Our Adventure Begins

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Don Merritt

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 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 1:2-8

We begin our adventure with James on a good note; expectations running high. After providing his name and addressing his letter to the 12 tribes scattered all over, he jumps right into rich content with these verses.  I used to think this was a really odd thing to say that we should consider it pure joy when we go through a trial.  Yet James makes a real point here, for we don’t normally develop perseverance in any field of endeavor without facing a trial of some sort, and living in this world, we will surely need perseverance.  Let’s face it, nobody grows to maturity in life without developing some perseverance.

Verse 5 has always been of particular interest to me; James makes it sound so easy.  If you lack wisdom, ask God for it and He’ll give it to you.  Personally, I’ve noticed that if I ask for wisdom, I get trials. If I ask for patience, I get trials. If I ask for perseverance, I get trials.  Do you suppose there is a connection? I admit that this isn’t very scientific, anecdotal as it is, but James might be going somewhere like this in his thinking: Trials are an important part of spiritual growth and there is no way around that.

That brings us headlong into verse 6. When you ask God for wisdom, “you must believe and not doubt” and to be honest, it strikes me that this is where we sometimes go wrong.  I don’t just mean because we might have doubts, but because we often draw the wrong conclusion from James’ remark. If I ask for wisdom and get a trial instead, is that because I doubted, or is it because wisdom comes from experience? All too often, the Sunday school answer to that is that we lack faith.  This isn’t the point James is making here. His point is much deeper than that.

Look at what comes next: Someone who doubts is like a wave that is “blown and tossed by the wind.” This isn’t talking about someone who doubts God will answer their prayer with a sort of direct download of the “Wisdom App” it is referring to someone who doubts that Jesus is the Lord. That person is likely to be tossed on the churning seas of this world, never quite getting their bearings, always unsure, confused, adrift. This is where I used to ask my students, particularly the grad students, a question: Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?

Well, do you?

The answer to that question, dear reader, is not only the key to understanding this passage, it is also the key to understanding most things. The person with doubts will receive nothing much, for they are “double-minded” and “unstable in all they do.” They are double-minded not because they are immature in their faith, but because they haven’t made their minds up; they are still holding back, holding on to the old life, seeking a compromise or a safety net. They are “unstable” because they haven’t entirely committed, and how can we learn to persevere if we hold back, straddle the fence, and noncommittal?

Now you can see why I warned you to have your seat belts fastened, there will be some bumpy air at this altitude!

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Proverbs 11:2

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Don Merritt

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with humility comes wisdom.

Why would pride bring disgrace? What is it about pride that could do that? Isn’t a little pride a good thing; don’t they say that you should have pride in what you do?

Maybe that is it, right there: Have pride in what you do.

There is more than one kind of pride, just as there is more than one kind of love. We can be prideful, or we can be proud of the way we do things, and these are quite different. To be proud of our work means that we are pleased to do our work the right way; with quality and integrity. To be prideful, on the other hand, is not so good, for in that case, we believe that we are better than other people, that we are more worthy, that we are more privileged, and all too often that the rules do not apply to us. An attitude like this leads a person to trouble.

This is the attitude that cuts corners, makes crooked deals and is willing to cheat others; why not if we are better than they are? This leads to disgrace sooner or later, when we are found out.

Humility on the other hand, leads a person in a different direction, for a humble man or woman does not believe they are more worthy or superior to anyone else. They go about their business fairly, openly and with justice before God and Man, and that is wisdom itself.

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Introduction to James

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Don Merritt

There are five men named James in the New Testament who could have been the author of this letter. Three of the five are high-profile enough to be good candidates, so let’s have a very brief look at them.

1. James, the brother of Jesus.

2. James the Apostle, son of Zebedee.  This James was one of the inner-circle of Jesus, along with Peter and John.  Although he might be a good guess for authorship, he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2) around 44 A.D., meaning that this Letter would have been by far the earliest written of the New Testament books.  If he had written it, one would have expected him to mention that he was an Apostle in the letter, and there is no mention of apostleship.

