NOT GIVING UP
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1

Can you believe we are already one month into the new year? January will end today and we will be one-twelfth of the way through 2013. But what about all those resolutions we made back when the year began? Have we been keeping them? I wish I could say I have been keeping mine but that would be false. In my attempt to train for a marathon I injured my back. In my goal to read more I have not even picked up a book yet this year. And in my desire to share Christ with at least one person each month, I have kept my mouth silent. It almost makes me wonder what I have been doing. It also makes me think about whether I should try still, or just give up.
As I was making coffee this morning, and seeing my intended reading selection sitting on the table with perhaps a slight film of dust atop it, I began to think about the word persevere. Honestly, the first verse that came to mind was Hebrews 12:1. First it came to mind because just like He, I too was brewing coffee (get it…He-brews…ok, bad joke). Seriously, though, this verse came to mind because of the part where we read, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” While I may be a tad disappointed that I have not read a book yet this year or exercised daily, there is something bigger at hand. I have to ask myself how I am doing this year in relation to the race He has marked out for me. All my plans mean nothing compared to the race He is urging me to run.
So if I have thus far failed to fulfill my resolutions for the year, is it too late? No, it is never too late to pick ourselves up off the ground and move on. How does that old proverb go? If you get knocked down, be sure to get back up. As long as we keep getting up we are saying no to staying down and being labeled a failure. But also, as long as we keep getting back up, we are throwing off the sin that works to entangle us. How can we run with perseverance in this race when we are weighted down with sin?
Do you remember when we reviewed James 1? We read in verses 2-4 about perseverance as James said, “let perseverance…”. Perseverance is the Greek word HUPOMONE. It is also the same word Paul used when talking about patience as one of the fruits in Galatians 5. It means steadfastness, endurance, and deliberate purpose. The year may be one month under our belts right now, but that does not mean it is the end. Instead it means simply that it is not too late to start and endure from this point forward. Despite what is going on in our worlds and what resolutions have not yet been met, let us persevere as we go forward.

DO THE GOOD STUFF
“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
James 4:17

The one thing I love about studying a complete book or chapter in the Bible, as we have been doing in going through the book of James, is that I can see the book in context. Looking at James, for example, I know key verses. James 4:17 is one of those verses. To read it alone we read that if we know what we should do and do not do it, that is sin. This is true. If I know for a fact that I should not steal and yet still choose to steal, then that is sin according to Exodus 20:15. If I know that I am not to worship false gods according to Exodus 20:4, and yet bow down and worship the fat boy Buddha or the Hindu goddess Kali, then again I am sinning. So while we can take this verse out alone and still find value in it, I wonder how it reads if we look at it in context.
In order to do this, we must look a verse or two before and a verse or two after. This, then, is how it reads. “As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you,” (James 4:16-5:1). Now in context we see James referring to boasting. Boasting is evil. In the Greek this word ‘boasting’ is ALAZONEIA, meaning to give empty or braggart talk, to give empty assurance, or to place trust in one’s own power. Looking back to yesterday where we discussed James 4:13-14, we see that we are not the main character in the movie of life. Instead are but a mist that comes and then vanishes. How then can we boast and give braggart talk, or encourage others to trust in our power, when we are here for only a short moment? This is a sin I know I am guilty of, and one that goes against God’s Word. As I continue to do it, I only continue to sin. The fact is, in looking ahead to James 5:1, the richness I credit myself in concerning my own boasting will only lead to a misery that will indeed come upon me.
So what is the answer? Well obviously taken by itself the answer is not to do what we know is sin. Despite what it is, if it is done outside the allotments of God, then it is sin. If it goes against God’s Laws as written in His Word, then it is sin. But if we look at this portion in context, we also find an answer. We find that we are not to boast. We are not to give an empty assurance of ourselves to others or place a trust in our own power. This too, being known as something we are not to do and perhaps are doing, is sin. The challenge then is two parts today. First, let us be those who read the Word in context and rightly understand what is being said. Secondly, though, let us be those who know what sin is, be it boasting, serving false gods, stealing, what have you, and stop sinning in these ways.
If we know we are not to do and do it, we sin. If we know what we are to do and do not do it, we sin. It is time to stop sinning.

