pretty, and you probably wouldn't want to start in that position, would you?
I was very blessed to read Fierce Convictions, the biography of Hannah Moore. This British poet, reformer and abolitionist who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries embodied the ideal of enduring hardship and serving the poor and helpless.
~*~*~
A few words on choices and temptation: As I mention on the Study Helps page in the section on Justin Martyr, I've been reading about free will (God choosing to limit his own sovereignty for a time so that we can choose) versus determinism (God actively planning every moment for every molecule, including sinful behavior). It makes me realize that my choices matter. I alone am accountable for the good or evil that I choose, and it makes such a difference in my life and the lives of those I impact. I can't be passive and chalk everything up to "God is in control so it doesn't matter in the end." Yes, it does. It all matters. Our individual lives each have enormous significance. We're not just random drops of water in the ocean. We each have potential for positive or negative influence in our world. We need to choose well and live well. Reading about that in conjunction with studying these passages is so much food for thought. I'm still chewing on that.
~*~*~
Some of the verses in our passage were about the movement of light, about shadows. God is light, all light, day and night. Yet we still experience darkness, physically and emotionally. We do not yet see him face to face, so we look in the mirror dimly. This poem is about the flux of light and dark, shimmer and shadow, and how God is within both. The last few lines have sustained and nourished my soul in tough times. I hope you enjoy it.
"Shimmer and Shadow"
by Virginia Knowles
I.
Epiphany dawns to blaze of day
Fiery sun and cooling shade
Then sunset glow
Seeping dusk
Star sparkle, honey gold of moon
Obscuring haze of deepening dark
Dark deep
Wait
Rest
Heal
Epiphany dawns
Hope rises on the horizon
II.
My life is shimmer and shadow
Shadow and shimmer
A chiaroscuro portrait, clear and dark
The Artist draws and draws
Draws me into scenes of day and night
Draws me to himself in glimmerings and glimpses
There is still life
I am still here
I am here and so is He
In shimmer and shadow
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