The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#206: Jesus, The Bread of Life Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Quite frequently, as I invite people to church, I hear people say, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” I’ve never really heard anyone give a good definition for what it means to be spiritual. But what I think these people are trying to express is that they are on a search for spiritual things. There is a spiritual hunger they are trying to fill.

For 2,000 years people have been expressing their opinions about who Jesus was, and what he came to accomplish. Listen carefully to what Jesus said about himself. In John 6 Jesus reveal s that “He is the bread of life.” Jesus is the source of absolute satisfaction. If you “eat” of his bread, you will never be hungry.

In John 6:35 - “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.”

Jesus is the master of teachable moments. The day before Jesus spoke these words about being the bread of life, he had fed over 5,000 people miraculously with five loaves of bread and two fish.

The next day the crowd is looking for Jesus. The people wanted Jesus, but not for the right reasons. They were looking for another free lunch. Jesus uses this stetting to try to teach them about something more important than lunch.

Jesus identifies one of our biggest problems: Hunger.

We all know what it feels like to be physically hungry. But our hunger in life is much deeper than our need for the next meal. Our greatest hunger is spiritual. This hunger is what drives all of life. It impacts our search, our ambition, our goals, and our direction in life. We will do just about anything in our search to satisfy this hunger, and it gets us into a lot of trouble.

John 6:27 - Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

In other words, most of our pursuits in life are for things that are temporary. It’s like food. All food has an expiration date. It’s only good for a little while. Jesus is saying instead of putting all your focus and energy into the search for temporary fulfillment, and temporary satisfaction, we should focus on the food that endures.

What Jesus communicated to the crowd was that he does not give the bread of life. He is the bread of life. He is what completely satisfies us.

Jesus came to meet a need in our lives that we cannot meet ourselves. We must see that only Jesus can completely satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Travel to almost any country and sit in any restaurant and they’ll serve you bread. Bread is a staple. It the poor have nothing, they have bread. If the rich have everything, they have bread. Bread is not a regional food nor a national dish. No country claims to be the exclusive source of bread. It may be in the form of a tortilla in Mexico (my favorite) or a bagel in New York City, but bread is available everywhere. So is Jesus. Jesus is available to satisfy.

No matter who you are, where you are from, where you have been, or what you have done, Jesus is available to you. He longs to have a relationship with you. He desires to satisfy your life with a new life that is only found in Him.

Jesus can only be the bread of life for you if you receive him. I can be starving and walk down the bread aisle at the grocery store, but that doesn’t satisfy. There are people who know about Jesus, but they haven’t received Jesus as savior and Lord.

Today’s Challenge: How do we receive this bread that completely satisfies? It comes through faith. We must believe. We experience the grace of God as we believe that Jesus is God and that he paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. We do this as we receive him as our savior and Lord.

#205: The Power of the Holy Spirit Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

There is a story of man who was clearing the trees off of several acres of land. He was working hard chopping down trees with an axe. Despite his hard work, he could only remove a few trees each day. But one day he found out about power chain saws. A salesman told him with a power chainsaw he could cut down 50 more trees than he could with an axe.

The man was sold. He purchased the chainsaw and wen home to try it out. The next day he came back to the store where he purchased the power saw and put it on the counter. “I want my money back. This thing is a piece of junk” he said.

“What do you mean?” the salesman asked. I couldn’t even cut down one tree with this thing the man, the man said.

The salesman, looking puzzled, picked up the saw, pulled the chord and the saw roared to life. The guy who purchased the saw looked surprised and said, “What is that noise?”

He had purchased the saw and had taken it home without understanding what he had.

When I read this story it reminded me of how people misunderstand the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

As we read scripture, we see that God has given us the Holy Spirit for many reasons. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. He guides us to truth. He comforts us. He enables us to live a Godly life.

As Christians we deeply appreciate the blessings of the Holy Spirit. But there is more the Spirit wants to do, and it’s here that some believers are confused.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

These 12 followers of Jesus would need a power greater than their own to fulfill God’s mission and purpose for their lives.

I believe the same is true for you and me. What God has called us to do is greater than our strength, intellect, creativity, wisdom, and power. We need God’s power in our lives.

Further more, God has promised to give us the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:11-13 - “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

After Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, the followers of Jesus met together in the upper room in Jerusalem. It was here that 120 believers waiting on God for the promise of the Holy Spirit. It was here that God baptized them and filled them with His Spirit.

