- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Jun 30, 2019 13:19:06 GMT -8
James 1:1-8 (ESV) James, a servant[*] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
* servant- δοῦλος doûlos
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Bondman, Bondmaid:
from deo, "to bind," "a slave," originally the lowest term in the scale of servitude, came also to mean "one who gives himself up to the will of another," e.g., 1Cr 7:23; Rom 6:17, 20, and became the most common and general word for "servant," as in Mat 8:9, without any idea of bondage. In calling himself, however, a "bondslave of Jesus Christ," e.g., Rom 1:1, the Apostle Paul intimates
(1) that he had been formerly a "bondslave" of Satan, and
(2) that, having been bought by Christ, he was now a willing slave, bound to his new Master.
.
James, not just a servant but a doulos, totally sold out to his God is writing this to Jews in the diaspora. They were now in pagan lands, outnumbered and hemmed in on all sides by pagans. Their livelihood depended on pagan trade or working with pagans. These pagans would have been offended by the fact they came there but did not worship the gods of their new land a was customary. They were facing some of the same trials that we all face. James is encouraging them to remain steadfast in their faith. However he also describes what that faith should look and be like: “let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
How can any of us then achieve this unless we are willing to read the Word, study it and learn the principles, then let that understanding as well as the Ruach lead us in our decisions?
In this he describes the double-minded man, “unstable in all his ways.” This is the man always looking for a loophole; always trying to find ways around what he is told to do. It is not the man who chooses the higher mitzvah, who studies and prays to find how God wants us to choose and work within its parameters. That man is stable. But the man who says ‘that’s my way out’ grieves the Spirit, and God will leave him. How can that man “suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord?”
We must have a single minded focus on HaShem and not on us. Thinking of others is ok in the case of a person who might be harmed by our actions. It is also good to help others with no chance of payment say on Shabbat if there is no other time to do it. It is not ok just to avoid trouble with some pagan that is trying to pressure you into violating your faith. Because once that wall is breached, the hole grows until the entire wall falls. And they know it.
I’ve had to take a stand with my family so they know I will not participate in activities scheduled on Saturday. I did when I first started and was not fully committed. And sure enough, more and more started being done on Saturdays. Once the wall is breached it is harder to say no. It took a long time, a few fights and many long periods of awkward silences to reverse that trend.
I am probably a bit double-minded giving advice here at times because I don’t want to come down too harsh until I have all the facts- a thing we’ll never get on a forum. At best we can get one side, one person’s opinion. But we do the best we can. But everyone needs to understand we can give advise, but it is just that. We can discuss principles, but it is up to the person asking for help to make the final choice what to do. But the main thing we need to do is trust God, commit to do His will, and learn the principles and how to apply them ourselves. And the tough thing for me, learn to listen for His leading. Learn to discern between that “still, small voice” and my own internal voice saying “it’s ok, so go ahead, just do it.”
I’m sure someone told me this Messianic thing would be easy back when I started … no, really, they did!
R-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght!
Dan (some days ...) C
