If you missed Sunday’s message you can catch up by listening here or over at crosspointe.org/series/the-book-of-james.
James 4:1-3 (The Message)
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way…
James is as direct here as he is in the previous chapter; the way that we actually live and relate is the evidence of the faith that we say we have, and the evidence is often suggesting that we’re not living Kingdom lives as much as using Kingdom language but doing our own thing.
It’s challenging. But this is how we want it deep down, because rather than empty talk that we don’t have to live by, we are learning how to show our wisdom and faith with the emerging beauty of our lived life. Our destructive antagonisms, our competitions and comparisons, and our foolish pursuit of self interest at the expense of our loving unity, is giving way slowly to a life of Christ. But man it’s as challenging now as it was then. So we ask ourselves tough questions…
Who do you look to for growth in the faith? Who is it that incentivizes you to mature? Who challenges you, encourages you and reminds you of what’s true in moments and circumstances that make you most likely to forget? If that person isn’t someone you would describe with words like “wisdom,” “experience” and “lives the kind of life I want,” it might be time to diversify your relationship portfolio! To the extent that we are taking our faith seriously, we must also take seriously the call to do life with others seeking the Kingdom, and to live in humble respect of those further down the path than ourselves. This is not to say that we ditch everyone whose faith seems to be less than our own. Please, please, please let’s not rank each other that way. It’s simply to say what we would say of any discipline: Wanna get healthy? Eat more like those who are healthy, and less like those who are unhealthy. Which probably means eating more with those who eat healthy. Wanna get “buff?” Hang out and exercise with weight trainers, more than with heavy nappers. It’s not an invitation into being exclusionary, but a way of stepping into the recognition that we emulate others, and so let’s give ourselves something Christlike to emulate.
Frankly, many of us pretend like we don’t know gravity always pulls down, and we forget to have disciplines in our life designed to defy gravity so we don’t find ourselves accidentally succumbing to it. It seems that when it comes to the deeper, inner world of the soul, some of us have unthinkingly assumed osmosis will do. Just go to the same place once or twice a week and important stuff will just stick. Right? Of course not. So we include relational disciplines that help us learn from those who live from their depths.
Whether you meet with others for lunch to challenge or encourage each other in the faith, or meet with others weekly in a LifeGroup, or sit with one person of faith that has what you want, it’s up to you. But James insists that this faith is to be lived out, more than merely studied academically in order to be agreed with. So, it makes sense that you and I won’t grow much if we don’t have a chance to live it out. And we won’t learn to live it out without having other people live it out with us. Perhaps you can put your antennas up and be watching for a person or people to join in a way that works with both your schedule and your very real desire to have the kind of humble wisdom and understanding James is talking about. Maybe God has already put the person/people around you that you need but you haven’t noticed because you are evaluating them on some other criteria. Maybe you have observed this truth: what ever you make time for and value becomes part of your life. Let’s really value this!
Give it some thought: what’s one step you can take today in order to align yourself with someone who’s in pursuit of compassion, faith, courage, joy and wisdom like you’d like to be? Will you take it? (And then, of course, what’s another step you can take tomorrow?!)
Wisdom says that we would not just identify the step, but that we would take it. Imagine being a community of people who step this way, walking together, living collaboratively in our mutual pursuit of Christ and Christ’s wisdom. What a revolution!
“Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!”
Proverbs 4:7 (The Message)