Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.--James 1:13-18
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
In these verses James gives us five proofs to support his exhortation in verse 13 that God is not responsible for temptation and therefore not responsible for sin. In the previous post, we looked at the nature of evil and how its very essence sets it apart from God.
Today we will look at verse 14 and the nature of man. Verse 14 says "but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. The first thing it says is that temptation does not come from God and that none of us escapes temptation...it is common to all men....no exceptions. Then comes the "when he is drawn away and enticed part...the first term is a hunting term the second one a fishing term. Are you feeling flattered yet? So what are we lured away, dragged away, compelled away, beguiled away by...our own lusts. Not by God...not by Satan...who may have baited the hook...but we are drawn away by own nature which is fallen and in a part of that fallen nature is a desire for evil. Please also notice that our lusts are individual. We will each be tempted by our own lusts. Some baited hooks will look better to you than others. Your hook may repel someone else or vice versa. The bottom line here is the enemy is in us...it is not God...it is not Satan...nor is it other people. The enemy is us. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 7 starting in verse 15:
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Girls, even though we are saved and have the Spirit of God living inside us, we still have a problem. We still have an enemy...our own flesh with its passions and desires. Lusts in and of themselves are not evil. The word lusts is epithumia in the Greek, and means the desire of the soul or the strong passion of the soul. Drinking, eating, sleeping and sex are all normal God given desires necessary for survival. Unfortunately, our God given passions even for survival, have been corrupted by our fallen nature. It is when we try to satisfy our lusts outside of the will of God that they become sin.
For example, my desire might be wanting uninterrupted time. This is not a bad thing. We all need time when we need to think our own thoughts, pray, read and plan. Perhaps, however, that I begin to feel that I am owed the time. Suppose that desire begins to interfere with my normal living responsibilities and I find myself becoming impatient with those God has entrusted to my care, when I am interrupted. Then that desire is now outside of the will of God. Why? Because I AM SINNING TO GET IT OR SINNING WHEN I DO NOT GET IT.
We need to keep our hearts with all diligence and control our desires and passions by seeing them in the light of what God says in His word. Again..the answer is immersing yourself in the word...it is our only offensive weapon against our enemy. Romans 12: 2 says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Warren Wiersbe says our desires should be our servants not our masters. A good saying to remember and put into practice.
The command here from your mother, girls is to WATCH OUT AHEAD...LOOK BEYOND THE MOMENT. SEE WHAT IS UP AHEAD. James 1:14 always reminds me of the show Lost in Space from the 1960's. Will Robinson had a robot that would say DANGER! DANGER! Sometimes I think we all need a robot like that to warn us away from the danger of our own desires. Imagine if we could see the effects of our sin before we committed to them. Picture David just before he sinned with Bathsheba. Would David have taken the bait, if he had been able to see even a portion of the consequence of his sin...the death of his baby son and the death of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband by his own command? No, he would have run in the other direction. That is why, however, the hook is baited because it covers the sorrow that lays beneath. It deceives...Look ahead girls...see beyond the momentary pleasure to the trap that lays beneath.
I don't need anyone any extra help from anywhere to help me to sin and neither do you. I already have the enemy in my flesh...lust...that moves toward the lure. The nature of man tells us where the problem is...in our flesh where nothing good dwells.
Love
Mom
James tells us here that sin is not a spontaneous act but the result of a process. We are drawn away (lured) by our own desires and enticed (baited). So like a fish in a pond we are lured to a baited hook...the hook is baited to disguise what is actually underneath. A hook....OUCH! The fish bites. Desire has conceived...sin is birthed. The fish tastes the goodness of the bait for a moment but is then hooked, reeled in and left to die. For a fish it is over in an instant. For us it can go on for years and years until death inevitably comes, and we are facing an eternity in hell separated from God.
Warren Wiersbe breaks these two verses up into the four stages of sin and he uses words for each stage that begin with the letter "D" This really appealed to me when I first read it and I have found it very helpful when examining my own heart. The four stages of sin are desire, deception, disobedience and death.
I think these four are best explained using a very familiar example. Genesis 3:1-24.
Monday, November 15, 2010
James 1:13 - The Blame Game
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.--James 1:13-18
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I love this particular section of Scripture...5 verses packed with wisdom! We will look only at verse 13 for this post. The message of it is really the heart of these verses. God cannot be tempted nor does He tempt anyone!
It reads, "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
1 Corinthians 10 says that temptations are common to man and verse 14 of the KJV of the very passage we are looking at begins by saying, "but every man is tempted." We all face both trials and temptations. How we deal with them and respond is a test of genuine faith or lack of it. Do you blame others or God or do you accept responsibility for your own sin?
I have learned in my study of this section of James that the same Greek verb "peirazo" and the same Greek noun "peirasmos are used in verse 2 and verse 13 but are translated differently. The word is translated trial in verse 2 and temptation in verse 13. So why does James make the distinction between trials and temptations. "Trials" come from God to test us and strengthen us and in those trials God allows temptations to occur. I repeat...God allows temptations to occur, but God does not tempt anyone. So a trial on the outside can become a temptation on the inside when we doubt God's love and care for us and disobey. Trials are all about testing, strengthening and maturing us. In the midst of one, however, this can be easily forgotten because trials are hard. They cause us to lose our balance, question God's love and resist His will. Satan then comes on the stage and cleverly provides an opportunity for us to perhaps escape the trial. If we take the bait, we have given way to temptation and allowed the trial to become a solicitation for evil. The results of which will obviously not be God's best for us. Each trial we go through then has the potential to strengthen us and make us more like our Lord or it can become an opportunity for sin. The beautiful thing here is that God has promised not to test us more than we are able and always provides a way of escape. Look and pray for God's way to escape the pressure that is inherent to a trial.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.--1 Cor 10:13
The rest of verse 13 tells us that we are not tempted by God because He cannot be tempted nor does (He) God tempt anyone. This is really the heart of this whole passage. Whose fault is it when we fall into sin. Adam blamed God..."the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat." And Eve who was deceived by the serpent blamed the serpent: "the serpent beguiled me and I did eat." Lord, it is your fault...you made me this way...you are in control over my circumstances or Lord, how can I resist the temptation if it is you who are tempting me? I am but dust. It also says in Isaiah 63:17: O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Proverbs 19:3 says "The foolishnesss of man perverts his way and his heart frets against the Lord. We are NOT God's victims when we sin.
Girls, that is the tendency of our flesh...to blame God or others for our sin. James is adamant here...He forbids it. Our sin is not God's fault. In order to receive forgiveness for our sins and confess them, we need to say the same thing about our sin that God says. We need to own it and accept responsibility for it. That is the only way that a heart change occurs. God looks on a broken and contrite heart. We need to understand and accept our inability and inadequacy to save ourselves in order to understand our need for a Savior. Blaming and making excuses for our sin is not repentance. As we go further into the text we will, according to John MacArthur, find 5 proofs that God does not tempt us...either directly or indirectly.
The first proof is the nature of evil. Light and darkness are opposites...they have nothing to do with one another. God is holy...He has no capacity for evil nor can He be tempted. We are not tempted by God because God cannot be tempted. Literally in the Greek text it says: "For God is inexperienced with evil." It is not in His nature at all. John MacArthur says something interesting in speaking about the gods of Greek mythology: He says "that the deities and gods of paganism are always liable to temptation to evil and they themselves are frequently seen as sinning and tempting others to sin. The reason is because...wait for it....they are the creation of the minds of fallen men or the minds of fallen wickedness from which they come. Their character is corrupt because their creators are corrupt and no stream can rise higher than it s source." Girls, the bible tells us this in Isaiah 55: My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. God is our creator...we are His creatures. That truly is something to be thankful for especially as we dig deeper into His nature.
God does not tempt us directly or indirectly. All evil repulses Him. He has not experience with evil, no capacity for it and no vulnerability to it. He is like a fortress of good if you will...Evil cannot penetrate. The fortress is impregnable. That really makes me feel safe. God is holy...He is not like us....It brings to mind the verse from John that says God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. God does send us trials to test us, but never more than we can bear and always provides for us a way to navigate through the trial/temptation victoriously. He does allow temptations to occur within those trials and men make choices. But God tempts no man. Evil is contradictory to His nature. If we succumb to temptation we have no one to blame but ourselves.
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.--Habakkuk 1:13
The Lord is holy---Leviticus 19:2
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I love this particular section of Scripture...5 verses packed with wisdom! We will look only at verse 13 for this post. The message of it is really the heart of these verses. God cannot be tempted nor does He tempt anyone!
It reads, "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
1 Corinthians 10 says that temptations are common to man and verse 14 of the KJV of the very passage we are looking at begins by saying, "but every man is tempted." We all face both trials and temptations. How we deal with them and respond is a test of genuine faith or lack of it. Do you blame others or God or do you accept responsibility for your own sin?
I have learned in my study of this section of James that the same Greek verb "peirazo" and the same Greek noun "peirasmos are used in verse 2 and verse 13 but are translated differently. The word is translated trial in verse 2 and temptation in verse 13. So why does James make the distinction between trials and temptations. "Trials" come from God to test us and strengthen us and in those trials God allows temptations to occur. I repeat...God allows temptations to occur, but God does not tempt anyone. So a trial on the outside can become a temptation on the inside when we doubt God's love and care for us and disobey. Trials are all about testing, strengthening and maturing us. In the midst of one, however, this can be easily forgotten because trials are hard. They cause us to lose our balance, question God's love and resist His will. Satan then comes on the stage and cleverly provides an opportunity for us to perhaps escape the trial. If we take the bait, we have given way to temptation and allowed the trial to become a solicitation for evil. The results of which will obviously not be God's best for us. Each trial we go through then has the potential to strengthen us and make us more like our Lord or it can become an opportunity for sin. The beautiful thing here is that God has promised not to test us more than we are able and always provides a way of escape. Look and pray for God's way to escape the pressure that is inherent to a trial.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.--1 Cor 10:13
The rest of verse 13 tells us that we are not tempted by God because He cannot be tempted nor does (He) God tempt anyone. This is really the heart of this whole passage. Whose fault is it when we fall into sin. Adam blamed God..."the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat." And Eve who was deceived by the serpent blamed the serpent: "the serpent beguiled me and I did eat." Lord, it is your fault...you made me this way...you are in control over my circumstances or Lord, how can I resist the temptation if it is you who are tempting me? I am but dust. It also says in Isaiah 63:17: O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Proverbs 19:3 says "The foolishnesss of man perverts his way and his heart frets against the Lord. We are NOT God's victims when we sin.
