They will fade away like a little flower in the field...

"Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass whithers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements."

-James 1:9-11 (NLT)

"They will fade away like a little flower in the field...."

Life is short...we don't want to believe it but it is true. As I sit here typing these words at this computer the clock is ticking away...one second at a time. Everyday is a gift, a gift God has given you. Don't let your life slip right past you. One of my favorite song writers puts it this way...

"I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I'm calling, Lord you catch me when I'm falling and you've told me who I am, I am yours."
-"Who am I" by Casting Crowns

God is calling you to wake up and be alive, alive in Him and for Him! In America we have it so nice...so easy. I don't know about you but when I read these verses it is a serious wake up call for me. "In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements" I don't want to fade away with all of my achievements...all my "stuff".

The "American dream" is all about getting everything you want and grabbing all the stuff you can.

The "American dream" is all about selfishness.

The "American dream" is all about....achievements.

From the next promotion to the newest car, when you boil it down it is all about "climbing up the ladder of achievement".

I am not writing this to bash my country or point the finger at anyone. I am writing this in hopes that it will awaken the sleeping and open the eyes of the blind.

Below are a few verses from the fifth chapter of James that really make me think.

"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you."

-James 5:1-6 (NLT)

We live in a world where extra food rots away in our fridges....while children are starving on the streets.

We live in a world where our closets are full of clothes we haven't worn in years...while there are people who have been in need of clothes for years.

We live in a world where we get upset if we don't get our starbucks in the morning...while there are others who are thankful just to live to see the morning.

How much longer are we going to just sit here and do nothing to help those who are in need?

What is it going to take for us all to open our eyes to those around us?

When will we learn to share?

My prayer is this...that we will wake up and "hear the cries of the field workers whom we have cheated of their pay".

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
-Matthew 25:31-36

So my friend, what side are you choosing to be on?

The left...or the right?

If I ask...it will be given to me? (James 1:5-8)

James 1:5-8 (NLT)


"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."

These verses blow me away. "If you need wisdom ask God and he will give it to you." Our God is a generous God! Many times I have needed wisdom and asked God and He has always come through for me. These verses remind me that I have to give God my all...end of story. God doesn't want me to ask him for help and then not go out on a limb and trust that he will come through. With God you have to jump in, hold on tight and trust that he will do as he says.

I once heard someone explain this kind of jumping in and trusting God with a parable of two farmers. It went something like this...

There was once two farmers, both needed rain for their crops to grow for they were going through a drought. The first farmer prayed that God would send the rain. Afterward he went on with his everyday life and routine.

Now the second farmer also prayed that God would send the rain. Afterward he went out and prepared his fields for the rain God was going to send.

Which of the two farmers do you think truly trusted God?

Which of the two farmers do you think went out on a limb and said "God here I am, I trust in you."?

The second farmer went out and prepared his fields for the rain. He trust in God so much that he started acting on God's promise before he saw one cloud in the sky. That is true faith!

Below is passage from the book of Matthew that I think of when I think about what happens when we ask God for something in faith and then doubt that he will really come through.

"Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. "You really are the Son of God!" they exclaimed."

-Matthew 14:28-33

When we ask God for something he wants you to fully trust in him, 100 percent all of us.

"He answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself."

-Luke 10:27

You see, the bible says that true faith is this...

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
-Hebrews 11:1

If we ask and it is God's will, he will provide.

I pray that you will trust God, go out on a limb, look over the edge, get out of the boat you are in and walk on the water! You will never regret choosing to follow after him!

James 1:1-4

I love the way James wrote this book of the Bible, straight to the point and very clear. James is a straight up honest kind of guy, I admire that about him. I will be using this blog to voice my thoughts about this book and what I have taken from it.

James 1:1-4 (NLT)

"This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the "twelve tribes"-Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

I used to ask myself, "Why in the world would I consider troubles that are coming my way an opportunity for joy?". It was all backwards to me. If something is going wrong in my life I'm supposed to be happy about it? It doesn't sound right does it? I've come to learn that the Kingdom of God is a very backwards place...God is a mysterious God.

Every time our faith is tested we have a chance to grow. My faith is tested everyday, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small. Every time my faith is tested I can either grow or not grow, the choice is mine. Depending on how we react to the situation determines whether or not we will come away better and stronger or if we will stay the same as we were before.

A few years ago my faith was shaken like it had never been before...

I was at a local music store with my parents pricing electric guitars. I had just had a birthday and was looking to spend all the money I had been given on a new guitar. While we were there my father got a phone call, a phone call I will never forget. My dad answered the phone with a smile on his face and in only a few seconds that smile faded away into a look of shock. I was worried, from what I could tell it was bad news.

We were told that my grandpaw had been out working and cutting down trees when he had a heart attack and was now not breathing. Time stopped...or at least it felt like it did. My whole world was flipped upside down. My parents dropped me off at a family members house and they headed off to the hospital. I was angry that they wouldn't let me come with them but I knew I had to stay with my brothers and be there for them. They were unaware of what was going on. It was extremely hard for me to keep my composure and make it look like nothing was wrong. I didn't want them to know...not yet.

I prayed like I had never prayed before. That prayer was real, every part of my soul was screaming out to God. I felt so close to God in that time. The words of a song by the band Third Day ran through my head...

"To everyone who's lost someone they love long before it was their time. You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye. There is hope for the helpless, Rest for the weary, Love for the broken heart. There is grace and forgiveness, Mercy and healing, He'll meet you wherever you are. Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus."
-Third Day "Cry out to Jesus"

My grandpaw's heart stopped for 15 minutes that day. I am happy to say that he is alive and well today. God answers prayer. He was in the hospital with memory loss for several weeks after his heart attack and had to use a cane to get around for a while but is now walking around with no problem and his memory is back to normal.

That day my faith was tested, shaken and stretched to its limits. God used that day of trouble for good. My faith grew tremendously that day and I am now much closer to God and my grandpaw than ever before. God gave me a gift, a fresh start with my relationship with my grandpaw. My eyes were opened to how much time I had let fly by that I could have spent getting to know him. How much time I had wasted when I was at his house just sitting in the basement when I could have been talking to him. I see him on a regular basis now and spend time getting to know him and who he is. I enjoy and love every minute that I spend learning from him and working alongside him. God works wonders.

It is my prayer that you will consider your troubles an opportunity for great joy. An opportunity to grow in your faith and closer to the God who created you. I hope that you come away with something after reading this and that your faith has been challenged.

Live for Him with all you've got,

Tyler


"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

-Matthew 7:7