The Chronicles of Northside

  We will focus first on James' statement that "the prayer of a righteous man avails much." The word "righteous" in the original means "approved of." As Scripture is clear that "none is rghteous " ( Rom. 3:10-11 ), it follows that it is the prayer of those who have been MADE righteous THROUGH Christ that is at point here. The prayer of the redeemed is that which is powerful and effective. Such prayer is possible because of Christ's finished work at the cross. Through Christ, believers can freely enter into God's throne. Whether one is new in the faith or has been a saint for decades, the privilege of calling God, "Abba," our Father, is the same. All believers have the same Mediator, the same Intercessor-- that is, Christ who died, was buried, and risen again! In Him we have forgiveness of sins; and, God's wrath is no longer upon us. He reconciles us to the Father, unto whom we make our prayer, our requests, our heart...

  James addresses very specific needs in this passage: personal suffering, physical illness, and the need for forgiveness. Indeed, James' closing words simply reiterate the reality of trials in the believers' life, the same reality of which he spoke in the beginning of his letter.      Observe how James directs the brethren's thoughts to two vital needs in the life of a believer: to praise the Lord and to pray.      With respect to prayer, two ways are encouraged: personal and intercessory. First, pray directly unto God if you are suffering. Holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom, gives insight as to the importance of personal prayer. As a Dutch believer who suffered severely in a Nazi concentration camp as a result of hiding Jews during WW2, she could personally testify as to the wonderful privilege of prayer, as it allows the believer to "leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God's realm where everything is possible....Nothing is to...

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is a very familiar one. As a result, we sometimes fail to appreciate its historical and doctrinal significance. These three young men were taken captive by the Babylonians. They were educated in the ways of this foreign power and appointed over its affairs.   In Daniel 1:7, we find that the Hebrew or original names of these three young men, respectively, were: (1) Hananiah,  which in Hebrew means, "the Lord is gracious;" (2) Mishael, which means, "who is like the Lord;" and, (3) Azariah, which means, "God is my help." Why did the parents of these young men name them as such? And why did the Babylonians change their names?  Observe how that these three young men stood their ground along with Daniel, the beloved of God. They determined in their hearts to please God, despite their being under a foreign power (Daniel 1). Given the meaning of their names and the resoluteness of their hearts and actions, one cannot he...

  Christmas, the remembrance of that day when Jesus was born-- goes far beyond a day's celebration. From eternity past, God has ordained the virgin birth, the fulfillment of the coming of "Immanuel," God with us-- God incarnate.  "I bring you good news"-- this is the concept of "to evangelize." This good news "is so good because the bad news is so bad." What this "good news" should cause us to remember: The sovereign will and gracious act of God being displayed through Christ! See Eph. 1:4-6, Titus 3:4-7, and Rom. 5:8. He "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him."  The truth of God's Word-- He fulfills His promises in Christ! From Genesis to Malachi, God makes clear the prophecies concerning the Messiah; and, in Jesus, they are all fulfilled. See Luke 24:44-46.  The accomplishment of man's redemption through Christ! See 1 Cor. 15. This same Jesus will come...

After exhorting the oppressed believers to be patient until the coming of the Lord, James calls them next to "not complain against one another...so that [they] will not be judged." The root word for "complain" means to groan or to sigh, which in this context means much more than the mere disappointment expressed upon some inconvenience. This call to not grumble has to do with a problem stemming from a heart attitude that is not pleasing to the Lord, as it speaks of a heart that disregards the sovereignty of God and doubts His purposes.  Ponder on Philippians 4:10-13. There, as the apostle Paul himself had to LEARN to be content, it is evident that while still in the flesh, we have the tendency to grumble. By God's grace, though, we can learn like the apostle Paul "how to be brought low" and "how to abound in any and every circumstance." The same Spirit that enabled Paul is able to help us be content as we yield ourselves to His control.  Agai...

In this passage, James changes gears from rebuking wealthy oppressors who live for their own wanton pleasure to exhorting his oppressed fellow believers to “be patient.” (On a side note, this passage is a timely message for us as we continue to face the effects of Covid-19, the rise of government restrictions, the movement towards loss of religious freedom, and the worsening of moral values in our society.) In view of the reality of trials in this life, James’ message is repeatedly addressed to fellow believers--“brothers and sisters.” As those who belong to Christ, we are told to be patient, which means that we are “not to lose heart.” Rather, we are “to bravely persevere in enduring misfortunes, troubles, or ill treatment” until the coming of the Lord! The basis of James’ exhortation is the fact that Christ's coming is near. It is for certain. It is "at hand!"  As an illustration, James reminds of how "the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being pat...

In this passage, James is addressing the materially wealthy. At what point, though, does one become rich? Or how much does one need to possess to be considered as one of those addressed here by James? It is safe to say, I think, that this passage can apply to each of us who have more than what we need and have extra left over to help another. (Indeed, compared to most of the population outside the United States, we are all relatively wealthy!) Question: Is it sinful to be wealthy materially? Clearly, the answer is no. Indeed, we have rich individuals recorded in Scripture who were godly. Included in this list are Abraham, Job, David, and Lydia.  The problem, then, is not in possessing wealth in itself, but in the focus that we give it or the affection that we set upon it. It is not a small matter when we consider the fact that God gives us this specific warning: "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1Timothy 6:6-10). Take the rich young ruler, for example, in Matthew 1...