Girls, that is the tendency of our flesh...to blame God or others for our sin. James is adamant here...He forbids it. Our sin is not God's fault. In order to receive forgiveness for our sins and confess them, we need to say the same thing about our sin that God says. We need to own it and accept responsibility for it. That is the only way that a heart change occurs. God looks on a broken and contrite heart. We need to understand and accept our inability and inadequacy to save ourselves in order to understand our need for a Savior. Blaming and making excuses for our sin is not repentance. As we go further into the text we will, according to John MacArthur, find 5 proofs that God does not tempt us...either directly or indirectly.
The first proof is the nature of evil. Light and darkness are opposites...they have nothing to do with one another. God is holy...He has no capacity for evil nor can He be tempted. We are not tempted by God because God cannot be tempted. Literally in the Greek text it says: "For God is inexperienced with evil." It is not in His nature at all. John MacArthur says something interesting in speaking about the gods of Greek mythology: He says "that the deities and gods of paganism are always liable to temptation to evil and they themselves are frequently seen as sinning and tempting others to sin. The reason is because...wait for it....they are the creation of the minds of fallen men or the minds of fallen wickedness from which they come. Their character is corrupt because their creators are corrupt and no stream can rise higher than it s source." Girls, the bible tells us this in Isaiah 55: My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. God is our creator...we are His creatures. That truly is something to be thankful for especially as we dig deeper into His nature.
God does not tempt us directly or indirectly. All evil repulses Him. He has not experience with evil, no capacity for it and no vulnerability to it. He is like a fortress of good if you will...Evil cannot penetrate. The fortress is impregnable. That really makes me feel safe. God is holy...He is not like us....It brings to mind the verse from John that says God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. God does send us trials to test us, but never more than we can bear and always provides for us a way to navigate through the trial/temptation victoriously. He does allow temptations to occur within those trials and men make choices. But God tempts no man. Evil is contradictory to His nature. If we succumb to temptation we have no one to blame but ourselves.
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.--Habakkuk 1:13
The Lord is holy---Leviticus 19:2
Love
Mom
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Communication: Control of the Tongue
From Chapter 16 of The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace:
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire by hell.
So much of the bad feelings and problems in a marriage could be eliminated if even just one partner...that would be us, the wives... practiced sweetness of speech.
Matthew 12:34c says "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." James tells us that if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Who knows what wonderful things the Lord could do in our lives if we became spiritually mature in this area and had control over our tongues! How Christ could be glorified!
Let's spend some time looking at Matthew 12:34c. This is the verse I find most helpful in the area of speaking sweetly and communicating biblically. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." It reminds me that my wrong words (my impatient words, my angry words, my judgmental words, my careless words, my loveless words, my rash and/or foolish words, and finally my thoughtless words) come from my wrong thoughts.
James 1:14-15 says, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. He tells us here that sin is not a spontaneous act but the result of a process. We are drawn away (lured) by our own desires. When wrong words are spoken, it is crucial to stop and ask yourself why you reacted or spoke in such a way. What were you meditating on? What did you want that you were not getting? What did you think you deserved? It is not just good enough here to change how you sound on the outside...Jesus cares about your heart. Search your heart because the bible says that out of it springs the issues of life. It also says that our hearts are desperately wicked, who can know them? Allow the Word of God to do a work from the inside out. Confess your sin, put it off, renew your mind with the truth and put on love. How do we do this?
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Once we see these wrong thought patterns we can begin to chip away at them by taking each one captive unto the obedience of Christ.
Some of us might even be in bondage to wrong thinking. We might have a stronghold or fortress where we retreat when we are hurt and angry. If you are enslaved by some wrong thinking, your response when cornered or under pressure will not be godly. God is our strong tower. We are to run to Him. The bible tells us to use the sword of the spirit to pull down these strongholds. We are to assault error with the truth of God's Word. Human wisdom, ingenuity, or self-help books are powerless against the lies that corrupt our thinking and our reactions. It is a spiritual battle we are in...the truth will set us free and enable us to react rightly to our husband and to others.
As we become diligent about examining what we are meditating on and taking our thoughts captive, we will be making a practice of sweet speech. The word discipline in the New Testament comes from the word gymnazo which means to exercise or to train. In other words to do it over and over again until you get it right. The pursuit of godliness takes perseverance.
There are many verses that help us in the area of sweet speech. Here are a few of my favorites...but do your own study. Meditate on them and hide them in your heart.
The bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 4 to speak the truth in love. In the same chapter it says this: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. I like to remember this as "NEGG". Speak only what is necessary, edifying, good and gives grace.
On the subject of judging motives 1st Samuel 1:3 says this: Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. Below are more in no particular order:
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 17:27 He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
Mt 5:37 But let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Col 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Tit 2:8 Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.
Proverbs 15:23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Ec 10:12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard O Lord over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Deut 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire by hell.
So much of the bad feelings and problems in a marriage could be eliminated if even just one partner...that would be us, the wives... practiced sweetness of speech.
Matthew 12:34c says "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." James tells us that if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Who knows what wonderful things the Lord could do in our lives if we became spiritually mature in this area and had control over our tongues! How Christ could be glorified!
Let's spend some time looking at Matthew 12:34c. This is the verse I find most helpful in the area of speaking sweetly and communicating biblically. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." It reminds me that my wrong words (my impatient words, my angry words, my judgmental words, my careless words, my loveless words, my rash and/or foolish words, and finally my thoughtless words) come from my wrong thoughts.
James 1:14-15 says, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. He tells us here that sin is not a spontaneous act but the result of a process. We are drawn away (lured) by our own desires. When wrong words are spoken, it is crucial to stop and ask yourself why you reacted or spoke in such a way. What were you meditating on? What did you want that you were not getting? What did you think you deserved? It is not just good enough here to change how you sound on the outside...Jesus cares about your heart. Search your heart because the bible says that out of it springs the issues of life. It also says that our hearts are desperately wicked, who can know them? Allow the Word of God to do a work from the inside out. Confess your sin, put it off, renew your mind with the truth and put on love. How do we do this?
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Once we see these wrong thought patterns we can begin to chip away at them by taking each one captive unto the obedience of Christ.
Some of us might even be in bondage to wrong thinking. We might have a stronghold or fortress where we retreat when we are hurt and angry. If you are enslaved by some wrong thinking, your response when cornered or under pressure will not be godly. God is our strong tower. We are to run to Him. The bible tells us to use the sword of the spirit to pull down these strongholds. We are to assault error with the truth of God's Word. Human wisdom, ingenuity, or self-help books are powerless against the lies that corrupt our thinking and our reactions. It is a spiritual battle we are in...the truth will set us free and enable us to react rightly to our husband and to others.
As we become diligent about examining what we are meditating on and taking our thoughts captive, we will be making a practice of sweet speech. The word discipline in the New Testament comes from the word gymnazo which means to exercise or to train. In other words to do it over and over again until you get it right. The pursuit of godliness takes perseverance.
There are many verses that help us in the area of sweet speech. Here are a few of my favorites...but do your own study. Meditate on them and hide them in your heart.
The bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 4 to speak the truth in love. In the same chapter it says this: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. I like to remember this as "NEGG". Speak only what is necessary, edifying, good and gives grace.
On the subject of judging motives 1st Samuel 1:3 says this: Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. Below are more in no particular order:
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 17:27 He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
Mt 5:37 But let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Col 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Tit 2:8 Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.
Proverbs 15:23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Ec 10:12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard O Lord over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Deut 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Looking to the Reward - James 1:12
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him--James 1:1-12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We have reached the last verse of this section.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
This last verse is not about an attitude that is necessary for us to persevere through a trial...we have discussed each of those. This is about the reward. I love looking to the reward! During Jesus' time crowns were given for victorious athletic achievements. When we stay close to Jesus during our times of trials and temptations and we persevere through it says here that we will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. This is the believer's ultimate reward...eternal life. We are not saved by enduring trials but we are rewarded for enduring them...both temporally and eternally. Trials work for us here on earth in many ways. (See Count it all Joy ) Believers are also promised crowns of glory, righteousness and rejoicing and all of them are imperishable...incorruptible...they will not fade away! Each one describes certain aspects of eternal life and are earned at the judgment seat of Christ. If we are a believer, the suffering we face here is the worst things are ever going to be for us and our trials will benefit us. If we are not a believer, this life is the best we will ever have and our trials will serve to make us increasingly bitter and weary.
The last part of verse 12 really touched my heart...Who is promised the crown of life? Believers, those who love Him. First Corinthians 13:4-8 is the best description of love in the bible. Agape, self-sacrificing love is the basis for all that we do when we are in Christ. Why...because it was the basis for all He did for us. We love Him because He first loved us. Here are the verses from Corinthians:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.....
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.--1 Cor 13:1-8, 12-13
Unless we have Love (God is love - 1 John 4:16) we are nothing... The only way to profit from a trial here on this earth IS as a believer who loves God and has His love shed abroad in his heart. Otherwise our suffering does not profit us here nor does it profit us in the life to come. As we cling to Him through our trials we grow in faith, hope and love and begin to resemble the essence of Christ more and more.
So...in reviewing.....We can count it all joy in times of trial because we know that trials come from His heart of love for us. We can know and consider the difficulties we face as opportunities for great joy because of what God will accomplish in us and through us for His glory and our good. We can surrender our will to Him because He loves us with a perfect love and perfect love casts out fear. We can ask for wisdom and have a believing heart to receive because we love Him...loving Him means trusting Him. We can have a humble spirit because as believers, going through trials, we begin to look up to Him more and more and realize who we are and WHO HE IS. The closer we draw to Him the more we see not only our own unworthiness but also our inadequacy to the task.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says: "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Secure in the love of God we can persevere through trials and grow up and mature and bear fruit here for Him. I will end with a quote from Charles B. Williams via Warren Wiersbe.
"God’s purpose in trials is maturity. “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” The Charles B. Williams translation says it graphically: “But you must let your endurance come to its perfect product so that you may be fully developed and perfectly equipped.”
If that is what you want, then in love to Christ and with all humility, count, know, let, and ask.
Love
Mom
I heard this song and it reminded me of these studies in James especially this last one.
Who am I by Casting Crowns
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We have reached the last verse of this section.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
This last verse is not about an attitude that is necessary for us to persevere through a trial...we have discussed each of those. This is about the reward. I love looking to the reward! During Jesus' time crowns were given for victorious athletic achievements. When we stay close to Jesus during our times of trials and temptations and we persevere through it says here that we will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. This is the believer's ultimate reward...eternal life. We are not saved by enduring trials but we are rewarded for enduring them...both temporally and eternally. Trials work for us here on earth in many ways. (See Count it all Joy ) Believers are also promised crowns of glory, righteousness and rejoicing and all of them are imperishable...incorruptible...they will not fade away! Each one describes certain aspects of eternal life and are earned at the judgment seat of Christ. If we are a believer, the suffering we face here is the worst things are ever going to be for us and our trials will benefit us. If we are not a believer, this life is the best we will ever have and our trials will serve to make us increasingly bitter and weary.