3. James the Apostle, son of Alpheus. Again, there is no mention of apostleship, so the same objection would apply. Very little is known about this James.

The other two men mentioned in the New Testament who have this name are quite obscure, making them unlikely authors of a major letter such as this. I would conclude that the author is James, (half) brother of Jesus and brother of Jude.

As for the date and specific purpose of the letter, James gives us no real clues, so in these posts, I won’t speculate, rather I will focus on the more universal application as most commentators tend to do.  It is an interesting letter, almost a moral code.  The author seems to borrow from the moral coda of Leviticus 19, and parallels topically the Sermon on the Mount, and interestingly also appears to have been influenced by two Apocryphal books;  I’ll include a “Bonus Study” on that.

Looking at the theme and structure, James is interesting, for one could easily teach it by topic rather than by using en expository approach as I will do here.  The topics are

1. Waiting for Jesus  (1:2-4, 12-18; 5:7-12)

2. Wisdom  (1:5-8; 3:13-18)

3. Rich and Poor  (1:9-11; 2:1-13; 4:13-16; 5:1-6)

4. The Tongue  (1:19-21;, 26; 3:1-12; 4:11-12)

5. Prayer  (1:6-8; 4:1-10; 5:13-20)

6. Faith and Action  (1:22-27; 2:14-26)

To say the least, it’s an unusual outline, and we’ll get to it next, so have some hot coffee ready, pull up your chairs and fasten your seat belts, this is going to be a lot of fun!

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Presence

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Don Merritt

As the name implies, this expressive practice is all about being there for someone else. Sometimes called the ministry of presence, a person who practices this is the person who is always there when you need them. They aren’t necessarily there talking or doing; often they are entirely silent, but they will not leave a hurting person to suffer alone if they are sick, injured, or distraught.

A person who practices this spiritual discipline feels closest to God when ministering to the hurting, and oft times they bring the hurting person closer God in the process, for God is present through them.

Although the person may not be speaking aloud, they may well be in silent prayer for the one who is in pain of whatever sort, and in this, they may well have the spiritual gift of mercy.

I hope that you can see that what I am trying to describe here is not a “visitation” of the sick or injured. A visitation is a short visit to pray and encourage, and then to leave. The practice of presence means that the person remains when most others have gone home. They may sit by someone’s bedside all night or stay with the them when everyone else has gone to work or school. If the hurting or sick one needs help or something to eat, they are there. If they need a nap, they are there when the nap is over; do you see the difference?

I would welcome any comments relating to this one. Do you engage in this practice? Have you been blessed by someone else in this way?

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Sunday Sermon Notes: March 23, 2025

Posted on March 23, 2025 by Don Merritt

Some Important Thoughts from the Proverbs

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
    and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

A troublemaker and a villain,
    who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
    who winks maliciously with his eye,
    signals with his feet
    and motions with his fingers,
    who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
    he always stirs up conflict.
Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
    he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

Proverbs 6:6-12

The teacher warns about laziness in 6-11. Here he enjoins everyone to be industrious and active in providing for the material needs of their families and setting something aside for a “rainy day” so to speak. Imagine living in an agrarian society in which wealth was achieved by producing food. Your first goal would be to produce enough to feed your family. Your second goal would be to produce enough extra to exchange with others for additional supplies that your family might need that you cannot grow or make yourself, and only then can you have enough to sell so that you can have savings for hard times. In such a circumstance, there isn’t much leisure time; thus, the warning.

In 12-15 the teacher warns against stirring up trouble within the community. There is no coincidence that this follows the warning about laziness, for this is the kind of person who ends up being the one described in these verses; a troublemaker. This is the person who has a foul mouth, a toxic attitude, someone who would rather scheme and plot than do an honest day’s work. This reminds me of the classic villain in an old Western; the guy who is more interested in cheating someone than earning a living, the guy who always gets killed at the end of the movie.