AND…ACTION!
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:13-14

Imagine being in a movie. You have just been cast as one of the extras in a shot of a crowd in the big city. You saw the cameras and knew they were recording your moves. You received payment for your time and even got to eat the food provided by the catering truck. In every sense of the word, you are now a movie star, right? With this knowledge you gather all your friends and family to watch the movie with you when it comes out. As you sit in the movie theatre with your friends and family the movie starts. Here comes your big seen; well in your eyes the whole movie is about you…you are the star. It’s coming, it’s coming, wait for it, and BOOM! There it is, your one second of fame. You stand up when the movie is done and take a bow expecting people now to swarm to you and ask for your autograph. But no one comes up to you. In fact, your friends and family are a little perturbed. You made it sound like the movie was all about you but really your spotlight of fame turned out to be only a one second, wide angled, back of the head shot that you really had to squint your eyes to even see you in. But wait, I forgot to tell you that although you are in the movie you really are not the star. Remember, you are the extra. You had no dressing room trailer, no chair with your name or person to attend to your needs. You were hired in a mass casting call.
I am not sure you caught the underlining of this story, so I will try to do a little better job. I have come to a place where God keeps working to convince me that life is not all about me. My pride and selfishness would like me to think so, but the reality is it is not. For so many years I have walked around as that ‘extra’ yet considering myself the star. I have been living as though I had the right to make demands on the set, to boss others around, and to demand what food should be spread out by the catering truck. But now, as the movie has been played back and my name doesn’t even appear in the end credits, it is beginning to make more sense.
This movie is about life, and the main character in this movie is God. Who am I to overstep God? I am the creation yet so many times I perceive myself as the creator. What I fail to grab hold of is that, as James 4:13-14 says, I am but just a mist, appearing for a little while and then vanishing. I will not be on this earth for long before I find the fate of all those who have gone before me. Additionally, when I leave, it will not be many more generations before I am fully forgotten. So then, my responsibility is not to make a name for myself, but to point towards Him. God created me to be a reflection of Him because I am supposed to point others to Him.
The movie credits will soon play and my name will not be read in them. Why? Because not I, nor you, nor Moses, nor Abraham has ever been nor will ever be the main character in this movie of life. We all play the smallest of roles, fractional seconds, compared to God who is the main character. We need to come to grips with this fact. Though the script may be written, calling for a character as myself, that part is only an extra, never meant to overshadow the lead. As soon as I understand this, I mean really understand this, then I will be able to embrace the full extent of my character. I am but a mist, but a mist whose motivation is the reflection of the main character, God.

SHIPS IN THE HARBOR
“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.”
James 3:14-15

Growing up in southern California as a boy, there were a few times when we as a family would take our summer vacations to San Diego. I loved it. I’m not sure exactly what it was that made this town so enjoyable to me, though. Maybe it was the knowing that dad was stationed there for his naval boot-camp and while there he would share old memories with us. Perhaps it was the culture and fun that Balboa Park offered to me. Or maybe it was that San Diego is home to one of the biggest zoos in the country. It could be any or all of those things, but I know there is something more. One of my greatest memories was simply seeing the number of ships in the harbor. I am not talking about personally owned yachts and such, but the gigantic naval vessels that rested in the harbor. The massiveness they possessed, and the order in which they commanded, made a young boy like me remain awestruck.
In James 3 we read a few comparisons between ourselves and a ship. We first read in James 3:4 that despite their size, they are steered by a small piece called the rudder. On the same scale, our life is steered by a small piece called the tongue. But later on in the same chapter we see another word dealing with boats. Well, while maybe not exactly the same, we read in James 3:14 concerning what we are harboring. It is here that James urges us to not harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition. What exactly does that mean? The Greek word for ‘bitter’ means, in fact, bitter. The word for ‘envy’ is the word ZELOS, meaning punitive zeal, envious and contentious rivalry, or jealously. ‘Selfish ambition’ in the Greek is ERITHEIA, and translates as a desire to put one’s self forward or to cause strife. Are these the type of ships that are docked in our harbor?
James continues in this thought when he bluntly states that these ‘ships’ are not anything to boast about. Their cargo is deadly to our health because they deny the truth as it relates to God and the details to which He has called us. To live in this state will only continue to bring us into the importing and exporting of sin. But notice how James relates this to verse 15. The ‘wisdom’ we think comes from carrying this cargo is not a relation to God’s Word or ways, but rather is wrong and of the devil. James is urging us to get out of this shipping business altogether when the cargo being shipped is of the enemy. Yet, do we listen? Reading on into James 3:16, James also gives us a heads up that where this cargo of envy and selfish ambition are carried, we will only find disorder and evil practice. I wonder how many of us can say honestly that this defines our lives.
So what do we do? What should our cargo be? James instructs us in verse 17 that the wisdom that comes from heaven, what our true cargo should be, is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. This is quite the contrary of goods being imported and exported from that of sin. This cargo brings life as opposed to death. The problem is that it is so much easier to carry the cargo of sin, the cargo of selfishness, and the cargo of bitterness. In order for us to walk away from the price the world offers and sail the seas as part of God’s Navy, we must take a stand and say ‘No’ to the devil. I cannot chose this management change for you, just as you cannot for me. But I know, however, that working for the true Captain, for God, is so much more rewarding. The benefits He offers are life giving. Consider then whose cargo you are carrying, and make the right choice.

