James 1:5-6 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Commentary:
This should be a comforting assurance. When we need wisdom, we all do at one time or another, all we need to do is ask. That is an important point, however, and that is to make the first step ourselves through prayer. We are given a warning, however, and that is to be strong in faith. God does not appear to be concerned with our request as much as He is with the depth of our belief.
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
Commentary:
Much of our working lives is spent doing things that we don’t really want to do. As we grow older, few find their dream. This same thing spills over into our personal lives as we must raise our families, maintain our homes, help out at church or take care of an elderly parent. But the Apostle Paul gives us an important consideration to aid our motivation. Do it as if the person or the reason is for Christ. How many of us would change our attitude about the quality of our work if the ultimate benefactor was Christ? Well, it is.
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Commentary:
God created man and gave him his first job, to work in the Garden of Eden. Work, therefore, is in direct response to God’s own wishes and desires. The enjoyment of work is fulfillment of God’s command.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Commentary:
In all that God does, there is a purpose. To believe this is a basic component of enduring faith. Our own desire for significance and purpose is also good. We should take comfort in the fact that God desires each man to receive enjoyment from the fruits of his labor. Our problems begin when man attempts to make a comparison of God’s timing against our own timing. Mankind operates within the boundaries and constraints of time. God, on the other hand, sets His boundaries around the concepts of His own results. Man cannot find rest until he finds rest in God. This is set in each man’s heart. Human frustration comes from man’s knowledge of eternity and man’s inability to understand it. The purpose of work, therefore, is to build our faith and trust in God.
Isaiah 2:8-9 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled do not forgive them.
Commentary:
Leave no doubt that we are only to worship one God. Here we are told that God does not sit passively by when we worship the efforts of man.
James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Commentary:
We often find people who believe in the “New Wave” of power, self-power. Books, groups, entertainers, etc. often expound the virtues of believing that we alone have the power to accomplish anything. Unfortunately, many of these people are very successful (on a worldly scale) and influence our society greatly. In James, however, we see that wisdom has two definitions, one worldly and one godly. Each of us should pursue wisdom but in Christ-like humility.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Commentary:
Abstinence in itself is not necessarily a righteous act. The true measure of one’s actions is measured by the motives hidden in one’s heart.
1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 15:15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Commentary:
Accountable relationships come highly recommended. We are instructed to first be accountable to ourselves. Then to others, not for our own gain, but to help others who may not possess the same gifts God granted to us.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.
Commentary:
God did not intend for men or women to be alone. Even in friendships, there is value. A true friend is someone who holds us accountable for our actions, actions consistent with a Christ-like life. Therefore, we need to make sure that we choose friends who know what Christ’s life was like.
