Worthless Words - James 1:26

James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (NIV)

According to James, the brother of Jesus, being religious and being Christian were two separate things, especially when it came down to behavior. In his time, folks were very religious and sought to distinguish themselves by proudly displaying their faith and testifying to their own righteousness. However, when they spoke disdainfully or aggressively criticized others, this conveyed, as James wrote, that their religion was worthless. In other words, they were just going through the motions of appearing to be faithful, but their brutal words and strident ways showed them for what they were: absolute hypocrites who were not worth following or copying.

Application: During these troubled times, we need to personally ask ourselves: is my religion real or worthless?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, open our eyes to those who feign to be faithful and keep us from being misled. Let us also be aware of our own sinful ways. May our faith be real and not worthless. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship each Sunday at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called ‘Spirit 2020.’. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Spirit.

Street Meeting - John 1:29

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (NIV)

When I read the Gospel passage for today (John 1:19-34), it made me wonder what I would say if I saw Jesus walking down the street coming toward me. Would I fall on my knees and joyfully weep? Would I run away to hide? Or would I see him as John did – the Savior of the world who takes away my sins? I hope it would be the latter because, above everything else, Christ’s ability to forgive my sins – as well as that of the entire world – is crucially important to who I am, what I believe, and all that I hope to do.

Christians like me are imperfect and often fail to meet God’s standards. As the Apostle Paul once wrote, ‘I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.’ (Romans 7:19) In my opinion, this means that we don’t fulfill everything God expects of us, so it leaves a credible gap between what we say we believe and what we actually do about it. For some folks outside of the church, this gives them the ideal opportunity to tar Christ’s followers as hypocrites – which we all honestly are – but that should not stop or hinder us from trying to be Christians. We know that we will constantly make mistakes, but we also have the potential to do some things that are right, positive, and faithful. And when we fail, Christ has the power and grace to forgive us completely, so we may gladly start again.

So, if you or I walk down the street today, and come face-to-face with Jesus, how will we respond?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us totally and are completely aware of all our faults. We are sinful creatures and imperfect followers. Despite these failures, You are still willing to allow us forgiveness for all our sins and the total restoration of our relationship with God. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Maundy Thursday drawings called ‘Window of Opportunity.’ If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Window.