FAITH AND DEEDS
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17

As I was reading through James 2 again this morning, I found the verse reading, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (Jms 2:19). Such power resides in that verse I believe. But it seems in some ways out of place, right. I mean, here we are hearing James speak about faith and deeds, then insert the verse about demons shuddering, and then jump back into his topic of faith by talking about Abraham and Rahab. So with my head somewhat spinning and grasping for the connection, I decided to do a little research on this portion, mainly from James 2:14-26. I do not claim to know it all, but here is what I have managed to put together.
In James 2:14 we are posed with the question of what good is it to have faith but no action, mainly because faith cannot save a person. I think of it as one falling out of a tree. I can have faith that I will land safely, but unless I have the action of a cushion to fall onto, or a parachute to pop open before impact, the chances of me landing without pain are pretty slim, despite my amount of faith. And it is also this way concerning salvation. Romans tells us both the faith and action plan for entering God’s Kingdom in Romans 10:9-10 where we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (action) and believe in our heart that He was raised from the dead (faith). It is not enough to have one or the other, we must have both.
The dispute came because people began to think of it in a joint manner. He may have faith and she may have action, and together they are an unstoppable team. But James challenged that thought in saying to prove the benefit of this theology verses the one who possesses both. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (Jms 2:18b). Here then we next read about demons shuddering. Why? It is because our joining together should not be only with each other, but with God. When we align ourselves with Him, put our faith in Him, and move in the actions He speaks of, then we are an unstoppable force. The demons know that when we are in sync with the one true God, it is not looking good for them. For this fact, they shudder. As long as they can keep us divided, they have the advantage. Whoa to the demons, though, when we are aligned with God.
Following this insert, which seems to make more sense now, James gives examples. Abraham offered his son to God, doing the action required but having the faith to know that God could restore his son if needed. This is why he spoke, “We (Isaac and Abraham) will come back” (Gen 22:5). He was willing to be in sync with God in going through with the action, but also in sync with God in his level of faith to restore. James even refers to Rahab in this same manner. What is Rahab known as? She was a prostitute, yes, but she was known also as the woman who helped the spies escape from Jericho in Joshua 2. The spies of Israel made a promise to her that for her assistance, no harm would befall her. She then moved into action by placing the scarlet cord outside her window, and then moved into faith that no harm would come. When the men of Israel attached Jericho, she was saved (Jos 6:25). And guess what, she married into the tribe of Judah and became part of the lineage of Christ (Mt 1:5).
So then, why do the demons shudder? They shudder because we come into a partnership with God in both deed and faith. One without the other is not strong enough. And it is in this point that I feel our challenge rests. Are we those who have only faith and no deeds? Are we those who have only deeds and no faith? God is calling us to both; to do what He says and have faith in Him that He will keep His word. Are you there yet? Honestly, I am in some areas, but not nearly enough. I must increase my equality of these factors if I want to be in sync with God.

