Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

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James 1:5-8

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

This passage is so packed with good stuff I hate to squeeze it into just one day, but the ideas flow together and build on one another so we must treat it as one thought. Spend some time with this one, don’t rush through today. Verse 5 starts, “If you need wisdom…” Heads up: we all need wisdom. There’s really no “if” about it. So pay attention because you are about to find out exactly how to get one of the things you need the most. Are you ready for the big secret? Ask. Yup, that’s it. Just ask.

Turns out God is super happy to give us wisdom any time and even if we are in a dumb situation we totally got ourselves into he won’t say, “I told you so.” He won’t blame you or shame you, he’ll just help you figure out what to do. Wow, that sounds really amazing. Here’s the “but”… don’t ask God for wisdom and then hunt down like 15 other opinions too. Godly counsel is one thing, but the morning talk show or the psychic down the street are not on the list. We cannot waver on that. Loyalty to God means your faith is only in him. He’s not on the list — he is the list.

I don’t have to waste time worrying about what I should do. I don’t need to search high and low to find wisdom. I don’t have to bounce around from one philosophical idea to another on some quest for the answer. I’ve already solved that one for myself: God has my back every single time. So what do you need wisdom for today? What situation are you about to blow up if you do not act wisely? Maybe trying asking God right now to tell you what to do. And then listen. He answers back.

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James 1:1-4

“This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and when I was a teenager I decided to memorize the entire first chapter. It was truly a supernatural experience, as I memorized the whole thing in about an hour and it has been burned into my mind ever since. I have never had another passage that has stuck with me so deeply.

James’ audience is Jewish believers, living in all parts of the known world. These early believers had to expect trouble, since they were often hunted down for their faith. The whole spiritual journey was centered around clinging to your faith no matter who came to arrest you for it. Persecution was considered an honor, and it is in this vein that James expresses an opportunity for great joy when trials come. Think of what we saw of Peter and Paul in our study of Acts — they both were the most influential when they were facing opposition. The testing of faith produces a supernatural endurance, and you don’t need anything else when you have this because you’ve basically learned to survive it all.

You don’t have to quit. You can grow in the area of endurance. Perhaps you are facing a trial or difficulty right now, and you wonder if you will make it through. You might not feel strong right now. But you can get stronger. Every single day that you wake up and decide you are going to look straight into the wind and climb up that hill, you get a little stronger. Keep doing that and over time you will have developed those spiritual muscles and you will be able to face all the challenges that come your way. This strength is not from yourself, but from the expansion of the Holy Spirit in your heart as you lean into him instead of giving up.

Join us as we begin a Bible study on the book of James! FreedomForToday.com

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Deuteronomy 21

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 21 before reading the devotional below.

Reading the law book of an ancient civilization is an odd thing to do. Yet here we are, reading Deuteronomy and understanding it to be the inspired word of God. Today is a good reminder that the Bible is not like any other book. It is not even like other ancient civilization’s law books (if we even had access to others…). No, the Bible is the way that God has chosen to reveal himself. As such, we need to read it with this question in mind: “What is God trying to tell us about himself?”

If you read today’s passage as you would a regular book, it would probably be off-putting to your modern sensibilities. If you read it asking about the character of God, you get something much deeper: God demands human decency. There are four examples in this chapter — finding a dead body, taking in a prisoner of war, having a firstborn son who’s not your favorite, and having a rebellious son. Interestingly, the first three are offered protection. God makes them honor the dead, the female prisoners of war, and the less-than-favored firstborn son. All of them have rights in God’s book. However, the rebellious son gets stoned to death. Evil requires no protection.

No one is perfect, so receiving God’s protection does not mean you are sinless. However, there are some situations in which you are innocent, such as being a victim of murder, war, or an unloving father. Some of you have been victimized as well, and in that place God is 100% interested in restoring your dignity and worth. The evil you invite into your life, on the other hand, God will not allow to fester. Sin will always take you down and cause you to forfeit the good God has given you. Following God isn’t about being perfect, but it is always in our best interest to stay lined up with God’s ways. We are always protected when we stay near to him.

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Philippians 4:15-23

“As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

What do you want to be known for? If you are part of a church, what do you hope your church is known for? I would personally love to be known for my kindness and generosity, and I believe that my church is known for those things as well. As Paul closes his letter to the Philippians, he thanks them and reminds them that their generosity will be eternally rewarded.

Missionaries share the Gospel all around the world, and individual and corporate generosity makes this possible. If you haven’t been a part of giving to support missions, I’d encourage you to start. Find out what missionaries your local church supports and start giving an extra offering to help support them. You can also give to individual missionaries that you may know or give to larger organizations that share the Gospel, often as they offer humanitarian relief. Paul’s work impacted not just the Philippian church or the other early churches — he had a role to play in our journey to salvation as well!

You might not think that you have much money. Or you might think that your little bit extra isn’t going to make that much of a difference. Think outside yourself for just one minute. If you connect to the corporate body of believers, together our little becomes a whole lot. Not only that, but God has a funny way of supernaturally multiplying gifts that come out of a sacrifice — the widow’s tiny offering or the oil that kept on overflowing. Generosity will bring freedom to your life, and in that freedom you can have a global impact!

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Philippians 4:10-14

“How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.”

Philippians 4:13 is among the most quoted Bible verses, emblazoned on hats and mugs and key chains and Bible covers. Ripped out of its context, it’s a feel-good pick-me-up that makes us feel hopeful. Looking more closely at Paul’s writing throughout this letter, however, this cheery verse is actually all about suffering.

Paul has been through it all. He has legitimately suffered. His friends were concerned for his well-being. He has gone without food and been stripped of earthly possessions, and he has had times of plenty. He is able to suffer because he has found the secret: the supernatural power of Jesus Christ. He is currently in prison, letting his friends know that they shouldn’t worry too much about him because his strength to persevere comes from God.

It’s not a popular message, and it doesn’t sell well on coffee mugs. But there is freedom in suffering. Paul had found a supernatural secret because of his suffering. He had learned how to find strength from someone bigger than himself because he needed that strength to survive. If he had been comfortable and not gone through hardship, it’s possible he would never have learned how to rely on God. Suffering connects us to our desperation. That’s when we are free to rely solely on the supernatural power and strength of God.