Can I tell you something very important? God wants to fill you with His Spirit too. He has a task for you. You have a calling. There is a designated purpose and mission for your life, but you can’t do it in your own power and strength. It will require God’s Spirit.

Like the man cutting down trees, we need power. A chainsaw is a terrible tool for cutting down trees, unless it has power. You and I will be ineffective in fulling God’s purpose unless we have his power in our lives.

I have often thought about the experience of the 120 in the upper room. This group of believers waited for ten days before being filled with the Holy Spirit. We can imagine they prayed together, worshipped together, and tarried before God in expectation of what He would do.

In our fast paced world, it’s seems difficult for us to find time to wait upon God in prayer. But what would happen if we did? Imagine being filled with the Spirit of God and being used for God’s purpose.

Today’s Challenge: I believe there are many of you listening today who long for a greater experience with God. You desire to be used by God in greater ways. You hunger to be full of his presence and power. Let me encourage you to make time to pray and seek to be full of the Holy Spirit. I believe He will fill you with his power.

#204: Spiritual Blessings Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Do you ever stop and think about how blessed you really are. If you are like me you realize you are blessed way beyond what you deserve. God is so good to us. As a good Father, he loves to bless his children.

When I count my blessings I usually thank God for life, health, breath, strength, family, friends, a home, food, ministry and so much more.

But this week as I was praying, I was reminded that my greatest blessings are not things. My greatest blessings are spiritual.

In Ephesians 1:3 Paul says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Ephesians is a prison epistle. Paul is writing this letter from a prison cell…and he’s talking about how very blessed he is.

Paul was not in this prison cell, chained to a guard, thinking about how much money he had or didn’t have. He wasn’t thinking, “You know I might sell my house and buy a bigger one.”

He was thinking, “I am so glad I know Christ. I don’t know exactly what is in store for my future – but I know that I have every spiritual blessing I need because of Christ.

Most people want earthly blessings. We would like to make more money. We desire certain material things. Paul is trying to help us see that spiritual blessing are more valuable than anything this world could offer us.

It was said that John D. Rockerfeller who founded Standard Oil Company, for the last 35 years of his life mostly ate milk and saltine crackers because of the serious ulcer created by his worrying over all his money. He had earthly blessings but it cost him a lot in other ways.

Paul is writing in Ephesians to Christians who might be prone to treat their spiritual resources with neglect. Many believers are in danger of suffering from spiritual malnutrition, because they don’t take advantage of the great store house of spiritual resource that are available to them in Christ.

When you become a follower of Jesus Christ you share in the blessings of God with the greatest men and women of God in history. You enjoy God’s blessings with those who have gone before: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Luke, and all the rest.

We must understand that the blessings you have in Christ are enough. They are sufficient. We can be satisfied in Christ.

God has blessed us with that which cannot pass away. It cannot be stolen, it can not be burned up, it can not wear out, and it cannot be used up.

Think about how blessed we are to know Jesus in a personal way. We have a relationship with the living God. We have been saved and forgiven of our sins. God has removed our guilt and shame. We now have peace with God. God has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live for him and to serve him.

In addition to these blessings, he has given us joy, peace, hope, strength, wisdom, encouragement, and so much more.

There is no comparison to the life the world offers you and the life that Christ offers for those who will sincerely follow him.

As followers of Christ we must never lose sight of the fact that all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be is only in and through Christ.

When I was a child we used to sing an old hymn called, “Count your blessings.” The first verse says “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

Today’s Challenge: Make time today to count your spiritual blessings. Let’s give God praise for all he has provided for us through Christ. We are truly blessed.

#203: Concern for the Lost Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Last summer, my family and I traveled to Utah and spent a few days at the beautiful Zion National Park. We hiked many of the trails and enjoyed the famous Narrows. The terrain is beautiful but very rugged.

A few months after our trip, I noticed in the news that searchers were looking for a woman who had become lost in the National Park. The 38 year old woman from California’s was named Holly Courtier. She had lost her job due to the pandemic and decided to travel the country in a converted van. She arrived at Zion on October 6th and that was the last time anyone saw her for almost two weeks.

“Early in her trip into Zion, she injured her head on a tree. She was very disoriented as a result and thankfully ended up near a water source – a river bed. She thought her best chance of survival was to stay next to a water source. Emergency search crews used K9 units and drones to search for Holly for 12 day.

