Don’s Daily Devotions

Sat 13th June –  Read James 1:25-27:

V25: But those who ( always and only by grace, remember ) look into the “mirror” of God’s Word, the Law which is the law of liberty, the truth which sets us free in Christ ( John 17:17; John 8:32) and obey it – “doers” not merely “hearers”- persevering in this by God’s grace will find His blessing as they walk in obedience.

V26: Again, practical applications which challenge us all -here is a very blunt truth. We can think ourselves to be “religious” – in Christian terms to know and follow the Lord – but if we have no control over our tongue – say things which are hurtful, spiteful, etc our profession of religion is empty and vain.

V27: True religion is seen, says James, in a practical concern for others, especially for those most vulnerable and needy – a life like Christ’s own. God sees this as “pure and undefiled” – that is, sincere and true godliness in practice. But much more widely, He looks for a life which avoids the defilement of this fallen world, resisting temptation to sin. Remember, James is speaking in absolutes. We will not be perfect in obedience in this life, but do we show real evidence of His work in us, in our faith and obedience and a desire to be pleasing to Him?

Fri 12th June – Read James 1:19-24

V19-20: How do we live out our new life in Christ? James is always practical, “down to earth”,whether in warning against sin or urging to right living.Listen to others, think before you speak ( i.e. only speak what is helpful and good ) and restrain any impulse to be angry – for human anger, always tainted by sin, will not help us grow in righteousness as God’s children – rather it will impede our growth.

V21: So, resist and put away all that is contrary to God’s word, the Word planted in our souls by the Holy Spirit,
the Word which is the way of salvation, showing and pointing us to the only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)

V22: And don’t just listen to the word ( or just read it ) DO what it says. Without obedience to God’s will as revealed in Scripture we are only deceiving ourselves if we think we have really “received it”.

V23-24: He uses the vivid picture of someone seeing themselves in a mirror, then turning away and forgetting what they saw. So, to hear or read the truth of God’s Word, but not put it in to practice, not walk in faith and obedience to the Lord and to His Word to us, is to be like that.

Thurs 11^th June  –  Read James 1:16-18

V16:  This warning against being deceived in the context here is probably by the tempter’s wiles. Perhaps it goes back to James 1:13 – being tempted to think God is tempting us and thinking hard thoughts of Him:

V17:  God is the source and giver of all that is good, and He never changes. ” No shadow” reminds us that we may be as variable as shadows cast by the sun, but He will never show such inconsistency. Do we recognise and are we truly thankful for all God’s good gifts to us? He is the “Father of lights” – the source of all true light, even physically ( Genesis 1:3 ) but how much more spiritually. So, Jesus said ” I am the light of the world” ( John 8:12 ) – He alone is light to us, and in us.

V18:  God’s Word of truth ( John 17:17 ) is the source of our new life in Christ; as we receive it by faith, through God’s sovereign will and grace we are saved and made children of God ( Romans 8:14-15.) That first generation of believers were ” the firstfruits”, the beginning of a great harvest that will only be fully seen in eternity.

Wed 10^th June         –          Read James 1:12-15

V12:  Those who do remain “steadfast under trial” ( and prove the reality of their faith) will know the Lord’s blessing, not only here and now but with the ultimate and eternal glory that waits for them. He uses the image of “the crown of life”, God’s promised and sure gift to all who love Him – (which is to say, those who know HIS LOVE in Christ.) Compare Paul in 2 Timothy 4:8.

V13:  Yet trials can tempt us to doubt. James then asks, where does such – or any – temptation come from? Never think it is from God – He tests us, but will never tempt us, for He has no evil in Him. We know, of course, that the source of temptation is Satan. Since God is all sovereign, there is a mystery here, but God is good, When we are told to pray ” Lead us not into temptation” we are really praying to be lead away from temptation, kept by the power of God.

V14: And even as believers, we know all too well that, as James warns us here, our weakness, the wrong desires that we still have ( and need to battle against ) open us up to temptation.