The last small section really needs no elaboration from me. Seven woes that should be our guides through life:

There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
       haughty eyes,
        a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood,
       a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil,
       a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19

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Cherry Blossom Festival- Redux

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Don Merritt

This was first posted on April 12, 2014

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a post like this, and since this has been a week of intense posting here, I thought I do something a little different, if not entirely off-topic…

Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from She Who Must Be Obeyed, telling me to meet her at the Pentagon at 4:30 so we can run over to DC and see the Cherry Blossoms.  Her reasoning was sound enough; it’s the high point of blossoms for this year, and Friday rush hour wouldn’t be as crowded as the weekend… and Saturday (today) is the parade and hoopla. Yes, opportunity knocks! Off I went…

Last evening was glorious in Washington, slight breeze, clear skies and temps in the 70’s; so nice after a long and harsh winter.  There were a large number of people walking around the Tidal Basin enjoying the early evening, the weather, the beauty of nature combined with the creativity of men in a setting that recalls the heritage of an entire people.  For once, they got it right in Washington!

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Looking to the southwest toward the Tidal Basin, there’s a stunning view of the Jefferson Memorial with the bright color of the cherry blossoms and the people out to see the glory of spring.

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The blossoms are thick on the trees right now both in white and varying degrees of pinks, gifts of the Japanese people nearly a hundred years ago, and carefully groomed and maintained by Americans as a reminder of our mutual desire to live in peace… and created by our loving heavenly Father to testify of His glory!

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Sadly, it’s hard not to forget that in just a couple of decades after receiving this wonderful gift of 2,000 cherry trees from the Japanese people, we found ourselves at war, and what a terrible conflict that was!  I hope that when we remember that, and when we consider the friendship that once again developed after that terrible war, we can all take hope that decency will prevail over the folly and avarice of men when we view these beautiful trees…

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If my non-US readers will forgive me a moment of American sentiment, I think there might be an interesting thought in all of this that I hope we will consider. America, more than any other land that I know of, is made up of a People comprised of all peoples of the earth; it is a part of the national psyche here, and our national motto that dates back to our founding days: “Out of the Many, One.”  We’ve been going through the book of Hebrews lately, and all week I’ve been trying to make the point that the Old Covenant is over, the New is here.  The Old Covenant was an arrangement between God and a single group of people, to the exclusion of all other peoples, but it was a mere shadow of a greater, more glorious purpose that was to come, and in the fullness of time, God brought this to pass.  Jesus Christ established a superior Covenant, one that welcomed all peoples into fellowship with God and each other: Out of the many: One!

America has not always lived up to the ideals of its founders, and the Church has not always lived up to the designs of God, but how can anyone help but be inspired when we view something like the Cherry Blossom Festival? Being immersed in an environment where two cultures come together with the backdrop of a heritage of unity, surrounded by visitors from every culture, speaking a myriad of languages, all gazing in wonder at the glorious creation of God?

I don’t see the nations of the world learning the lessons God has for them any time soon, but what about the People of God; can we learn to serve Him in unity? Yes, I realize that most will say that’s not possible, but I’d like to ask this: Why not?  The Old is gone, the New is here!  This is not a theory, and it isn’t just a hope, for God has declared it a Fact.  Can we set aside our differing views on minor things long enough to be united around the important things?

Time will tell…

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Proverbs 13:10

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Don Merritt

Where there is strife, there is pride,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Have you ever known someone who is always involved in controversy, arguments, and disputes? Have you ever wondered why they have so much trouble?

Your answer might just be found in this proverb: Pride.

My way or the highway, you can’t say that to me, I’m right and you’re wrong… Yes, these all come from pride, the continual belief that you are somehow more worthy of respect, more valuable or just “better” than the other person.  Does everybody really need your opinion on everything; must we all hear and agree with your thoughts?

If you want a life chock full of struggle and hassle, then say “yes” to those questions, but if you prefer a little peace and harmony, think again.

A person who is willing to take advice from another, is a person who doesn’t just assume they are always right, for they are humble enough to recognize that others have valuable insights too. Such a person might even come to understand that they too can be wrong sometimes.

