Marks of Genuine Faith

James 1:26-27

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world (Holman Christian Standard Bible ).

Throughout generations and cultures, people have asked the question, what should a relationship with God look? James response is stunning in that is does not focus on behaviors to appease the divine. Instead, it offers a simple description of controlling the tongue and caring for other people. A right relationship with God will be evident in the right relationship with other people. Jesus said people would know His disciples by their love for one another (John 13:35). Christlike love is most evident in relationships in which the other people have nothing to offer in return. This kind of love is countercultural. It is selfless. It is righteous. Orphans and widows are vulnerable and have nothing to make an offer in return for kindness, especially in the context in which James is writing, where Christians were persecuted. God expects us, His church to go out of our way to love the overlooked, the vulnerable, and the needy. Why? Because showing God’s love and kindness for others is precisely what the Bible commands us to do.[1] May God help us to have spiritual ears to hear His truth and eyes to see opportunities to put it into practice.

Pastor Dimas

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[1] Adapted from James: Faith and Works by Matt Chadler. P. 45. Lifeway Resources

Dealing with Anger

Anger is a powerful emotion and how we deal with this emotion will impact our relationships, our attitude toward life, and even our witness before a watching world. The Bible has much to say about anger. Psalm 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil”. The New Testament tells us to get rid of anger. It says true love is not “easily angered”. James tells us to be slow to anger. With all these commands in mind, we may be surprised at this command from the Apostle Paul, “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”.

There are times we should be angry. Anger is a valuable emotion because it alerts us to a problem that needs to be addressed. We become angry when we feel pushed aside, taken advantage of, or when we see that someone is being inconsiderate or self-absorbed. We get angry when we see destructive things happening in the life of another. We get angry when others are being mistreated.

Our real question is: How do we control our anger rather than letting it control us? Let me offer some suggestions. First, embrace your position in Christ. This may be the most helpful aspect of dealing with anger. No matter what the world says or does God sees us, knows us, and loves us. We need to remember that we ARE significant in Christ whether or not the world around us recognizes it. Second, be aware when anger begins to rise.  The first key to handling anger is to deal with it before it is out of control. Third, identify the source of your response. It is helpful to ask, “Why am I angry?” The anger that gets us into trouble is always the result of some kind of pain. Fourth, deal with anger immediately. Paul tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger. Fifth, take responsibility for your anger and choose to release it. Blaming others for our angry outbursts is easy. Finally, look for the positive. We have a choice: we can look for a fight or look for a blessing. We can focus on the faults or the gifts that reside in another. Choose to focus on positive things.

We live in an angry world. Controlling anger will enrich our relationships, will allow our families to thrive, will enhance our Christian witness, and will also help us to enjoy the journey of life. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Integrity

Integrity

A man who makes a vow to the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do. (Numbers 30:2).

A godly character starts by living as people of truth. We are to keep promises because our promises are made to or before, the Lord our God. We take more oaths than you realize: getting married we make promises, when we join a church, we make promises, when we sign tax forms or other legal documents, we swear we are being truthful. We make an oath when we enter into a contract with someone. Because we belong to the God who is True, we are to honor Him, by doing what we promised. How do we live a life of integrity and faithfulness?”

Integrity (or the soundness of moral character) is a problem today. Think about what we read and have seen in our experience

• Church leaders involved in a sexual scandal
• Politicians who take bribes and commit indecent acts
• Employees who steal from their employers
• Students who cheat on exams
• Athletes who gain an edge through drugs
• Witnesses who lie on documents and in court
• People who claim to be Christians but can’t be trusted in business.
• Co-workers who never arrive to work on time (and often leave early).
• People who are prominent in a church but don’t live lives any different from the pagans around them.[1]

Integrity is a problem, and it is an especially significant problem for Christians. As representatives of Jesus Christ our inconsistency and lack of integrity destroys our testimony before a watching world. Integrity is measured by how we live by God’s standards. That is not the way everyone defines integrity (which is where we find our integrity crisis). To an increasing number of people in our society, their standard of truth is “whatever works for me” or “whatever makes me happy (in the moment).” For these people, they don’t see their actions (when they lie, cheat, or act immorally) as a lack of integrity. In their minds, they are entirely consistent with their value system. They are doing whatever will gain them the most significant advantage or pleasures.

Christians must operate from a different reference point. There is a standard of truth; there is a right and a wrong; that is the same for everyone. It does not change with the individual; it is set by God. We find that standard of truth in the Bible. The Bible says the person of integrity is one who lives consistently with God’s standards. They are people who DO what is right rather than merely TALK about it. Take stock of your life today. Honor God by being truthful. This is where integrity begins. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

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[1] Goschel, R. (2010). What Does Godly Integrity Looks Like. Wheaton, IL. P. 87.

What Counts?

What Counts?

There is a story I read recently. A surgeon in a large city hospital had a habit of insisting on a few minutes alone before he operated. He had an outstanding reputation as a surgeon, and one of the young doctors who often worked with him wondered if there might be a correlation between this habit and the man’s success.

He asked the surgeon about his habit, and the surgeon answered, “Yes, there is a relationship. Before each operation, I ask the Great Physician to be with me, to guide my hands in their work. There have been times when I did not know what to do next in surgery, and then came the power to go on, the power I knew came from God. I would not think of operating without asking His help.”

The surgeon’s words quickly spread through the hospital, and then across the country. One day a father brought his daughter to the hospital, insisting that the only doctor he would allow to touch her was the one who works with God.[1]

 The apostle Paul recognized this truth when he wrote: “Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil”.  What motivates you to do your job? What energizes you to do your best? Take some time to cover your work in prayer. You will find that time well spent, as He helps you to achieve more. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

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[1] God’s Little Devotional Book for Leaders, p. 199. Tulsa, OK: Honor Books.

