Clothe yourself with Love Col. 3:14

  THU EP Reflection 111920 (James 4:13 – 5:6) On the brevity of our lives: There are times when I come across words that are truly sobering. Those words can surely make us feel as if we have been struck so we can be awake and listen. They don’t beg for our attention; they have our attention! That’s the kind of words I read in today’s Epistle of James 4. Let me read it for you: “ Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go to such and such town and spend a year there, doing business and making money. Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are in a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say: If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that. ” Our life in this world is like a tiny dot in eternity. We need the right perspective here! If there are people who know well how NOT in control of life humans are, it is refugees. When you are a refugee, you know without a shadow of the doubt, that ...

  WED Evening Prayer Reflection 111820 (James 3: 13-4:12) The letter of James once again delivers some profound life advice! He says: “ Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom .” My friend Joe and I recently studied the Gospel according to John 15. One of the discoveries we made, is the relationship between us abiding in Jesus and the fruits that become evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. The letter of James certainly does not shy away from the discussion of faith and works. Which one is important? Faith or works? James explains how both are part of the life of a believer. The grace of God in our lives helps us accomplish what pleases God. Believers’ works are directly linked with their response to the love of God by faith. In order words, what we do comes out of our gratitude and love for God. In these verses, James rejects some of our attitudes and works that are really incompatible with the message of Jesus Christ. Jam...

  TUE Evening Prayer Reflection 111720 (James 3:1-12) Today’s word of God from the letter of James is a rebuke to us regarding the sins of the tongue. Who amongst us can safely say that they have never put their foot in their mouth? This is an expression often said when one said something that should not have been said; something perhaps embarrassing or offensive without realizing the implications. I realized early on that it was wise to refrain from blurting out words of my thoughts while in a new culture. Plenty of what gets said have potential to be offensive mostly without realizing it. The letter of James is blunt about it. This chapter begins with a recognition that we all make mistakes. However, some of us should be much stricter with ourselves, especially those of us who are teachers and parents. This is because people take to heart what we say. I don’t think it is wise to scale back saying I was only kidding! There is an African proverb that say “what goes out of th...