Monday is a day of reading for repentance, a day where we confess our sins and receive God’s grace, pardon and mercy in abundance.
This Is Week 9: Our Focus is on Engaging our Culture (being relevant)
My prayer goal for this week is _________________________________________.
Last week, my prayer goal was _________________________________________.
Let’s pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Read the following passage from James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Pray Psalm 139:23-24 as you reflect upon this passage.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Lead us. . .
(Review if helpful) Reading for repentance involves the following eight steps (Surprise!).
- See yourself in the Text (which words jump off the page and confront you in this passage?).
- Uncover your idols (In what false hopes are trusting? What things do you believe you need to have to be happy in life? Where do you feel justified in your actions? What empowers your sin?).
- Reverse direction (What would it mean to turn away from your sin and pursue God?).
- Pray and ask, “What would growth look like?”
- Receive God’s grace and pardon.
- Inhale God’s beauty, goodness and love.
- Savor God’s mercy
- and Endeavor to live in newness of life (Live your repentance out loud).
Today, we want to move through this passage by seeing ourselves in the text.
The passage describes two ways of living, the wise and understanding way and the foolish way. Which one best describes your life?
How can James describe earthly “wisdom” as demonic? Is this hyperbole or does James really feel it is demonic in nature?
We are talking about engaging our culture and having great conversations with the people God puts in our path. What guidance does James give us in this?
James describes godly wisdom, saying that it is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Earthly wisdom must then be the opposite. What words would you use to describe it?
What is the role of wisdom in speaking to our culture?
What is the role of wisdom in spiritual formation?
Prayer of Repentance:
Seeing our sin in this text is not too difficult. We are easily consumed with envy and selfish ambition. We are proud and blind to the depth of our sin. But dealing with sin when it is so deeply entwined with who we are is extremely difficult. Reread the passage and ask God to help you see your sin and lead you into repentance.
Receiving God’s Grace and Pardon (From Ezekiel 36:25-27)
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
A Thought to Ponder
"If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility." (Augustine)
What One Thing Can You Do Today?
There is a list of virtues in verse 17 (“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”). Write these down on a piece of paper so that they can become your focus as you move throughout your day. Today, strive to be peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere in everything you do. Be sure to think through every response you make so that you can act in alignment with this goal.
Closing Prayer:
Abba Father, pour out your love upon us so that we may love you and love our neighbor as ourselves. Give us wisdom that we may engage our world with your truth. Give us compassion that we may speak with tenderness. Give us courage that we may always be faithful and give us hearts of faith that we may seek your glory in everything we do. Today, we give ourselves to you, body, soul and spirit and ask that you advance your kingdom in us and through us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Posted on
Mon, November 29, 2010
by Dane Lewis
filed under