The last part of verse 12 really touched my heart...Who is promised the crown of life? Believers, those who love Him. First Corinthians 13:4-8 is the best description of love in the bible. Agape, self-sacrificing love is the basis for all that we do when we are in Christ. Why...because it was the basis for all He did for us. We love Him because He first loved us. Here are the verses from Corinthians:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.....
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.--1 Cor 13:1-8, 12-13
Unless we have Love (God is love - 1 John 4:16) we are nothing... The only way to profit from a trial here on this earth IS as a believer who loves God and has His love shed abroad in his heart. Otherwise our suffering does not profit us here nor does it profit us in the life to come. As we cling to Him through our trials we grow in faith, hope and love and begin to resemble the essence of Christ more and more.
So...in reviewing.....We can count it all joy in times of trial because we know that trials come from His heart of love for us. We can know and consider the difficulties we face as opportunities for great joy because of what God will accomplish in us and through us for His glory and our good. We can surrender our will to Him because He loves us with a perfect love and perfect love casts out fear. We can ask for wisdom and have a believing heart to receive because we love Him...loving Him means trusting Him. We can have a humble spirit because as believers, going through trials, we begin to look up to Him more and more and realize who we are and WHO HE IS. The closer we draw to Him the more we see not only our own unworthiness but also our inadequacy to the task.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says: "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Secure in the love of God we can persevere through trials and grow up and mature and bear fruit here for Him. I will end with a quote from Charles B. Williams via Warren Wiersbe.
"God’s purpose in trials is maturity. “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” The Charles B. Williams translation says it graphically: “But you must let your endurance come to its perfect product so that you may be fully developed and perfectly equipped.”
If that is what you want, then in love to Christ and with all humility, count, know, let, and ask.
Love
Mom
I heard this song and it reminded me of these studies in James especially this last one.
Who am I by Casting Crowns
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Trials the Great Equalizers
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him--James 1:1-12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We are still talking about trials and the attitudes that are necessary to persevere and have victory in our difficulties. We have already looked at 4. A joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will and a believing heart. The last one is a humble spirit.
Here are the verses we will be looking at today:
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.--James 1:9-11
God is no respecter of persons. Trials come to everyone. They level the playing field and make believers, rich or poor, increasingly dependent on God. They, by design, wean us off of earthly things and teach us to set our minds on things above.
The poor or lowly brother can glory in his exaltation. The word glory there means to take legitimate pride or boast. When the humble of circumstances become discouraged they can dwell on riches they have in Christ. The lowly person can boast or rejoice in his spiritual heritage. Romans 8:17 says this: "and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." WOW! Imagine if that were always our focus. He can also rejoice in God's sovereignty knowing God does all things perfectly, and that where he finds himself is exactly where he needs to be in order to fulfill God's perfect plan for Him.
The rich man can boast in his humiliation knowing that as he is brought low he comes to understand more and more that joy and contentment come from Christ alone...earthly riches do not satisfy. Hebrews 10:34 says: "for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven." Flowers of the field will fade away and be no more as will the rich man...but when we set our minds on things above and store up our treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy or take away; we become spiritually more stable less focused on the passing riches of this world and more on the eternal.. Earthly riches are fleeting and limited only to this world.
I love it...if we are poor or if we are rich we can still see beyond this world and be free of its chains to see the troubles we experience here with a heavenly perspective. This is so needed as we go through trials. It is so easy to see only what is right in front of us and lose sight of what is really important.
We can extrapolate this to other things also...whatever condition, circumstances or station we find ourselves in, in this life, we can accept them as being exactly where God wants us to be. He is sovereign after all. We are what we are by the grace of God. To argue and complain against God about it is foolish. Aside from putting ourselves in a position to judge what God has so graciously blessed us with, we are focusing on ourselves. Focusing on ourselves is NEVER productive and ALWAYS leads to unhappiness. I think as women many of us spend so much time thinking about our size, shape, looks, talents, etc. that there really is no time left to think on the Lord, no less anyone else! Lose your life here and gain it in the life to come...He must increase, I must decrease...It is not only the way of the cross, it is by definition the road to joy and abundant life.
As believers, going through trials, we begin to look up to Him more and more and realize who we are and WHO HE IS. The closer we draw to Him the more we see our own unworthiness. A humble spirit will COUNT it all joy and rejoice in times of trial. A humble spirit will LET the Lord work in Him because he KNOWS that the Lord 's plan for him is perfect. He will ASK for help in times of trial because he sees his own inadequacy to the task. I will close with Jeremiah 9:23-24:
Thus says the LORD: “ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD--Jeremiah 9:23-24
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We are still talking about trials and the attitudes that are necessary to persevere and have victory in our difficulties. We have already looked at 4. A joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will and a believing heart. The last one is a humble spirit.
Here are the verses we will be looking at today:
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.--James 1:9-11
God is no respecter of persons. Trials come to everyone. They level the playing field and make believers, rich or poor, increasingly dependent on God. They, by design, wean us off of earthly things and teach us to set our minds on things above.
The poor or lowly brother can glory in his exaltation. The word glory there means to take legitimate pride or boast. When the humble of circumstances become discouraged they can dwell on riches they have in Christ. The lowly person can boast or rejoice in his spiritual heritage. Romans 8:17 says this: "and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." WOW! Imagine if that were always our focus. He can also rejoice in God's sovereignty knowing God does all things perfectly, and that where he finds himself is exactly where he needs to be in order to fulfill God's perfect plan for Him.
The rich man can boast in his humiliation knowing that as he is brought low he comes to understand more and more that joy and contentment come from Christ alone...earthly riches do not satisfy. Hebrews 10:34 says: "for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven." Flowers of the field will fade away and be no more as will the rich man...but when we set our minds on things above and store up our treasures in heaven where nothing can destroy or take away; we become spiritually more stable less focused on the passing riches of this world and more on the eternal.. Earthly riches are fleeting and limited only to this world.
I love it...if we are poor or if we are rich we can still see beyond this world and be free of its chains to see the troubles we experience here with a heavenly perspective. This is so needed as we go through trials. It is so easy to see only what is right in front of us and lose sight of what is really important.
We can extrapolate this to other things also...whatever condition, circumstances or station we find ourselves in, in this life, we can accept them as being exactly where God wants us to be. He is sovereign after all. We are what we are by the grace of God. To argue and complain against God about it is foolish. Aside from putting ourselves in a position to judge what God has so graciously blessed us with, we are focusing on ourselves. Focusing on ourselves is NEVER productive and ALWAYS leads to unhappiness. I think as women many of us spend so much time thinking about our size, shape, looks, talents, etc. that there really is no time left to think on the Lord, no less anyone else! Lose your life here and gain it in the life to come...He must increase, I must decrease...It is not only the way of the cross, it is by definition the road to joy and abundant life.
As believers, going through trials, we begin to look up to Him more and more and realize who we are and WHO HE IS. The closer we draw to Him the more we see our own unworthiness. A humble spirit will COUNT it all joy and rejoice in times of trial. A humble spirit will LET the Lord work in Him because he KNOWS that the Lord 's plan for him is perfect. He will ASK for help in times of trial because he sees his own inadequacy to the task. I will close with Jeremiah 9:23-24:
Thus says the LORD: “ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD--Jeremiah 9:23-24
Love
Mom
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Ask with a Believing Heart....
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.--James 1:12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Continuing in the first chapter of the book of James we are looking at today at the fourth attitude necessary to help us triumph in trials, asking for wisdom with a "believing heart." Here are verses 5-8.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."--James 1:5-8
I am laughing at the first part of that verse....which one of us does NOT lack wisdom. I am always asking for it and am grateful that it is divine wisdom that I receive. The wisdom from the world is constantly changing and is filled with "agendas". The wisdom from above and the wisdom from this world are contrasted in James chapter 3. These verses are good ones to hide in your heart.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Wisdom is the practical aspect of intelligence. It is the understanding and skill needed to live this life for His glory. It is the practical application of the Word of God in our lives. By design, God uses trials to wean us away from dependence on the things of the world to total dependence on Him. He wants us to cry out to Him in prayer for wisdom. Jesus Christ contains all the wisdom and knowledge of God. He wants to pour it on us abundantly.
Look at the next verse, however. It tells us to ask in faith with no doubting. I have said it before and I will say it again: the book of James is where the rubber meets the road. Where do you really and truly place your faith or your trust--In the wisdom of man or in the wisdom of God? Are you only hedging your bets when you ask God for help or are you truly and willingly putting all your eggs in His basket and waiting on Him for your answer? If your loyalty is divided...if you are double minded...maybe not completely convinced that God's way is best or even of His loving care -- than James tells you will receive nothing from the Lord.
According to John MacArthur, the definition of double-minded in the Greek is literally having one's mind divided between the world and God. Girls, we are not to go back and forth like the tides between the world and God. Truly that is the picture of spiritual immaturity and instability. God does not want equivocators....He does not want lukewarm...He does not want our occasional belief. He does not want us to go to Him for wisdom if we are reserving the right to disobey if we don't like His answer. He wants a heart united for Him. A believing heart that knows that He is sovereign and does all He does for our good and His glory. He wants our wholehearted devotion, trust and commitment. This is the man that God will give to liberally and without reproach.
How does God answer when we ask with a believing heart? He responds through His people, through His word and through what I call heart direction.
Proverbs tells us that there is much wisdom in many counselors and where there are no counselors the people fall. As we discuss issues on our hearts with the people of God, His light will shine through and perhaps give us some guidance.
The second way God answer's is through His word. God's will is revealed to us in His word. Christ is wisdom incarnate...He is the Word. In Him lay all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Psalm 119:105 says "Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Psalm 119:130 says "the entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." How perfect is that. The heart David had for God's word is the heart we are to have. Search His word daily and allow Him to light and guide your path...His word is His gift to us.
Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.--Psalm 119:97-104
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:12-16
The third way God answers us is by heart direction. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Basically, I pray and acknowledge His sovereignty and my own inadequacy in knowing what to do or what path to take. I then ask the Lord to direct my steps even if and when I misstep! I ask Him to guide me through His word and His people...to open and shut doors as I walk. In another words, He walks the path with me. The key is to acknowledge that He knows better than me the direction I need to take and that MY DESIRE IS TO FOLLOW HIM!
