Grains of Sand

He only appears once on the pages of biblical history. Whatever happened to Matthias? Jesus had returned to heaven after his resurrection. His followers were shut up in an upstairs room praying, and waiting for. . . well, they weren't entirely sure what it was they were waiting for. All they knew was that their Messiah had promised to send his Spirit to empower them for ministry. While they waited and prayed, Peter addressed the group, quoting what is now known as Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8. Based on the prophecy, the apostle suggested that it was time to choose a replacement for Judas. He said: " Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection " –Acts1:21, 22, NIV. Two men met the criteria: Barsabbas and Matthias. After they prayed, they drew ...

Remember the wishy-washy faith described by James in chapter 1, verses 6 to 8? " But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does ." If you ask for wisdom, believe that wisdom is exactly what the Lord will give you. At the end of his little letter, James returns to the theme of unwavering faith, this time in the context of other issues that plague our daily lives. " Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will rise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray from each other...