"THINK" SERIES: PART 3 - "CONSIDER"

GOD'S PROVISION:

In the greatest sermon ever preached - by the real KING of Preachers - Jesus, said the following in the Sermon on the Mount: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:25-29).

The word that Jesus used for "Consider" in the original biblical Greek is exciting for us to ponder as Christians and Believers. However, Jesus always means business and there is a level of accountability associated with His choice of this word, as there is, as one of His Disciples. The Biblical Greek word is "katamanthanó" and it means to observe carefully, to consider, to understand thoroughly (Bible Hub). It is not your "easy believism" surface-deep Western version of Christianity. 

The word "consider" appears 108 to 200 times in 29 of the 66 Books of the Bible, depending on your English translation. Like this passage from Matthew 6:25-29, many passages with the word "Consider" are familiar.

This call to consider implies that it will be not only to our benefit to take a serious look at how our Father in Heaven supplies the needs of the birds in the air; the fish in the sea and the cattle on a thousand hills, but He is true to His Promise to never leave or forsake, even those who are NOT called by His Name (i.e. non-Christians). Why is this significant?  It is so, because Life is full of more valleys than mountain-top experiences, regardless of human efforts to recreate and manufacture past exciting moments.

PERSEVERANCE:

The half-brother of the Lord, and the natural son of Mary - the human mother of Jesus - James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told us to " Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance" (James 1:2-3).

The Biblical Greek word here is different from Jesus' call to consider. James used "hégeomai" which exhorts us to be of the opinion or THINK (the title of this series) that we should look at the trials/tribulations and testings of this hard life, to be the fulcrum of Joy! This is counter-cultural stuff!

And this is the thing. The Christian walk is diametrically opposed to what the world considers the norm. 

We rejoice in trials, not because we love pain.

We rely on our Great God and Savior not because we are dumb sheep like those who are following the god of this world into hell. We rely on Him because He has been found faithful and true, FOREVER, in His Promise to never leave or forsake us.

We revere, adore and magnify His Holy Name because He is worthy of praise.  His Word is written forever in the Heavens.

As Psalm 8, verses 3 and 4 declares "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"

PRAYER OF GRATITUDE:

Who are we, Lord, that YOU would even consider sending the Eternal Creator of ALL THINGS - the Lord Jesus Christ, down to earth, that He may suffer and be humiliated by those in His Creation, all for the cause of restoring the broken relationship that occurred in the Garden of Eden when the first Adam sinned? Father in Heaven, we do NOT deserve any of Your consideration but You gave it to us anyway. Many have taken the Graces, Gifts and Goodness of God and walked away from You, seeking their own pleasures, agendas and more. But we, oh God, who are called by Your Name, stand strong in the Faith, because we have both considered Christ and then the alternative, and chose Christ as our Lord and Savior, not for just being the Way to Heaven and Eternal Life, but because we LOVE Jesus and love Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, now and forever more, in His Name we pray, amen.

FRIDAY DONUT

Okay, this is a misleading headline, especially considering this verse from James 1:2 (ESV) "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds". The first reaction of most people could be "what, are you crazy? Trials and Joy do not belong in the same sentence!" They would have a point as who in their right mind wants to go through all kinds of problems, issues or some such thing - nobody.

But this is life and we were never promised a rose garden - or if you're walking in the ways of the world - a beer garden. The modern citizen of the civilized western world has gone so soft, they expect to have no time in life where things can go wrong.  This is because most in the west are too well off, comfortable and could care less about the other guy...and I am talking about Christians! When prosperity, most of which was built on a plastic bubble, hits the brick wall of America's chickens coming home to roost, the weak kneed among us: run for the hills, start taking prescription drugs or put their trust in pagan political messiahs instead of God. This is NOT the background which the Lord through the half-brother of Jesus, wants us to view our current situation. The bible was written for all people of all time, until such time, the Savior returns!

Therefore, He says "count" or consider it all joy". God, through James, is thinking extremely highly of us here because He is exhorting us to "lead the way" or making it a priority to look at our current situation as the launching pad for His Grace or Favor! This is what this phrase actually means in the original Greek language!! Can you dig that, baby?! God does NOT want us to wallow in the wilderness of this corrupt world, but to rise above it, and because WE, the sons and daughters of the God of Grace, look ABOVE the situation, (while everyone else is looking at their navel or some weak corrupt human leader to get them out of a fix)....then WE, the sons and daughters of God - will prevail!!!! He is actually calling us out to "get a hold of yourself, man (or woman) and lead you and yours and even, some of My weaker people out of this mess"!

That's it! That's the victory! That's the Boston jelly filled donut with the chocolate drizzle, my peeps! This entire first part of the first chapter of James is for this current time! It is how to endure, persevere and win. For instance, let us resolve right now, that we are not going down with the ship. The Captain and Commander in Chief of our souls - Jesus Christ - gave us the life jacket, so now is the time to put it on!

So, when we are faced with (the second part of James 1:2) trials, temptations, calamities, disasters...even those of our own making -  here is how we get out of its face : knees down, pray hard and  then look to UP Him - the God of Grace. That's my King, that's YOUR King and He has made a way for us!