Light Afflictions -- James 1:1

James 1:1


"James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings." (NKJV)

James, a bondservant of God. It’s interesting that the King James translates this "bondservant" rather than slave. Traditionally in European culture, a slave was someone who was usually kidnapped from their home and sold into slavery by others (like the story of Joseph in the Old Testament). But a bondservant was someone who sold themselves into slavery, often to pay the debt of another. The connotation is that the subjection into slavery is the decision of the slave herself, not the decision of another. Isn’t that how it is with us? No one has forced us to become Christians; we have willingly made that decision. And yet, how is it then that it is so difficult for us to submit ourselves to the will of the Lord and to the service of others?

I think that often we are drawn into Christianity under rather false pretenses. Either we are "born" into a Christian family, or a family that claims to be Christian but has lives that are rather otherwise, or we are "convinced" that our lives would be totally "fixed" if we accepted Christ. Both are probably bad beginnings for a life that is neither easy nor bereft of suffering. To put it bluntly, being a Christian, while far the best choice, is difficult at its easiest and very painful at its most extreme. It is a life of self-denial, of embracing whatever God demands, and of very often trusting in the darkness. When we read that James defined himself as a bondservant of the God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to understand that he had decided to live completely sold out to the will of God, regardless of what that will was, regardless of where it might take him.

Paul talks about all of the suffering that he went through as an apostle:

"In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (2 Corinthians 11;23-27 NKJV).

Yet, early in the same letter to the Corinthian church, Paul calls his sufferings "light afflictions:"



"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV).

The Greek word translated here "light" is elaphros and means "easy to bear" (Strong’s G2347). Why would Paul say that? Because the pain is well offset by the eternal weight of glory that is working in and for us. Paul goes on to say:

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NKJV).

This "earthly house" Paul talks about are our physical bodies, but not just our bodies, but in essence this life that we live here on earth. And his perspective on this "life" here is amazing. In verse 4, he says "that mortality may be swallowed up by life!" Despite everything we might try to think and say to convince ourselves, as human beings, we know that we are dying. We know that this life is filled with more misery than joy. We know that things here on earth are, simply put, messed up. We want something more and we try to get it through political, financial, social, and even sexual means, but nothing really works! Why? Because this isn’t really life. This is life messed up by sin. Sin permeates all of creation. There’s no way to get around it.

"For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay" (Romans 8:18-21 NLT).

All of creation—the entire universe—has been subjected to the penalties of sin. That is why both the apostles Peter and John write about the new heavens and the new earth that will someday be created (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1). This creation, so permeated with sin, cannot be saved; it must be destroyed and a new creation made for God’s people. We have the promise of new bodies and a new creation in which to live. This is why Paul called his sufferings light afflictions. This is why James was willing to become a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the promise that brings us hope. We aren’t looking for a better life here within this creation that cannot be fixed, cannot be saved. We are looking for a perfect life in the new creation waiting for God’s people! We are willing to do whatever He asks for us now because He is preparing for us a life—an eternal life—that is so wonderful, we can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless with most of them God was not pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things are warnings for us, not to desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance.” We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents; nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. RSV

Historical accounts in the Old Testament are both true and pictorial. In that, I mean that they both actually happened and have been recounted for us as a way for God to show us truths of our relationship with Him.

The children of Israel were freed from Egypt and given the hope of the Promised Land, Judea. Between the two, there was a journey they would have to make. In normal travel, it would take a matter of days. In actuality, because of their sin, it took 40 years.

Paul shares with us that there were those in the company who left Egypt (left the life of sin) but never reached the Promised Land. While they were witnesses and participants in a number of miracles, they continued to allow themselves to be tempted into sin and they died in the desert.

Paul says: “these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” In other words, what the Israelites went through was a warning to them, a warning many ignored. And now, this is recounted to us as instruction; we are to learn from their mistakes.

We are a people that doesn’t learn well from others’ mistakes. It seems fairly common that most Americans claim they need to live their own lives, make their own mistakes in order to learn. That, in a fact, should not be the way of the Christian. This isn’t the first time that we are told, in scripture, that history has been preserved for us in order that we might learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes.

Paul gives a list of the “lessons” we are to learn from the Jews’ experience in the desert:

• Not to desire evil as they did
• Do not be idolaters
• Not indulge in immorality
• Not put the Lord to the test
• Not grumble

It’s interesting that the list of “sins” really runs the gamut of human behavior, everything from indulging in immorality (adultery, pornography, fornication) to not grumbling to simply not desiring evil. And Paul doesn’t give self-help tips for avoiding these sins; he simply says not to do them.

In other words, in each action, in each thought, we have a choice. And he admonishes us to choose holiness and righteousness over sin, to choose the Lord over our flesh, to choose heaven over the world.

Paul ends, however, with this marvelous promise: “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

What’s interesting is that Paul doesn’t say “that you may be able to escape it,” but rather that you may be able to endure it.” Temptation isn’t something that comes fleetingly and then vanishes like a vapor into the air. Temptation comes as a battle we must fight, but a battle for which we are mightily equipped because God will provide the way of escape.

I think that, too often, we don’t look for the way of escape because, if the facts be known, we don’t want to have to endure the temptation, even if there is a way of escape. I think about the new studies that say that, once we’ve eaten the portions we know to be healthy, we need to wait 20 minutes because it takes that long for the brain to process that we are truly full. It seems to me that this might be similar to the idea of temptations. If we simply waited and refused to act on the temptation, rather than jumping right now on our first impulse, we would more readily see God’s way of escape and be able to take it.

Unfortunately, we have become a fast-food society, a people that want what we want right now without the waiting. Instant gratification. And that’s simply not how life is.

We need to learn to wait. Isaiah 40:31 says:

“they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” RSV

Psalm 27:14:

“Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
yea, wait for the Lord!” RSV

In fact, there are many verses about waiting upon the Lord and receiving strength after the waiting.

The Jews in the desert weren’t content to wait. They wanted the promise now, rather than waiting until they reached the Promised Land. As Christians, we need to learn to wait for the gratification that will eventually come, both here on earth, but moreso in Heaven. We need to learn to deny ourselves, to put off the sin, and to persevere through this life, as hard as it is, so that we might one day receive the Hope of the Promise . . . eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.