Have you ever realized, mid-conversation, that the person you’re arguing with is actually right and you are wrong, but you’re already in too deep to turn around so you keep going anyway? Me too. It’s evidence of our pride and our need to be regarded as right, even when we’ve lost confidence about actually being right.

Jesus’ half brother James talked about this.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 4:1-3 NIV

In our age of individualism in which we celebrate personal rights and freedoms, we sometimes forget to consider what is best for the other person, or for the community of people around us. Rather than trusting God with all of our needs and desires, we become impatient consumers who will blur our own ethical lines to get our way.

And when our ethical lines are blurred for selfish motives, people always get hurt. Relationships sometimes fall apart because nobody is able to lay down their own desires for the benefit of the other person.

Jesus modeled selflessness in relationships. While he lived in a healthy rhythm in life, he also gave of his time and his touch to as many people as he could. He eventually laid down his very life as a ransom for all people. Surely we can lay aside our right to be first, right, or best for the benefit of others.

 

This is where I often live… the 7th of Romans.

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate… it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway… Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Romans 7:14-25 NLT

Thankfully, at the end of that chapter, there is a ticket out: “The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…” (Romans 7:25 NLT)

The 8th of Romans looks like a completely different neighborhood, and I’m determined to move into it! In the 8th of Romans…

• “now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus…” (v. 1)
• “the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (v. 2)
• “God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.” (v. 3)
• “letting the Spirit control your minds leads to life and peace.“ (v. 6)
• “the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.” (v. 10)
• “all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (v. 14)
• “his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” (v. 16)
• “And since we are his children, we are his heirs.” (v. 17)
• “we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory.” (v. 23)
• “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (v. 26)
• “the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (v. 26)
• “the Spirit pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will.” (v. 27)
• “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (v. 28)
• “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?“ (v. 31)
• “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (v. 37)

And of course, the grand conclusion:

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below–indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

The 7th of Romans, for the follower of Jesus, is just temporary housing. Our real home is the 8th of Romans. And every time we yield ourselves to the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, we live as more than conquerors.

I don’t have to live under sin’s tyranny any longer. I don’t have to walk in fear and anxiety over my eternal destiny. I don’t have to succumb to temptation. I can pray and connect with God. I can enjoy a foretaste of heaven to come. I can walk in the confidence that I am God’s child, that he is my Father, and that I’m on my way home for good.

If you’ve turned from sin, from self, from unbelief to trust and follow Jesus, welcome to the neighborhood! You’re going to love living in the 8th of Romans!

 

I love the story of The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, and one of the most impactful lines comes in an exchange between the Lorax and the Once-ler:

The Lorax: Which way does a tree fall?
The Once-ler: Uh, down?
The Lorax: A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.

I don’t know if Dr. Seuss read the book of Galatians before writing that line, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

We sometimes wind up in a lifestyle we never intended to be in, habitually committing the same sin and scrambling to figure out how we wound up in the destructive cycle. For some of us, it’s anger. For others, it’s lust, pornography, or an illicit relationship. It could be gossip, overeating, occult involvement, or many other things. And Paul, in Galatians, helps us to answer the question, how’d I get to this point?

It’s because we leaned toward sin.

He writes:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

– Galatians 5:19-21 NLT

It’s all about our trajectory. Andy Stanley called it The Principle of the Path. Dr. Seuss might say, we got to where we are because we leaned in this direction.

Let me slow us down a bit and follow Paul’s logic. When you follow – that is, when you make a conscious choice to stick with the thought that popped into your head… And why did that thought pop into your head to begin with? Because of your sinful nature. Even when we are saved and delivered forever from the penalty of sin, we still walk around in a human body in a fallen world and we have this tendency to be selfish and sinful. When we follow our sinful tendencies, the results are clear…

A life controlled by sin is the inevitable result of choosing to follow and giving in to what our sinful flesh wants.

We just keep falling in whatever direction we lean. If you want to break the pattern and end the repetitive cycle of sin, the pathway has to be short-circuited. But Paul doesn’t say it’s simply a matter of having more willpower or resisting temptation in the strength of the same flesh that got us here to begin with. Instead, he points to the One who can and will help every time we humble ourselves and lean into him.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

– Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

If you lean toward sinful thoughts, the inevitable result will be sinful actions, which will produce a sinful lifestyle. If you lean into the Holy Spirit, the inevitable result will be a life filled with the good, fresh fruit that only the Spirit can produce.

So, which way are you leaning? What path are you following? In what direction are you headed? Your very next choice matters. A lot.

 

Every conversation you get into is an opportunity to show people the grace of God that you’ve experienced in your own life.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian believers once. In chapter 4 verse 6 of his letter, he said, “Let every conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (NIV)

Grace is powerful. Grace is not what the world around us is expecting.