Facing Trials

James 1:2-11

We all face trials and tests of some kind. And we all meet different types of things in our walk through this life. Some will face relationship difficulties, other health issues, physical challenges, mental challenges, job problems, church problems. One thing that jumped out at me this week though was that we are to face these trials and face these tests. When a problem or trial or test comes into my life, we need to face it head-on. We should not turn my back on the issue and pretend that it doesn’t exist, that would not solve anything. When turn our backs to our problems, trials, and tests, will be unable to protect ourselves from the issues that might arise from them. If we ignore a disease, it will only get worse. If we ignore a relationship problem, it will just get worse. If we turn and run from our problems, we will never be able to handle anything that comes our way; we won’t get strong enough to handle more difficult issues. 

The story is told of a Scottish discus thrower from the 19th century. He lived in the days before professional trainers and developed his skills alone in the highlands. He made his discus from the description he read in a book. What he didn’t know was that the competition discus was made of wood with an outer rim of iron. His discus was made of pure metal, four times heavier than the ones used by his would-be challengers. This committed Scotsman trained day after day, laboring under the burden of extra weight. He marked the record distance and kept working until he could throw that far. Of course, when he arrived at the competition, he was handed the official wooden discus. He threw it like a tea saucer. He set new records, and for many years, none of his competitors could touch him. And that is what God is trying to do in us as we go through different and more difficult problems in life. He is trying to MATURE & COMPLETE US. It’s like a bodybuilder, who works to lift heavy weights. They don’t work with the heaviest weight they can raise to build muscle. They work with lighter weights, doing many reps, saving the heavyweights for only a few of their workouts. Muscle build gradually so that, in time, they can lift heavy weights. God develops perseverance in us the same way; by testing our faith little by little, in increasing increments and perhaps even frequency. Faith is trust in God, His Word, and His promises. May God bless you and keep you always.

Pastor Dimas

Priorities

The Apostle Paul encourages us to examine the priorities of our life. His command to Timothy (and by extension us) is to focus on living the way God commands in a faithful, loving, determined and gentle way. Ponder those words. To do this requires all our effort. If we do these things, we will maintain our joy. Is our main goal pleasing ourselves or pleasing God? Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:11-12: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called.” He tells us this because there is going to come a time when the work, we as builders have done must stand, and he wishes for us to have built our spiritual lives to withstand that time of judgment. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. And that should be a priority as we finish our days in this short life of ours.

Making a living and making a life are two different goals. The Bible tells us to lay up treasures in heaven: We are to be rich in good deeds, and generous, willing to share. In this way, those who heed the Lord’s instruction will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is indeed life.

God’s priorities and ours are often in a struggle.

 A Native American parable tells about this inner struggle. An elder of the tribe tells the following story: The battle within us is like two wolves fighting against each other. There is a good wolf who wants to do what’s right, but the other wolf always wants to do what’s wrong. Sometimes the good wolf seems stronger and is winning the fight. But sometimes the bad wolf is stronger and is winning.” A young brave asks, “Who will win in the end?”. The elder answered, “The one you feed.” This is so very true in our own life. As we look over the priorities we have, we may find that we really and truly are feeding the wrong wolf. In other words, we cannot be slowed and distracted by fear, bitterness, revenge, obsessing about money, lusting for things, worry, and an unforgiving heart. The next time you find yourself distracted by these negative things, maybe it would help if we simply said, “I don’t have time for this, I have much better things to do.” May God bless you always.

Pastor Dimas

Solid Foudation

In 1174 the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: A separately standing bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa. The tower was to be eight-stories and 185-foot-tall structure. There was just one "little" problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the foundation was far too shallow to adequately hold the structure! And sure enough, before long the whole structure had begun to tilt... and it continued to tilt... until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again. It took 176 years to build the Tower of Pisa and during that time many things were done to try and compensate for the "tilt." Foundation was shored up; the upper levels were even built at an angle to try to make the top of the tower look straight. Nothing worked. The tower has stood for over 800 years, but it leans 18 feet away from where it should be.

In a real sense, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy is going to fall. Scientists travel yearly to measure the building’s slow descent. They report that the 179-foot tower moves about one-twentieth of an inch a year, and is now 17 feet out of plumb. They further estimate that by the year 2007 the 810-year old tower will have leaned too far and will collapse onto the nearby ristorante, where scientists now gather to discuss their findings. Quite significantly, the word "pisa" means "marshy land," which gives some clue as to why the tower began to lean even before it was completed. Also--its foundation is only 10 feet deep! Thousands of tourists travel to see this great edifice that will inevitably fall. All because it was not built on the right foundation. Foundations make the difference and become a matter of extreme relevance and importance.

Jesus told a story about the importance foundations in Matthew 7. Christ gives here a severe warning. He had been speaking to the multitudes assembled, who sought an answer to the question as to what kind of righteousness a man needed to be accepted into the Kingdom Christ had come to institute on planet earth. In other words, they were asking “How can a man be acceptable to God?” the people for generations had been schooled in the teachings of the Pharisees. They said that if men observed the laws of the Pharisees, performed all the rituals, attended the feasts and offered the sacrifices, observed the 250 positive and 365 negative commandments and ordinances, they would certainly be acceptable to God. But our Lord, against the concerted teachings and efforts of the Pharisees, delivered a startling new word and covenant. He taught the multitudes it is not by what a man does he becomes acceptable to God, but rather it is by receiving righteousness from God by faith that makes men acceptable to God. (Titus 3:5; Ephesians. 2:8-9). Here are two contrary systems of thought, and those who heard Him were forced to make a choice. Today, you are confronted with the same choice, would I follow Jesus and his teachings,or would I follow the teachings of the world. It is your choice. May God bless you always.

Pastor Dimas