Thinking back to the rocky terrain we hiked, I can only imagine the terror she must have felt to have been lost in the wilderness not knowing if she would be rescued.

As terrible as it is to be lost in a remote wilderness area, there is another kind of lostness that’s even worse. Nothing is worse than being spiritually lost.

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

The word “lost” is the term Jesus uses to describe someone who has not yet come to a point of faith and trust in Christ. They may even be searching for truth, but they are looking in all the wrong places.

To be lost is the most tragic condition in life. You can be wealthy and still be lost. You can have a fine marriage and family and still be lost. You can be healthy physically and still be lost.

To be lost is not just to be non-religious. To be lost is not just someone who doesn’t attend church. To be lost is to in our sins, separated from God. Unless we are found, this state of lostness is for eternity.

A survey was conducted of people who witnessed a drowning. One of the questions asked was, “Why didn’t you rescue them?” And many times people say, “Well, we didn’t realize they were drowning. There was a lot of splashing in the water and we thought they were just splashing around in the water. We didn’t realize they were in trouble.”

Maybe, just maybe that’s were we are today as Christians. We are around lost people all the time, but perhaps we have forgotten they are lost. Maybe we don’t recognize that people without a relationship with Jesus are on their way to an eternity separate from God.

We need to remember the truths:

Every lost person matters to God. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

God initiates the search to bring lost people home. He sent his son Jesus to pay the awful penalty for our sins. Jesus took our place. By his grace he invites us to a relationship with himself.

Everyday God is calling lost people to himself and he wants to use people like you and me as his representatives. He puts people in our path so we can share the good news with them.

I can only imagine the relief Holly Courtier must have felt when she was rescued after 12 days. But there is a greater joy we can experience, the joy of no longer being lost in our sins, but being found by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today’s Challenge: Never stop praying for your lost family members and friends. Let’s never give up believing for their salvation. Be willing to let God use your life to help rescue those who are spiritually lost by bringing them to Christ.

#202: The Return of Christ Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

A father and his 10 year old daughter, both good swimmers, entered the waters of the Atlantic at a New Jersey seashore resort a few summers ago. When some distance from shore they became separated, and the father realized they were being carried out to sea by the tide. He called out to his daughter: "I am going to shore for help. If you get tired, turn on your back; you can float all day on your back. I'll come back for you." Before long many searchers in boats were in the water hunting for one small girl. Hundreds of people had heard the news and waited anxiously on shore. It was four hours before they found her, far from land. She was calmly floating on her back and not at all frightened. Tears of joy and relief greeted the rescuers as the girl was brought to the shore safely. The child took it calmly. She said, “My Dad said he would come for me, and that I could float all day, so I swam and floated. I was not afraid because he had promised to come get me.”

For 2,000 years there has been a promise that believers like you and me have held on to. It’s a promise made to us by Jesus. It gives us comfort in our suffering. It gives us peace in our confusion. This promise gives us joy in the midst of sorrow. Which promise? The promise of Christ’s return.

The Bible is clear that the return of Christ is a promise that can be counted on. John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

The disciples of Jesus in the NT were absolutely convinced that Jesus would return. His resurrection was proof. His ascension was proof. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Here are some thing the Bible tells us about the return of Christ.

The return of Christ is our blessed hope.

“…we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
The return of Christ will happen suddenly.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

Christians are told repeatedly in the New Testament to be watchful for the Lord’s appearing. No one knows the day or the hour, but we do know the signs.

Only God knows the complete time table and the events that will occur and the time frame. Many signs. In Matthew 24, Jesus himself gives us several signs that His return would be near.

The return of Christ will result in our rapture.

“According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

Today’s Challenge: Hold onto the promise of Christ’s return. This world is not our home. Jesus has prepared a place for us and he will come again.

#201: Missed Blessings Feb 28, 2021

Show notes

When I was growing up in Texas as child, I remember there were some times where finances were short and our family was in need. My parents didn’t let anyone know, but they did bring their needs to God in prayer. They trusted God’s promise to supply all of their needs according to His riches in glory. On more than one occasion, we came out of the church after a Sunday service to find the back seat of our car filled with grocery bags. As children, my siblings and I were amazed at what God had done. All we had done was bring our needs to God in prayer. He answered our prayer by speaking to someone’s heart and they responded by being a blessing. It felt like Christmas day as we unloaded the bags filled to groceries.

God’s answer to our prayers made an impact on my life. God does hear our prayer. He does answer. He does meet our needs.