So let's once again put it all together to see the big picture that James is painting. We can COUNT it all joy and make a conscious effort to face our trials with joy because we KNOW it is HE working in us and through us and HE loves us and has our best interests at heart. Therefore, we can LET HIM work knowing we have nothing to fear. When we do that we become perfect and complete and lack nothing. Mature. If we do not know how to respond in a trial God tells us to ASK Him for wisdom with a believing united heart and He will give to us liberally and without reproach.
Love
Mom
.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Continuing in the first chapter of the book of James we are looking at today at the fourth attitude necessary to help us triumph in trials, asking for wisdom with a "believing heart." Here are verses 5-8.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."--James 1:5-8
I am laughing at the first part of that verse....which one of us does NOT lack wisdom. I am always asking for it and am grateful that it is divine wisdom that I receive. The wisdom from the world is constantly changing and is filled with "agendas". The wisdom from above and the wisdom from this world are contrasted in James chapter 3. These verses are good ones to hide in your heart.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Wisdom is the practical aspect of intelligence. It is the understanding and skill needed to live this life for His glory. It is the practical application of the Word of God in our lives. By design, God uses trials to wean us away from dependence on the things of the world to total dependence on Him. He wants us to cry out to Him in prayer for wisdom. Jesus Christ contains all the wisdom and knowledge of God. He wants to pour it on us abundantly.
Look at the next verse, however. It tells us to ask in faith with no doubting. I have said it before and I will say it again: the book of James is where the rubber meets the road. Where do you really and truly place your faith or your trust--In the wisdom of man or in the wisdom of God? Are you only hedging your bets when you ask God for help or are you truly and willingly putting all your eggs in His basket and waiting on Him for your answer? If your loyalty is divided...if you are double minded...maybe not completely convinced that God's way is best or even of His loving care -- than James tells you will receive nothing from the Lord.
According to John MacArthur, the definition of double-minded in the Greek is literally having one's mind divided between the world and God. Girls, we are not to go back and forth like the tides between the world and God. Truly that is the picture of spiritual immaturity and instability. God does not want equivocators....He does not want lukewarm...He does not want our occasional belief. He does not want us to go to Him for wisdom if we are reserving the right to disobey if we don't like His answer. He wants a heart united for Him. A believing heart that knows that He is sovereign and does all He does for our good and His glory. He wants our wholehearted devotion, trust and commitment. This is the man that God will give to liberally and without reproach.
How does God answer when we ask with a believing heart? He responds through His people, through His word and through what I call heart direction.
Proverbs tells us that there is much wisdom in many counselors and where there are no counselors the people fall. As we discuss issues on our hearts with the people of God, His light will shine through and perhaps give us some guidance.
The second way God answer's is through His word. God's will is revealed to us in His word. Christ is wisdom incarnate...He is the Word. In Him lay all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Psalm 119:105 says "Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." Psalm 119:130 says "the entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." How perfect is that. The heart David had for God's word is the heart we are to have. Search His word daily and allow Him to light and guide your path...His word is His gift to us.
Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.--Psalm 119:97-104
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. 14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:12-16
The third way God answers us is by heart direction. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Basically, I pray and acknowledge His sovereignty and my own inadequacy in knowing what to do or what path to take. I then ask the Lord to direct my steps even if and when I misstep! I ask Him to guide me through His word and His people...to open and shut doors as I walk. In another words, He walks the path with me. The key is to acknowledge that He knows better than me the direction I need to take and that MY DESIRE IS TO FOLLOW HIM!
So let's once again put it all together to see the big picture that James is painting. We can COUNT it all joy and make a conscious effort to face our trials with joy because we KNOW it is HE working in us and through us and HE loves us and has our best interests at heart. Therefore, we can LET HIM work knowing we have nothing to fear. When we do that we become perfect and complete and lack nothing. Mature. If we do not know how to respond in a trial God tells us to ASK Him for wisdom with a believing united heart and He will give to us liberally and without reproach.
Love
Mom
.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Fearing the Edomites, Moabites and Fleabites...
Jehoshaphat had just received news that the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites had all joined forces and were coming against Judah. The tiny nation did not have a chance. In Jehoshaphat's words, “For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (vs. 12)
By the next day there was not an Ammonite, Moabite, or Edomite soldier left alive. They had turned on one another - “No one had escaped” (vs. 24) - and left no work for the army of Judah except carrying away a tremendous amount of valuable spoil.
How foolish our fears must be to the Lord! “Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (vs. 15, 17) The entire nation of Judah was terrified. If only they could have looked a mere day into the future, they would have laughed!
The thing is, though, if we just listened to the Lord ALL the time, we would never be afraid. Even Jehoshaphat wouldn't have been worried when he received the news of the approaching army. We know the Lord's promises and His character. We know His love and unfathomable grace toward us. The Lord did not even spare His own beloved Son for our sake, and that was while we were yet sinners! How can we rationally doubt Him at any point in our lives, no matter what the circumstances might be? Even His CHASTENING is loving and only for our good! And when, in years to come, Judah was judged by the Lord and carried away captive to Babylon, it was still utterly merciful. They had fallen so far that judgment was the only way they could be saved.
Will I wake up tomorrow morning and find all the Edomites and Moabites and Ammonites defeated? No, probably not. But the LORD is still my Shepherd. He's proven Himself again and again. Whatever happens, it is well with my soul.
Psalm 23:1, 6, “The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want...
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.”
Surrendered Mind - James 1:4
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.--James 1:12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We are moving right along in the book of James and have reached verse 4 after only three posts! (I am holding up a sarcasm sign) Verse 4 reads like this: "But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing." The third attitude necessary to have victory through a trial James says is a surrendered or submissive mind. (Let) I know you hate the sound of it...I did too, until I realized that the alternative (rebelling) hurt way worse and caused the trial at times to go on endlessly and become unproductive. It truly is better to LET God work in us than to get in the way in an attempt to make the situation less painful. We are after all dirt and He after all is the Potter. He truly does know best. His plan for us is from His heart of love. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.--Jeremiah 29:11
We resist the Lord's will and the clay or vessel is marred in the hand of the Great Potter, and He has to begin all over again. We submit and He works us into a thing of beauty. The most beautiful thing about submitting is that it is an act of faith and whenever we walk in faith we access His grace. Walking along the path then that God has laid out for us, however, painful, is actually the easiest because His God's grace or unmerited favor is poured out. I LIKE THAT! WHAT AN INCENTIVE!! I mean how can unmerited favor be bad?? On the other hand, when we do what it is right in our own eyes and jump off the Romans 12:1 altar, we resist Him. We resist God. How silly ..how far can you get resisting God? God does not pour out His grace on the proud but on the humble. In fact, "God resists the proud (those of us who think we know better) but gives grace to the humble. (those of us who know we are dust)
Do you see how these three attitudes are coming together girls...We can COUNT it all joy and make a conscious effort to face our trials with joy because we KNOW it is HE working in us and through us and HE loves us and has our best interests at heart. Therefore, we can LET HIM work knowing we have nothing to fear. When we do that we become perfect and complete and lack nothing. It is important to note that the word perfect there does NOT mean sinless perfection. It means mature...and remember that is the goal of the book of James...to increase our spiritual maturity. Our trials drive us into a deeper relationship with our Lord in which we trust Him more and more. A deeper relationship with God and a immersion in His word enables us to be like that tree planted by the rivers of water. Spiritually stable and mature. Not much can throw us and when it does we look up and into His word and are once again on a Rock. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jehovah God is the Becoming One...He becomes for us whatever our need may be. As we surrender our hearts to Him and by the power of His Spirit inside walk in obedience allowing Him to have His way, we are perfect and have need of nothing because in Him every need is fulfilled.
BEAUTIFUL...
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We are moving right along in the book of James and have reached verse 4 after only three posts! (I am holding up a sarcasm sign) Verse 4 reads like this: "But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing." The third attitude necessary to have victory through a trial James says is a surrendered or submissive mind. (Let) I know you hate the sound of it...I did too, until I realized that the alternative (rebelling) hurt way worse and caused the trial at times to go on endlessly and become unproductive. It truly is better to LET God work in us than to get in the way in an attempt to make the situation less painful. We are after all dirt and He after all is the Potter. He truly does know best. His plan for us is from His heart of love. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.--Jeremiah 29:11
We resist the Lord's will and the clay or vessel is marred in the hand of the Great Potter, and He has to begin all over again. We submit and He works us into a thing of beauty. The most beautiful thing about submitting is that it is an act of faith and whenever we walk in faith we access His grace. Walking along the path then that God has laid out for us, however, painful, is actually the easiest because His God's grace or unmerited favor is poured out. I LIKE THAT! WHAT AN INCENTIVE!! I mean how can unmerited favor be bad?? On the other hand, when we do what it is right in our own eyes and jump off the Romans 12:1 altar, we resist Him. We resist God. How silly ..how far can you get resisting God? God does not pour out His grace on the proud but on the humble. In fact, "God resists the proud (those of us who think we know better) but gives grace to the humble. (those of us who know we are dust)
Do you see how these three attitudes are coming together girls...We can COUNT it all joy and make a conscious effort to face our trials with joy because we KNOW it is HE working in us and through us and HE loves us and has our best interests at heart. Therefore, we can LET HIM work knowing we have nothing to fear. When we do that we become perfect and complete and lack nothing. It is important to note that the word perfect there does NOT mean sinless perfection. It means mature...and remember that is the goal of the book of James...to increase our spiritual maturity. Our trials drive us into a deeper relationship with our Lord in which we trust Him more and more. A deeper relationship with God and a immersion in His word enables us to be like that tree planted by the rivers of water. Spiritually stable and mature. Not much can throw us and when it does we look up and into His word and are once again on a Rock. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jehovah God is the Becoming One...He becomes for us whatever our need may be. As we surrender our hearts to Him and by the power of His Spirit inside walk in obedience allowing Him to have His way, we are perfect and have need of nothing because in Him every need is fulfilled.
BEAUTIFUL...
Love
Mom
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Understanding Mind - James 1:3
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.--James 1:12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
As discussed in my previous letter, the first 12 verses in Chapter 1 of James give us 5 key attitudes to cultivate in a trial. The first we have already discussed: a joyful attitude. The last four are an understanding mind, a submissive will, a believing heart and a humble spirit. Today we are going to look at how having an understanding mind can help. Look at what verse 3 says: "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
The word testing means proof or proving. Patience here means the perseverance or endurance that is produced in a believer's life as he is tested by trials which enables him to endure and even thank God for the benefits that the trial produced. As a believer we can consider difficulties as an opportunity for great joy because of what God will accomplish in us and through us for His glory and our good. It is not that we pretend to be happy about facing the pain, but underlying it all is the rock solid knowledge that our God is in control....that the Lord omnipotent reigns in the affairs of men. We can be sure that as we wait on Him, obey Him and trust Him, He will produce in us through purifying trials, those things necessary to make us more like Him. Those things necessary to help us endure through and receive the crown of life.
