1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Pray without ceasing.

James, brother of our Lord was one of the pillars of the early church. He was the leader of the council of Jerusalem and a wonderful friend of other disciples. Although there are no solidified facts about who wrote the book of James, scholars ascribe it to James, the half-brother of Jesus. He may have been an eyewitness to several miracles of Jesus. He must have watched his brother, Jesus, from a distance. Only after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he may have realized who Jesus really is. From then on, there was no turning back. He dedicated his life in teaching, encouraging, and above all, praying. Beyond that, James was known for his piety and also as James the Just. He was a highly esteemed leader of the early church. History records that James spent several hours each day praying, interceding, and worshiping God. On cold stone floors in the winters and hot, crusty grounds in the summers, James must have knelt and spent hours communing with His risen Savior and best friend. Because of the hours he spent on his knees, they became calloused and wrinkled. Therefore, he was given a nickname of old camel’s knees.

We read the Gospels and are amazed at the teachings of Jesus. With his call to repentance and the offer of salvation, we commit to His Lordship. Now we read about the Acts of the Apostles and the trials they go through. These Acts inspire us to stand firm in the faith despite the circumstances we face. Following the Acts, we delve into the teachings of Paul who carefully lays out the importance and need of a Savior in everyone’s life. With his logical reasoning, historical perspective and practical approach, Paul explains and persuades us to lead holy lives.

As we are contemplating on the teachings of Paul, James comes along and smacks us in the back of our head with his letter. He then comes around, grabs us by the collar, now holds us captive and gives us only two options: either live for Jesus or die in sin. He then slaps us hard with his list of ‘to dos’ to live out our lives in faith and for the Kingdom to come. We either come to our senses and live for Jesus or run for our lives away from the Gospel. There is no sailing in two boats with James’ teaching. When we read his epistle, we can conclude that he lived out what he preached. He followed closely Jesus’ teachings. The last chapter of James describes the necessity of prayer and describes about praying effectively. He further adds that prayers offered in faith will bring healing, forgiveness and prosperity.

Calloused knees or camel’s knees mean several hours spent on knees in humility before the Savior, in awe of the King of kings and in submission to His Sovereignty. Are our knees calloused? Has prayer become the dominant and essential aspect of our lives? Do our knees testify of our humility before the King? James concludes his epistle with a call to prayer. For every aspect of our lives, we must first go on our knees in prayer. Moments of joy, moments of pain, moments of tears, moments of trials and every other moment of life calls for time of prayer. More than riches and glory, camel’s knees are a better and visible testament of whose name we bear.

Haggai 1: 5 – 9

5. Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!

6. “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

7. Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways!

8. “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord.

9. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.

It is common all across the cultures of this world that a person should get a good and decent education, have a career, marry, build a house, raise a family and settle down. A person who doesn’t follow this set-in-stone formula is considered a rebel, a person who might end up lonely and miserable. One generation strives to make their lives better so that their next generation might enjoy the fruit of the previous generation. Passing on the inheritance of a good and decent life is considered a virtuous endeavor. We consider that it is a very normal thing to do. Faith in God is still in the picture but somewhere in a corner.

During the rebuilding of the second temple, in the second-year reign of Darius, God’s Word came to Haggai. The work on the temple came to a standstill. The people who returned to Jerusalem for the sole purpose of rebuilding the temple, set aside their temple rebuilding duties and were rebuilding their own houses. Thereby, they were neglecting the rebuilding the House of God. God was greatly disappointed with these people for neglecting their sole purpose in returning to Jerusalem.

Therefore, God warns them that if they continue to neglect their rebuilding duties, He will bring losses to the people involved. Whatever effort they would put in, and try to be successful, they will continue to suffer loss. When Darius gave permission for a few to return to Jerusalem, the sole purpose was to rebuild the temple of God which lay in ruins but not rebuild their own dilapidated homes. Their misplaced priorities brought them more ruin. Their prayers were returning to them void. All their efforts into building their own homes brought about distress and discord among the remnant. Their priority should have been to rebuild the House of God. Instead, rebuilding their homes became a priority. They neglected the House of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus asked us to seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness and all the other things will be added to us (Matthew 6: 33). Jesus meant that we should prioritize God’s Kingdom and not our own lives. When we place God first, His Kingdom first, His Church first, then we will prosper in all our ways. How are we building His temple today? Are we prioritizing in our lives and hearts to building the Church? How are we preparing the Bride of Christ for the Bridegroom?

In addition to Christ’s command, the Apostles also warned us to be busy about building God’s Kingdom, adding more souls to the Kingdom, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. James challenges us to show our faithfulness to God and His Kingdom by our works (James 2: 18). If we truly love God, we will take care of the orphan and the widow. That is how we will build the Kingdom, one soul at a time. When we make God our priority, then building God’s Kingdom, His body of believers, and His Church would become our priority. When our priorities are placed in a right fashion, then we will see prosperity in all aspects of life. Instead of building our lives, we must strive to build His Kingdom.

Today, when we see all our efforts bringing naught, we must realize where our priorities lie. If we change the course and stick to the path of God, then we will be able to see the progress not only in God’s Kingdom but also in our own lives. When we are busy with Kingdom building duties, God will enable us to live in houses which we didn’t build. He will enable us to eat food that we didn’t labor to grow. And drink wine from the vineyard which we didn’t plant (Joshua 24: 13). We don’t have to worry about our next generation, because they have watched us prioritizing God and His Kingdom. They have seen God’s blessings in our lives. That will inspire them to prioritize building God’s Kingdom in their generation.

Beloved, let us prioritize building God’s Kingdom. Let us be busy about building His Kingdom by taking care of the needy amongst us. Let us be busy in preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Let us keep ourselves busy with the tasks entrusted us.