Consecrated

Scripture:  James 3:13-4:10           

We probably all have different triggers that really get to us when we are behind the wheel.  For some of us it might be how some people seem to be allergic to using their turn signal.   For others it might be drivers who wish they were in a NASCAR because they seem to always be right on our bumper trying to catch a draft.  For others it might be that guy who rushes to get in front of us, to then drive slower than we are going.  Whatever it is for you, we all have things that make us wonder how the people on the road with us ever got a driver’s license in the first place. Statistically, that is how most of us feel about the majority of the people we share the road with. Surveys have found that most people believe only about 10% of other people are excellent drivers.   There is a weird statistical paradox here though, because surveys have also found that 73% of people believe themselves to be excellent drivers.  This means that 3/4ths of drivers believe they are part of a group that only consists of 1/10th of drivers.  This means the reality is that most of us likely overestimate how good of a driver we are.   If we were all as good as we think we are then there would be less accidents because 94% of car accidents are caused by driver error.  If we were all as good at driving as we think we are then turn signals would always get used, there would be less people being cut off, and less accidents.

            I think a similar overestimation can happen in other areas of our lives as well.   This morning’s scripture is a good example of that.  This morning’s scripture has some harsh indictments, but we can easily believe that it does not apply to us.  After all it mentions wanting to kill to get what we want.  It mentions fighting and quarrelling, and we can easily think since I am not very violent, this does not apply to me.   Making that assumption is just as big of a mistake as assuming that you are the only good driver on the road.   The reality is all of us make driving mistakes sometimes, and no matter how good we are at times we become someone else’s example of a bad driver.  In the same this morning’s scripture is a reminder that we may not be as humble and God-honoring as we like to think.  This morning’s scripture can be like a mirror to help us see our own shortcomings and inspire us to be who God has made us to be. 

            One of the elements of James that is often lauded is how it manages to bridge two cultures.  The writing in James uses rhetorical devices and language that resembles the popular moral philosophy of the Greco-Roman world.  Yet, it also is rooted in the Jewish background.  For instance,  In the Jewish tradition found in the proverbs, wisdom is best defined as the type of thinking that draws one closer to God.  This morning’s scripture is a great example of bridging these two cultures.   One of the key elements of Greek philosophy is an emphasis on duality, and Jewish wisdom literature like the proverbs tend to focus on practicality.   Both are present here in this morning’s scripture reading.  This morning’s scripture focuses on the idea of heavenly wisdom vs earthly, demonic wisdom.   It carries this through to the idea of either having friendship with the world or friendship with God.  However, these concepts are not just theoretical but they are presented in practical terms on how these two extremes influence our actions.  This morning’s scripture tries to define for us what heavenly wisdom and friendship with God looks like not just by telling us what it is but by telling us what it is not.  

            One of things I am constantly amazed by and one of the reasons why the bible is endlessly fascinating to me is that despite being centuries old, originally written in an incredibly different language, and coming from a cultural context wildly different than our own is just how relatable it still is.  Verses 3:14-15really stick out to me when they state, “if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual demonic.”  This is just as relevant today, as it was when James wrote it because today envy and ambition is promoted as wisdom.  A foundational message of our modern world is that the path to happiness is to always get more.   This consumeristic mindset is pervasive, it is built on envy and ambition. 

            It is so pervasive that its impact is felt beyond just the acquisition of stuff.  One of the other cultural messages we get is that pursuing a goal is the ultimate virtue.  It is never enough to be happy with where are in life, because we are told to always hustle, that there are gains to make, and there is always a higher peak to reach.   We are told that pursuing this goal is worth every sacrifice and often the ends seems to always justify the means.   There is nothing inherently wrong with working towards goals and there is nothing wrong with the idea of working to acquire something.  The problem is that the motivation behind these cultural messages are more often than not motivated by selfish ambition and bitter envy.   Greed and selfishness get recast as virtue, and as wisdom.   Our culture celebrates billionaires who horde more wealth than could ever be spent in 100 lifetimes as geniuses.  We are led to believe that sitting on enough money to fix world hunger is somehow the pinnacle of human achievement. 

            One of the lessons many of us taught early in life, and one that is treated as wisdom, is to always ask “what’s in it for me?”   This question though, is not wisdom. It is folly.  It comes out of selfish ambition and bitter envy.   It is a question that ensures we are always looking out for ourselves first above all else.  The problem is that looking out for number one is a full time occupation.   If our primary approach to anything is always “what’s in it for me?” then we have no space in our lives to put others first, to love our neighbors, or to truly love God with all of our heart, strength, mind, and soul. 