The most amazing thing for me as a believer is that when I look back on any trial I have gone through my mind does not go to the "I am so glad it is over page." My "mind" immediately falls down on its knees in utter gratitude for those trials. WHY?? Because through them I got to see, know and love Jesus. It was through difficulties that I began to give HIM preeminence in my life. I began to look up before I looked anywhere else. Through the trials I see God's grace and love for me. I see how He had carefully prepared me years before for the trials that I am experiencing even today. He CARES about my every step. He IS with me in every way. He hedges me behind and before. He KNOWS the way I take. We as believers learn to withstand the trial because we have learned to cherish the benefits!
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal--2 Cor 4:17-19
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."--Romans 5:3-5
"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."--2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
As discussed in my previous letter, the first 12 verses in Chapter 1 of James give us 5 key attitudes to cultivate in a trial. The first we have already discussed: a joyful attitude. The last four are an understanding mind, a submissive will, a believing heart and a humble spirit. Today we are going to look at how having an understanding mind can help. Look at what verse 3 says: "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."
The word testing means proof or proving. Patience here means the perseverance or endurance that is produced in a believer's life as he is tested by trials which enables him to endure and even thank God for the benefits that the trial produced. As a believer we can consider difficulties as an opportunity for great joy because of what God will accomplish in us and through us for His glory and our good. It is not that we pretend to be happy about facing the pain, but underlying it all is the rock solid knowledge that our God is in control....that the Lord omnipotent reigns in the affairs of men. We can be sure that as we wait on Him, obey Him and trust Him, He will produce in us through purifying trials, those things necessary to make us more like Him. Those things necessary to help us endure through and receive the crown of life.
The most amazing thing for me as a believer is that when I look back on any trial I have gone through my mind does not go to the "I am so glad it is over page." My "mind" immediately falls down on its knees in utter gratitude for those trials. WHY?? Because through them I got to see, know and love Jesus. It was through difficulties that I began to give HIM preeminence in my life. I began to look up before I looked anywhere else. Through the trials I see God's grace and love for me. I see how He had carefully prepared me years before for the trials that I am experiencing even today. He CARES about my every step. He IS with me in every way. He hedges me behind and before. He KNOWS the way I take. We as believers learn to withstand the trial because we have learned to cherish the benefits!
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal--2 Cor 4:17-19
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."--Romans 5:3-5
"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."--2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
Love
Mom
Saturday, November 6, 2010
SOLACE IN SOVEREIGNTY...John 19:7-11
The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.
Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.--John 19:7-11
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
I am looking at John 19 in preparation for a bible study Mary will be giving on Thursday at church. Verses 9-11 really jumped out at me and gave me pause to think. I included 7-8 as background.
Pilate was becoming fearful in regard to who Jesus really was. The Jews in verse 7 said that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. According to John MacArthur the Jew would interpret Jesus' claim as messianic but the Roman would put Him in the category of a divine being. Pilot was afraid he had just whipped and beaten someone who could call vengeance down on him, and, you know, He could. His wife had also warned him to have nothing to do with this Man. In verse 8 Pilate perhaps in fear and superstition asks "Where do you come from?" Jesus gave him no answer. Why? Well, in fulfillment of Scripture is the first answer, but it was because Pilate had already spurned the truth when he asked Jesus earlier, "what is truth?" Jesus had told him who He was and where He was from. See Chapter 18.
Fear and anger many times go hand in hand. Pilate boasts about His power in verse 10 probably because he feels weak and scared inside. In trying to appear strong, however, he only demonstrated his weakness. Pilate had made it clear he WANTED to release Jesus. If he truly did have the power, why didn't he just release Him? Pilate feared man more than he feared God and his cowardice was evident to whomever cared to look.
John 19:11 is filled with both application and irony. "Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." These words of Jesus stopped me short. First, they obviously reveal His love and faith in His Father in heaven. Perfect love casts out all fear. He knew where all authority came from. He knew He was in His Father's hands. Perfect love for His Father enabled Him to surrender to mere men...because He was not doing their will, He was submitting to His Father's will. The most important application here for me...the application that my heart rejoiced over was that Jesus took comfort in this. He took solace in the sovereignty of God. Who better to demonstrate it to us than Jesus because He knew the Father...He revealed who the Father was to us. Now I don't know why I have never thought of Jesus' submission to His Father in quite this way but it is so reassuring to me to know that Jesus was comforted by the knowledge of His Father's character.
Okay...I am starting to understand why I am so excited about this.
Jesus, knowing all things that would come upon Him, takes comfort in being totally in His Father's care. What a beautiful picture of Isaiah 26:3 You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is set on you, because He trusts in You.
Even amidst all this evil the Lord omnipotent reigns! What an example for us...Jesus, deity laid aside, yielded himself to men who would crucify Him because He was submitted to His Father and knew He was in control. He was sovereign.
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”--John 10:17-18
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”--John 10:28-30
If only, I could have that kind of faith and know that whatever I face here on this earth I face it knowing that nothing happens outside of God's sovereign control. Any authority or position we have is given to us by God. Any situation or trial we find ourselves in is ordained by God. Our very breath, the number of our days is in His hands. We, like Pilate, FOOLISHLY think that we are in charge...that we are the masters of our fate. HA! Pilate thought he was the judge. The irony was that He was in fact being judged on his response to Jesus. We all will be judged on how we responded to Jesus. It is not going to matter what you thought or decided about Jesus...maybe that He was a great teacher, or maybe a prophet or just some warm and fuzzy idea to get some of us through life. Jesus is still going to be God no matter who YOU decide He is.
...Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.
Now at first I thought Jesus was talking about Judas here...my mind did not go to Caiaphas until I read one or two commentaries...I can't really come down on either side...Caiaphas was the head of the Sanhedrin...He did know all of Jesus said and did and yet coldly and calculatingly took an active part in the plot to turn him over to the Romans for crucifixion as well as presiding over the unfair trial. Judas had a more personal day to day knowledge of Jesus which makes his sin of delivering Jesus up perhaps even more reprehensible. Caiaphas and Judas hardened their own hearts and were willful in their unbelief. Unlike Pilate, both Judas and Caiaphas saw and heard overwhelming evidence that Jesus was in fact God's Son. Ironically, however, Pilate, the pagan, was the one who showed fear and trepidation in handing Jesus over to be crucified, as opposed to Judas and Caiaphas, who seemed to revel in their sin. To much is given, much is required. Uh oh...
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” John 18:35
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. John 18:38
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. John 9:41
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. John 15:22-24
Truly the Lord God does rule and reign in the kingdom of men! Jesus took comfort and solace in this...we should too!
Love
Mom
Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.--John 19:7-11
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
I am looking at John 19 in preparation for a bible study Mary will be giving on Thursday at church. Verses 9-11 really jumped out at me and gave me pause to think. I included 7-8 as background.
Pilate was becoming fearful in regard to who Jesus really was. The Jews in verse 7 said that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. According to John MacArthur the Jew would interpret Jesus' claim as messianic but the Roman would put Him in the category of a divine being. Pilot was afraid he had just whipped and beaten someone who could call vengeance down on him, and, you know, He could. His wife had also warned him to have nothing to do with this Man. In verse 8 Pilate perhaps in fear and superstition asks "Where do you come from?" Jesus gave him no answer. Why? Well, in fulfillment of Scripture is the first answer, but it was because Pilate had already spurned the truth when he asked Jesus earlier, "what is truth?" Jesus had told him who He was and where He was from. See Chapter 18.
Fear and anger many times go hand in hand. Pilate boasts about His power in verse 10 probably because he feels weak and scared inside. In trying to appear strong, however, he only demonstrated his weakness. Pilate had made it clear he WANTED to release Jesus. If he truly did have the power, why didn't he just release Him? Pilate feared man more than he feared God and his cowardice was evident to whomever cared to look.
John 19:11 is filled with both application and irony. "Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." These words of Jesus stopped me short. First, they obviously reveal His love and faith in His Father in heaven. Perfect love casts out all fear. He knew where all authority came from. He knew He was in His Father's hands. Perfect love for His Father enabled Him to surrender to mere men...because He was not doing their will, He was submitting to His Father's will. The most important application here for me...the application that my heart rejoiced over was that Jesus took comfort in this. He took solace in the sovereignty of God. Who better to demonstrate it to us than Jesus because He knew the Father...He revealed who the Father was to us. Now I don't know why I have never thought of Jesus' submission to His Father in quite this way but it is so reassuring to me to know that Jesus was comforted by the knowledge of His Father's character.
Okay...I am starting to understand why I am so excited about this.
Jesus, knowing all things that would come upon Him, takes comfort in being totally in His Father's care. What a beautiful picture of Isaiah 26:3 You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is set on you, because He trusts in You.
Even amidst all this evil the Lord omnipotent reigns! What an example for us...Jesus, deity laid aside, yielded himself to men who would crucify Him because He was submitted to His Father and knew He was in control. He was sovereign.
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”--John 10:17-18
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”--John 10:28-30
If only, I could have that kind of faith and know that whatever I face here on this earth I face it knowing that nothing happens outside of God's sovereign control. Any authority or position we have is given to us by God. Any situation or trial we find ourselves in is ordained by God. Our very breath, the number of our days is in His hands. We, like Pilate, FOOLISHLY think that we are in charge...that we are the masters of our fate. HA! Pilate thought he was the judge. The irony was that He was in fact being judged on his response to Jesus. We all will be judged on how we responded to Jesus. It is not going to matter what you thought or decided about Jesus...maybe that He was a great teacher, or maybe a prophet or just some warm and fuzzy idea to get some of us through life. Jesus is still going to be God no matter who YOU decide He is.
...Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.
Now at first I thought Jesus was talking about Judas here...my mind did not go to Caiaphas until I read one or two commentaries...I can't really come down on either side...Caiaphas was the head of the Sanhedrin...He did know all of Jesus said and did and yet coldly and calculatingly took an active part in the plot to turn him over to the Romans for crucifixion as well as presiding over the unfair trial. Judas had a more personal day to day knowledge of Jesus which makes his sin of delivering Jesus up perhaps even more reprehensible. Caiaphas and Judas hardened their own hearts and were willful in their unbelief. Unlike Pilate, both Judas and Caiaphas saw and heard overwhelming evidence that Jesus was in fact God's Son. Ironically, however, Pilate, the pagan, was the one who showed fear and trepidation in handing Jesus over to be crucified, as opposed to Judas and Caiaphas, who seemed to revel in their sin. To much is given, much is required. Uh oh...
