Measuring Stick Religion by Pastor Danny Laws
James 1:1-3 (KJV)
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
As I continue to watch the news and other reports, I find myself quickly overwhelmed. Let me remind you that Satan attempts to discourage and defeat each of us in any way that he can possibly find.
In the text today, James reminds these scattered believers that Satan attempts to use these “temptations” or “trials” to scatter us even farther, if we allow him to do so. The idea behind the word “temptations” or “trials”, in the Greek, described a hijacker. Satan’s goal is to hijack our faith, our courage, and our witness. Let me remind you that Paul challenges us in (2 Timothy 1:7) to have “sound minds”. The idea of this term describes a person making good, godly decisions, knowing their eternal destination.
Let me challenge each of you during this time of crisis to watch out for those who have all the answers. These are those who have what I like to refer to as “Measuring Stick Religion”. The coronavirus has taken many lives, and many people are panicking. We know that this virus is a threat to every person in the world and not to be taken lightly. This is not a time to criticize and attack others because they don’t have faith as strong as “yours”, especially from our pulpits.
Let me remind you again, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind.” Be mindful that there are those who have illnesses and medical conditions that could be dreadful if they were to be exposed to this virus. Yes, I know some will say, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” While that is true, I have not met too many people in 30 years of ministry who have said, “Lord, let me get terminally ill, suffer and die.” Please be careful of “measuring people up” and start “lifting people up”, for the cause of Christ.
