Big Bank Account Versus Fat Faith Account

531."Big Bank Account Versus Fat Faith Account"                     
May 31, 2012
James 5-Part 1
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered: and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.  James 5:2-3


LET IT GLOW

Which is growing fatter-my savings account at the local bank or my faith account in the bank of heaven? Am I adding up dollars and cents or good works and loving attitudes? Which is the bigger account?
In what does my hope lie? Am I depending upon God or my money? Is my faith growing fatter or my pockets? Am I being a doer of the Word or just a hearer only? How are my attitudes and priorities? Questions to contemplate. James begins our last chapter talking to the wealthy, which are probably Christians in the church.

Let's consider the divine retribution first:

• Hoarded riches reap miserable dividends (verses 1-3a). These dividends are bitterness, cynicism, disappointment, and emptiness, to name a few. Don't they remind us of Dickens' character Scrooge?
• Riches provide no relief in eternity (verse 3b-5b). Our earthly bank account won't matter in heaven. Only the righteousness of Christ that has sbeen credited to our account through faith in Him.
• The unjust acts of the unsaved are not forgotten (verse 4b). Though it looks like the unsaved wealthy don't have to answer for their selfish ways, the day is coming when they will.
• A lack of judgment today does not mean a lack of judgment tomorrow. In Luke 16, we see the rich man and Lazarus with their contrasted lives. (Swindoll)

Though this may not be encouraging to read, it shows us the just and judging God we serve.


LET IT GROW

Even though James is addressing the rich, can't these principles apply to all of us? So I turned them around and made it into how I don't want to be like them:
1. Don't be guilty of hoarding wealth (verses 2-3a). Food rots, clothes get moth eatten, and metal
    coins rust or tarnish. Where my treasure is, there is my heart. What do I spend my money on? Do I
    stock the cabinets, closets, and coin banks? Or do I use my money to meet needs of others? Give to
    the Lord's work?

2. Don't cheat others (verse 4). A servant who is poor and needy should not be opressed. (Deut. 24)

3. Don't live a totally selfish lifestyle (verse 5). Self-indulgence is not right when the poor worker that
    makes the wealthy rich is starving.

4. Don't take advantage of the righteous. (verse 6). Are believers dragged into court?

Is my faith account getting bigger than my bank account?


LET IT GO

What do I need to leave behind so I can follow Jesus?

Check my faith account.

Look over my priorities.

Share with those in need.

If the Lord's Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise

530.  "If the Lord's Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise"
May 30, 2012
James 4-Part 4
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.    James 4:15


LET IT GLOW

See ya in church Sunday? How many times have I heard someone answer, "If the Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise." I think that phrase was used instead of answering yes or no. I suppose that saying came from the horse and buggy/wagon era. If the creek was up and roaring out of its banks, which is common here during the spring floods, then I could see that horses and wagons couldn't cross it. (We still have a few low-water bridges on our back roads like this.) But what gets me is they bring the Lord's will into the situation, which probably isn't even being considered about the matter at hand, especially if He wants them to attend worship services.
Less you think I'm coming down too hard, I do the same thing. Oh, not in those words, but I use maybe, or I don't know when I really mean no, but don't want to say it.

What does James have to say about it? What is the Lord's will? Does He care about our little decisions we make during the day, or the plans we make during the month or throughout the year? Does it matter what we do or where we go?

We should respect the divine sovereignty of God and be willing to have something interrupt my plans and cheerfully make the most of it. Everything is contingent on God's will (Blake)

Do I boast in God and His wonders? Trust in His plans?

We all depend upon Almighty God for life, and breath, and all things. (Matthew Henry)

I have been praying for rain the last 2 weeks. We are looking like Texas last year. No rain has come. Yet God knows best, when to send it, when not to send it. Maybe more people should pray.

Psalm 22:3, NIV, says, Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel.

We will agree that God is still on His throne. Even if it doesn't rain this week, can I say, "Yet Linda will still praise Him?" Do I yield to the Lord's Will willingly?
Please join me in praying for rain for Arkansas.

LET IT GROW


If we are ever considering walking on a different path than what the Lord Jesus has us on, don't. Verse 17 warns us: If I know the right thing to do, and don't do it, then I have sinned.

Take what you have learned from God's Word and begin practicing it. Stop running others down and let God do the judging. Instead of seeking to control, learn to submit to God and follow. (Swindoll)

Sins of omission lead directly to sins of commission. (MacArthur)

It is never a minor thing to know God's will and not do it. God calls this sin. We can make excuses for our lack of obedience. We can rationalize, procrastinate, deceive ourselves into thinking that good intentions equal obedient actions.They do not. A good intention without corresponding activity is disobedience .Making commitments is not the same as obeying the Lord. Only obedience satisfies God's desire for obedience.  (Blackaby)

If I know it is the right thing to do, yet I don't do it, then I am sinning, right?