V15: And to give way is sin ( Remember, it is not a sin to be tempted, but to yield to it.) And ” the wages of sin” is death ( Romans 6:23 )- but complete the verse. In Christ, our sins are answered for and forgiven – nevertheless, James is warning of the utter seriousness of sin.

Tues 9th June  –  Read James 1:5-11

V5: The only source of true wisdom is God. Which of us doesn’t lack it at times – how do we make hard decisions, how do we know God’s will? ASK HIM, says James, He is the God of generous grace, He will never blame you for coming to Him in prayer, rather He will answer, and show you His way.

V6-7: But we must ask in true faith, we must not doubt that He will hear and answer. He compares doubting Christians to tossing waves driven by the winds. When doubt fills our hearts, how can we expect God to answer? (Yet for all that, remember God is gracious, often we are like the man in Mark 9:24 – ” I believe – help my unbelief!” ) But James is calling us to that assured faith which triumphs over our doubts, by God’s grace in us.

V8: “Doubleminded” is not a momentary wobble, but a fixed disposition where faith never confidently lays hold of God. Such a one lacks stability in every aspect of their ( Christian ) life. Rather, let us look to Jesus in trust and dependence.

V9: “Lowly” here is not speaking so much of that meekness and humility we are all to know before God and our fellows ( Matthew 5:5 ) But those literally in a humble human condition – remember many of these early Christians were poor, low in human status, some literally slaves. James tells them to “boast” – that is set their glory in, the exaltation that waits for them, and for every believer because of Christ’s redeeming love.

V10: And let those whose human condition is very different, who are rich and well placed, remember how vain is any trust in these things – the things of this world they – and we – are so easily tempted to rely on. ( See also 1 Peter 1:24-25.) James says the same here – let such a one be humble before God, relying only on His grace.

V11: So, the image of the sun burning up the flowers that were so lovely the day before, but are now withered and dead, is likened to the vain trust in earthly riches, etc. Such verses as these make us ask, is James addressing believers, or those who may be in the circle of believers ( “church attenders” in our terms ) but have no real faith? Opinions differ, but the warning not to give the things of this world too much place in our hearts surely speaks to us all?

Mon 8th June – Read James 1:1-4

V1: Who is this James? Almost certainly the Lord’s “brother”, the son of Mary and Joseph, who became a leader of the “mother church” in Jerusalem, which remained predominantly Jewish. So he writes to Jewish Christians wherever they are scattered. Note he refers to himself only as a servant (literally bond-slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus – to put them together in this way is to declare that Jesus, the Son, is truly, as the Father, God.

V2: He calls on them not only to accept trials and troubles uncomplainingly but actually to rejoice in them when they are for the Lord’s sake. So, Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:12 – and there are many seeming echoes of the Sermon on the Mount in this letter. was James there, though, as we know, not yet a believer?

V3: For God uses our trials to test the quality of our faith – not that He does not know, the purpose is for us, and others to know our faith is real by our response. Faith that endures produces ” steadfastness” – some versions say “patience” – the idea is really “patience plus” -the fruit of a strong, secure faith that clings to the Lord at all times.

V4: Let this develop in you, says James. ( Our faith must be active, not merely passive.) This will make us mature as Christians ( not “perfect” in the sense of without sin, that will only be ours in glory), but causing us to grow in the Christian life, be more like Christ and proving His work of grace in us.

Sat 6^th June   –  Read Philippians 4:20-23

V20:  We could easily “skim over” these closing verses, but they continue to express before God Paul’s heartfelt commitment to, and love for these Philippian Christians. First, he is concerned to give God the glory which is His due, in everything and for ever. Are we concerned to give Him the glory, for all that He is and does – not least for the gift of His Son to be our Saviour.