Recently, I was praying about a personal need and I felt the Spirit of God convict my heart. He was challenging me about my lack of prayer in this area of my life. I sensed God was saying that I had just accepted the problem. I hadn’t been asking God in a fervent way to change the situation or to meet the need.

As I prayed I wondered if my lack of prayer in this area had resulted in missed blessings.

James 4:2 says, “You have not, because you asked not.”

I have talked about prayer several times on this podcast and have reinforced the idea of praying in accordance with God’s will. Of course, James 4:2 does not mean that if we ask God for anything we desire we will get it. Often our motives are selfish and we pray for things outside of God’s will, and he will not answer.

But what about those times when God desires to meet a need and to respond to the cry of our heart but we failed to ask him?

So often we leave God out of the equation. After all, we are resourceful people. We are competent. We are problem solvers. Surely, we can find and answer, a solution, or a remedy to our problem.

I’m convinced our self-reliance is the cause of many missed blessings. We miss out on a miracle. We miss out on seeing God’s power revealed because we failed to pray and ask God to meet our needs.

As you think about your life, not doubt you are like me. You have needs. There are things you need God to do.

If you need an answer he has it. If you need healing. He is a healer. If you need provision, I’ve seen what he can do. If you need deliverance, he can set the captives free. He has strength for the weary, hope for the hopeless, and wisdom for the confused.

What a privilege it is for you and I to have access to God and to be able to bring our needs to him in prayer.

Are you missing out on some of God’s blessings simply because you have not asked him to meet your need?

1 John 5:14-15 - “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

There are several reasons we can miss out on God’s blessings. We can neglect to pray. We can refuse to pray and work to solve the problem ourselves. We can fail to pray because we have lost our confidence in God. We can ignore prayer because we have become pre-occupied with life.

Whatever you are facing today, let’s believe what God’s Word says. We can have confidence when we pray that God hears us. He is a good Father who wants to bless his children.

Today’s Challenge: Make a list of what you need God to do in your life. Commit to prayer. Seek his will. Make sure your desires and your request line up with God’s will. Ask God to intervene in your situation and believe that he hears and will answer. Don’t miss out on your blessing because you have neglected to pray.

#200: The Call to Follow Jesus Feb 27, 2021

Show notes

A few years ago, my wife Linda and I were blessed to go to Israel. One of the most impactful places we visited was the Sea of Galilee. As we walked the shore, story after story from the Gospels came to my mind. It was here that Jesus spent so much time with his disciples. It was here that he called many of them to follow him and to be his disciples.

Bible scholars believe these 12 men were very young, possible even teenagers. Imagine leaving family, friends, and responsibilities to follow and learn from this new Rabbi. There was something different about Jesus, something so compelling they were willing to leave everything behind to follow him.

Over the next three years they would be eye witnesses to his miraculous power, his interactions with the hurting, the broken and the lost. They would hear his teaching and would think, “no one teaches like Jesus.” These men would follow him everywhere he went. They would have access to him that no one else would have. They would follow him…all the way to the cross.

Deeply impacted by the resurrection, these men would give Jesus their lives. They would obey his command to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to make disciples of all nations.

I love reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John because we get to read the first hand report of the life and ministry of Jesus.

As I read the gospels each year, I am struck with the call to follow and I recognize it wasn’t a call just for 12 young men who lived in the Galilee region of Israel. It’s a call for everyone of us.

I don’t believe being a disciple is an option. Some Christians seem to think discipleship is an optional second level of Christianity. You know…for those who are really serious, and even fanatical.

No, the call to follow, the call to be a disciple comes to us all.

Matthew 10:38 - “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

This is the first mention of the cross in Mathew’s gospel. The statement must have shocked the disciples of Jesus. At this point, these 12 men did not know Jesus would die on a cross. Of course, they were familiar with the Roman method of execution by crucifixion. But in this sentence Jesus seems to be likening discipleship with the horror of crucifixion. How can this be? What is Jesus saying?

What is our cross to bear? Jesus is not referring to a particular difficulty, annoyance, or trial you must face. Sometimes I hear people say, “Well, I guess this is just my cross to bear.” This is not what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 10:38.

Jesus is saying that true discipleship is a death to self and a resurrected life unto God. It is death to our selfish will, our sinful nature, and our old life. It is following Jesus and walking in the new life he would offer us.

