Word@Work James52 - James 5:19-20
Published: Fri, 04/24/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
LOST SHEEP SAVED
James 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (NIV)
As we have read through James' letter, we have been shown many ways in which we might stray away from following Jesus, and how to come back. Perhaps the pivot point of the whole book is James 4:7-8: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. A radical change is intended, without which God is not pleased nor glorified; and there is no blessing.
But what will you do, if you see a friend or colleague whose life has moved away from God's truth? He/she may have had little inclination to read the Bible or to pray or to seek counsel; they are entangled in confusion and hopelessly lost. What should you do? James says that it is a wonderful thing to help a sinner to turn around to face Jesus again. It is the Jesus-way of shepherding, to search out the lost sheep and bring them home again. True repentance and conversion will literally save their life for eternity. And if a Christian has forgotten their first love of Christ, then repentance will lead to God's gracious forgiveness and the path back to serving the Lord (cf Rev 2:4-5).
So, gently and humbly, recognising your own ability to sin too, bring people back to God's Word (cf Gal 6:1-5). Encourage them to see God's kindness as well as His sternness (cf Rom 11:22). Our responsibility is not primarily to help people to feel good about themselves, but to help them to get right with God. James would have remembered Jesus' story of the lost sheep and the determined shepherd (cf Luke 15:1-7), which shows the shepherd's great delight when the lost one is brought back home (Luke 15:7). We are called to work alongside the Shepherd; let us not ignore His call. James understood that he must obey; that is why he wrote this letter; and that is why BeaconLight has sent you Word@Work!
Prayer: Gracious Lord. You have saved me, and sought me out even when I did not want to be found. Please help me to work with you to help You bring back those who have fallen into sin and strayed away from Your authority. Help me to be alert to the people who You are wanting to bring back home into your love and care. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
As we have read through James' letter, we have been shown many ways in which we might stray away from following Jesus, and how to come back. Perhaps the pivot point of the whole book is James 4:7-8: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. A radical change is intended, without which God is not pleased nor glorified; and there is no blessing.
But what will you do, if you see a friend or colleague whose life has moved away from God's truth? He/she may have had little inclination to read the Bible or to pray or to seek counsel; they are entangled in confusion and hopelessly lost. What should you do? James says that it is a wonderful thing to help a sinner to turn around to face Jesus again. It is the Jesus-way of shepherding, to search out the lost sheep and bring them home again. True repentance and conversion will literally save their life for eternity. And if a Christian has forgotten their first love of Christ, then repentance will lead to God's gracious forgiveness and the path back to serving the Lord (cf Rev 2:4-5).
So, gently and humbly, recognising your own ability to sin too, bring people back to God's Word (cf Gal 6:1-5). Encourage them to see God's kindness as well as His sternness (cf Rom 11:22). Our responsibility is not primarily to help people to feel good about themselves, but to help them to get right with God. James would have remembered Jesus' story of the lost sheep and the determined shepherd (cf Luke 15:1-7), which shows the shepherd's great delight when the lost one is brought back home (Luke 15:7). We are called to work alongside the Shepherd; let us not ignore His call. James understood that he must obey; that is why he wrote this letter; and that is why BeaconLight has sent you Word@Work!
Prayer: Gracious Lord. You have saved me, and sought me out even when I did not want to be found. Please help me to work with you to help You bring back those who have fallen into sin and strayed away from Your authority. Help me to be alert to the people who You are wanting to bring back home into your love and care. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
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Your next Word@Work will be sent on
This is the the last devotional in our series in the Letter of James.
The start of the new series of Word@Work, in 1 Peter, will be sent to you on Monday 27 April.
The start of the new series of Word@Work, in 1 Peter, will be sent to you on Monday 27 April.
All the 'back copies' for this series and the series in Mark and Ephesians can be found on www.beaconlight.co.uk/email
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Contact us at wordatwork@beaconlight.co.uk