How Do We Respond?

Introduction

How are you doing today? No, really ask yourself how are you doing today? Are you happy? Sad? Upset? Frustrated? Angry? Hurt? How are you doing? The more important question is, how are you dealing with how you feel? What is your reaction? Is it beneficial or destructive to you and the others around you? Are you bearing those feelings and emotions or are you dealing with them in constructive way? Do your responses glorify God and show Him to others or show a distorted view of Him? I ask this in light of all that has transpired this week along with the compounding of all the emotions from the past year with the virus, the lock downs, the restrictions, family and friends who are sick or have lost their lives to this, the riots in 2020, and now the violence and anarchy in Washington DC last week. While praying, thinking, and read the Word of God about what I should share from the Scriptures today in light of all of this, the LORD lead me to the book of James. James, the half brother of Jesus, gave the early church practical wisdom of how to react and how not react when your world is falling apart. This letter, many believe it to be the first one written to the early church soon after the scattering from the martyrdom of Stephen.

How NOT to Respond

James 4:1-6

First, let us look at how NOT to respond. Let us look at James 4:1-6.

New Living Translation Chapter 4

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:11-12

How to Respond

James 1:2-8

James 1:19-20

James 4:7-10

Conclusion