Just James: 12 Keys to Living the Good Life

JUST JAMES

12 Keys to Living the Good Life

By V. DuWayne Battle, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2003 V. DuWayne Battle

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

Scripture quotations marked TLB, The Living Bible, or LIV are taken from The Living Bible, Kenneth N. Taylor, 1997, 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my mother, Lenora Thomas Battle, who taught me as a boy that she could see further on her knees than I could see standing up, and to the memory of my father, Thomas Oscar Battle, who taught me the value of hard work and family pride, and the truth that levity lightens the load. Together they were the first to teach me the keys to living the good life.

Contents

Preface

Chapter One – Turning Your Trials into Triumphs

Chapter Two – Avoiding Temptations

Chapter Three – It Takes More than Talk

Chapter Four – Finding Fault with Favoritism

Chapter Five – Faith that Works

Chapter Six – Taming the Tongue

Chapter Seven – True Wisdom

Chapter Eight – The Cure for Conflict

Chapter Nine – What Is Your Life?

Chapter Ten – Understanding Your Wealth

Chapter Eleven – Practicing Patience

Chapter Twelve – Powerful Prayers

Notes

About the Author

Preface

The good life – financially independent, healthy, well-educated and endeared to many. You have a spacious estate with manicured gardens, a loving family, pedigree pets and model children. Although your wisdom and insight is widely recognized and sought on matters of global concern, your international circle of friends and contacts reach out to you not just because of what you can do for them, but to see what they can do to make your life even more meaningful and profitable. You sit by the pool near the sea that joins the property of your estate. The sky and the sea are different shades of blue. You are enjoying a typical day of sunshine, temperatures in the mid-seventies, with a gentle breeze coming in off the waters. Just enough rain falls, mostly during the nighttime hours, to keep the grass green, the flowers and trees plentiful, and the air fresh and clean. There you sit, serenaded by the surf, surrounded by your family and friends, enjoying a slice of the good life. Does this work for you? It certainly speaks to me. Is this, or something similar to this, the kind of life that you secretly wish for? Do you plan on enjoying such a life in your retirement years? Are you working hard now, putting in extra time, so you can enjoy such a good life in the not-too-distant future? Or do you sense that maybe, just maybe, there is something else, something more than this idealic scene depicts that God wants you to do with your life?

This book is about living the good life – but from God’s perspective, not ours. It comes from a series of messages lifted from the inspired words in the book of James. About James, we know that he was a brother of the Lord Jesus Christ and a leader of God’s people in the early church. His teachings are practical and insightful, as he tries to lead believers to live useful Christian lives. He wants the people closest to him to enjoy the good life from God’s perspective. Not surprisingly, then, tucked away in the pages of this book are keys to the good life. James talks about the good life and how you and I can live it. Suffice it to say that life that is lived only unto oneself is less than optimal in the kingdom of God. The good life is more than the surf and the sea, the sand and the sun, and twenty-four-seven success and fun. The good life is more than a life of leisure and perpetual good times. To be sure, the good life does not necessarily exclude leisure and profit, but more importantly, it involves others. It is not just based on what others can do for you. It has more to do with what you can do for others in the name of Christ. The good life is the righteous life, but it is not limited to moral perfection. It is life that is lived after God’s righteous character, which involves doing good on behalf of others and promoting justice in society. It is a life of unlimited possibilities when yielded to the will of God, surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and filled with the wind and wonder and workings of the Holy Spirit.

Twelve keys to living the good life are offered in the pages that follow. They have to do with overcoming trials, avoiding temptations, practicing acceptable religion and steering clear of the paralysis of partiality. The good life makes the connection between faith and works, knows the value of careful conversation, and seeks to acquire and practice godly wisdom. Christians seeking to live the good life are not at the heart of unhealthy conflict in the church or the world, but are eager participants in helping to restore health and wholeness where it is needed most. A significant key to living the good life in the here and now is related to the ability to live life with the end in view. As I type these words, I am preparing to join my family for the services of resurrection and life for my uncle Jimmy. He was a man who clearly loved His Savior, and was a faithful deacon in his church in Washington, D.C. For many years, he was a Christian recording artist, an animated worshiper and a seasoned prayer warrior. When I spoke with my Aunt Sue a few days ago, she told me it was Uncle Jimmy’s wish that I speak at his funeral, which is a grand honor and a great responsibility, one that I do not take lightly. My aunt recalled for me a message I gave a decade ago from the book of James. Again and again, I have returned to the words of James 4:14, where James raises the question, What is your life? Chapter 9 of this book, which examines this question, is dedicated to the memory of my uncle, James Will Holcomb, Sr. Living the good life finds us contemplating this question sooner than later. The final chapters of this book are related to prosperity, patience and powerful prayers. May God be pleased to give us an abundance of each.

