Meditations

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. James 5:5-6

“The rich will face judgment on the last day, but some even face judgment now as a result of their overeating and drinking. In our day, we talk of the illnesses of the rich. Their anxieties and overindulgence lead to stress and shorten their lives. All the thought they have put into their investments will prove useless as they are separated from them by death.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Today is my birthday. I am so excited to spend it on airplanes. Why? I love riding on airplanes. It’s one of my secret places to spend time with God. I have three long flights today. Plenty of time for sleep and solitude.

As a bonus, I depart at 12:05am Uganda time, and fly back in time via Brussels, Washington D.C., and Denver, so I get to live 13 December 2025 for 34 instead of 24 hours. What a blessing!

En route, I will take rest. And, when awake I will enjoy solitude with God for renewal, writing, and whatever. I say whatever because God often surprises me and says, I want you to write a sermon or draft a devotional.

He often prods me to do things that were not on my proverbial radar. Think of it as planned spontaneity. It’s time blocked for whatever God desires. How does this relate to indulgence and investments.

The rich struggle often because their wealth enables them to have whatever they desire. Our desires destroy us in indulgence. From there, the wealth or investments captivate our attention. We want preserve our standard of living.

Randy Alcorn has reminded us that God blesses us not to preserve or grow our standard of living but our standard of giving. Any other perspective leads to indulgence, illnesses (physical dysfunctions that match the spiritual dysfunction at play), and investments (preoccupation with earthly wealth – think: whatever you hold onto gets a hold onto you – that is only secure when stored up in heaven).

Anyway, I want nothing more for my birthday but a peaceful day on airplanes, love and greetings from family and friends around the world, and a warm welcome tonight at home with Jenni and Grace. I look forward to the messages.

And I pray for a year of good health to serve, free of the shackles of indulgence, illness, and investments.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. James 5:1-4

“Society has always been characterized by the gulf between the majority who are poor and the handful who are rich. The latter are the powerful ones. They set themselves up above the law. They make demands that are harmful to the interests of the poor. They insult poor people, drag them into court, and slander the noble name of the Lord. James does not call such people ‘brothers’ because they are not part of the family, even if they attend church. But God will judge them on that day when everyone will appear before the true judge to account for their behavior.

That day will be one of weeping and misery for the rich without God. The riches they relied on will evaporate – and will even be used as evidence against them. The wealth the rich have hoarded should have been used to pay fair wages to their employees. This injustice is yet another major addition to the catalogue of wrongs they have committed. But there is irony in the fact that those same rich people who dragged others before courts will themselves be judged in court by the Lord Almighty, or ‘the Lord of Hosts’ (that is, armies), who defends His people. The poor will be the ones to lay the charge, and the rich will be powerless before this judge, who cannot be manipulated or bribed.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Today marks my last full day of a long trip. I praise God for the way He has worked in the hearts of those I have had the privilege of serving from all across Africa over a week in Cameroon and a week in Uganda.

As I get to the final chapter of James and study it with Solomon Andria, an African commentator, two thoughts stood out to me today worth exploring more deeply. They relate to the powerless and the powerful.

When the rich handle God’s money rightly, they demonstrate justice and generosity using their power to serve the powerless. They do not aim to preserve their place of power. God sees and celebrates as they care for the poor who cry out (see Job 29:12).

When the rich follow worldly patterns, they participate in oppression and manipulation, and often use bribes or other favors to get or preserve and grow their power. Ironically, in the end, these people will be the powerless ones.

This brings into view the paradox of power related to generosity. Only those who give away their power keep it. And those who try to preserve their power lose it. In the last day with whom will you rank, the powerless or the powerful?

How you live, give, serve, and love will shape your eternal destiny! I see this more vividly when I spend two weeks in Africa. Lord have mercy and move the powerful to give away their power and entrust themselves to you through generous living. Amen.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17

“James now gives a specific example of the pride he condemns. Addressing a businessman or businesswoman who makes plans without any thought of God, he says something like this: ‘You drive yourself hard to succeed in business, but without God. You are very sure of yourself. And yet you are like a mist that appears and disappears’. What is the good of making long-term plans when you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow? Earlier, he had compared riches to a flower. The rich person who is counting on his riches and the businessperson without God are alike. Both are guilty of the sin of self-sufficiency, of thinking they can succeed on their own. Both will come up short when they confront the brevity of life.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Today in Uganda we trained 33 workers from 18 countries across Africa through Stations of Generosity. Each one plans to replicate the training to spread the message of biblical generosity in their country.