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Creativity

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Don Merritt

Many people make crafts as a hobby, as do many craftsmen. I’m making a distinction here between crafts, as in “arts and crafts” and craftsmanship, as in building or making things out of wood or stone or bricks or metal…

Anyway, many people do these things as a hobby, and that is wonderful. Yet for many it is more than a hobby, for it becomes an expression of their relationship with God. Surely you have seen the results of this from time-to-time when their creations inspire you or bring about a better understanding of a Biblical truth.

The Amish are famous for their furniture, which is solid and plain, highly functional and yet unassuming. Such pieces are the very expression of frugality and simplicity.

You also might have seen buildings that inspire, that demonstrate people using their creative gifts and imagination in a way that gives glory to God. God made us in His image and likeness, every part of our beings is made in His image. One attribute that God has, that humans also have, and that animals do not have as such, is creativity, another is imagination and the ability to bring it into reality. So, when we intentionally use our imagination and creativity in a way that brings glory to Him, we are engaging in a spiritual practice, not just a hobby or a profession: It is an expression of our relationship with Him and draws us closer to Him.

Have you intentionally looked for such expressions? If not, you might try it some time. I would suggest that you might be surprised at what you see.

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Proverbs 11:12

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Don Merritt

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with humility comes wisdom.

Why would pride bring disgrace?; what is it about pride that could do that? Isn’t a little pride a good thing; don’t they say that you should have pride in what you do?

Maybe that is it, right there: Have pride in what you do.

There is more than one kind of pride, just as there is more than one kind of love. We can be prideful, or we can be proud of the way we do things, and these are quite different. To be proud of our work means that we are pleased to do our work the right way; with quality and integrity. To be prideful, on the other hand, is not so good, for in that case, we believe that we are better than other people, that we are more worthy, that we are more privileged, and all too often that the rules do not apply to us. An attitude like this leads a person to trouble.

This is the attitude that cuts corners, makes crooked deals and is willing to cheat others; why not if we are better than they are? This leads to disgrace sooner or later, when we are found out.

Humility on the other hand, leads a person in a different direction, for a humble man or woman does not believe they are more worthy or superior to anyone else. They go about their business fairly, openly and with justice before God and Man, and that is wisdom itself.

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Hope

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Don Merritt
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It has been said that the only force that is stronger than fear is hope.

People who have hope will often do amazing things, while people who are without hope will march quietly to slaughter.  One of the great tragedies of life is the fact that so many people are living without hope, just carrying on not really living, but existing.

I heard a story one time about a guy who was near the end of his financial rope. He had a great idea that he knew could save his situation, but he didn’t have the money to get started.  At the urging of friends, he spent the last of his money travelling to New York City to meet with potential investors in a desperate attempt to raise capital.  As he went from prospect to prospect, he felt more and more hopeless; why should they invest in someone who was ruined?

He essentially went through the motions for three days, there was only one day remaining before he would have to return home without a cent to his name.  A friend back home called him at his hotel to cheer him up, and in the process told the guy that an old friend of his had just promised a million dollars to help him get started.  Now, if he could only go out the next day and raise another million from investors, there would be no way that his project could fail, and he would have the means to save his financial life.

They next day, our friend was a different man when he made the rounds of his appointments, and he received firm commitments for several million more…  It was only when he returned home that his friend admitted to him that he had lied!

The thing that mattered for the desperate man was that after his friend had told him the “story” he regained his faith in the future, and that played out in the way in which he had presented himself and his idea to the potential investors; everything was different when he had hope. Of course, hope based on a lie is tenuous at best; how much greater is our hope in Christ who is the way, the truth and the life!

When you see a little child, you see hope, joy and unlimited potential.  If only we could be like little children ourselves.  Yet, in truth, we can be like that.  Whatever your circumstances might be, Jesus loves you and considers you to be important.  For those who are in relationship with Him, we always have the hope of eternity with Him as well as the peace that His presence brings to us in this life, if we will turn our troubles over to Him.  This may not mean that life will be easy; sometimes it can be very hard in fact.  It does mean that we will have perspective and hope, and with these there is no set of earthly circumstances that cannot be dealt with in Jesus Christ.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:5

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