V21 -22: He sends greetings to all the believers – “saints”, remember, in the NT are all true Christians, all Christ’s redeemed, set apart for Him and for His service, belonging not to the world, but to God. And those greetings are also from those with him – clearly, permitted to visit him and even minister to him in his current captivity – Timothy and Epaphroditus among them, but others too, from the church in Rome – and how wonderfully God  works, as Paul can testify that this includes believers “of Caesar’s household”, probably not his actual family, but members of the wider imperial circle, maybe some of the imperial guard who have the custody of Paul (Philippians 1:13 ).Here surely is the fruit of Paul’s witness even as a prisoner. God can use His people in any situation, if they bear a faithful testimony.

V23:  So, the closing benediction. He prays that Christ’s own grace may be their portion, their living experience in the whole of their being, spiritual as well as physical. May this be our portion too – truly by the grace of God

Fri 6th June  –  Read Philippians 4:17-19

V17: He declares that what matters to him most is not the gift as such (though he is grateful for it.) but how this practical Christian love reflects their healthy spiritual condition – it is indeed the fruit of God’s grace in them, and he rejoices at the evidence of this.

V18: He receives their gifts and love, through Epaphroditus, as acts of Christian service offered not just to him, but to the Lord ( compare 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 ) So, likening these acts to OT sacrifices, he calls them ” a fragrant offering”, a “sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” – they show the sincere heart-response which made those OT sacrifices pleasing in God’s sight.

V19: And God, who is no man’s debtor, will supply all their needs, he declares – needs, notice, not anything they, or we, might desire, but what our heavenly Father knows to be our true needs, in His perfect wisdom. These He will supply from His unlimited abundance, beautifully expressed here as ” His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. One day every believer will experience that richness of glory in all its fullness.

Thurs 4th June. – Read Philippians 4:14-16

The remaining verses of the chapter, beginning with these we are looking at today, remind us that Paul’s letters are grounded in and arise from real historical events and situations, they are not ” mere” academic theology.

V14: He sees their love and their gifts as expressing their willingness to be identified with him, and “share” in this time of imprisonment. The word “kind” can seem very bland, but true kindness is a lovely thing, and one of the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22)

V15-16: Paul looks back to the time of his early relationship with the Philippian church, when he left their province of Macedonia (in fact, through persecution – Acts ch 16-17 record this period.) They were the only church, he says, who showed him any support and gospel fellowship at that time, and he recalls it with gratitude and affection. And during his time in Thessalonica – another period when gospel work brought opposition and persecution – they continued to send help to him, in concern for his ongoing needs. This was true and caring gospel fellowship. May we know the same spirit.

Wed 3^rd June  –  Read Philippians 4:8-13

V8:  As he draws to a close, he exhorts them to hold on to the good things that are ours in Christ, and let these things fill our minds and hearts – above all, surely God’s Word and its application to us. So much else can fill our minds, especially in times of difficulty, but Paul calls us to let the good things, the pure things, fill us.

V9: He asks them to heed his teaching and follow His example. This is not arrogance, but in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 11:1. The examples to follow are those godly men and women who are most like Christ, and teach us to live out His Word ( “practice these things”) and so know the presence of ” the God of peace” with us.

V10: Paul’s joy is not for their gifts to him for their own sake, but for the evidence these give of their love and concern for him – which he knows was always there, but until now they had no way of expressing it. Do we show our love for those who minister to us, or for fellow believers in need, in real and practical ways?

V11: He does not say this out of a sense of need, rather he has learned in Christ the secret of contentment in any and every condition, for it rests not on what we have, but on the God we know. One of the old Puritans wrote a book with the challenging title ” The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” – do we know such ?

V12:  Paul is able to trust and rejoice in the Lord whether in a time of abundance or ( humanly ) one of need. He has known both, and with Christ in his heart can rest content in either. Can we say that?

V13: For the source of his contentment, his ability to accept all things without complaint, is His Saviour. His strength, his joy, his peace ( all bound together in these verses ) is in Christ alone.