            The truth of this morning’s scripture in verse 3:16 is just as true today as it was when it was written, “For where you find envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”  In chapter 4:1-2, James then engages in some hyperbolic dialogue to make his point.   There is nothing life giving about pursing what others have.   Selfishly putting ourselves first inevitably will only lead to conflict with others.   As we have established selfishness as a virtue is a cultural message we can not escape, so we all are susceptible to it from time to time.  Verse 4:3 is especially convicting on this front when it states, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.”   At some point, that is true for all of us.  We might have tried justifying or spiritualizing our want, but chances are nearly all of us had prayed with a selfish motive.  This morning’s scripture successfully diagnoses one of the great problems we have as people living in a broken and fallen world.  Fortunately, it also reminds us of the remedy. 

            In this morning’s scripture reading the cure for the selfish ambition and envy that ails us is mentioned three times.  It is mentioned in verse 3:13, when it states the wise can show they are wise by their good deeds done in humility.  It is mentioned in verse 4:6 when James quotes Proverbs 3:34: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  Finally it is mentioned in verse 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.” 

We often portray the idea of being humble as not wanting to promote oneself very much or trying to avoid the spotlight.  We tend to treat the definition of humble as reserved and modest.   Yet, I am not quite sure that gets to what being humble truly is.    I have always appreciated how C.S. Lewis defined humility.  He wrote, “humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”    Humility is the antonym of selfishness.   When we think of ourselves less, it frees up space in our thoughts and in our hearts.   It enables us to get our eyes and minds off of what is in it for me, and instead pursue what is worth pursuing.  Instead of investing our lives in acquiring the next thing, we can invest our lives in following Jesus, having compassion for others, and loving God. 

            I think the life of Frances Havergal is a good illustration of what it means to walk humbly with God.   Frances came to age in Victorian England.  She was the daughter of an Anglican priest.  By all accounts she was an incredibly intelligent woman.  She also had a reputation for being beautiful, and she was a remarkably talented musician.  Once while accompanying her father to Germany, a mutual friend arranged her an audience with Ferdinand Hiller, a renowned musician of the time.   Hiller was impressed with the song writing abilities and melodic compositions  of Frances.   She had all of the makings to be the Victorian version of a pop star.   She could have pursued fame and fortune, but that is not what we she did.   Instead, she lived a quite, reserved, and by most measures of the world unremarkable life.   She was heavily involved in the life of her local church.  She was known in her local community for having a sweet disposition and being quick to talk about Jesus.   Unfortunately, Frances Havergal died from illness at the young age of 42.  Even though she herself never pursued fame or fortune, she did continue to write poems and music.  One of her sisters managed to get some of these works published after Frances passed away.   The written work of Frances Havergal revealed the reason why she never pursued being a famed musician.  Her best known poem was set to music, and it beautifully sums up what Frances Havergal valued most in life.  She wrote, “Take my life and lite it be consecrated, Lord to thee.  Take my moment and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.”   She continues and ends the poem with, “Take myself and I will be ever only, all for thee.”  

            Frances Havergal became known as the “consecrated poet”, because her life was dedicated to being quietly lived for God.  She embodied this morning’s scripture that states “submit yourself then to God.”  She lived humbly, because she did not seek to put herself first, but desired to have the primary focus of her life be on God, consecrated fully to Him.  She came near to God and could feel God coming near to her.  Earlier in James we are told that God does not change like shifting shadows, and that every good and perfect gift comes from God.  Acquiring stuff we want can make us happy for moments but when we draw near to God, when we submit to God instead of pursuing selfish ambition, then we know more than happiness we know joy, peace, and an assurance that God will lift us up.  This is what Frances Havergal experienced in her quiet, humble life.  She chose that over pursuing fame and fortune, and I would argue she made the wise choice. 
            This morning’s scripture pushes against the cultural message to put ourselves first, to always want more, and to pursue selfish ambition above all else.  This morning’s scripture reminds us of a better way to live.  It reminds us that true wisdom is not asking “what’s in it for me?”, but true wisdom is to submit ourselves to God.  So may we live a life marked by that kind of a wisdom, a good life, where we act in love and mercy while seeking to walk humbly with God   May we seek to draw near to God, so that we can find that God is drawing near to us.  May the prayer of our hearts humbly be, “Take my life and let it be Consecrated Lord to thee.”