Facing the Triple-Headed Monster

Have you had experience with attacks from this monster?  If you’re human you have.  It starts at a very early age and never relents.  Many seemingly have overcome it, at least two of its heads, only to be taken by surprise by the third and carried away to its den.  No, this is not some wild beast or horror movie character, but a very real threat to our health, relationships and eternal destiny.  Sometimes it comes at us openly with an in-your-face approach, but other times it slips in with great stealth or in disguise.  In spite of its great power to destroy, however, it can be rendered harmless when opposed with the right strategy.

Faith: Dead or Alive?

Is there any more important question we need to have the right answer for than that?  Does the book of James contradict other Scriptures where it says “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being alone.  Ephesians 2:8-9, for example, says that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works.  In Romans 3:20 we read that by the works of the Law no one will be justified, and Galatians 2:16 tells us that a person is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.

Make Up Your Mind!

"Don’t be so indecisive, so wishy-washy!”  If you’ve heard that very often, chances are you have a problem making up your mind.  Maybe you have trouble deciding what to order at a restaurant, or what color to paint the bedroom.  Some of us are quicker decision makers than others, but speed isn’t always a virtue.  However, when it comes to how we choose to live our lives and to follow Jesus, as many of us say we do, there is little comfort for vacillating to be found in the Scriptures.

Partiality: Why?

In the last post we saw how James, one of the pillars of the first century Church and the half-brother of Jesus, spoke out to Christians through his writing in the book of James against showing partiality toward the rich.  Clearly, that group of people didn’t just have wealth, but power over the poor, to control and take advantage of them for their own benefit.  Why then would those in the Church want to show partiality to them?