Wednesday, 1 May 2024

CJs View from the Cheap Seats

CJ’s View from the Cheap Seats

Blog can be found on:

http://www.cjmahaney.com/

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“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to laugh.” Ecc. 3:1, 4

Laughter is a gift from God. But laughter is a largely neglected and easily misunderstood topic in the church. But for the Christian, laughter is an important topic because when properly understood, laughter—and the humor from which is arises—is not a distraction from godliness or an evidence of immaturity. When viewed biblically and used rightly, laughter and humor are gifts from God. In t..

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Prior to this past Sunday, I have never preached a message on leisure. My bad. For, as J.I. Packer has written,

“We were not made, nor are we redeemed, to live without leisure.”

No we are not. This truth is seen from the opening words and chapters in Holy Scripture where God models rest and limits our work. The creation account reveals a rhythm of work and rest that is part of the created order. We were made for this rhythm. We are called to work but there is divinely imposed limit to our work..

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“Many Christians have an inadequate theology of ordinary life” writes Gene Veith in his book, The Spirituality of the Cross. How about you? Do you have a theology of ordinary life? If not, you need one, because most of your life is, well, ordinary life. You know what I’m talking about: laundry and lawnmowing. Commutes and carpools. You know the drill. But do you know that a theology of ordinary life can transform your ordinary life as you learn to perceive the graciousness and generosity of God ..

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The letter of James ends abruptly with a verse you can’t read without immediately thinking of someone you love, care about, and pray for. This verse evokes an immediate emotional reaction.

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth…” James 5:19

Most of us know someone who at one time shared our passion for the Savior and love for his church. Someone we sat next to at church, sang with, prayed with, served with, laughed with, cried with, and then the unthinkable happened. They wan..

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“Is anyone suffering? Let him pray.”
“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” James 5:13

“James uses questions frequently. Thus the style is a lively discourse” writes Peter Davids in his commentary. Lively indeed. And relevant. At least one of James’s questions is relevant to each of us, each and every day. And sometimes both in a given day. So here is wisdom from above for every circumstance of life. And that wisdom is sweetly summed up by John Calvin when he wrote:

“There is no time in wh..

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“It is one thing to wait for the Lord’s coming; it is another to wait well.” Don Carson

If you are a Christian this is what you are waiting for the most: the Lord’s coming. But what does it mean to “wait well”? James tells us when he writes:

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.” James 5:7

To wait well is to wait patiently. In his commentary on the letter of James, Alec Motyer informs us,

“James’s doctrine of the Christian life is a doctrine of process or growth, an..

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James 5:1-6 is like no other text in this short letter. Think I’m exaggerating? Go ahead and read it right now. I think you’ll be surprised by both the tone and the content. So, just who is James addressing in this passage? Surprisingly, it appears he is addressing non-Christians.

Why would James speak to non-Christians here? Why write this condemnation of certain non-Christians in a letter to the church? Craig Blomberg helpfully enlightens us why when he writes, “He speaks to the non-Christian..

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“But he gives more grace.” James 4:6

Tucked away in the letter of James is one of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture. This verse reveals the graciousness and generosity of God to the original readers, even though James just addressed them as “You adulterous people!” (4:4). To them (and to us) God does indeed give more grace. He gives the grace we need to repent from worldliness and the grace we need to grow in godliness as we humble ourselves before him and acknowledge our need for ..

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Quarrels and fights. Sadly, we are all familiar with the painful experience of relational conflict. No one is exempt, even if you are a Christian.

If you don’t find yourself presently involved in a relational conflict, I’m sorry to be the one to inform you that there is a relational conflict in your future. Maybe even today. Now understandably, that’s not what you just wanted to read, but let me direct you to a passage that will most certainly prepare you for your next conflict.

James 4:1-3 ex..

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Today we end our study of Galatians 4:1–7 with the final verse: “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

In this passage we see a change from the plural (“sons” in v. 6) to the singular “a son.” Paul brings his argument down from an address to the Galatians in general, to individuals in particular. The doctrine of God’s adopting grace is deeply personal.

In this passage God is making eye contact with you! He is looking into your eyes because he wants y..

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