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” John 18:35
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. John 18:38
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. John 9:41
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. John 15:22-24
Truly the Lord God does rule and reign in the kingdom of men! Jesus took comfort and solace in this...we should too!
Love
Mom
Friday, November 5, 2010
James 1:2 - Count it all JOY
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. --James 1:1-12
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
James major emphasis in this section as well as in the entire book of James is that genuine faith when tested comes forth as gold. It endures the test...it survives. It is easy to be kind, gentle and sweet when things are going our way but what happens when our comfort is disrupted? Trials always remind me of an Amy Carmichael quote that basically says a cup filled to the brim with sweet water cannot spill a drop of bitter. How do you react to trials? Does your normally sweet water spill bitter? If your faith is genuine, it will not disappear during the hard times. In fact, the hard times will strengthen it!
Think of the trials in your life as tools in God's hand. They have many purposes...I have memorized this list (that is paraphrased from one developed by John MacArthur) because it is helpful for me to review when I am discouraged in the midst of a trial and "forget" God's ways and purposes. Here is the list: Trials conform us to the image of His Son, trials strengthen us, trials humble us, trials draw us away from the things of the world, trials make us look up to Him, trials reveal those things that we really love, trials make us thankful, trials make us a better tool, and trials enable us to comfort others. Memorizing this list also helps me to remember how important it is to respond in the right way to a trial. Why?? Look how much good they can produce in me!
The first 12 verses of James Chapter 1 give us 5 key attitudes that are needed to experience victory in trials.
John MacArthur breaks them down this way and then includes the reward in verse 12. This list has been so helpful for me in examining my heart throughout a trial. Truly, I have grown to love the author of James and thank God for him. His advice is so direct and practical! As you read the book you can almost feel his passionate desire that we would walk in "radical" obedience to the word of God. He NEVER equivocates.
The five attitudes to cultivate mentioned in verses 1-12 are a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a submissive will, a believing heart and a humble spirit. Okay...that is a tall order but we need to remember that our job is to just abide and obey and leave the methods and results to Him. "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"--Philippians 1:6
Let's take it verse by verse. We have already looked at the first verse, save the greeting, in the introduction. So let's look at verse 2 today which says we are suppose to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Now why would James say that? I thought about...I memorized the book of James in May of this year and decided then that he was perhaps speaking as a father here and exhorting us to have the right attitude from the start in a trial. A joyful one. I don't know about you but my response to a trial in my flesh is never joyful. My response is the opposite and so James is reminding us to make a conscious commitment to face them with joy. "Count" means to evaluate...it is a financial term. So we "count" them as joy. Unlike unbelievers, believers can profit both temporally and eternally from a trial. When we evaluate our life as a Christian our goals and priorities will be different than those prior to our salvation. We are now living for the things that matter. Not the temporal but the eternal. We set our mind on things above and not on the things of the earth. We store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy.
God tells us to expect trials...trials are very varied and individual. Saved or unsaved we all experience them. The difference is whether we experience them with Him or without Him. As a believer God works all in our lives including our trials together for good. The bible tells us that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. Before we go any further let's define trial. From John MacArthur...I loved this definition. "God brings such trials to prove---and increase-- the strength and quality of one's faith and to demonstrate its validity. The word trial in Greek connotes something that connotes trouble or breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy and happiness in someone's life. The verb form means to put something to the test with the purpose of discovering that person's nature or the thing's quality. Every trial becomes a test of faith designed to strengthen; if the believer fails the test by responding wrongly, that test then becomes a temptation or a solicitation to evil."
When we face trials we must look at them in the light of what God is doing in us. He promises to change us from the inside out and uses trials to make us more like Him when we surrender to the work of His Spirit through our obedience to His word. When we find our strength in Him in our trials and trust Him to work in our hearts, our trials are still difficult and still hurt, but we can have joy because we are now living for the things that matter. It is a matter of what we value. What we love. Where we are placing our hope. Trials by design pull the rug out on us and reveal our hearts. WHICH IS NEVER PRETTY! They show us what we really value. When I face a trial I remember that I died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. I live to magnify Him here on this earth. If I can live for Him in a trial and not give in to temptation, then my life can glorify Him. Isn't that what each one of us truly wants. Purpose in your heart at the very onset of a trial to make it "count" for God. Look up and know that He is going to work it for His glory and your good. Keep your eyes on Him. Not on your circumstances. Making the decision ahead of time really helps us to act rightly when the time comes.
Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
Love
Mom
Addendum from a previous study on John 18: After writing this post, I reread my post from John 18 and then copied and pasted the relevant parts below.
It is helpful for me when facing anything to always look to Christ's example. Let's look at His greatest trial...the cross....and see how He reacted.
John 18:4 says this: "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.”"
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him"....Wow...knowing all that would come upon Him...He went forward and handed Himself over to sinners...the very same ones He knew had rejected Him and would crucify Him. What grace! What love!
Jesus focused on the goal...our salvation...not on Himself or on His circumstances. He surrendered completely to His Father's will and laid down His life so that we who believe could live forever with Him. He showed all around Him in His every word and action the essence of His Father. In doing this He showed us the way to glorify our Father in heaven because He did all He did by depending totally on His Father. Make no mistake...Christ was both God and man and yet whatever He did here on earth He did by faith just as we must do. He did not use His divine powers. He did all He did as a MAN. We cannot take refuge in Him being God as the reason why He was able to do it. This fact is amazing to me...each time Jesus healed or spoke it was not Him it was the Spirit of God working through Him. He faced the cross and surrendered His life for us as a Man...depending entirely on His Father in heaven. WOW!
Girls...whenever we look at Christ's life...really look at it...conviction will follow. What an example He gave us for handling trials, offenses, rejection and grief. He kept His eyes on the goal and focused on the joy (us) that was set before Him and despite the provocation he reacted graciously to all that were around Him. Our goal here on earth is to glorify Him, to bring Christ close to those who do not know Him and to encourage those who do...to magnify Him. To glorify Him. How do we do this...by living our lives for Him. By remembering in offenses and sorrow that they are never about us...they are to be used to make us more like He is in order that others would see Jesus. Girls, don't get in the way by reacting to others in offense and unforgiveness or by retaliating in like manner. Remember grace...remember what we truly deserve and pray for those who may not have treated you like you think you deserved. Christ reached out in love at the hour He faced the greatest of offenses and rejection - for you - and in so doing, He reflected the glory of God.
Love
Mom
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
James major emphasis in this section as well as in the entire book of James is that genuine faith when tested comes forth as gold. It endures the test...it survives. It is easy to be kind, gentle and sweet when things are going our way but what happens when our comfort is disrupted? Trials always remind me of an Amy Carmichael quote that basically says a cup filled to the brim with sweet water cannot spill a drop of bitter. How do you react to trials? Does your normally sweet water spill bitter? If your faith is genuine, it will not disappear during the hard times. In fact, the hard times will strengthen it!
Think of the trials in your life as tools in God's hand. They have many purposes...I have memorized this list (that is paraphrased from one developed by John MacArthur) because it is helpful for me to review when I am discouraged in the midst of a trial and "forget" God's ways and purposes. Here is the list: Trials conform us to the image of His Son, trials strengthen us, trials humble us, trials draw us away from the things of the world, trials make us look up to Him, trials reveal those things that we really love, trials make us thankful, trials make us a better tool, and trials enable us to comfort others. Memorizing this list also helps me to remember how important it is to respond in the right way to a trial. Why?? Look how much good they can produce in me!
The first 12 verses of James Chapter 1 give us 5 key attitudes that are needed to experience victory in trials.
John MacArthur breaks them down this way and then includes the reward in verse 12. This list has been so helpful for me in examining my heart throughout a trial. Truly, I have grown to love the author of James and thank God for him. His advice is so direct and practical! As you read the book you can almost feel his passionate desire that we would walk in "radical" obedience to the word of God. He NEVER equivocates.
The five attitudes to cultivate mentioned in verses 1-12 are a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a submissive will, a believing heart and a humble spirit. Okay...that is a tall order but we need to remember that our job is to just abide and obey and leave the methods and results to Him. "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"--Philippians 1:6
Let's take it verse by verse. We have already looked at the first verse, save the greeting, in the introduction. So let's look at verse 2 today which says we are suppose to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Now why would James say that? I thought about...I memorized the book of James in May of this year and decided then that he was perhaps speaking as a father here and exhorting us to have the right attitude from the start in a trial. A joyful one. I don't know about you but my response to a trial in my flesh is never joyful. My response is the opposite and so James is reminding us to make a conscious commitment to face them with joy. "Count" means to evaluate...it is a financial term. So we "count" them as joy. Unlike unbelievers, believers can profit both temporally and eternally from a trial. When we evaluate our life as a Christian our goals and priorities will be different than those prior to our salvation. We are now living for the things that matter. Not the temporal but the eternal. We set our mind on things above and not on the things of the earth. We store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy.
God tells us to expect trials...trials are very varied and individual. Saved or unsaved we all experience them. The difference is whether we experience them with Him or without Him. As a believer God works all in our lives including our trials together for good. The bible tells us that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. Before we go any further let's define trial. From John MacArthur...I loved this definition. "God brings such trials to prove---and increase-- the strength and quality of one's faith and to demonstrate its validity. The word trial in Greek connotes something that connotes trouble or breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy and happiness in someone's life. The verb form means to put something to the test with the purpose of discovering that person's nature or the thing's quality. Every trial becomes a test of faith designed to strengthen; if the believer fails the test by responding wrongly, that test then becomes a temptation or a solicitation to evil."
When we face trials we must look at them in the light of what God is doing in us. He promises to change us from the inside out and uses trials to make us more like Him when we surrender to the work of His Spirit through our obedience to His word. When we find our strength in Him in our trials and trust Him to work in our hearts, our trials are still difficult and still hurt, but we can have joy because we are now living for the things that matter. It is a matter of what we value. What we love. Where we are placing our hope. Trials by design pull the rug out on us and reveal our hearts. WHICH IS NEVER PRETTY! They show us what we really value. When I face a trial I remember that I died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. I live to magnify Him here on this earth. If I can live for Him in a trial and not give in to temptation, then my life can glorify Him. Isn't that what each one of us truly wants. Purpose in your heart at the very onset of a trial to make it "count" for God. Look up and know that He is going to work it for His glory and your good. Keep your eyes on Him. Not on your circumstances. Making the decision ahead of time really helps us to act rightly when the time comes.
Job 23:10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
Love
Mom
Addendum from a previous study on John 18: After writing this post, I reread my post from John 18 and then copied and pasted the relevant parts below.
It is helpful for me when facing anything to always look to Christ's example. Let's look at His greatest trial...the cross....and see how He reacted.