NEED SAVING?
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
James 1:21

“HELP, I need somebody. HELP, not just anybody. HELP, you know I need someone, HELP!” The Beatles weren’t the first to express their need for help, and probably won’t be the last. But I dare say the Beatles were right in making this statement from the second verse of the song HELP!. “But every now and then I feel so insecure, I know that I just need you like I’ve never done before.” There comes a time when we all need a little, or maybe a bunch, of help. Let’s face it, we all need saving. And I venture to say that according to James 1:21, some of our help comes when we put away the worldly junk and embrace the Word of God.
Coming off of the charge to be quick to listen and slow to both speak and become angry, James then challenges us to get rid of the moral filth and evil that wants to eat us for dinner. To break it down, we read in the Greek to APOTITHEMI the filth. This word is pretty much a true definition, meaning to put off, cast away, or lay aside. We see this same word in Hebrews 12:1 where we are charged again to lay aside the weight of sin that besets us. I personally think of it as a backpack full of bricks. I can run both with or without a backpack full of bricks, but it should be no surprise that I can run a bit faster without. So James is urging us here to get rid of this weight. And what is this weight? It is the moral filth and evil, the RHUPARIA and PERISSEIA KAKIA. To translate it correctly, James is saying to get rid of the weights of befouling, dishonoring, or defiling, as well as of the abundance of malice, ill-will, wickedness, and trouble. That is quite a huge weight to be strapping to our backs honestly.
But there needs to be an exchange for what we take off and what we take in return. While we should not be putting on another backpack full of bricks, we should accept the word, His Word, planted in us. This is where I think the Beatles got the song right. In our sin we can feel insecure which, when we open our eyes to sin, helps us to see how much more we need help, His help. And His help comes many ways, including through His Word. Here again we see James urging us to receive, DECHOMAI, take with open hands yet still humbly, the engrafted LOGOS. In some cases we receive the rhema word, but here the word is logos, meaning the word uttered by a living voice. James is telling us to receive the words spoken by Jesus and spoken through those the spirit rested on because in these words was, and is for us now, the ability to be saved.
And here is the best part of this whole verse - the Word will save us. Literally, the Word has the DUNAMAI to SOZO. Dunamai is translated as ability, but we know it best as power. The Word has the power to sozo, rescue us, keep us safe, heal us or restore us. In the chain of events, let us throw off the baggage of filth and sin that we have been carrying around and turn to His Word which has the power to save us. Do you find yourself calling out for help like the Beatles? Then find the help needed, the rescue needed, in the Word of God.

ENTICEMENT
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
James 1:13-15

Just recently I was watching Looney Tunes with my kids and saw an episode where, sure enough, in order to have the character run faster they dangled a carrot in front of him. In his attempt to reach out for the carrot, he missed. But he also kept reaching, wanting the carrot desperately. With each step he took the carrot stayed the same distance ahead of him, yet still the character thought that by running faster and faster he could eventually obtain it. I cannot help but think, though, that that is how we look at God at times.
Would it be safe to say that we at times believe He too is dangling a carrot in front of our eyes? Now according to James 1:13, we are told that God does not tempt us for He Himself is not tempted, but does it not feel like that at times? Let’s just be frank and take sex as an example. We hear people say sex is good, yet God tells us to wait till marriage for it. But the waiting can be hard, yes? Trust me, as one who was married and now isn’t, I can vouch for how hard the waiting can be. So is God tempting us by creating something so enjoyable and then placing parameters around it? I dare say no, and here is why. “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”
Still, let us breakdown these words for a full understanding. The beginning portion of James 1:13 reads that when tempted, no one can say it is God tempting them. The word ‘tempted’ in these two uses is the word PEIRAZO in the Greek, and it means to test maliciously or to prove feelings or judgments. Does this sound like our God? Do we know Him as one who maliciously tests us? No! In fact, we read in I Corinthians 10:13 that in moments of temptation He makes a way out for us. So how can we say He is tempting us?
So if God is not tempting us or dangling a carrot in front of us, then how should we determine where temptation is coming from? James answers this for us in saying, “…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” We are maliciously tested when we are lured out. In the Greek, the term ‘dragged away’ is EXELKO, and we are given the illustration of a hunter setting a trap for his prey as he lures him out, or even that of a harlot luring her victim. The desire or lust of the one being trapped becomes DELEAZO, the bait used to catch him. This is where the temptation comes from, but also where the death begins.
In looking at James 1:15 we see that the desire we let trap us gives way to sin, which in the end gives way to death. It is because I care about you, that I do not want to see you make this mistake. I do not want you to think it is God tempting you, as this is not a true statement of God’s character. But just as much, I do not want us to fall victim to an enticement that in the end will only be our demise. So where in lies the answer? I feel for that we must look at James 1:16 where we read to not err. In other words, do not PLANAO, do not allow ourselves to be led astray. Do not let ourselves wander or roam aimlessly. I would also venture to say again via I Corinthians 10:13, we must make a point to look for the ways out. Enticements are all around us, but let us not fall into them.

