Content with whatever God puts on my plate . . .

The third chapter of James begins with a warning to those wanting to be teachers, then several reminders about the power of speech, and ends with a definition of wisdom. The section is too long to consider every verse, yet an overview gives me a good idea of what God is saying to me today.

I’ve been a Bible study leader for years, but not lately. In 2012 we moved and began attending a church near our new home. Then God led me to take a master’s degree in ‘biblical and theological studies.’ During that time, I was invited to teach, but the class didn’t go well, partly because I was trying to teach at the level I was learning. Since then, God has me leading a small prayer group, but I’ve missed teaching a class. Today, He says to me:

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1)

The transition to the next section on speaking is abrupt, prompting research. I discovered that most commentaries are analytical rather than devotional with the authors trying to discern the author’s reasoning rather than listening for God’s voice. While correct exegesis is important in devotions, they were not helpful.

I did find an interesting statistic (that I cannot verify); the average human spends 1/5 of their life talking. If we wrote what we talk, that could be a 50-page book every day of our lives. Since teachers talk more than average, this is putting a lot of ideas in front of people, never mind the responsibility of knowing what we talk about.

The other thing that helps me with this verse is that this cannot refer to God’s judgment in the sense of being under condemnation. Jesus has already taken that from us. It might be about the Bema judgment where God will discern the eternal value of our works (and our words). It also could be about the judgment of others. Teachers are up front meaning their speech is more likely to be picked apart in a stricter way than the average talker.

That said, I’m rethinking my desire to teach again! Is that what I want? I don’t mind the occasional jibe from someone reading these posts, but realize that most pastors, Bible teachers, professors and so on receive a great deal of criticism, often unfounded and often from less educated people who have not done their homework. This is not very appealing.

The rest of James 3 builds on this reality. He writes about the power of the tongue, comparing it to other ‘small’ things that have great influence. He points out how hard it is to tame — doesn’t everyone blurt out things they later wish they could take back? He writes also about the inconsistency of our speech. Sometimes we are filled with the Spirit and with gracious words, but sometimes we are filled with ourselves and with unkind and thoughtless words. The warning to those who wish to be teachers is valid and needs thoughtful consideration.

The last part of this chapter (remembering that chapter divisions are man-made and not in the original text) is about wisdom. It is from God and in great contrast to those who don’t have it. Lack of wisdom is characterized by jealousy and selfish ambition. He even calls it ‘earthly, unspiritual, demonic’ causing ‘disorder and every vile practice.’ As I read this, I recall twinges of envy when others are teaching, and recognize selfish ambition. This is not from God and is not His motivation for teaching others.

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Jesus, You are the model for teachers. James says wisdom is ‘pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.’ Those who have make peace and sow a harvest of righteousness. This describes You. I have a long way to go.

Today’s thankful list . . .

Good thoughts and advice every day from God’s Word.

A nice long walk on another beautiful fall day.

Being able to sleep so soundly that the telephone does not wake me!

The freedom to vote.

Chicken stir fry and ice cream sandwiches.

The television has an ‘off’ button.

Spiritual Gifts and Self-Esteem

Does everyone have issues with self-esteem? After studying this topic from every point of view and finally settling on the biblical version, God keeps “renewing my mind” (Romans 12:2) with His will on how I should think about myself. As a typical human being it is easy to go to extremes: pride one minute and pity-party the next. This is because I tend to look at accomplishments to evaluate how I am doing — but God looks at the heart.

This morning, still in Romans, I read this very familiar passage:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3–8)

Verse 2 says I’m to let God renew my mind. Verse 3 says to think soberly with my level of faith. The next verse points to one body with many members, hinting at our differences. We are united in Christ yet do not all do the same things. All of this, including how I think about myself, is related to spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts are from God, given by His grace. They are not talents like playing the piano or painting a portrait or baking cookies. Instead, by the language used, they are ways of thinking that motivate Christians in what we do. This accounts for our different ways of thinking. For instance, those motivated to teach will somehow be involved in matters related to discovery and learning. Those with the gift of compassion want people to be happy and feel good.

In the pursuit of thinking rightly about myself, God urges me to learn more about these gifts and how they motivate those who have them. I’ve learned that a prophet (sometimes called a discerner) is motivated by a deep desire to have others know about God, sharing what His Word says and how God works. The teacher desires that others think God’s thoughts and know His ways and collects and dispenses information that helps that happen. Teachers may teach but also can be found working in libraries or doing research for a pastor.

The list goes on. Gift tests help Christians discover which gift is dominant in their life. Even though we have all seven motivations, one or two will be stronger than the rest. For me, it is the above two. I want to make God’s will heard and understood, and I want others to think His thoughts.

