Community Bible Experience: Day 28

Arizona grandkids

Today we read from the most practical book in the New Testament and probably the second most practical book in the Bible. The book of James is a wealth of Christian sayings on how we as believers should practically approach the life we have been given on the earth. It deals with God's wisdom, which is offered freely to those who ask, it outlines the process of falling into sin and sin's resultant conclusion, when we go with our feelings and the spiral downward. This book talks about playing favorites within the church and how that is contrary to God's will, it deals with teachers and teaching, the tongue, individual desire and the lack that we experience because we are not focusing on the things of God. Prayer comes up in this book and James outlines the power we have in trusting God even with that.

So let's get into what I got from my reading today.

As you can see, I have been on a kick in showing some of my grandkids. This is a picture of my Arizona grandkids. This picture gives me great joy and great sorrow at the same time. Great joy, because these two are precious Prim kids who have in them the "thing" that makes all Prim kids Prim kids. That is an energy that cannot be harnessed, a powerful impulse to express and express and express who they are. I feel in harmony with their character (some may find this energetic spirit too much, but that is why we are Prim kids).

On the other hand, this gives me sorrow, because I don't get to see these guys very often. It is about only one time a year that I get down to Arizona and get to see them face to face. This makes me sad and I don't feel like the grandpa that I truly want to be for these two. My desire is to know them better and see them more often. Yet circumstances, at this point in my life, have not allowed that to happen. Which leads me to what I got from my reading today.

James says, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." There are judgments on the earth, both spiritual and physical. There are things that are clearly "How things are," that we cannot contravene. We cannot change them, but they still affect us.

God has declared the judgment that the whole earth, every person, is a sinner and by His righteous judgment, we stand condemned. This condemnation will, in the eternal realm, separate us from God. It will place us in a location, according to the scriptures, that was originally set aside for Satan and his fallen angels (not us, Matthew 25:41). God stays consistent with His righteous judgment concerning the world's sin.

But in this passage in James, His mercy triumphs over His righteous judgment in that His gracious

Portrait of grandpa from grandson

act of sending His son to pay the penalty for our sin is sufficient in overcoming that judgment. God's grace, lovingly has victory over His judgment, when we respond to it with obedient acceptance.

Back to those grandkids. The judgment, decision, that has placed them outside of my normal day to day experience, forbids me from seeing them regularly. I can do nothing about it. However, the graciousness of our society in this day allows me to drive to Arizona and see them, spending time with them, loving on them, telling them how precious they are to me. Not only this, but things like Skype, texting, emails and phone calls are also means where love triumphs over that reality of distance. It is my act of gracious choice of going to them that overcomes the truth of miles.

Jesus voluntarily overcomes the impediment of sin (He didn't have to). He triumphed over the distance that sin placed between us (remember He was without sin whatsoever) and took that impediment out of the way (through His shed blood we are saved).

I thank God for His mercy, His grace, His love...and for grandkids that still look forward to seeing me, even though we live so far away.

See you tomorrow. Blessings, as we continue our quest through the New Testament.