We also have two partner organizations – As One Uganda and Partners Worldwide – who expressed gratitude for the privilege of getting trained. They too plan to spread the trainings to all those they serve.

But I told them all this Scripture. And I said, “Don’t focus on all the people you think you want to train. They are not here. Focus on what God wants to teach you today, right now. Don’t make any plans, just ask God to teach you.”

This mirrors today’s biblical text and it touched them deeply. At the end I asked them to pray and ask God who He wants them to share it with. And I asked them if the answer to their prayer was different from what they thought at the start.

Guess what? Everyone raised their hand. People testified that after just experiencing the training without any plans or assumptions about the future, God put a bigger vision or a different one on their heart.

Notice the opposite of this. We can take posture of self-sufficiency and map big plans and act like we know everything. We actually commit the sin of self-sufficiency when we do this. I have done it many times. Perhaps you can relate?

Let’s not make this mistake. We fail because God blesses us and we often say, “I’ll take if from here, Lord.” And we take charge. Personally, I discern that God wants me to do many new things in 2026. What will they be?

I could map plans. When I do, things often don’t seem to come together. I plan to block some time on the flights home to surrender my life, my future, and my ideas of plans to Him and ask Him to help me discern next steps. Join me.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the Spirit He has caused to dwell in you? But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:4-6

“James seeks to shock his hearers by bursting out with adulterous people! If we take this literally, it means that some of the readers were guilty of the sin of adultery. But he is speaking like an Old Testament prophet here, and what he is actually speaking of is spiritual infidelity. When the people of Israel turned away from God, they were regarded as an unfaithful wife (Jeremiah 3:20).

Jesus used the same expression when he called the Jews who were demanding miracles ‘a wicked and adulterous generation’ (Matthew 12:39). This type of infidelity is characterized by friendship with the world, on the basis of desires and pleasures. James denounces such compromise and duplicity. It is impossible to serve God and the desires of the world at the same time, for one cannot be simultaneously a friend and an enemy of God. A choice must be made.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

On my second night in Uganda, I had dinner with two participants from our GTP regional event, one from northern Nigeria and another from Burundi. One serves in a setting of tremendous religious persecution and the other destitute poverty.

They expressed gratitude for the teaching and training GTP has invested in them online through our courses and now onsite in Africa.

The one in persecution said that GTP courses have strengthened him and his fellow stewards to strengthen disciples and infuse courage and confidence in them to persevere. Instead of living in fear, we have inspired deep faith.

The one in a destitute setting spoke of how we have helped him facilitate mindset change and turn dependency to discipleship. His focus has shifted from what he cannot do because of what he does not have to using what he has faithfully to solve problems around them. And it’s working!

Both spoke of the impact on the congregations and young people they serve. They wanted me to pass on gratitude to those whose giving was investing in them to grow a resilient and sustainable church in their countries.

So, what does this have to do with desires and duplicity? This Saturday, I will travel back in time on my birthday, so I will live it for 34 instead of 24 hours. I will spend about 30 of those hours traveling. No kidding.

I will ponder returning to a society that predominantly desires the things of this world. In response, I want you to ask a hard question. If your heart is right, it won’t offend you at all. What are you living for?

James described living for the desires of this world as adulterous and duplicitous. I would suggest that, at times, all of us get drawn to the things of the world. But there’s good news. He gives us more grace.

Father, forgive us when we allow the world to captivate our affections. Pour out grace and mercy by your Spirit. We choose to make you our chief desire. Help us serve others in the hardest places like you helped us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. James 3:13

“James returns to the question of wisdom, which … is characterized by a good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. Some of James’ readers were no doubt claiming to be wise and intelligent. The author challenges them to prove it. Wisdom is not a philosophical theory but something that has to be demonstrated in daily life. And it, too, follows from applying the truth of the word.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Show it. Prove it.

What a privilege to facilitate Journey of Empowerment (JOE) with 34 influential workers from 18 countries over the past two days: ⁠Angola, ⁠Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States of America, ⁠Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

By the time this posts we will have just completed JOE.

The best part, I did different parts of the facilitation so as to empower the EPSA staff (English, Portuguese, and Spanish Speaking Africa staff) to play more significant roles and so they feel confident to replicate the training without my presence. I give thanks for what God is doing so far on this trip.

Consider this comment from Tionge Chile of Malawi from the Cameroon Trip report that illustrates the “demonstrated in daily life” aspect of today’s post.