The world expects us to be opinionated. The world expects the church, sadly, to speak in ways that are fairly judgmental. The world expects the church to give a stinging rebuke to any kind of immorality or anything with which we don’t agree from a moral perspective.

But when you speak with grace… in a moment where you feel like picking up a rock and stinging somebody for their sin or their disagreement and instead, you drop the rock and show grace and love, it makes all the difference in the world.

We are like the salt of the earth. We are supposed to be a refreshing, flavorful addition to the world around us. So I want to challenge you to ask that question:

Are you willing to speak to people, treat people, and respond to people with an extra dose of grace?

I believe it makes all the difference.

 

Know what really scares me as a pastor? It’s that my words are going to cause people to take action.

People will, based on a sermon, based on a tweet, based on an interaction, or a counseling session decide things about their future based on my advice based on how I explain the wisdom of the scriptures. That is a heavy responsibility.

The fact is, that responsibility weighs on all of us. It weighs more on those who speak up for and represent what they believe the Scriptures to teach. James, in the third chapter of his book, addresses that. He says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers. Because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1 NIV) And he’s saying that all of us will be judged for our words because our words will make a difference in the people around us. But for those who choose to teach, there is this extra layer of responsibility.

What I want you to understand and what I want you to take away from this is that your words matter. The things that you say matter.

When you are speaking up for someone or against someone, those words matter.

When you are insulting, rude, or mean, those words matter.

When you’re edifying, encouraging, building someone up, those words matter.

When you’re giving advice or counsel of praying over someone, your words matter.

You’ll be held accountable for what your words have said.

In the next few days’ worth of devotionals, I’m going to talk about the power of our tongue and how it is that we can use our words in a positive, powerful way. But for now, I just want you to be thinking about this – your words will matter, perhaps, for eternity, and God is always listening.

That’s what scares me most as a pastor.

 

James’s chapter 2, verse 18 says, “Some of you will say you have I have faith, I have deeds: show me your faith without deeds and I’ll show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Even the demons believe that and shutter.” (NIV)

The forces of Satan believe very strongly in God. They know he exists. In fact, they would like for us to not know that he exists. They would like for us to not know that they exist, because if we don’t believe in the supernatural, then we can’t connect with our Creator. But those demonic powers believe that there is a God. They don’t just believe in their heads either, they also believe in their hearts.

The Bible says they shudder. In other words, they experience fear.

Demons have a faith in God that is intellectually assenting to God’s existence, and because they know who God is and what God is like and how holy and righteous he is, they look at their own sinfulness and they tremble and shudder before God. But they don’t actually repent of sin and commit to works of righteousness. They don’t live for God. They continue to work against him. So they know and they are afraid, but they continue to rebel.

Real, Biblical faith moves beyond fear. It’s more than just believing that God exists. It’s more than just being afraid of God. It’s more than just having an emotional reaction to God.

Real faith actually moves to the place of love and obedience. It’s saying, God, not only do I believe that you are up there, but I commit my life into your hands. I want to have a love-based relationship with my father, with the Creator. I want to know my purposes from Him. I want to know how to walk with him in friendship, in fellowship with God. It moves beyond fear.

When I know God’s will, but I know God’s will is going to cost me, I come right up to the edge of it and I have to count the cost. I have to decide, am I going to do this or not? Is what I am afraid of going to hold me back from stepping forward in faith? But real, Biblical faith steps over the fear.

I’ve always said and believed that your greatest success lies beyond your biggest fear. That’s true in your relationship with God as well. If you want to go deeper and bolder and bigger and stronger spiritually, it means moving past your fear and exercising enough faith to grow in love and in your friendship and relationship with God.

So faith, Biblical, real faith, moves past fear.

 

By: Brandon A. Cox

The apostle James, the half brother of Jesus, has written to us about refusing to show favoritism and racism and classism. He challenges us to refuse to discriminate or carry prejudice in our hearts, but instead to assign infinite value to everyone who is made in the image of God.

James gives us two challenges: speak and act. I talked about the first one in the previous devotional, and it was about speaking up on behalf of those who are oppressed. James says, “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged, because mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13 NIV) So speak, yes. But act as well.

I can see racism in our society. I can see inequality. I can see the oppression of people based on the color of their skin, or their economic status, or their gender. I can see that, but I don’t know what to do.

Here are a couple of ideas. You can communicate with the oppressed and have open, honest conversations with them. You can also vote. You can share the Scriptures. You can donate to causes that are working on equality for all.

There are different things that you can do, but the instruction is that we act in some way. It’s. not enough to say I’m on the side of the oppressed. I must be willing to step in and act on their behalf.

