February 10 – “When Needing Wisdom”

“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. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” – James 1:5-8 (NIV)

Because context is important, our promises are sometimes in more than one or two verses – that is the case today. The promise today is boundless. “If any … should ask … gives generously … without fault … will be given.” But the promise has a requirement and a caution – “must believe and not doubt.”  When a friend asks for prayer, how do you respond? Do you say you will pray but actually, rarely remember to pray? Do you send folded hands emoticons suggesting that you are indeed praying?  When you are sincerely praying is it more than a feel-good acknowledgement.  We might ask God for wisdom to help us choose our right path. When we need wisdom we ask God; He promises to give richly without humiliating us⸺that’s important. God promises we will receive wisdom when we ask in faith believing.  Those who ask with doubt are double-minded people. No wishy-washing doubting allowed. Faith in God that He will hear our request for wisdom and provide what we need is essential. If you do not believe God can or will answer and if conviction is not truly in your heart, then like a rudderless boat being tossed by the wind and waves. 

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August 1 – No Doubt

“ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:6 (ESV)

Yesterday we considered God's invitation to ask Him when we need wisdom – and that is nearly always.  And we read the promise that He gives wisdom to all and is generous in giving it.  Today we learn that when we ask God for wisdom we are to do it with a heart and mind free of doubt and full of faith.  Doubt, something we all experience, needs to be extinguished with the promises God has given us.  We trust that God will give us wisdom and after asking for it and we move forward believing and knowing it is being provided.  But if we doubt, we lose that confidence and our decisions become uncertain.  “Yes,” we say, “we asked but do we really have wisdom?”  Yes, He promised it.  Does a wave of the ocean know when it is going to break here or there?  No.  Such actions are caused by the wind and currents underneath.  Let's not be driven like a wave in our decisions, let's instead believe that when we ask, we will have, and then decide with confidence in that wisdom to make the right choice. 

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June 27 – Now and Forever After Now

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”  1 John 5:13 (NIV)

We are blessed that the message of the Son of God came to us and we have had the opportunity to believe in Jesus.  We have heard about Jesus Christ who came from heaven to offer forgiveness and eternal life to those who would believe in Him.   Jesus died for us so that we do not have to face the consequences of  our sin - eternal separation and spiritual death.  Sometimes, we face circumstances and trials that test our faith.  Sometimes we stumble and maybe we are tempted to entertain doubt about our future, about what happens after we die.  The Apostle John wrote these words and sent them to those who believe in Jesus to assure us and to affirm the promise of eternal life.  We posses a spiritual life that will live forever with God in heaven.  Jesus made it possible and through our faith and belief, Jesus gave it to us when we invited Him into our lives.  We can  know for certain, beyond all doubt, that the life Jesus gives to us is for eternity.  Forever with Jesus now and after we die.  Our promise today. 

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May 14 – Don't Doubt, Believe Instead

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”   James 1:6-7 (NIV)

We have a wonderful God who is willing and eager to help those who come to Him for help.  But we must never forget that He expects us to have faith and trust in  the promises He has made.  He promises to answer prayer and He sets the conditions in the above verse.  It is not enough just to ask God for help.  It is necessary to believe that He fulfills His promise to answer our requests.  That means we must keep our minds and hearts free of doubts because they can come and go and they lead to confusion.  When our needs prompt us to ask God for help, our faith must be fixed on God’s love and power to act on our behalf.  A doubting heart creates an attitude that is like a boat on a stormy sea. In a storm at sea, it is very difficult to maintain our progress and direction.  Our verse warns us that doubting that God keeps His promises results in losing our faith that He is willing and wants to help us. Let's keep our faith focused on God.  Believe, don't entertain the doubts but send them packing with your faith in God's promises.

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March 27 – Holy Tuesday - Faith Believing

“And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours..”  Mark 11:22-24 (ESV)

This is Passion Week leading to Easter Sunday and we are still thinking of the events that happened in the life of our Lord just before he died on the cross for us. Many events of those few days are recorded in the Bible and much of what Jesus taught that week is recorded. We are looking at one found in the Gospel of Mark. It was Monday morning that Jesus looked for fruit on a fig tree as he left Bethany to go into the City of Jerusalem. There was no fruit so Jesus said there would never again be any fruit on that tree.  The next day, on Tuesday they were passing that way again when Peter noticed that the fig tree was all withered he was astounded and he mentioned it. Our verses today have Jesus' reply as he teaches the disciples about the power of real faith without doubt. Jesus was anxious to have followers who truly believed in God and who expect God to answer their prayers. Let's keep his promise and pray with faith believing.  

May 13

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”  James 1:6-7 (NIV)

We have a wonderful God who is willing and eager to help those who come to Him for help. But we must never forget that He expects us to meet the conditions that He has set. After making a promise to answer prayer, He sets the conditions in the above verse. It is not enough just to ask God for help. We must keep our minds and hearts free of doubts because they can come and go and only leave confusion. Our faith must be fixed on God’s love and power to act in our behalf. A doubting heart is like a stormy sea. Keep your faith focused on God.