“Over the past week I have learned that I cannot teach generosity from a distance. I must live it among the people I serve. When my words and actions match, I inspire others to mindset change and a different way of living that radically reflects Christ.”

What about you? What needs to change so your life demonstrates “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom?” Show it. Prove it.

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. James 3:1-2

“Earlier, James had said that ‘everyone should be … slow to speak’. Now he expands that command beyond speaking in the general sense to apply it to the speaking that is inevitably involved in teaching the people of God: Not many of you should presume to be teachers. The reason that we who teach will be judged more strictly is that the more we say, the more likely we are to stumble and make mistakes. teachers are not perfect and will make mistakes just like everyone else. But their mistakes may have destructive consequences.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Today marks the start of my second of two weeks in Africa. I am mentoring our newer staff this week, and while it is exhausting, it is going well. We have already battled sickness, delays in the arrival of our luggage, cockroaches (ask me about them sometime but you may not want to hear my story), and more. Thanks for your prayers.

Let me introduce the team so you see why I am taking this work for which I will be judged more strictly. I have worked with two of them for 3 years. Let’s start with them.

Samuel Mujyanama lives in Rwanda. He serves as GTP Global Prayer Coordinator and Multimedia Specialist for GTP. He’s got a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication, a master of divinity degree. Samuel helps with all GTP communication and social media. He and I will release a 30-day devotional entitled, Surrender, in 2026.

Tionge Chile lives in Malawi. He serves as GTP Project Manager for Africa. We launched Palmful of Maize together in 2022. Imagine that more than 1 million children participate across his country in only three years. I love hearing Tionge speak about how GTP has turned dependency to discipleship among the children and their families in Malawi.

Now meet the other three with whom I have served only in 2026.

Romeo Nkongnou crushed it in Cameroon. He serves as GTP Global Trainer and French Programs Manager. He lives there and convened some of the top Christian workers in both the country and the continent, including the head of the Evangelical Alliance for Africa. No kidding. Romeo gives me hope for Francophone Africa!

Anita Mulwana runs point this week. She lives in Uganda. We have safely arrived in Kigali. She serves as GTP Global Trainer and English Programs Manager. She’s got good administrative skills coupled with training capacity. God has raised Anita up to mobilize an army of trainers for the English, Portuguese, and Spanish speakers of Africa.

Emmna Pervaiz lives in Jhelum, Pakistan. So, what is she doing here? She’s worked with me in Pakistan and Nepal and offered to help me help the Africa staff understand how to do the logistical work necessary to support onsite program work. Emmna is here to mentor all four of the Africans in the administrative aspects of program work.

Now you have met the five solid stewards with whom I am serving for two weeks.

I mentioned them because my focus has been to teach them content and empower them to participate with me in delivering it. By this way they have confidence to replicate and spread it to others. And I have made it clear that their lives must exhibit the content otherwise the entire training is a waste of time. They get it.

What we teach and how we deliver it matters. Our words and actions must match. The administration of our work must align with the content we deliver! By caring for both points, we prepare to give an account for our teaching. Are you ready to give an account? Or really the question is this: Have you made those you serve ready to give an account?

Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:21-26

“At this point, James gives two examples drawn from God’s word: Abraham and Rahab, both of whom became ancestors of our Lord Jesus. Our ancestor Abraham was such an example of faith in action that he is called the father of believers (Galatians 3:7-9). His faith expressed itself in his willingness to sacrifice his only son to God (Genesis 22:1-19). This sacrifice is the action by which Abraham demonstrated his faith. He was not justified by this action, but by the faith that produced it.

Rahab in the second example is the very opposite of Abraham. He is the father of believers, whereas she was only a prostitute. But they shared the same faith, the faith that expresses itself in action. By faith, Rahab risked her life to save the lives of the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:1-21). The author concludes this part of his letter with a metaphor: σs the body without the spirit is deσd, so faith without deeds is dead. This metaphor underscores the importance of putting God’s word into practice if we are even to be able to speak about faith.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Yesterday, our GTP team of six flew from Cameroon to Gabon to Ethiopia to Uganda. Somewhere along the way, our bags got offloaded. We got to our rooms by 4:45am on Sunday morning. Thankfully we blocked the day to rest. Pray our bags arrive sometime today. Trusting this and everything else to Jesus.

I often teach my students that if you don’t risk everything for the Kingdom, you don’t gain anything and you miss the Kingdom altogether. Abraham risked Isaac. Rehab risked her life. The faith that takes no risks is dead. The faith that motivates stewards to risk everything saves them. Faith that motivates no actions or takes such risks is dead.

