hope for when we stumble

"For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."  James 2:10
"Mercy triumphs over judgment."  James 2:13b

As I read through the first part of the second chapter of James this afternoon, I couldn't help but ruminate over the last few days, few weeks, few months, and count just how many times I've stumbled.  And forget about just stumbling in "one point," for me it's more along the lines of "at least ten."

When I read verse 10, I checked out the scriptural cross-references for the word "stumble," and found hope for my discouragement:

First, James 3:2 tells us that "we all stumble in many ways."  You got that right!  I was thankful for the reminder that we all struggle in different areas, and even on the straightest path we will all encounter times when we stumble.  So I'm not alone in this.

Second, 2 Peter 1:10 instructs us to practice certain "things" so that we will never stumble.  If we look earlier in the passage, we find those "things" he's talking about:  faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.  Kind of like the fruits of the Spirit on steroids!  They all seem build upon each other, and while it's nice to have the list, it's also a little daunting at the same time.  How in the world can anyone keep this up in order not to stumble?

That's where the last reference comes in.  The twenty-fourth verse in the very brief yet very powerful book of Jude tells us that God is "able to keep us from stumbling."  So we don't have to do it on our own.  He knows that without Him we're weak, but He also knows that with Him we're strong and capable of so much more than we realize.  So many times the wrong thinking jumpstarts my guilt during times of stumbling; I figure that since I'm human, I'm also weak and useless, and there's nothing that can help me change.  I'm thinking that's the mindset in which the enemy wants me to stay. 

What I need to realize is that I don't have to be weak and useless.  That's part of Jesus' transforming work on the cross, as well as His resurrection; our old self with its sinful nature died with Him, and when He rose from the dead, He unlocked brand new lives for each of us as well.  I'm certain that this is good news for so many others too, unless I miss my guess on how alike we all really are. 

Now, as long as we're on this earth, we will struggle with certain temptations and sins.  That's our flesh trying to get us to return to our old ways.  And we will most likely stumble from time to time.  But God is quick to show mercy to us (James 2:13), and if we abide in Him, we have access to more power and grace than we ever thought possible.  If you've stumbled, ask God to take your hands and help you stand back up.  Dust off your knees, wipe your brow, and follow Him up that path He has for you.  I can think of no better guide than the One who laid the road.

quick thoughts on anger

"...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."

~James 1:20

I read this verse a few weeks ago and have meditated on it a bit since then. 

In the book of Ephesians, Paul advises us to "be angry, and yet do not sin" (4:26).  He knew that as humans, anger is an inevitable emotion for all of us in this fallen world.  But he also knew that without the love of God in our hearts, this anger can become a catalyst in the manifestation of any number of sins since without His help, we have no hope of controlling this powerful emotion on our own.

Being angry on occasion is normal, and sometimes even beneficial if we keep tabs on it and deal with it properly.  But we're not designed to harbor our anger continuously.  That's where the above verse in James comes in.  Even if we call on God's help in the midst of an episode of anger, and we are successful in avoiding any kind of sin during that time, I really think being angry for an extended period of time can prevent us from running after His righteousness and blessings.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule; sometimes righteous indignation combined with Providence can certainly further God's kingdom (such as Jesus turning over the money-changers' tables in the Temple).  But for the most part, we're better off if we deal with our anger quickly and concisely, without giving in to the temptation to sin and without letting our anger keep us from doing what God has called us to do.

I'm usually not one to act out on my anger; I tend to be more prone to stuffing my anger inside and letting it stew instead.  But I'm thinking that doing this is really just as bad as physically acting out my anger.  If I'm angry at someone, and do nothing to fix the situation, I'm usually rendered useless in regards to His kingdom.  In addition, that anger makes me vulnerable toward more attacks from the Enemy; just check out a later verse in that passage in James, where he says that allowing our anger to remain in us only gives the devil "an opportunity" (v. 27), or in other translations, "a foothold."  Anger will only beget more anger, and that anger will only beget sin, unless we call on God the minute that powerful emotion sets in and ask for His help in resolving it.  A life bent toward achieving His righteousness can't be spent wading in the mucky waters of anger and bitterness.

behind His back

"...It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, 

for You have cast all my sins behind Your back."

~Isaiah 38:17

Have you ever tried to pass off some ridiculous statement (like "Thou shalt not eat thy vegetables") as Scripture by saying it's found in the book of Hezekiah?  Maybe that's just my husband.  And if you have known us for any length of time, odds are you've heard that joke already!

