Live Upside Down

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor...

James 2:5-6

As we go through life, we can tend to look at things from a certain perspective. This is especially true when deciding on what and who are truly valuable.

Leaders are viewed as important; servants don’t matter. If someone is rich, we jump at the chance to assist them with the hope of impressing them. But if someone further down on the socioeconomic ladder is in need, we go out of our way to avoid them.

James tells us that we’ve got to turn that thinking upside down. Throughout the gospels, Jesus talks about an upside down kingdom. He says that if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you have to be willing to become a servant. If you want to be strong, become weak. If you want to be first, be willing to be last.

Do you jump at the chance to rub shoulders with the boss, yet neglect the opportunity to help a fellow coworker? Remember, when it comes to seeing things from God’s perspective, it’s not about the position of the person, but the position of your heart that enables you to think upside down.

NEXT STEPS:

• Evaluate your motives: who are you rushing to help today?
• Take a step back. Be last instead of first. Serve someone else instead of expecting to be served.
• Ask God to change your perspective to begin thinking upside down.

Counts and No-Counts

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.
James 2:1

Most of us, at one time or another, have had mental lists of the people we like to hang out with and those we don’t. And everyone, it seems, falls into one of two categories: the counts or the no-counts.

Some of us would prefer to rub shoulders with the wealthy, while others have a tendency to resent the rich. But no matter what our socioeconomic status is, chances are that we have found ourselves on both sides of the list—the judging side, and the side that’s being judged.

In the verse above, James says that this type of attitude is a sin. It does not honor God, nor does it help us become a mature and authentic follower of Christ.

Jesus never showed favoritism. He sought the downtrodden, the prostitute, the tax collector, the sinner. Why? Because we all need a Savior. And because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection being for all people, God is adamant that we reflect the same attitude. Everyone is equal and everyone is to be treated as a part of the royal family of God.

Shut Your Mouth

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

Proverbs 1:5

Have you ever been part of a one-sided conversation? The other person talks and talks, slowing down only long enough to catch their breath before rambling on some more. Through all the words, what that person is really saying is that they don’t know how to listen.

Being a good listener starts with closing our mouths and opening our ears. And that’s also how we should approach our communication with God. God has a myriad of ways in which he can communicate with us, so we should listen first to what he has to say.

Whether it’s through his Word, the Bible, or through the counsel of a wise Christian friend, you can hear God—if you’ll just take the time to listen. And when you hear what he has to say, you’ll discover the very words that can change your life.

Getting Past the Lure

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.
James 1:15


Temptation is deceptively disguised. Just like the bait used by fishermen to entice their catch, temptation looks good—at first.

When we’re lured in by sin, we don’t think about the sting of the hook. So often, we just take the bait because we don’t see where that temptation is leading us. Yet, in this verse, we are clearly cautioned about where this dangerous path leads.

Sin has its kicks. But it also has some serious kickbacks. Don’t allow yourself to fall for the evil one’s trick and think that you’ve gotten away with something. Time always reveals the truth and brings sin and its consequences to light.

God wants you to avoid those consequences. But to do that, you need help in recognizing the bait Satan uses to try and lure you away from God’s plan. God is ready to help you identify the areas where sinful desires have started so you can eliminate them before they become full grown.

Prayer:
Dear God, when I face times of temptation it is easy to be short-sighted and not see the long-term results. Help me to recognize temptation as well as the full grown sin in my life, so that I can turn from it and follow you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayin For You

Father God, I'm prayin' to you for somebody,
who knows you Lord but just hasn't,
hasn't been seein' you in the right view lately,
Hear me out...

Father, I'm prayin' for a friend he and I are pretty close,
and out of all my friends for this one I'm concerned the most.
He say he readin' daily but he ain't really learnin'.
He been in church but say that he ain't moved by any sermon.
His face weak,
he ain't prayed in a week,
he wake up and just weep with his face in the sink
Lord, you gotta help my man,
I'm prayin' for him daily,
he ain't sinned but it just seem as if he goin' crazy.
He say he feelin' trapped,
can't even head up the mall
cuz every lady's half-dressed temptin' him to lust and fall.
He keep the TV off,
videos just make him feel that he ain't really nothin'
without money, girls and shiny wheels.
The other day he told me that he felt less a man
cuz he ain't have a five-year plan or a piece of land
and man it's crazy cuz his family think so much of him,
plus he got a godly wife who always showin' love for him but he's strugglin',
even though he talk to me,
I tell him what to do but he don't listen when he oughta' be.
I'm scared for him cuz there's people that look up to him,
he got some younger siblings who been changed by what he's done for them
but is it done for him, Lord don't let it be,
if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me,
is it done for him, Lord don't let it be,
if he don't wanna talk to you then Father hear from me...

Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, I'm prayin' for you
Yeah, I'm prayin' for you, yeah, yeah, I'm prayin' for you...

God, his condition is worsen since we were last conversed
and I'm with him now and he ain't doin' well and this I'm certain.
He say he tryna' trust you, doesn't wanna disgust you
but he was in the mist of sinners and did not discuss you
and just today his anxiety's got the best of him,
he knows Christ but for hours refuse to rest in Him,
he's not the best of men but Lord I know he really loves you
and I can't understand why lately he's not thinkin' of you.
People trust this dude, you could crush this dude,
Father he needs more of you I pray you touch this dude,
what can I say to him?
I'm determined to pray for him
Father empty and break him I pray
you'll just have your way with him,
cuz there's a change in him and the effects are strong,
I pray you open up his heart before the next song and when he gets home,
I pray he'll open up the sixty-six book love letter you wrote
and soak it up coz he ain't hearin' You
and he ain't feelin' me
and God I know it's killin' You
because it's killin' me
and matter of fact
there's somethin' else he's concealin'
see, the person that I've been prayin' about
is really me...

Prayin' For You by LeCrae

NO EXCUSES

…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

James 1:14

Most of us don’t like to accept the blame for those moments in life when we miss the mark, when we hurt someone, and when we fall into temptation. Maybe we try to blame someone else for our shortcomings, or try to justify our actions with the mediocre standards of this world. But God doesn’t leave us the option of playing the blame game or making excuses. He holds us accountable for our actions.

Our sins and evil desires come right out of our own sin nature. It is Satan who is directly tethered to our temptation. He also customizes his schemes according to our strengths, vulnerabilities and weaknesses. And we are the ones who make the choice to give in to the enticements of this world.

If you feel like you are facing temptation, don’t let yourself get dragged away by it. Instead of making excuses, cry out to God for his help and allow him to lead you to victory.

God's Garments

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

We have all felt it—that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize a great plan wasn’t so great after all. It’s when you recognize your approach was wrong from the start. It happens when you discover you have stumbled into the wrong place and you cannot find a way out.

That must have been the feeling Adam and Eve had right after they ate the forbidden fruit. They thought they had a brilliant cover-up plan. They realized they were naked, so they attempted to sew fig leaves together as a solution. And as you can imagine, fig leaves didn’t do a great job of covering their naked bodies.

We’ve all had times when we made a situation worse by trying to fix it ourselves. When our brilliant ideas fall short, it is a great opportunity to look to God for strength and wisdom. God’s plan is always the best plan—even when we’re too proud to ask for his help.

When Adam and Eve realized the inadequacy of their fig leaves, they accepted the greatness of God’s garments. God’s covering was far more sufficient for them. So if you are dealing with the consequences of a plan gone bad, it’s time to look to God for his solution instead of trying to cover things on your own.