Jesus preached a gospel that was good news for the prisoner. It was good news for the oppressed. It was good news for the blind. It was good news for broken people. So I want our gospel, as we embody it, as we live it out, as we show love to other people, I want it to demonstrate that Jesus is good news to people who are oppressed.

I want to challenge you to today to just ask: how do I live, how do I act in such a way that lines up with the value Jesus has given me in seeing the image of God in every person I meet, loving them as my neighbor, and sharing good news and hope with them?

It’s our responsibility to speak up when we see a problem. Find your boldness. Pray for people. Vote. Reach out. Give. Donate. Help. Serve. Take care of people. Meet needs. Just find ways to do what needs to be done to communicate that Jesus is good news for the broken.

By Brandon Cox: Angie and I talk to a lot of couples about marriage, and one of the most common problems we encounter is the communication conundrum. Spouses really struggle to know how to articulate themselves as well as how to understand each other.

Nearly two thousand years ago, James, the half-brother of Jesus and apostolic leader of the early Jerusalem church, gave us the ultimate plan for better communication and understanding in any context, and it’s made up of three simple phrases.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

~ James 1:19 NIV

Take a moment to imagine how your closest relationships would change for the better if you developed these three habits:

1. Listen attentively before thinking of your response.
2. Speak only after fully thinking your words through.
3. Slow down the process of frustration.

Ultimately, what James is challenging us to do is to handle our emotions in a holy, healthy way. You don’t always control your emotions, but you always have a choice in how to respond to your emotions and what actions you choose to take based on your feelings.

You will always communicate more clearly and effectively when you tune in, take it slow, and take it down a notch.

by Brandon Cox: As I confessed in another recent devotional, I sometimes tend to be a know-it-all. In other words, I’m afraid of not having the answers, so I’m tempted to fake it and make something up if I can’t answer the question. What’s even worse that being a know-it-all is actually knowing what to do and not doing it.

The most valuable asset you possess isn’t your house, your retirement account, or a business you own. Your most valuable asset is wisdom.

Wisdom is essentially knowledge put into action. And the Bible tells us it’s incredibly valuable.

Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.

~ Proverbs 3:13-18 NIV

In the world of finance, an asset is usually considered anything you own that has monetary value, like your house. But I tend to agree with Robert Kiyosaki that an asset is actually something that produces income. In other words, sometimes what you think is an asset is actually a liability. Your house may not earn you money, but it does carry the cost of a mortgage, maintenance, insurance, and taxes.

In the same way, knowing a lot of things seems like an asset, but if you don’t put your knowledge into practice in life, it’s actually a liability. Notice that the writer of this proverb says wisdom is “more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

In other words, wisdom can be invested by putting it into practice. When you put wisdom to use in your life, you’re creating value and you’ll see a return. That might mean healthier relationships, a longer life, or financial stability.

Don’t just learn facts and study the Bible like it’s a boring textbook. Collect wisdom that you can put to use as you navigate the twists and turns of life.

Life is always better when you’re applying wisdom along the way.

by Brandon Cox: Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, had twelve sons, including Joseph and the youngest, Benjamin. The ten older brothers had sold Joseph into slavery and allowed Jacob to believe his son had died. His heart was broken.

Later, when famine swept across the land, the ten older brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain only to be received by Joseph, the second most powerful man in the empire under Pharaoh. They didn’t recognize him, so Joseph began to use the opportunity to see that his youngest brother hadn’t fallen prey to their jealousy. He kept one brother in prison and sent the other nine back to Jacob, demanding that they return with Benjamin to prove they weren’t spies.

In the middle of that story, Jacob utters one of the most defeated phrases someone can say out loud. When his sons explain all that is happening and what Joseph is requiring of them, he exclaims to them,

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”

~ Genesis 42:36 NIV

I’ve said it before. Have you? EVERYTHING is against me!

We lose a couple of battles and, even though we are guaranteed eternal victory we still proclaim, I just can’t win!

A relationship falls apart – maybe even more than one relationship – and we declare, Everyone has abandoned me!

The economy takes a turn downward and we run into financial trouble and we decide, I’ve lost everything!

When we speak in those absolute terms – everything is wrong… nothing is going right… my whole life is falling apart – what we’re really doing is agreeing with the Enemy, the Liar, Satan. We’re ignoring God’s richest and deepest blessings, forsaking our faith in his promises, and we’re agreeing with the one who whispers such lies into our ears.

The truth, for every Christ-follower who walks the earth, is that we are more than winners! We cannot be beaten! We cannot ultimately lose everything because so much of what God has promised to us is preserved in the heavenly realm in which nothing ever wastes away.

You haven’t lost it all. You can never lose it all. You’re just going through a very hard moment, and God is going to see you through it with the presence of his Holy Spirit in your life.

Chin up! We WILL get through this!