Think of it this way. God wants your hands free to grasp the Kingdom. He wants you to let go of whatever is most precious to you, whatever you think you need. That’s why He calls the rich man to let go of riches. Money won’t get you into the Kingdom. But if you let it go in giving, you enter. Notice how that is harder for people with riches; they have more to let go of.

This passage has everything to do with generosity. God wants to give you something better than your most precious possessions. He wants to give you the Kingdom. The question is this: Do you trust him enough to let go of whatever you are holding onto? Give generously. Let me speak like James and say your eternal salvation depends on it.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? James 2:18-20

“To drive this point home, James stops using the plural pronoun and changes to the singular, as if he were talking to only one person. This type of change is not unusual in the Old Testament, especially in Psalms and Proverbs. As we have said, James’ letter could well be a book of wisdom. The author contrasts faith characterized by nice words with the faith that produces works that can be observed. He emphasizes that such works are the result of faith. Faith that is not demonstrated by works is dead in that it is simply a nominal belief, like that of the demons, who also believe in God but do not obey him. The author has good reason to say that the person who advocates such dead faith is a poor man! He is worth very little in spiritual terms.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

Do you exhibit nominal belief?

It’s a strong statement as James equates such people with demons who believe in God but do not obey Him. Think about it. James, the half-brother of Jesus, groups nominal believers with demons. I often say, please, don’t count yourself as a follower of Jesus if you choose a path of foolishness.

What is nominal belief, anyway?

It would be a person who says, I follow Jesus (words) and then does not do what He says (works). The reason such people get numbered among the demons is clear: such faith cannot save them. Notice that teaching people about radical obedience and generosity is really saving them for eternity.

Obedience is not incidental but integral to saving faith.

The work in Cameroon has far exceeded expectations. Today we fly to Ethiopia then drop down to Uganda for another week of program work. Thanks for your prayers

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:15-17

“The preaching style of this letter appears here more clearly than elsewhere. James addresses his readers as if they were standing before him and sets out to question and persuade them. He uses a concrete example to make his point: What should one do when faced with a brother or sister in need, lacking even the most basic necessities such as clothing and food? There were certainly many poor people in the churches to which James was writing. Fine sounding words would not feed them, nor would good wishes. Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is deσd. In other words, it needs no enemy to make it disappear.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

What good is it?

That’s a great question. James hold us a mirror to help us as readers see our actions for what they are. Only hearers can answer. But they need to be asked this question to be moved to change. This text shows the power of a question for influencing human actions.

What good is it?

Suppose you keep living, giving, serving, and loving on the same trajectory. Our African brother, Solomon Andria expounds on this with an African question. Will your influence require any enemy to disappear?

Think about it. Will your life cause the evil one to want your example to stop blessing others or will he celebrate because you look no different from the world around you?

What good is it?

Today marks our final day in Cameroon. The main training event will serve not only workers from across Francophone Africa but upwards of 100 invited guests from the Cameroon Christian community.

Pray for us. The enemy wants us to disappear. Hardships, lost luggage, sickness, and other have beset us this week, but we continue to overcome by the grace of God.

And pray for my friend, Chi-Chung Keung. He retires from paid work today. I leave him with today’s question as he contemplates what I believe will be his best years of service yet ahead of him.

As he asks it of himself and as you ask it of yourself, I pray much good comes of your response and that God sustains you through the attacks of the enemy which seek to make you disappear.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 2:14

“In considering whether James is indeed teaching salvation by works, we need to remember when this letter was written. It was probably written towards the end of the first century, by which time Paul’s teaching on justification by faith would have been widely known, since Paul’s letters had been written decades earlier. However, some Christians in the generation following Paul were misinterpreting the doctrine of justification by faith and even twisting it by claiming that works were no longer important. So James is not opposing Paul. In fact, he places more stress on authentic faith than he is sometimes given credit for. He insists faith is empty and inauthentic if it does not involve putting the word into practice.”

Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).

This post seems fitting as Romeo Nkongnou from Cameroon, Emmna Pervaiz from Pakistan, and I train workers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, The Republic of Congo, Togo, and Uganda through Stations of Generosity today.

Imagine people from very difficult conditions realizing that they can share generously despite having limited means, which demonstrates their faith is not empty or inauthentic. Imagine the witness giving is in hard places. Pray for us. One of our team members has gotten sick. Thankfully she tested negative for Malaria, but it creates more work on others.