What these 12 men would learn is that the dying to self and the walking in new life is something they would do daily. This is Christ’s call for discipleship. I hope you hear his call. He’s calling people like you and me to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow him.

Everyone one of us listening today struggle with surrendering to God. It’s hard to yield our will to God’s will. But what we gain is so much greater than what we lose. That’s why Paul says in Philippians 3:7-8:

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

Today’s Challenge: Do you hear the voice of the savior calling you to follow? Do you hear him asking you to deny yourself, to take up your cross, and to follow him with all that you are and all that you have? Receive this truth today: everything you need is on the other side of surrendering your life to Jesus.

#199: What Does It Mean To Believe In Jesus? Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

I love hearing stories of how people came to faith in Jesus. Everyone has their own journey and their own stories. A number of years ago, I was getting to know a man who had attended a few services at our church. As I often do, I asked him how he became a Christian. His response surprised me.

He said, “You know, Pastor…I decided to study all the major world religions. I took a couple of years and did a deep dive into the various religions and beliefs. Out of the major religions, Christianity seems to make the most sense to me, so I decided to become a Christian.

I’m in no position to judge the authenticity or the sincerity of his faith in Jesus, but the conversation led me to reflect on how a person comes to faith in Jesus. What does it truly mean to believe in Jesus? How does a person become a Christian?

In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them…”

We learn here that God himself is actively involved in pursuing us and calling us to believe. Faith in Jesus cannot be the result in academic study alone. It must include the work of God’s spirit in our hearts and lives that brings us to a place of faith.

We also know from Scripture that believing in Jesus is not simply an intellectual assent or agreement. It’s more than just head knowledge. I’ve heard people say, “Pastor, there are too many unanswered questions in this world, there must be a God up there somewhere, so, yes, I guess I do believe in God.

We must understand that this kind of belief is not saving faith. There will be multitude of people in Hell who believed in God. We do not receive salvation because we believe in God.

James 2:19 - “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”

Demons believe in the existence of God, but they will not be in Heaven.

So, what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Well, we have established that saving faith is not believing in the existence of God. It is something more.

In Romans 10:9-10 the Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Twice in these verses Paul says we must believe.

In scripture, one of the definitions of faith is “to fully lean.” It is leaning your full weight upon Jesus. It means we fully trust Christ as our savior.

Faith that brings us salvation is trusting Jesus’ death upon the cross as payment for our sins.” It’s recognizing that salvation is found nowhere else. The death of Jesus satisfied the justice of a righteous and holy God. A penalty had to be paid for our sins or God is not just. Out of love, Jesus too our penalty. He took our place.

So when we say salvation requires us to believe in Jesus, we believe not only that he exists but that his death was personal. He died for me. He died for you.

You either trust Jesus’ death on the cross on your behalf, or you trust your own good deeds. There is no other option. So many feel they are going to Heaven when they die because they believe in God and because they are a good person. If this were true, Jesus’ death was in vain. It wasn’t necessary.

But it was necessary because it was the will of God. Jesus became our substitute. He died for us so we wouldn’t have too. God offers us the opportunity to be born again, to be saved and forgiven of our sins. It requires faith. It requires trusting Jesus’ finished work on the cross on our behalf.

Today’s Challenge: Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your savior and Lord? Or are you trusting in yourself and your good deeds? God offers us salvation as a free gift, but it requires that we believe. Today can be the day of your salvation.

#198: God's Promise of Wisdom Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

One of the most powerful, yet practical verses in all of the Bible is found in James 1:5 - “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

I think of James as he shares God’s promise for wisdom. James knew that it’s relatively easy to live as a Christian when things are calm. But it’s much more difficult when the storms of life hit with full force. During these times, it’s easy to get off course or even to make shipwreck of your faith. His readers were facing extremely difficult trials. They were scattered abroad, mostly due to persecution. In a sense, they were refugees. They had suffered the loss of their homes and possessions. Many were not able to escape persecution even in the places to which they had fled. James wanted them to know how to navigate through these trials with the wisdom of God.

When James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom,” he is not suggesting that some have it together so well that they have no need of wisdom. In the Greek this is a conditional sentence, which implies that we all lack wisdom when we face difficult trials. But, we don’t always see our need for God’s wisdom.

In the Old Testament, God came to Solomon and said, ‘You’re the king of Israel. I’m going to grant you one wish. What do you want more than anything else in life?’ Solomon thought it over and said, ‘I’m so inadequate as a leader. I don’t know what to do with these people. More than anything else I want wisdom. I want to be able to think the way You think, to see things from Your point of view, be able to make decisions the way You would make them. I don’t want to make mistakes.