Those who have studied these gifts for many years find that the people who have them have similar characteristics, both positive and negative. The discerner-prophet is black and white in thinking and can be dogmatic to a flaw. The teacher is so wrapped up in gathering information that he or she can neglect to apply it to their own life.

All this and more is part of what God reveals about my nature. It also helps me understand our differences and know how to best work together as a team using our gifts. However, today the stress is on self-worth based on those gifts. I am not motivated to serve as much as I am motivated to pray and study the Scriptures. I’m least motivated to show compassion to someone suffering and more inclined to give them a book. I can put myself down for not being ‘everything’ yet this is not what God planned. Christians need one another and these gifts help us work in the areas where we are gifted instead of trying to put square pegs in round holes. That alone takes a big swipe at spiritual pride (I need people) but also stops pity-parties (People need me).

I’m told it is best to perfect one’s main gifts rather than trying to do better in the weaker areas. That is likely true yet God gives me opportunities to serve (take moving equipment to a friend), to give (support certain ministries), to lead (a prayer group), to exhort or encourage (tell the pastor how his sermon changed me) and to show mercy (take sandwiches to a family in a hospital waiting room). That is, a wholesome and well-rounded sense of self-worth comes from obeying God in whatever He asks, not merely focusing on areas of service that are more comfortable or more natural for me.

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Lord Jesus, this gives me food for thought for today. I get down on myself complaining that I can’t — and become proud when You bless something I did. The balance is not in the middle. It is like holding the tension between sinner/saint and realizing both are true. One of Your servants told me that doing a job poorly is better than not doing it at all. I’m thinking he meant that doing something I’m not gifted to do is better than saying no when You ask me to do such a task. To apply this, I need to be careful when asked to do something that does not ‘fit’ because it might be Your desire to prove that I can do all things through Christ who saved me!

Today’s thankful list . . .

Short chat with oldest son as he drives to work (speaker phone).

Lovely walk through our very green neighborhood.

Able to book a short vacation near the ocean.

Finding fabric for cushions that will look good with our sofa.

Hubby home early from work.

My feet stopped hurting for three days now.

He's the Head of the class

I’ve been in two classes at this conference and amazed at the difference between the two instructors. One is laid back, lectures in long sessions (two hours the first day before she put us to work),talks slow and repeats herself constantly. The other one is high energy, humorous, talks fast, and gives brief instructions as we work, putting us to it immediately. While I’m learning from both of them, I do like the second style better.

The Bible has a lot to say about teachers. James says that not many of us should aspire to that position. In this case, he means spiritual teachers. In those days, scribes and rabbis fell into that category. These people, particularly the scribes, were information gatherers who passed on all they knew to others. It was a big responsibility and since teachers were highly respected, they needed to teach rightly. Again, this concerns spiritual teachers. False teachers who taught contrary to God’s Word were, and still are, highly condemned.

In Matthew 23, Jesus talked to His disciples about the scribes (teachers) and Pharisees who loved the respect of men, sought the best seats at feasts, and especially enjoyed being called “Rabbi” by others they considered beneath them. Jesus said, “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.”

Of course He didn’t mean this as an all encompassing command. Paul talked about teachers in the church, and our need to respect them. Jesus was talking about putting a title and a position above the relationship I have with Him. I’m never to consider that any person is the source of spiritual truth. Jesus is that, and only Jesus.

Occasionally I’ve met people who exalt a certain pastor. It might be their own, or one they had in the past (and the one today usually doesn’t meet that standard). Sometimes the one they put on a pedestal is a radio preacher, and there are some very good ones (and some that fall into the category of ‘false teacher’). In almost every instance, the person who exalts a pastor in this way is not open to any other opinions or interpretations. Worse yet, they have stopped growing in their own spiritual life. In their insistence that this man’s teaching is the only teaching worth listening to, they have stopped listening to God.

I suppose the disciples were in danger of wanting to be such teachers, the ‘spiritual authorities’ of their day. Surely they did have a special relationship with the Messiah, and they were learning much about the heart of God. But Jesus warned them and me that no one person has the entire inside scoop on the will and mind of God. We are all ‘brethren’ and each of us has what I call ‘blank spots’ in our understanding. We may partly fill in those blanks for each other, or compensate for them, but we all need the Lord.

No one person can get inside me like Jesus can. No one can know my specific need for the moment, for each day. No one can feed me or inform me about issues and problems related to future decisions or past mistakes. He is my teacher, and to put someone else in that position would be a terrible idolatry.