​The internet: good or bad for you?  Depends on how you use it… Chocolate: good or bad for you?  Depends on how you use it.  

Any tension, any trial, any stress, any transition can result in good or bad depending on how you respond.  One person said it this way:  “God sends the trial and Satan turns it into a temptation.”  Here is the question: When adversity comes, will you allow it to drag you down or will you let the spirit of God redeem you making you into a stronger person. The way of the world/Satan is the easy way, “the devil made me do it” “everyone else is doing it”, “what does it hurt.” “it’s so much fun.” The way of God takes faith because you cannot always see what you will be.  The way of God is a long term commitment with a payoff somewhere down the road. 
​
This message is for those who are serious about the desire to resist temptation and instead walk in the way of God; those are the choices.  The world does not care about overcoming temptations, they consider Christianity to be restrictive and prudish.  I wear that mantle proudly, although I focus not on the negative, but rather the joy, the freedom of knowing Christ, walking towards Him, seeking to grow and mature in faith.  

This message is for you who feel like giving up who have tried and tried to keep your head above water. Every time you turn around you fall, you are beat up emotionally, physically, relationally....This message/James is about endurance.  The long haul… finding strength in God almighty… Not only surviving, but surviving well. 

A story that illustrates an important truth in James 1:12:

Behind the city of Colorado Springs, at the back of the U.S. Air Force Academy stands a mountain called Eagle Peak which is popular among the Boy scouts and local hikers. From it’s summit you can see into the depths of the Rocky Mountains on one side or overlook the vast expanse of the Great Plains on the other. Each summer the trail attracts experienced hikers and first time visitors.
The inexperienced hiker is told that the hike will take all day to go up and back. He is told to start early and to set a strong, steady pace for the journey will be difficult and rigorous. The new hiker who follows this advice is easily disappointed or confused upon reaching the beginning of the trail, because he can see with his own eyes from the parking lot that the hike to the summit and back would take far less than half a day with little difficulty at even the most leisurely pace.

Many people change plans. He meanders up the trail wandering frequently from the path, taking numerous side-trips and detours, after all, time is now not important. He stops to play and to snack on some of the supplies he had brought since he obviously won’t need so much for such a short trip. This he does until about half way through the day when he finally climbs to the summit only to discover that it was his eyes which had deceived him and not the words of those who had gone before. For he now stands on a false summit which had blocked his view of the higher summit far above.

Realizing his lack of foresight, this hiker reevaluates his time and decides that if he pushes himself hard enough he can still make it to the summit and back before it gets too dark. And so he sets off at a frantic pace; stumbling, crashing through the brush, receiving bruises, scrapes and scratches as the sun moves steadily toward the horizon. Until at last he reaches his mark and looks up at still another summit.

You see, Eagle Peak has two false summits, both of which must be traveled over before reaching the ultimate goal. Our inexperienced hiker now sadly begins his trek back down the mountain knowing he fell short of the real goal.  Wiser, he will try again another day, for there are many beautiful days in Colorado Springs. 

James is a basic survival manual of the Christian faith.  These are basic principles to keep you alive.  A few of the things we talked about last week:

• Faith in Christ does not mean a carefree life.  “Whenever you face trials of many kinds” the scripture says.  Not IF but WHEN. 
• Faith in Jesus Christ shows us HOW to face our problems.  I used to climb Mt. Baker.  The standard climbing route is a long hike. You need stamina, but it is not technical.  Most of the time nothing goes wrong.  I once met a climbing party as we were descending that were so foolish because they were doing so many things wrong: wearing jeans, heading to the top late in the day, flimsy shoes, few supplies.  They made it to the top and back down again in one piece.  But they were fools.  Here’s the thing about climbing Mt Baker: you need to know what to do in case something goes wrong.  Climb enough, and something will go wrong.  You will be caught in a storm.  You will slip.  This is why you come to a book like James, to learn basic survival skills of faith when you are suddenly faced with trials.  You will likely make it to the top of Mt. Baker and back wearing jeans, but if it should start to rain jeans get wet and take away body heat.  Most days you will make it through the day fine, but someday a crisis will hit.  The phone call will come.  An accident will change your world.  

Years ago a new family moved into Nooksack.  For some reason, after a few months of knowing him, he got on the topic of hell.  Every time he saw me he’d want to talk about hell.  After a while I ran out of things to say!  The man was persistent; I got to the place where if I saw him in the store and could avoid him, I did.  I was tired of hell!  Most people are far more practical in what they want to talk to me about ~ few people want to talk about nuances of theology.  Most people who call me for advice or informal counseling are desperate to keep their head above water.  They are just looking to survive, a broken relationship, overwhelming depression, loneliness, falling one more time into the pattern of addiction, feelings of hopelessness.  I.e. they want to talk about their life as a living hell! 

This is the book of James: A Survival Manual.  James is like the Boy scout Handbook of the Bible ~ when lost in the wilderness, you don’t need a scientific explanation of heat and oxygen, you just need to know how to start a fire.  You just need to know some basic knots.  Getting out of the cold.  How to survive.  This is James: A Survival manual.  How to survive when you are alone, feeling lost, confused… James is not only HOW to survive the wilderness, but how to survive it well.  I appreciate a quote from Catherine Booth that makes an awesome summary of James:  “The Waters are rising, but so am I.  I am not going under, but over.”  The message of James is going from barely surviving to thriving.