LACKING WISDOM
“If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
James 1:5

It is time to share with you another honest moment from my college years. Those of you who know me well may recall that I enjoy the subjects of history and math. In high school I seemed to do well in these subjects. But college was a different story, at least when it came to history. For some reason the idea of re-learning in a deeper context the events of world history appealed little to me. And yet, as was a requirement at the university, I found myself enduring the boring lectures of two years of Humanities. I think I may have slept through more classes than I stayed awake for looking back now. Between my sleeping habits and my lack of studying for the tests, however, it is no wonder I pulled a ‘D’ all four semesters.
Still, one thing remained constant before each test. It was my prayer. I don’t know why I expected God to bless my ten word prayer, yet I found myself praying the same words before every Humanities test as if the answers were going to drop out of the sky. “God, please make me smart enough to pass this test.” I had a verse to base this prayer on, because it is in James 1:5 that we read that if we lack wisdom we should ask God who gives freely. I was hoping for a visit to the “free answer buffet” I guess. But it never happened. I wonder why. Well, if God’s people perish for a lack of wisdom, then perhaps now I see the importance of learning in addition to asking for God’s wisdom. The two make more sense when they work together, and bring about power as Sir Francis Bacon says when stating that, “Knowledge is power.”
For our next few meetings, I feel strongly to open up and camp in the book of James, and for today I feel our text needs to be James 1:5. We live in a time when I feel that, as I did in college, so many are doing now. We want the answers without doing the work. I wanted the answer key to the Humanities tests without opening the book or staying awake for a lecture, but how many more want God’s blessing without doing what He says? So then let us first look at this passage in context. The verses before tell us to consider it joy when we face trials because that testing leads us to perseverance. Perseverance is needed and must be completed so that we grow in maturity and lack nothing. But if we lack wisdom we can ask the Father who gives freely. Now wait a minute, that makes a great deal more sense. The wisdom I lack can be asked for as my perseverance is being built in times of testing, which I should look at joyfully. The problem is we do not look at it joyfully nor have patience. Society today is all fast food. I dare say we think of waiting five minutes as perseverance. But I am reminded of Abraham who waited 25 years for his promise to come around. He knew firsthand what perseverance was.
Reading these verses again, I wonder if we detach these two truths when really they should be joined. Do we read it as: Part A, count it joy when you have to wait for lack to be filled. Part B, if you are lacking ask God. Or do we read it as, wait on God because in waiting we find the growth needed for maturity, but do not be afraid to ask God for wisdom in the waiting, knowing He will answer us. I believe the second makes more sense, as I am sure Abraham again found himself in that position, asking God for wisdom as he was waiting on the promise of a child.
I close with this today. God has every intention of fulfilling His Word, but do we have every intention of doing our part? Do we have every intention of asking for His wisdom in our moments of growth, or will we be stuck in the groove of complaining while going through the trials. Honestly, I have learned the hard way that the complaining only makes the time go by slower and with more complications. It is true that He will give us wisdom when we ask, but let us embrace the trials and testing as well so that we may grow up in maturity and wisdom.