John 18:4 says this: "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.”"
Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him"....Wow...knowing all that would come upon Him...He went forward and handed Himself over to sinners...the very same ones He knew had rejected Him and would crucify Him. What grace! What love!
Jesus focused on the goal...our salvation...not on Himself or on His circumstances. He surrendered completely to His Father's will and laid down His life so that we who believe could live forever with Him. He showed all around Him in His every word and action the essence of His Father. In doing this He showed us the way to glorify our Father in heaven because He did all He did by depending totally on His Father. Make no mistake...Christ was both God and man and yet whatever He did here on earth He did by faith just as we must do. He did not use His divine powers. He did all He did as a MAN. We cannot take refuge in Him being God as the reason why He was able to do it. This fact is amazing to me...each time Jesus healed or spoke it was not Him it was the Spirit of God working through Him. He faced the cross and surrendered His life for us as a Man...depending entirely on His Father in heaven. WOW!
Girls...whenever we look at Christ's life...really look at it...conviction will follow. What an example He gave us for handling trials, offenses, rejection and grief. He kept His eyes on the goal and focused on the joy (us) that was set before Him and despite the provocation he reacted graciously to all that were around Him. Our goal here on earth is to glorify Him, to bring Christ close to those who do not know Him and to encourage those who do...to magnify Him. To glorify Him. How do we do this...by living our lives for Him. By remembering in offenses and sorrow that they are never about us...they are to be used to make us more like He is in order that others would see Jesus. Girls, don't get in the way by reacting to others in offense and unforgiveness or by retaliating in like manner. Remember grace...remember what we truly deserve and pray for those who may not have treated you like you think you deserved. Christ reached out in love at the hour He faced the greatest of offenses and rejection - for you - and in so doing, He reflected the glory of God.
Love
Mom
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Book of James...Spiritual Maturity
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The Book of James - Introduction
James is such a practical book! It is where the rubber meets the road. Are we a hearer of the Word only? Do we really live what we profess to believe? What our hearts believe, will be reflected in our lives...our actions will follow the beliefs of our hearts. Our faith is something to be believed and acted upon. If it doesn't result in works and a changed life then our faith is dead. If we love God, we will obey His commandments.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
James introduced Himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was also the Lord's half- brother and a pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, but he thought of himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how we should see ourselves. We are here as God's servant by His grace to do His will. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
James was not a believer until after the death and resurrection of Christ. (Mark 3:31-35 and John 7:1-5).What convinced James...the resurrection. (See 1 Cor 15:3-7)
James wrote to the 12 tribes scattered abroad ...the Christian Jews who were scattered in the dispersion during the first round of persecution. Persecution that came from their own countrymen. Interestingly, the Greek word scattered means "in the dispersion" and carries the meaning of scattering seed which is what happened when these Jewish believers were scattered abroad. Seed was sown in many places and much of it bore fruit. The gospel went to the Jew first. It was rejected by the nation of Israel but many individual Jews did accept Jesus as their Messiah. The early church was comprised of mostly Jewish believers. Acceptance or rejection of Christ is a personal decision that each and every one of us makes.
Let's pause for a minute to remember that as a Jew they were rejected by Gentiles and as a Christian Jew they were not only rejected by their own countrymen but persecuted as well. They were expelled from the temple which meant that they probably would have much trouble earning a living because a good Jew would no longer have any dealings with them.
We have looked at who James was and to whom he wrote to. Now let's look at why he wrote. James purpose in writing this letter was to address spiritual immaturity, and he talks about several qualities that should mark the spiritually mature believer. Here they are, using Warren Wiersbe's words: A spiritually mature believer is patient in testing, practices the truth, has power over the tongue, is a peacemaker, not a troublemaker, and is prayerful in troubles. I absolutely love how (he) Warren Wiersbe, characterizes the problems that James dealt with. He saw them as characteristics we see in little children. Thinking of it like that makes it so easy for me to remember. James looks at impatience, talking but not living the truth, no control over the tongue, fighting and coveting, and collecting material things.
Okay...I just don't see these characteristics in little children. I see each of them to some extent in me. Imagine, however, if these qualities were still as much a part of our character now as they were when we were young. Suppose chastening had never occurred, or we never had to face the consequences of our actions and we always got what we wanted. Without the trials, chastisements and consequences I received as a child I would be impossible to live with....selfish, unhappy, discontented, obnoxious and probably dangerous. Without the Lord in my life, without Him in my heart I would be a slave to sin. My life would bear fruit unto death not holiness.
Hebrews 12:9-10 says: "Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. (emphasis mine) Looking at it from this point of view we can see how helpful trials can be. As a child of God they reveal to us what we are trusting in, they lead us to our Savior and His word, they make us look up, help us to bear fruit. In short, they mature us. Our job is to surrender and let Him do the work in our hearts.
God wants to produce His likeness in each of us. This necessarily involves suffering, frustration, heartache and confusion. Fruit needs rain as well as sunshine to grow. God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Try to remember, however, that afterward trials will produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness if we allow ourselves to be trained by them. Keep your eyes on the goal....Christ-likeness.
Love
Mom
Addendum from 9/3/2013: a bondservant (doulos) in its Hebrew sense it is defined as a slave....one who gives himself up voluntarily to another's will. It describes a servant who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects. (Exodus 21:5-6. Gal 1:10, Titus 1:1, A doulos is devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interest. I. Love. That.
The Book of James - Introduction
James is such a practical book! It is where the rubber meets the road. Are we a hearer of the Word only? Do we really live what we profess to believe? What our hearts believe, will be reflected in our lives...our actions will follow the beliefs of our hearts. Our faith is something to be believed and acted upon. If it doesn't result in works and a changed life then our faith is dead. If we love God, we will obey His commandments.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
James introduced Himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was also the Lord's half- brother and a pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, but he thought of himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how we should see ourselves. We are here as God's servant by His grace to do His will. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
James was not a believer until after the death and resurrection of Christ. (Mark 3:31-35 and John 7:1-5).What convinced James...the resurrection. (See 1 Cor 15:3-7)
James wrote to the 12 tribes scattered abroad ...the Christian Jews who were scattered in the dispersion during the first round of persecution. Persecution that came from their own countrymen. Interestingly, the Greek word scattered means "in the dispersion" and carries the meaning of scattering seed which is what happened when these Jewish believers were scattered abroad. Seed was sown in many places and much of it bore fruit. The gospel went to the Jew first. It was rejected by the nation of Israel but many individual Jews did accept Jesus as their Messiah. The early church was comprised of mostly Jewish believers. Acceptance or rejection of Christ is a personal decision that each and every one of us makes.
Let's pause for a minute to remember that as a Jew they were rejected by Gentiles and as a Christian Jew they were not only rejected by their own countrymen but persecuted as well. They were expelled from the temple which meant that they probably would have much trouble earning a living because a good Jew would no longer have any dealings with them.
We have looked at who James was and to whom he wrote to. Now let's look at why he wrote. James purpose in writing this letter was to address spiritual immaturity, and he talks about several qualities that should mark the spiritually mature believer. Here they are, using Warren Wiersbe's words: A spiritually mature believer is patient in testing, practices the truth, has power over the tongue, is a peacemaker, not a troublemaker, and is prayerful in troubles. I absolutely love how (he) Warren Wiersbe, characterizes the problems that James dealt with. He saw them as characteristics we see in little children. Thinking of it like that makes it so easy for me to remember. James looks at impatience, talking but not living the truth, no control over the tongue, fighting and coveting, and collecting material things.
Okay...I just don't see these characteristics in little children. I see each of them to some extent in me. Imagine, however, if these qualities were still as much a part of our character now as they were when we were young. Suppose chastening had never occurred, or we never had to face the consequences of our actions and we always got what we wanted. Without the trials, chastisements and consequences I received as a child I would be impossible to live with....selfish, unhappy, discontented, obnoxious and probably dangerous. Without the Lord in my life, without Him in my heart I would be a slave to sin. My life would bear fruit unto death not holiness.
Hebrews 12:9-10 says: "Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. (emphasis mine) Looking at it from this point of view we can see how helpful trials can be. As a child of God they reveal to us what we are trusting in, they lead us to our Savior and His word, they make us look up, help us to bear fruit. In short, they mature us. Our job is to surrender and let Him do the work in our hearts.
God wants to produce His likeness in each of us. This necessarily involves suffering, frustration, heartache and confusion. Fruit needs rain as well as sunshine to grow. God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Try to remember, however, that afterward trials will produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness if we allow ourselves to be trained by them. Keep your eyes on the goal....Christ-likeness.
Love
Mom
Addendum from 9/3/2013: a bondservant (doulos) in its Hebrew sense it is defined as a slave....one who gives himself up voluntarily to another's will. It describes a servant who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects. (Exodus 21:5-6. Gal 1:10, Titus 1:1, A doulos is devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interest. I. Love. That.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
AND IF GOD IS AGAINST YOU....UH OH...
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
We are looking at Jeremiah Chapter 21. I never want to find myself in the position King Zedekiah found himself in when he finally inquired of the Lord after the King of Babylon had laid siege on Jerusalem. He was hoping that God would perform a miracle and the enemy would turn away as they did during Hezekiah's reign. Look what God says to the King of Judah in verses 3 through 7.
But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. 7 After that, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.--Jeremiah 21:3-7
Not only would the Lord not deliver the city from the enemy but He would fight on their side! The Lord's arm would not be outstretched this time to help and to show mercy but in wrath against His people. It says in Romans 8 if God is for us who can be against us. The converse of that verse is very frightening indeed! This is where King Zedekiah and the people of Judah found themselves. As always though the Lord's wrath is tempered with His mercy. See what God tells the people of Jerusalem in verses 8-10.
“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the LORD. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."--Jeremiah 21:8-10
God gave them a choice...surrender to the enemy and live or die in the city by the sword, famine or plague. You decide. Don't miss the picture here. In surrendering...in submitting to the enemy...they were actually confessing their guilt and submitting to the will of God because Nebuchadnezzar was God's instrument in judgment. Those who submitted lived. Those who did not surrender to the Babylonians and remained in the city perished. I am pretty sure there is a lesson in there for us...I will get back to you. : D
Girls, the only sane response to God's chastening hand is submission. Hebrews 12:9 says this: "Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? It is important also to remember here that the leaders of Jerusalem had been given better choices earlier...unfortunately they waited until the enemy had surrounded them before asking the Lord for help. If you are practicing sin, the time to turn and repent is now...don't wait for disaster and judgment to be upon you.
The last several verses pronounce doom on the kings of Judah...the House of David. Here are the verses from Jeremiah 21:11-14
“Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done—
burn with no one to quench it.
