Category: James

  • Time is slipping by

    Make the most of it

    Time seems to be flying. It’s already nearing the end of August, and the schools will be starting up in a few weeks. The robins and other birds are beginning to flock up in preparation for their migration south. 

    The fruit trees are heavily laden, and you can see windfall apples wherever there are apple trees. The yellow jackets are getting more aggressive and swarm around anything resembling food, making barbeques and picnics a bit more challenging. We are starting to see the early turning leaves on some trees.

    School supplies are back in stores now. The giant Halloween store that pops up yearly in a vacant spot has already opened. Good luck if you need to replace a piece of summer clothing. Heavy jackets, anyone?

    Time passes. It is a simple fact of this life. Sometimes, it seems to race by, and other times, it creeps ever so slowly, but the clock just keeps ticking. I saw a photo of a child I saw recently as a newborn; she’s a teenager! How is that even possible?

    Time is a priceless commodity, which means that over the years, I have squandered great wealth by unwise use of it.

    We are given very few days to live this life, and none know how many except the Lord (and He isn’t telling).

    Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:13-14 ESV

    Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Psalm 89:47-48 ESV

    All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV

    God has given us days to work and days to rest. He gives us seasons of great energy in our youth and seasons of less ability in our more senior years.

    The Lord has given us two incredible gifts. He has given us life itself and the opportunity to glorify God in that life.

    Make the most of it.

    Kevin

    Right belief or right living?

    You matter at your local church

    The Standoff – who wins?

    Jesus tells us to count the cost

    Times change but God doesn’t

    SUMMARY

    Watching the seasons turn reminded me how fast our days actually go, and how easy it is to waste time we can’t get back. Life is short and none of us know how many days we have — so let’s not waste the ones we’ve been given.

    TAKEAWAY

    The turning season — birds flocking, fading summer clothes, early leaves — is a vivid picture of how fast time moves

    Scripture (James 4:13-14, Psalm 89:47-48, 1 Peter 1:24-25) describes our life as a mist and grass that withers, while God’s word alone endures forever

    God has given us two gifts — life itself and the opportunity to glorify Him in it — so the call is to steward the days we’re given

  • Down to the River

    the river - an invitation

    I caught an old spiritual on YouTube last night, “Down to the River to Pray.” The version I listened to was far too slow for my personal taste, but it got me thinking. It’s been around since the late 1800s, but got a revival of sorts with the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

    This is Alison Krause’s version . In case you aren’t familiar with the song, the lyrics are:

    As I went down in the river to pray
    Studyin’ about that good ol’ way
    And who shall wear the starry crown?
    Good Lord, show me the way

    [Verse 1]
    O, sisters, let’s go down
    Let’s go down, come on down
    O, sisters, let’s go down
    Down in the river to pray

    It then repeats with sisters being replaced by brothers, fathers, mothers and sinners.

    “As I went down to the river to pray…” is a call to repentance and prayer.

    The river is a place of seeking God. Throughout Scripture, rivers are associated with cleansing, renewal, and God’s saving work. The emphasis is not merely on water but on approaching God in humility and prayer. 

    The imagery naturally evokes baptism, especially the outdoor river baptisms common in the American South. Baptism symbolizes repentance, identification with Christ, cleansing from sin, and entrance into the covenant community (Matthew 3; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4). The song itself does not claim that baptism saves; it uses baptismal imagery as part of a broader call to seek God. 

    “Studyin’ about that good old way.” The phrase is an invitation to faithful discipleship. It refers to learning and walking in God’s ways. It echoes passages such as:

    •          Jeremiah 6:16 (“Ask for the ancient paths…”)

    •          John 14:6 (“I am the way…”)

    •          Acts, where Christianity is repeatedly called “the Way.”

    “Who shall wear the robe and crown?” This points to the believer’s future inheritance. The imagery comes from Revelation:

    •          White robes symbolize those cleansed by Christ (Revelation 7:13–14).

    •          Crowns symbolize the reward of faithful perseverance (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12). 

    Some older versions sing “starry crown” rather than “robe and crown”. While the precise meaning is uncertain, most Christian interpreters understand it as another image of heavenly glory.

    The verse addresses a different group each time: sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and sinners. This reflects the inclusive call of the gospel: everyone is invited to come to God in repentance and faith.

    Its weakness, if one were looking for doctrinal precision, is simply that it is a spiritual rather than a systematic theological statement. It never explicitly mentions Christ’s atoning death or justification by faith. 

    Instead, it functions as a communal invitation to seek God and walk “the good old way,” using biblical imagery familiar to Christian worshipers.

    In that spirit, allow me to extend an invitation.

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

    Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV

    The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

    … if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10

    My brothers and sisters, if you have not already done so, I invite you, and Jesus calls you to come down to the river.

    Be blessed today,

    Kevin

    You might also like: The Gospel, the best news you will ever hear.

    SUMMARY

    I caught an old spiritual on YouTube last night, “Down to the River to Pray,” and it got me thinking well past the melody. Behind its simple imagery of sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and sinners going down to the water lies a real call to repentance and discipleship, and I wanted to trace that call back to Scripture and extend it to you.

    TAKEAWAY

    The river imagery in the old spiritual echoes baptism throughout Scripture: cleansing, repentance, and entrance into the covenant community.

    “Studying that good old way” points to walking in God’s truth, from Jeremiah’s ancient paths to Jesus as the Way in John 14:6.

    The song’s inclusive call to sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and sinners mirrors the gospel invitation extended to everyone, which the post carries forward with a direct call to salvation.

    CHECK THESE POSTS OUT AS WELL

    Why everyone knows the truth

    Read the Word

    Crowns of glory

    Flood waters