It should be mentioned that these messages were first offered to the wonderful people who are a part of the St. Paul Baptist Church in Montclair, New Jersey. It took me several months to make my way through these sermons, and the congregation was both receptive and encouraging during our journey through the book of James. It was not until we were well into the series that, at the encouragement of some within our congregation, I began to think seriously about offering these messages in the form of a book. I am grateful to them.

I am also grateful for other opportunities that I have had to share these messages with different congregations. I am especially grateful to the Reverend Dr. James Carrington and the members of the Friendship Baptist Church in Yoruba Linda, California, and the Reverend Dr. Earl A. Ross and the members of the Randall Memorial Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. for allowing me the opportunity to preach a number of these messages in their midst. I also need to thank my wife, Edith, and my two children, Thomas Oscar and Mary Elizabeth, for their constant support and encouragement. The leaders and members of my congregation have been there for me in many ways, especially in the most difficult of times. I am most indebted to two of my deacons, Fletcher Jenkins and Alan Bond, for their examples of faith and fortitude in the midst of the fire. I also wish to acknowledge the faithful support of my larger family, especially my godmother Mrs. Marjorie K. Alston, my brothers and sisters, and several pastors and several pastors who have been a significant part of my pastoral support team: the Reverend Dr. A. Roy Medley, Bishop Norman Prescott, the Reverend Dr. Granville Seward and the Rev. Dr. Glenmore Bembry. I especially acknowledge the suggestions and helpful contributions of my brother, Dr. Thomas C. Battle, who graciously read the entire manuscript and shared valuable insights. Additionally, I have been most fortunate to have the prayer covering of my spiritual parents - the Reverend Dr. Elliott and Mrs. Geraldine Mason. Time and space does not permit me to mention by name all of those who have been a tremendous source of support. But I am grateful for each of you. More than anything, I am grateful to God for His gift of salvation, His call to ministry on my life, and the desire and opportunity given to me to write this book.

As you make the journey through James, you will see that I refer to the Bible and the hymnal often, as both have been an important part of my spiritual development. To make for an easier reading, I have provided references to direct Scripture quotes – taken from the New International Version of the Bible – in the text of this book, while most other references are provided as endnotes. It is my prayer that these keys will help you to unlock the door to your God-given potential to live the good life.

V. DuWayne Battle

Montclair, New Jersey

September 11, 2003

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Chapter 1

TURNING YOUR TRIALS INTO TRIUMPHS

James 1:1-12

Some time ago, I read a devotional that focused on whether the Christian life is tough or easy. The writer pondered whether our faith in Jesus Christ causes us difficulty, hardship, suffering and loss, or whether we should travel an easy road to heaven. Clearly, people of extreme faith in the Scriptures are remembered for their examples of faithfulness in the face of many difficulties. One has only to mention the examples of Jesus, Peter and Paul, and we remember the trials and imprisonments, the tempestuous seas and shipwrecks, the sorrows and sufferings, the beatings and assassinations. In a word, we remember the way of the cross.

Neil Postman, a social critic, reminds us that Christianity is a serious religion that places demands on us. When it is presented as something else, it becomes another kind of religion altogether.

The serious disciple must get serious about serving Christ and just as serious about the suffering that awaits him or her. Jesus warned us about insults, persecutions and slander.

He said:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).

The book of James has much to say on the subject of trials and sufferings. Early in James we read:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance (James 1:2, 3).

Much of my inspiration for preaching from this text came when I sat with two of the most faithful deacons I have ever met. They are cut from a rare ecclesiastical cloth of compassion, competence and commitment. There we