I don’t want to look back on my life later and have regrets. I want wisdom.’ The Bible says that God was pleased with that request. He granted it to him, just like God always gives wisdom to those that ask for it. He said, ‘Solomon, because you asked for wisdom, I’m going to give you the other things too: wealth, fame, and long life.

Later Solomon would write in Proverbs 8:11 – “for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

Like Solomon and James we must realize that to obtain wisdom we first have to recognize that we need it.

The context of James is the wisdom that we need to endure trials with God’s joy, so that we will be “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” How many times have we been in the midst of the storm and we desperately needed God’s wisdom?

I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.

We can ask God for wisdom in any matter in life that we face, but in the context here, it is focused on asking God for the wisdom that we need to endure trials joyfully.

Enduring trials with joy goes against our natural inclination. When trouble hit, we’re all prone to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” But usually this is the wrong question. Sometimes, God reveals the reason for our suffering, but sometimes he doesn’t.

The important questions to ask when a trial hits are, “How can I understand this trial from God’s perspective? How can I navigate through this storm in such a way as to bring glory to God? How can this trial help me grow in maturity?”

Today’s Challenge: If you are facing a difficulty, a storm, or one of the trials of life, you can reach out to God for his wisdom. He has promised to give it to you. We must recognize that we need his wisdom, and then we ask him for it. God wants to give you His wisdom. He’s got a rich storehouse of wisdom from which you and I can draw for the rest of our lives.

#197: Restored Relationships Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Years ago I read the story about identical twin brothers who never married but worked in the family retail store with their Dad. When their father died, they took over his store and ran it together in a joyful collaboration.

But one day a man came in to make a small purchase and paid for it with a dollar. The brother who made the sale placed the dollar on top of the cash register...and walked the customer to the door to say goodbye. When he returned, the dollar bill was gone.

He said to his twin brother, "Did you take the dollar bill I left here?” "No, I didn’t," answered the brother.

"Surely, you took it," he said, "There was nobody else in the store.”

The brother became angry: "I’m telling you, I did not take the dollar bill.”

From that point, mistrust and suspicion grew until finally the two brothers could not work together. They put a partition right down the middle of the building and made it into two stores. In anger, they refused to speak for the next 20 years.

One day a stranger pulled up in a car and entered one of the two stores. "Have you been in business very long here?" the stranger asked.

"Yes, 30 or 40 years," was the answer.

"Good," continued the stranger, "I very much need to tell you something... Some 20 years ago, I passed through this town. I was out of work and homeless. I jumped off a boxcar. I had no money and I had not eaten for days. I came down that alley outside and when I looked into your store window, I saw a dollar bill on the cash register. I slipped in and took it. Recently I became a Christian. I was converted and accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I know now it was wrong of me to steal that dollar bill...and I have come to pay you back with interest and to beg your forgiveness."

When the stranger finished his confession, the old storekeeper began to weep as he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you please come next door and tell that story to my brother?" With the second telling, the two brothers were reconciled with many hugs and apologies and tears.

Twenty years of hurt and broken relationship based not on fact, but on mistrust and misunderstanding. But then healing came; reconciliation came, because of that stranger’s love for Christ.

Today I want to speak to those who have broken relationships. Jesus Christ came to restore us to the Father, and as a result he can restore us to one another.

If God has forgiven us, we should forgive other people. Doesn’t that seem fair? If you are a Christian, you have received something, you’ve experienced something that you don’t deserve – forgiveness. When we have a hard time forgiving other people what it means is that you don’t fully understand God’s forgiveness for you.

People who are forgiving understand what Jesus did on the cross. When you realize what an incredible act of forgiveness God has given to you, you’re more forgiving of other people.

Colossians 3:13 – “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

You see, forgiveness sets you free. You don’t wait until someone asks for your forgiveness. That may never happen. You do if for your sake. Over my life I have had a number of very hurtful things said to me. I’m cannot sit around in misery waiting for them to come and ask my forgiveness. I release them whether they ask for forgiveness or not. Life is too short to live in bitterness.

Today’s Challenge: Refuse to hold onto anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Forgive as God has forgiven you. Since you have been reconciled to God, ask him for the strength to reconcile with others. With the forgiveness we have received, let’s forgive one another.

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