CHOOSE JOY
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24

Have you ever notice how many things we are in charge of choosing? For instance, while we are not able to choose our family, we are able to choose our friends. In many cases we are able to choose what food we will eat, what clothes we will wear, what college we will attend, or what toppings we want on our Subway sandwich. But there is one major thing we are allowed to choose daily, in fact minutely, that we simply let slide. We are able to choose joy. Yet if we are able to choose joy, then why do we not? Why do we allow the mundane to steal our joy and keep us down and depressed?
I have to admit that I do not always carry a smile on my face. Truth be told, I sometimes look like I have spent the day sucking on lemons. Yet I have been challenged in the few days since the year began to work on my joy, and Psalm 118:24 has been a key factor in this challenge. We read the words, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” In order to understand where joy comes from, we first have to understand where our joy should not always come from. Now please note, I am not saying that things like family and friends should not bring us joy, but they simply should not be the only thing. Back in late October I found myself beginning to have feelings for a special someone. The little emails and texts we passed to each other throughout the day brought a smile to my face, and still do when I receive them from her even now. But what I found was that my joy was becoming based on what she was doing and how she was making me feel. While allowable, I found that I was more joyous with her words and actions than in Christ. In short, I was finding my joy in her.
But again I point out, I am not saying that things like family and friends should not bring us joy, but they simply should not be the only thing. The verse reads, “This is the day the LORD has made…” The day was not made by my family and friends. The day was made by the LORD. As such, should I not find joy in Him? Yes, perhaps He brings family and friends to bring joy, but I think the majority of my joy needs to come in what He has done. In Lamentations 3:22-23 we read that His compassions are new each morning. That is something worth being joyful about. In John 3:16 we read that God gave us His only Son. That is something to be joyful about. And in Romans 8:35-39 we read a list of things that cannot separate us from God’s love. That also is something to be joyful about. Put just these three examples together and we have a God whose mercies are new daily, who loves us enough that He gave us His Son, and who allows nothing to prevent us from His love even now. Is this not worth being joyful about?
So then with this thought, the challenge is in our laps. “…let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Let us not throw a pity party, let us not fret, let us not fear, and let us not live unsatisfied. No! Let us rejoice and be glad! Let us recall all He gives us daily and find joy in His ways. This is the day that He has made specifically for us, let us rejoice and be glad in His present.

REUBEN’S LEGACY
“’Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.’”
Genesis 49:3-4

Last night I was reading through the final words of Jacob in Genesis 49, and it didn’t take long for me to come to a point where God began speaking to me in detail. The night before I had had a dream where I was talking with someone about the legacy they were leaving for their family. In this dream he mentioned that he was unsure why he was living the lifestyle he had been, knowing that his son was in need of a positive role model. When I woke up from this dream I knew right away what the interpretation was. For my life, it was a call, perhaps a charge, to leave a positive legacy for my children. So when I began with purpose reading Genesis 49, the truth again settled in.
To set the stage, it is in Genesis 49 where Jacob calls all his sons to him to share his final words with each before passing away. Jacob was leaving his blessing with his sons, as had been spoke over him in Genesis 27. But not all the sons heard the happy words they were expecting. One such son was Reuben. Reuben, being the oldest, was to have had the double portion. This means that since Jacob had twelve sons, the estate would be divided by thirteen, giving Reuben 2/13ths and the other brothers 1/13th. Yet, Jacob declared that Reuben was as stable as water. History shows that the tribe of Reuben never produced a prophet, king, or anyone of significance.
Reuben’s actions caused him to miss out on this blessing. While it is true that he did have the intention of saving Joseph, which was to his advantage in God’s eyes, it was Reuben who also slept with Bilhah, one of Jacob’s concubines and the mother of Dan and Naphtali. This defilement so angered Jacob that he titled him “unstable as water”. How did these words come to pass? In Numbers 16 it was Reuben’s tribe that joined in the rebellion of Korah the Levite, questioning the leadership of Moses and being swallowed by the earth. It was this same tribe that chose to not move forward but take land on the east side of the Jordan in Numbers 32. And it was this tribe who was sung about in Judges 5 as searching their hearts instead of engaging in the battle against Sisera. This single act of sleeping with his father’s concubine led the line of Reuben to not only miss the double portion, but live in instability.
As a father I have to read this portion of Scripture and ask myself what type of legacy I am leaving. In Numbers 14:18 we read, "'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'" We see this plainly in the account of Reuben. His action of sleeping with Bilhah was a price that his descendants were still paying for after he was dead and gone. But this is not a curse I want resting on my family. My moments of sin now are not worth knowing that my children will carry on in my ill-fated legacy long after I am gone. I would much rather see my children receive and carry on a legacy of love and obedience. I want them to feel my devotion to them, see my fight for them, and know my love for them. Yes that means I may have to give up on a few things I want, I desire, I crave, but is it not worth it. Sin’s price is death (Rom 6:23), but I do not want my actions to be the cause of death to my legacy. I do not want to be the next Reuben. I want to leave a blessed legacy for those to come.

