1 - Lifedrops

Whether you are a smartphone lover or a hater who only has one out of necessity, we all share a common fear, THE DROP.  In an instant your $600 window to the world becomes a useless piece of shattered glass.  

The company Lifeproof has created a successful business by manufacturing what has become a necessary accessory to the smartphone - protection.  Lifeproof makes no technological contribution to your device; instead Lifeproof helps your phone do the one thing your phone does not do well - LIFE.

The people at Lifeproof know what is coming at your phone - YOU.  Drops.  Toilets.  Kids.  Sweat.  Dogs.  A lonely, lost overnight stay in the last place you set it down - in the rain.  There is no app for that.

James writes a letter to a group of Jewish Christians in the 1st century who started well.  If you heard them speak the language of faith, you would detect no issues with the lingo.  But they are suffering a serious life drop.  Dispersion.  They are being persecuted.  They are fleeing and as they do they leave behind everything familiar - family, work, peace.  

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.  (James 1:1 ESV)

But you must understand, James was not writing them because they were scattered.  James was writing to them because they were shattered.

So how are you doing with those “life drops?”

In many ways our life is like our phone.  It looks and sounds great when things are going well, but when life drops, we easily shatter.  Don’t you agree?  It should be much more difficult to fall apart.

In chapter 1 verse 2, James mentions “trials of various kinds”; life drops.  Financial issues.  Physical issues.  Marital issues.  Family issues.  Whatever form they take, trials are unwelcome, unexpected experiences.  We all have them.

Whatever the trial brings, these are the moments that go deeper than what you say.  They go deeper than what people see.  It is easy to say all is well and look the part.  But when the hard stuff hits, one of two things will happen - you will either hold together or shatter.

The Book of James is about encasing your soul in something life proof - authentic faith.  

My intent with these posts is to flesh out in print a teaching from the book of James as I also flesh it out through preaching to our church.  Hopefully the print versions will be a blessing as it will afford me the opportunity to share some thoughts and ideas from my preaching notes that may not necessarily make their way into the pulpit version.  

Follow along.  Let’s encase our soul in a life proof faith.