Today, I begin as a student in a Bible study class on the Letter from James. I was intending to be all “read-up” on James and on the commentary, mostly Barclay so that I could show how smart I was to the class and to the teacher.
However, yesterday I was privileged to have a private tutorial with the teacher on the introduction to the Letter since I missed class last week. God has given me today what I am to learn from that session and the upcoming one.
Today I will meet the full class. My prayer is that the Lord will allow me to be a learner and not attempt to usurp the role of God’s appointed teacher. This is especially so that I don’t attempt to teach that which I do not know or to pretend to teach that which I have just read from somebody else. These would be sinful acts.
The Genesis of this sin, pride is my need to be liked and respected. Pride is a sin that we can commit on our own with no one else’s help. Humility, however, is a gift from God. That prideful need of mine must be sublimated to God’s gift of humility.
“God grant me the gift of humility.” I recognize that in so praying, I might encounter “divers trials,” in James’ KJV words, which will cause me to be humbled the hard way. Perhaps, it could be by saying something that reveals my basic ignorance and/or arrogance, or by my saying something amiss that is uncultured, disrespectful, or just plain dumb.
The plain, hard truth is that I do have a lot to learn, not just about the Letter from James, but about my fellow students, my teacher, and most importantly, about God.
I remember something else that God said to me today. He told me that I was but “special” and beloved in His sight but only because He made me. All his children are special, and he loves them all, I included.
He reminded me that James talks about the use of the tongue. I have always wondered why James took off on the use of the tongue. Perhaps, God wants to tell me personally, that I need to be careful and judicious about my use of the tongue.
I can use my tongue to build people up or to tear them down. It is not only when I say unkind or threatening things that I can hurt people. When I use my tongue to display pseudo-wisdom, I may inadvertently humiliate someone else. I use the term, “pseudo – wisdom” because one who possesses true wisdom would not use his tongue to humiliate others even inadvertently. When I do that, I demonstrate to God and to the world that I have completely missed the point of this lesson.
The Great Law of Jesus is Love. Love yourself and your fellows by not attempting to step on his or her shoulders to raise myself up. Rather, let God raise me up in his own way and in His own time.
“In so doing,” God said, “You will receive the humility that you have prayed for without the humiliation that you do not desire or deserve.” Dear God, save me from my own venial nature.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
johnthebaptist15 