WHO AM I TO GO?
“Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra’el out of Egypt?’”
Exodus 3:11

Have you ever noticed that many of the men God called were shepherds? Think about this with me. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all shepherds. Before David became king he too was a shepherd. And in reading Exodus 3:1 we see that Moses was tending the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro. It was during one of these times that Moses was leading the flock to the far side of the desert that he came to the mountain of God, Horeb. He saw there a bush that was on fire but not consumed. With curiosity he approached this strange sight.
From out of this fiery bush a voice called, “Moses, Moses.” Moses responded, perhaps with fear or timidity, “Here I am.” And then the voice continued, “Do not come any closer, but take off you sandals for you are standing on holy ground.” I can almost picture Moses recklessly and speedily working to get his sandals off. Continuing on, the voice spoke. ”I am the God of your father, of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob.” Moses now covered his eyes as best he could, for he was standing in the presence of God, and reverence for Him overtook him. God spoke, “I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I have heard their cries, and I know their pain. I have a better place for them, a place promised to them in the land of the Canaanites. Therefore, Moses, I am sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people out of Egypt.”
I know for myself, if I was to hear these words, I would have a few questions. The first would be are you sure, and the second would be are you sure. Maybe Moses handled it a little better than I would have in asking, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” To this, God announced that He would be with Moses on this mission. But although that was welcomed, it didn’t answer all the questions. The Egyptians had many gods, all with their own supposed strengths. If Moses walked into this battlefield of redeeming God’s people, he needed to know more about God. To this Moses questioned, “Who should I tell them has sent me?” The answer was clear, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai].” Moses may have been just a shepherd, but the One calling Him was Adonai.
This name is so holy that it is not spoken as a name, but rather as letters in the Hebrew Bible. It is this name that we are commanded not to take in vain. This name alone holds the power of God Himself. And this name, written as יהוֹה carries an unknown power that makes the devil wince and demons shrink back. As we look a little deeper at this, we can find that this name is known as the Tetragrammaton. In English, this name is written as YHWH, and is derived from the Hebrew triconsonantal root. It is mainly translated from the Hebrew in English texts as “I am what I am” or “I will be that which I am now”.
The point in all this etymology is not to bore you, but rather to help in the understanding of our text. In John 18, as Jesus was finishing His prayer in the garden, the Roman soldiers were on the move. Their mission was to find the Christ and arrest him. It is hard to say if they were unsure of what Jesus looked like, or if it was too dark and they couldn’t make his face out in the light of the torches, but either way they were asked by Jesus who they were looking for. The small army replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” As Jesus replied, “I am he,” the soldiers fell down.
I had never caught that before now, but there is such power in this name. So what are you battling today? What calling or mission is He speaking to you? Or maybe the question is whose power are you relying on? Who are you that God would call you on the mission He has for you? Simple, you are His, and in His name is all the power you need to accomplish the task He has given you. Never forget, the powers of hell cannot stand up against the powerful name of our God alone. Now go, for He has chosen you.

RESOLUTIONS
“I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him – for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Like many people last night, I too stayed up till midnight to watch the replaying of the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square. This is something I have been doing for years, but was the first time I had done it with my children still awake. Between my kids and one of my daughter’s friends who came over, the evening was filled with questions. The hardest part for them, however, was not the staying awake (thanks to the sugar I stock-piled in them), but the overall waiting. Having not been up purposefully till midnight before, the kids were anxious. So taking the delay we found ourselves in, I used it to my advantage to have each child write out three resolutions for the new year.
I do realize that a great majority of New Year’s resolutions are never kept, but in doing this activity it gave me time to look into their mindset. For children between the ages of seven and ten, resolutions included such things as doing better in math, becoming a better reader, and working to obey mom and dad the first time. Now think about that for a moment - working to obey parents the first time. This may be a resolution that we all could benefit from. Now granted we all face different home situations, be it we have moved out or maybe our parents have passed on, but regardless of our physical parents we still have a God. And, if memory serves me correctly, obeying God helps our life to last longer.
It is in the tail end of Deuteronomy 30 that we find this relationship between obeying God and living long. The choice of life and death was set before the people, with the urge to choose life. In choosing life, life would be granted to the descendants as well. But choosing life meant to choose and obey the ways of God. In choosing Him was included loving God, paying attention to what He said, and clinging to God. Failure to choose God’s ways and obey had a price tag of death as opposed to life.
So here we are, at the beginning of 2013 – the very first day. Before us today rests the choice of life or death for how this year will go. Which will you choose? Will you choose life and find a long and productive life this year? Or will you choose death and wonder months later why all that could go wrong did go wrong? While the year is so young, we have the chance to make a resolution. But, one other thing we must ponder is if we will keep this resolution. Both these choices are yours. What will your choice and final outcome be? What will you choose?