by Don Hatfield
James
I met him on the road to Jericho. I was walking there to visit my sister and her husband. Word had come to me that they had also become believers and I wanted to fellowship with them. He was walking slowly and it was obvious that each step taken was a step taken in pain. I caught up with him and as I came alongside of him I asked if I could be of any help. He stared at me. A stare that seemed to reach down into the hidden places of my soul searching every thought that was taking place in my mind. He answered, “No, but I can help you for I will tell you of the life that you should live as a believer and then you can tell others.” I was startled to say the least. I asked him how he knew that I was a believer and he said that he could sense the Spirit of God in me. He then said walk along with me and as I did so he began to tell me of the Christian life and what it was to mean to me. He was a tall thin man with gray hair and dark brown eyes. He had the hands of a carpenter but when I asked him about his past he answered and said we will only talk of the future for the past is gone and each new day is a day to praise our Savior.
Here is what he said to me on that dusty road to Jericho. “Mark, my young believer, (Mark is my name), count it all joy when you fall into different temptations. When you are encompassed by them just stop and think about where you are. Yes, when you are enticed to sin or to lapse from faith and holiness think about where you are at. I stopped him and said, “Why am I supposed to be joyous in the midst of temptation? James answered, “Know this that the trying of your faith works patience. The reason that you should stop and consider is so that you may understand that when these things happen it is an opportunity for you to get to know your Father in a more intimate way. Stop, pray and consider and watch Him work in your soul to make you more like Jesus. Let me ask you a question my young believer. What is faith?” I stopped there in the middle of the road because I had never thought about the word faith before. I finally answered, “I guess that it is believing that Jesus is my Savior.” James said, “Yes, Mark, that is true but it is much more than that. It is the conviction that God exists and that He is the creator and ruler of all things. It is the belief that He has bestowed eternal salvation through Jesus the Christ. Because of this belief when these temptations occurred we should stand with patience and not be swerved from our steadfast loyalty in Christ our Savior.” With that James stopped and looked at me as if he knew my thoughts. I broke the silence and said, “I am ashamed because at the tiniest problem or trial I must confess that I usually fall apart. I usually start whining and asking God why He is letting these things happen to me. Instead of praying I began braying.” James smiled and said, “Now your eyes are opened a little to perceive that your Father is wanting to make your like His Son. Mark, let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. Let her be brought to full completeness in you that you may be complete lacking nothing in your likeness to your Savior. We both know that until we see Him we shall not be fully mature but if we let Him work in us here He will have a lot less to do in eternity.” I then said to James, “Every day and in every way I see how little I resemble Him. I need His grace every day of my life.” To which James replied, “Don’t we all Mark, don’t we all.”
I then said to James, “Most of the time I do not know what to do. I do not know whether to speak up or be silent. Whether to turn to the right or to the left.” James began to chuckle and said, “Join the crowd Mark for there are no natural Christians. All of us are new creations in Christ and as new creations we are not supposed to know everything. However, there is an answer to our dilemma but sad to say most of us ignore it. Jesus tells us that if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that gives to all men liberally and upbraided not and it shall be given him. Before we met the Savior we used the wisdom of the world. However now that we know Him and His Spirit has entered into us there is a conflict. For the wisdom of the world is not God’s wisdom as a matter of fact it often opposes His wisdom. Jesus said if you lack the knowledge of how to live uprightly then come to Him and He shall supply it. Not only will He supply it but He will supply it abundantly. He will never tell you how stupid you are for asking when you do not know.” I said to James, “What a wonderful Father we have. My Father would often tell me that I was stupid and a knot head but my new Father asks me to come for He is never too busy. That is glorious.” James said, “That deserves a shout of praise. We both praised God together on the Jericho road. James then continued, “There is a condition that we must remember when we do ask of God. We must ask in faith noting wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. When we waver we are actually opposing ourselves and our Father. How can we be guided if we are forever turning around in circles? When we ask we should know for certain that He will answer.” I said, “How guilty I am of wavering for I no sooner ask than I start to question everything in my mind instead of waiting for the guidance in my spirit.” James said, “Mark, when that happens to any of us let not us think that we shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. It is not that God is not willing for as we just said if you lack then ask. When the mind is being tossed about like a wave and the emotion is rising and falling our spirit is unable to receive because of all the commotion. We must learn to quiet ourselves at the throne of grace to receive instruction.” I said to James, “I sure have a lot to learn about sailing on the ship of grace.” James smiled and put his arm around me and said, “We all do Mark, we all do. We will not be completely at rest until we are anchored in the harbor of heaven.”
James then asked about my family. Where we came from and I answered that we were from the town of Bethany. My parents had passed away and it was only my sister and I who were still living. I told him that I worked at a local market where I would unload and sort vegetables that were being put on the shelves for sale. I also told him that we were very poor while growing up and received little education. James then startled me when he said, “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. Mark, we do not see as our Lord sees we need to change our way of thinking and began to see as He sees. When we accept Him as Lord and Savior no matter who we are or what our station in life we become royalty. We become saints of the one who created all life. We need no longer be ashamed of where we came from or who our parents were for we have a new parent, a new brother and a new nature. We are children of the King.” I stopped right there in the middle of the road because what James was saying was sinking down into my soul. I had always been envious of others who had so much more in this world than I did. All of sudden I felt sorry for them for so many I knew did not know the Savior and had no interest in hearing about Him.
I expressed my thoughts to James and he shook his head in agreement and said, “Yes, let the rich in that he is made low because as the flower of the grass he shall soon pass away. Take time consider your life Mark. Take time to live in the reality of the moment. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat but it withers the grass and the flower thereof falls and the grace of the fashion of it perishes so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Be wise my young friend for as it happens to the rich it will also happen to you. Yesterday I was young today I am old. Only one thing remains that is not fading and that is our Father and His grace to us. So rejoice in that and be not envious of any.” That day on that road my outlook on life began to change in a dramatic way for my eyes were opened to the brevity of life. I slowly began to live each day rejoicing in my Savior instead of being burdened down with all the cares of the world.
I said to James, “That is the way that I want to be. I do not want to be burdened down with all the cares of this world. I want to please my Savior Jesus. How in the world can I do that James?” James said, “Blessed and happy is the man that endures t
emptation” I stopped him and ask, “What do you mean by endures temptation?” James answered, “To endure means to stay steadfast under trials and misfortunes holding on to your faith in Jesus. Temptation is that which when given in to causes us to lapse from our faith and holiness. When the man who endures is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.” Again I ask, “What do you mean by the crown of Life?” James said,” The crown of life is the eternal blessedness that is given as a reward to the genuine servants of God and Christ. They will be given this crown because they were servants of righteousness.”
James then said, “I know what you are thinking Mark but your thinking is wrong. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither temps He any man. Do you understand why that is so Mark?” I thought about it for a moment and then it became clear to me and I answered, “If God would tempt people with evil that would make Him evil.” James put his hand