13 I am against you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley
on the rocky plateau, declares the LORD—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”
14 I will punish you as your deeds deserve,
declares the LORD.
I will kindle a fire in your forests
that will consume everything around you.’”
God is simply reminding them of His covenant with them and urging them to obey. The words to the covenant can be found in 2nd Samuel Chapter 7.
As I end girls, remember that God is for us. If we have His Son we have life in His name. God, the creator of the universe, who conquered Satan, the ruler of this world, at the cross is FOR US! He who is in me, is greater than he who is in the world. Girls, there are many times during the day when my eyes just fill with tears and I am overwhelmed by His goodness and kindness toward me. If God did not spare His own Son when I was still His enemy, I can be sure that He will not withhold His gift of salvation from me...I can be sure that He will not condemn me...I can be sure that He will give me everything I need to live for Him..after all He gave His life for me when I hated Him. How much more will He freely give to me those things that are for my best as His daughter.
Love
Mom
We are looking at Jeremiah Chapter 21. I never want to find myself in the position King Zedekiah found himself in when he finally inquired of the Lord after the King of Babylon had laid siege on Jerusalem. He was hoping that God would perform a miracle and the enemy would turn away as they did during Hezekiah's reign. Look what God says to the King of Judah in verses 3 through 7.
But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague. 7 After that, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.--Jeremiah 21:3-7
Not only would the Lord not deliver the city from the enemy but He would fight on their side! The Lord's arm would not be outstretched this time to help and to show mercy but in wrath against His people. It says in Romans 8 if God is for us who can be against us. The converse of that verse is very frightening indeed! This is where King Zedekiah and the people of Judah found themselves. As always though the Lord's wrath is tempered with His mercy. See what God tells the people of Jerusalem in verses 8-10.
“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the LORD. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire."--Jeremiah 21:8-10
God gave them a choice...surrender to the enemy and live or die in the city by the sword, famine or plague. You decide. Don't miss the picture here. In surrendering...in submitting to the enemy...they were actually confessing their guilt and submitting to the will of God because Nebuchadnezzar was God's instrument in judgment. Those who submitted lived. Those who did not surrender to the Babylonians and remained in the city perished. I am pretty sure there is a lesson in there for us...I will get back to you. : D
Girls, the only sane response to God's chastening hand is submission. Hebrews 12:9 says this: "Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? It is important also to remember here that the leaders of Jerusalem had been given better choices earlier...unfortunately they waited until the enemy had surrounded them before asking the Lord for help. If you are practicing sin, the time to turn and repent is now...don't wait for disaster and judgment to be upon you.
The last several verses pronounce doom on the kings of Judah...the House of David. Here are the verses from Jeremiah 21:11-14
“Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice every morning;
rescue from the hand of the oppressor
the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done—
burn with no one to quench it.
13 I am against you, Jerusalem,
you who live above this valley
on the rocky plateau, declares the LORD—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
Who can enter our refuge?”
14 I will punish you as your deeds deserve,
declares the LORD.
I will kindle a fire in your forests
that will consume everything around you.’”
God is simply reminding them of His covenant with them and urging them to obey. The words to the covenant can be found in 2nd Samuel Chapter 7.
As I end girls, remember that God is for us. If we have His Son we have life in His name. God, the creator of the universe, who conquered Satan, the ruler of this world, at the cross is FOR US! He who is in me, is greater than he who is in the world. Girls, there are many times during the day when my eyes just fill with tears and I am overwhelmed by His goodness and kindness toward me. If God did not spare His own Son when I was still His enemy, I can be sure that He will not withhold His gift of salvation from me...I can be sure that He will not condemn me...I can be sure that He will give me everything I need to live for Him..after all He gave His life for me when I hated Him. How much more will He freely give to me those things that are for my best as His daughter.
Love
Mom
The Same Lord is Rich to all who Call on Him...
But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls (that is, to bring Christ down on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”--Romans 10:6-13
Below are the verses from Deuteronomy 30:10-14 that Paul was quoting. I have included verse 10 for clarity.
10 if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
These verses in Deuteronomy emphasis heart belief and not just outward compliance. Paul changes the quote from Deuteronomy to refer to the gospel in Romans... "He saw “the commandment” or “the Word” as meaning “Christ, God’s Word.” So, he substituted “Christ” for “the commandment.” I really love this! Paul is saying here that the gospel is not hard...it does not tell us to do what is humanly impossible. Christ has already descended from heaven in the Incarnation. He has already risen from the abyss in the resurrection! He has already done it all. The work is finished and He is near! The gospel is easily attained, easily understood and and can be expressed in conversation! Jesus is known not through the philosophies of men but through a childlike faith.
What do you have to do obtain salvation. It's so simple. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and believe in your heart that He died for your sins at Calvary and that God raised Him from the dead in order that those who believe could live with Him forever. That's it. When a person does this, he is instantly justified. He now has Christ's righteousness imputed to him...he is saved. So simple...believe and confess.
Contrast that to what the Jew had to do and you can understand why they stumbled. They were so used to doing and obeying the law to obtain righteousness that this seemed ludicrous. There was nothing they could do to be justified before God except believe. Many rejected it out of hand. Their pride could not take the blow. Others, however, saw their own inability to keep the law and through that saw God's grace, surrendered and accepted His free gift.
Next, Paul quoting Isaiah 28:16, reminds us that when you do confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth, God's word guarantees you will not be put to shame. Matthew 10:32 says, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Our confession of Him here on earth, leads to His confession of us in heaven. He goes on to say that there is no difference between Jew and Greek and I love what He says next...the same Lord is rich to all who call on Him. How beautiful is that.! "They looked to Him and were radiant and their faces were not ashamed."
Joel 2:32 is the last verse Paul quotes from in this section acknowledging that WHOEVER calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no difference in salvation...the Jew and the Gentile all need to call on the name of the Lord to be saved!
Romans 10:6-13 present a real challenge to the Jew both now and then. In order to accept the gospel, they needed to believe that God became a man and then rose from the dead. (Incarnation and the Resurrection) They also need to believe that they were just as guilty before God as the Gentiles they condemned. So many of us stumble here The gospel is so simple but it is in direct opposition to our pride and our desire be righteous in our own selves. We look at others through the eyes of our own pride and accomplishment and think that we will be acceptable to God in and of ourselves. We think that because of our good works God has to accept us...that He owes us some how. We forget that God is a debtor to no man...He cannot be controlled. He lays before us two paths...the path of righteousness by acceptance of His Son and His finished work on the cross or the path of destruction...the path we choose when we go our own way.
Warren Wiersbe presents a chart to his readers comparing faith righteousness to works righteousness...It is worth copying here.
Law Righteousness Faith Righteousness
Only for the Jew For “whosoever”
Based on works Comes by faith alone
Self-righteousness God’s righteousness
Cannot save Brings salvation
Obey the Lord Call on the Lord
Leads to pride Glorifies God
Law righteousness was only for the Jew, based on works and led to self-righteousness. It could not save. The Lord needed to be obeyed...instead of glorifying God it led to pride...
Faith righteousness was for whosoever and comes by faith alone. It is God's righteousness imputed to us that brings salvation when we call on Him. This kind of righteousness does not lead to pride because we can do nothing to earn it...we can only accept it as a gift. It glorifies our Father in heaven.
Love
Mom
Below are the verses from Deuteronomy 30:10-14 that Paul was quoting. I have included verse 10 for clarity.
10 if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
These verses in Deuteronomy emphasis heart belief and not just outward compliance. Paul changes the quote from Deuteronomy to refer to the gospel in Romans... "He saw “the commandment” or “the Word” as meaning “Christ, God’s Word.” So, he substituted “Christ” for “the commandment.” I really love this! Paul is saying here that the gospel is not hard...it does not tell us to do what is humanly impossible. Christ has already descended from heaven in the Incarnation. He has already risen from the abyss in the resurrection! He has already done it all. The work is finished and He is near! The gospel is easily attained, easily understood and and can be expressed in conversation! Jesus is known not through the philosophies of men but through a childlike faith.
What do you have to do obtain salvation. It's so simple. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and believe in your heart that He died for your sins at Calvary and that God raised Him from the dead in order that those who believe could live with Him forever. That's it. When a person does this, he is instantly justified. He now has Christ's righteousness imputed to him...he is saved. So simple...believe and confess.
Contrast that to what the Jew had to do and you can understand why they stumbled. They were so used to doing and obeying the law to obtain righteousness that this seemed ludicrous. There was nothing they could do to be justified before God except believe. Many rejected it out of hand. Their pride could not take the blow. Others, however, saw their own inability to keep the law and through that saw God's grace, surrendered and accepted His free gift.
Next, Paul quoting Isaiah 28:16, reminds us that when you do confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth, God's word guarantees you will not be put to shame. Matthew 10:32 says, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Our confession of Him here on earth, leads to His confession of us in heaven. He goes on to say that there is no difference between Jew and Greek and I love what He says next...the same Lord is rich to all who call on Him. How beautiful is that.! "They looked to Him and were radiant and their faces were not ashamed."
Joel 2:32 is the last verse Paul quotes from in this section acknowledging that WHOEVER calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no difference in salvation...the Jew and the Gentile all need to call on the name of the Lord to be saved!
Romans 10:6-13 present a real challenge to the Jew both now and then. In order to accept the gospel, they needed to believe that God became a man and then rose from the dead. (Incarnation and the Resurrection) They also need to believe that they were just as guilty before God as the Gentiles they condemned. So many of us stumble here The gospel is so simple but it is in direct opposition to our pride and our desire be righteous in our own selves. We look at others through the eyes of our own pride and accomplishment and think that we will be acceptable to God in and of ourselves. We think that because of our good works God has to accept us...that He owes us some how. We forget that God is a debtor to no man...He cannot be controlled. He lays before us two paths...the path of righteousness by acceptance of His Son and His finished work on the cross or the path of destruction...the path we choose when we go our own way.
Warren Wiersbe presents a chart to his readers comparing faith righteousness to works righteousness...It is worth copying here.
Law Righteousness Faith Righteousness
Only for the Jew For “whosoever”
Based on works Comes by faith alone
Self-righteousness God’s righteousness
Cannot save Brings salvation
Obey the Lord Call on the Lord
Leads to pride Glorifies God
Law righteousness was only for the Jew, based on works and led to self-righteousness. It could not save. The Lord needed to be obeyed...instead of glorifying God it led to pride...
Faith righteousness was for whosoever and comes by faith alone. It is God's righteousness imputed to us that brings salvation when we call on Him. This kind of righteousness does not lead to pride because we can do nothing to earn it...we can only accept it as a gift. It glorifies our Father in heaven.
Love
Mom
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