Jesus wears many titles: Son of Man, Lamb of God, Savior of the world. But one title and role that we don’t always think of Him as is a prophet. Jesus was, in fact, the prophet that all other prophets pointed to. Jesus was called a prophet by the Samaritan woman at the well and he referred to himself as a prophet, “A prophet is not honored in his own home”. But what is a prophet and how can we learn from Jesus’s life and ministry to apply to our everyday lives?

You are a living paraphrase. No pressure right? The question becomes, what are you going to do about it? God is writing a unique version of the Scriptures through your life. But how can you give an accurate portrayal if you don’t know the original script? Many Marvel comics fans have issues with some of the recent Marvel movies because they know the original comics! So for you and I to be this living paraphrase, we must know the original text.

I want us to be truly rooted in our ambassadorship. I want you to truly know that you are not a Jew, you are not a Gentile. You are not a Democrat, you are not a Republican. You are an ambassador of Christ, therefore you must act accordingly, helping people understand that your allegiance is not that of earthly trappings and of earthly things, but your allegiance is to our King and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Engaging with others in your faith, together, takes energy, effort, intentionality, and work, but it’s worth it.

Prayer disciplines us to create a space where the distractions of the world are pushed aside and focus is given to God with intentionality. This is how and when the eyes of our hearts are enlightened so that we may see, discern, higher, deeper, and wider in Christ.

When I read James’ exhortation at the end I read this as– him saying– be concerned with the salvation of others around you. Be in prayer and be watchful when your brothers and sisters turn away from the faith. My part is to communicate the faith in such a way that I continuously live out the hope, the freedom, and the restoration that Jesus offers with my words and actions.

James isn’t condemning us for not remembering– instead, he’s doing the opposite- he’s empowering us to remember and believe that our prayers matter. Our prayers make a difference. Our prayers have impact– so much so that they can cause rain to stop or rain to come. When was the last time you believed in the power and efficacy of your prayers THAT much?

Today we are going to dive into verses 12-15. There’s something so beautiful and powerful about a simple faith.

Just when you think James is done with making his point about patience, he highlights it again, ultimately saying, “No, really, I don’t think you understood it in the last verse so let me say it again.” ”Blessed are those who persevere.”

Today’s verses, 7-9, are rooted in patience. Some coin it as “the patience in suffering” passage. Two words I don’t like very much- patience and suffering. Mostly because I’m not a big fan of processes in life. Maybe you can relate. I like structure and things that have a process from point A to point Z. I just do not like going through the process that isn’t systematic–meaning, I actually do not like going through things where there’s uncertainty of what to expect on the other side. Shocker– I know. It’s a regular wrestling I have.