Morningside Devotionals

What did James know that will help us? Perhaps one of the most difficult things to be among the free is a leader.  Free people have free ideas, and lots of them.  A Pastor asked his prayer group what they thought was the worst problem facing America and what would they do to fix it.  The responses ran from sexual immorality to apathy, about which he said he had little concern.  Freedom is a wonderful thing, but for a leader it means facing the daily challenge of leading ideas and being able to comprehend the incomprehensible God for those who look to the spiritual leader to help them "Get God."  Is this perhaps some portion of what was happening in the life of James?  Were people asking him, "Hey you're in that way thing, what's that mean?"  "Aren't you a Jesus follower?"  "Are you people really carrying fake news about Nero?"  (That's probably not real that last one, oops, fake pun...oops)  Had James become acutely aware tha...

What did James know that will help us? There won't always be a church in the world- there will come a day when it is gone- the reason for that is the removal of the Holy Spirit from the earth.  We know this will happen.  Those who do not believe the Bible don't consider this important.  Those who have read the Revelation of Christ understand that this will take place, and what will follow is beyond any human beings ability to see.  Right now total evil is held back, somewhat in check, like a hit man with no bullets in his gun, he's dangerous, that's for sure, but, not instantly deadly.  When there is no holding action against the evil on earth, then nobody can see what that's like, but it won't be nice.  Did James at some point in his life wonder if it had already hit?   Did John talk about the Revelation he received on Patmos?  Did these early followers of Christ believe that they were living in the last days?  It's possible- s...

What did Jam es Know that Can Help  Us? Briefly lets focus on verse 3, it's often overlooked as sitting between the heavy concept of verse 2 which opens the door on an entirely different way of reflecting on rough times, but here's where it has to get a bit strange, do you wonder that perhaps James may have heard, "Your brother doesn't make messes..." Just food for thought...so in verse 3 we see the idea of faith, the idea of it producing something which allows you to continue on in the midst of rough times. What is amazing love? “ 2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” This is amazing love, that you have the power to make all kinds of all kinds of things, different, but if you do, the result will be people who become servile, incapable of actually ever lovi...

What did James Know - that will help us? The book of James is an attractive read for us because we sometimes get into situations that are a mess.  James knew mess, and it's not too awful hard to understand why.  Imagine, just try to get your head around what it must have been like to be the brother to God as human?  We just can't get there, but we can get close.   2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Briefly lets focus on verse 3, it's often overlooked as sitting between the heavy concept of verse 2 which opens the door on an entirely different way of reflecting on rough times, and verse 4 which closes the thought about enduring. But here's where it has to get a bit strange, do you wonder that perhaps James may have heard, "Your brother doesn't make...

WHAT did J ames know that will help us?  Ever talk to somebody who knows it better than you do? Notice how they listen, then notice how they talk. Feel like it’s real? No it feels very false, it’s a conversation in which they feel they are making sense, but you realize, they don’t hear a single word you’ve said, been there? Your writer used to work at a place that was a dream job, in which, there were nightmare elements at work, so the dream was turned ever so slightly until it was no dream at all, how? Because as it was usual to happen, the boss would hear me utter “Look I’m saying red, they’re hearing and spouting back – blue.” That was a phrase that the government taught me how to say when working as a network administrator it was part of what they thought was enlightened leadership in race and human relations. They thought and wrote that “We are now in the next century, this is the year 2000, and how we think and conduct ourselves must be a combined red and b...

Not the commentary page, still working on that- but for now consider please, this concept idea: What did James know that can help us? Brief paragraph on post being completed...a teaser, if you will... From James Chapter 1, verses 2-4, a natural division by subject (NIV) “ 2-My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Brethren, ah my, it is being done away with, as you read this, enormous evil forces are at work to kill the sense of family, to kill the sense of belonging, to kill the sense of being, “Brethren.” “Oh c’mon Dana, that’s ridiculous, there are no “evil forces” doing such, you’re just paranoid.” OK, I get that response, and could quip back, “Well so was the Grinch, and look what happened.” But that would be quip, and although much deeper than folks care to go about Dr. Seuss, is still enough of an opening to thought that I’d say, consider it’s possible, here’s why. If you wanted to kill the Holy Spirit, oh I know, we ...

WHAT did J ames know that will help us?  Who do you love? Simple question isn’t it? Oh, what’s that you say, “It isn’t simple at all?” Glad you caught that, because many people in a world where the daily life is crammed to the rafters with perishable items; things which at the ultimate end of it all, won’t matter at all, perishables, speed past that question never realizing that love isn’t just an emotional response, it is indeed, something much, much deeper. Love can be best thought of, it seems to me on reflecting back over the years, as what a friend and best selling author, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, made me see in three distinct meetings. He said very simply one day, “Dana do you remember what someone bought you, or do you remember the gifts you give?” Caught me up short a bit, because it is, truthfully a little of both, but a little more of the latter; and I’d bet, truth be told, you tend to remember things you’ve given to others, more than things they’ve given to yo...