Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Keeping first things first”
Our Bible verse for today: “For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.” James 3:16-18 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Unity in the body is more important than having things your way.”
The image the New Testament gives us of James, the biological brother of Jesus, is of a dignified elder statesman of the church who had great authority and was held in high esteem by the people. If you read his book (the letter of James) you get the impression of a man who had high standards, expected a lot from people, and had little patience for fools. James could certainly not be accused of being soft or in any way tolerant of sin.
That being the case, what he wrote in James 3:16-18 carries even more weight. In this passage he cautions his readers against allowing their personal preferences and their strong opinions to create disunity in the church. Please note that he is not saying that we shouldn’t contend for the truth or stake out firm positions on important issues. He is saying that rather than always getting our own way in the church, we need to be more concerned with peace and unity.
Look at the virtues he highlights and commends here, things like wisdom, purity, a peace-loving approach, gentleness, compliance, mercy. He encourages his readers to sow and cultivate peace. And again, please read the rest of the letter. Don’t mistake this as having been written by a soft man who didn’t have the strength of character to take firm stands on important issues or to hold people accountable for their actions. James was the exact opposite of that. But he recognized that human nature is always in play in the life of the church, and human beings have an innate tendency toward selfishness and self-righteousness. We also naturally tend to conclude that our way is the right way and that everyone else should see it as we do.
So in this passage he instructs them (and us), to back it down, be a little less impressed with yourself, a little less certain that you’re right and everyone else is wrong, and to intentionally strive for the virtues that help to facilitate peace and unity.
The fellowship of a church is a fragile thing that can easily be damaged. Therefore it’s incumbent on all members to be less assertive and more considerate; less insistent on having things their way; and more willing to let others have it their way. The truth is that not every point has to be challenged; not every issue has to be addressed; and not every problem has to be fixed (at least not right way).
Keeping first things first will sometimes mean that things might not be exactly the way you would like them to be, but that’s OK.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 