While Hezekiah didn't write a book of the Bible, he was a king who received prophecies from Isaiah starting in Chapter 37.  In this chapter, Hezekiah's prayers and reliance on God resulted in the ultimate defeat of the invading Assyrians.  In the next chapter, we find Hezekiah on his deathbed.  Desperate, he prays to God asking Him to remember how he has walked before Him "in truth and with a whole heart" (verse 3).  God then decides to heals him, and also adds fifteen years to his life (verse 5).

Hezekiah's writing of his illness and healing makes up the rest of the chapter.  It describes both despair and thanksgiving.  One verse in particular stood out of me as I read it today:

"It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness,

for You have cast all my sins behind Your back" (verse 17).

Check out the word "cast."  It immediately brought me to 1 Peter 5:7, which instructs us to "cast" all our cares or anxiety on Him because He cares for us.  I'm not sure if the word "cast" is translated exactly the same in Isaiah as it is in 1 Peter, but to me the mental picture is the same; throwing something with all our might toward another source, as a fisherman would cast a net into the sea.

That's what God did with Hezekiah's sin, and what He does with all of our sins when we accept His son and ask for forgiveness.  He throws our sin with all of his might behind Him.  When He said "Get behind me, Satan!" (Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33) He was putting Peter's wrong thinking where it belonged...behind Him.  When something is behind you, it's not in your line of vision.  It is impossible to focus on it, or even see it, unless you look behind you.  When it comes to our sin, God is not one for looking behind, and He doesn't expect us to do that either.  If we ask His forgiveness, He forgets our sin and only looks ahead to what we could be in Him.

The point is, whether we're casting our sin or our anxieties on Him, God will greet us with open arms.  Throw that struggle, stronghold, worry, or temptation into His hand with all your might, and He will smile and throw it over His shoulder.  Remember, if God cared at all about keeping tabs on our sin even after He forgives us, He would never throw them behind Him.  He would keep them in front of Him or beside Him.  He throws them behind His back to not only put them where they belong, but to also restore us to the position where we belong.   He is able to hold us and look into our eyes because our sin isn't in front of Him, and He is able to walk with and guide us because our sin isn't beside Him.

So cast your cares and sin upon Him, and He will cast them behind Him so you can move on, powerful at His side and safe in His arms.

Good Grapes

"...Then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones." Isaiah 5:2

With Isaiah 5 comes a parable of a vineyard. It describes God diligently working in His vineyard, which in the end only produces worthless grapes. So in turn God rebukes His vineyard and leaves it to the weeds (verses 5-6). A similar thing happens in over in the New Testament in which Jesus rebukes a fig tree for not producing fruit, and so it withers and never produces fruit again (Matthew 21:18-19).

For those of us who grew up learning about parables, it's not difficult to deduce the meaning behind this one. Even so, the seventh verse in Isaiah 5 explains it for us anyway: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant." So rather than producing good fruit for the Lord, His people are instead producing worthless fruit (or worse, no fruit at all).

Why is this? The conditions for yielding good grapes seem ideal in this vineyard: it's planted on a fertile hill (verse 1), and the Lord Himself has worked within it. He digs all around, removes stones, and above all, He plants the "choicest vine" (verse 2). And it is clear that God expects good fruit to come from His vineyard, as he builds a tower and a wine vat within the vineyard in anticipation of the upcoming harvest (also in verse 2). So we can't blame any of the conditions within the vineyard; indeed, God Himself even asks, "What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have no done in it" (verse 4)?

I think the problem is within the "grapes" themselves. The next group of verses in Isaiah 5 are titled "woes for the wicked" in my Bible (NASB translation). These woes describe the sins of God's people that resulted in their present, "sour grapes" condition. These sins include drunkenness (verses 11-12), pride (verses 15 and 21), lying (verses 18-20), and justifying the sins of others (verse 23). They suffer because of their lack of knowledge of God's righteousness and power (verse 13), and also because they have rejected the law of the One who first planted them (verse 24). These "grapes" were nothing before God chose them for His vineyard, yet they refuse to be anything more if it means depending on Him.

So how are we to be good grapes? The answer comes from Jesus Himself: "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). If we abide in Him, we will bear fruit, and not just any kind of fruit, but the GOOD kind, since Christ is the actual vine we get our nourishment from. This means depending on him, since "the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me" (John 15:4). That would be like a lone branch lying on the soil, fully expecting to grow and bear fruit apart from the vine from which it came. It just doesn't work, and likewise it doesn't work for us, either, if we try to live apart from God. So study His word. Pray often. Develop the gifts He has given you. Resist sin and other temptations. And don't be afraid of God's discipline; He is only "pruning" us so we can bear even more fruit for His glory (John 15:2):

"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." (John 15:8). May our ultimate concern be to bring glory to His name and to bear GOOD fruit for His kingdom.