LET IT GO

Boast in what the Lord does, not what I do.

Trust Jesus in all things.

Do what I know is right and what I know is the Lord's will.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

529.  "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"
May 29, 2012
James 4-Part 3
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14


LET IT GLOW

One cool, early morning, as usual, I looked out the window of our front door at the pond across the road. The scene over the pond got my atention. I had to go step outside to take a closer and clearer look. The previous week's temperature had been warm for spring. As I stepped out, the cool breeze hit me. That was the reason for the scene on the pond. There was a fog hovering over it, like none I had ever seen before. It wasn't covering the entire pond, just in one spot. It was lifting up, up, and away, as if the Lord was standing over the water, disappearing. Okay, I have an imagination, But it was an unusual sight, a breathtaking one I might add. Isn't that the way life is- here today, gone tomorrow?

One thing is certain in this life-life is uncertain.
How quickly the days are passing. Half of the year will soon be over. It's true that time goes by faster as you get older. It seems as though yesterday our children were toddlers, that the day before yesterday, I was a child at home with my parents.
I wonder, am I doing what is important or wasting my time? Am I doing God's will or my will?

It seems that this person in the illustration, must be a wealthy merchant, talking to his business associates. What can I learn from him?

• Include God in my plans; seek His will concerning events and decisions.
• When I find God's will, have unwavering faith that His will is best.
• Submit to God's will for my life and do it. Don't be independent, but dependent on His promises, power, and Word.
• Life is uncertain, so I'm going to trust His leading and follow His steps. (Only He is sovereign.)
• He alone knows the future and reveals it to whom He will. I am limited in my understanding.
• Life is short, like a puff of smoke, vapor, a breath seen in for a second in cold air, so live it without regrets.
• Soon I will be gone from my little world, in the ground bodily, but in heaven spiritually.
• If the Lord wills, be willing to have something interrupt my plans, and cheerfully make the most of it. Conform to His will, whatever it may be. Everything is contingent on God's will. (Blake)
• Life is fragile, handle it with care. Consider others.
• Only God gives us breath of life, so live it for Him.

LET IT GROW

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (verses 15-17)

A man who brags about future plans while ignoring God's sovereignty is foolish, but more than that his attitude is evil. The extent of this marks the depravity of contemporary society. (Falwell)

It is the height of arrogance to disregard God as the master of our fate. As Psalm 14:1 says, The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God' (emphasis added).  It's a fool's game to play God; nevertheless, James knows that some would rather take the risk and play than humbly submit to the Lord. (Swindoll)

How do I stop playing God, living by my rules, ways, and plans?

• Get into God's Word.
• Start doing what is right according to His word.
• Stop running others down and let God do the judging.
• Instead of seeking to control, learn to submit to God and follow. (Swindoll)

LET IT GO

Leave the control, reins, to God. Surrender to His plans, His ways for my life.

Find out what pleases God from His Word and strive to please Him, not self.

Judging Others

Memorial Day
I want to say thank you to all of those men and women who have given up so much to serve our country and us, keeping us safe. Let's not forget their families who give up spending time with their loved ones who are serving in our military-thank you isn't enough.
I want to remember those who gave their life/and or limbs in preserving our freedoms. So many wars have been fought by Americans to fight the enemy. Thank God we still live a fairly free country, where we can worship, pray, read the Truth-Bible, without persecution.
My own father lost a leg during WWII, but said he'd go fight again if he could.
As Christians, we are in a war against sin and evil, fighting for our families, marriage, purity of life, Christian values, praying for darkness  to be held back.
Enjoy your holiday, dear friends in Christ. May God bless your family and our nation as we stay faithful to Him.

528.  " Judging Others"                              May 28, 2012
James 4-Part 2
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?  James 4:12 NIV

LET IT GLOW

I recall the days in high school, during social studies classes, we would be given a senerio and then debated it. We were not allowed to choose which side we were on, but it was appointed to us. Usually, they were current events in our world. We set ourselves up as judges of the matter at hand. It seems like those issues later became matters of importance in our society as we voted on them when we became of age. Now we are the generation that is involved in making the laws of our land. In the spiritual realm, do I find myself continuing to judge, only to judge peoples' ways and actions, spiritual condition?  James gives me advice on the matter.
Only God is qualified to be Judge. He is the one who gave us the Law, moral and spiritual laws to live by.

God is designated as author, interpreter, and executor of the law. If He alone holds these functions, then who are we to judge another? (Falwell)
Only God has the ability to to save and destroy, which proves that only He is qualified to judge. (Swindoll)
The question is: Do I try to take His place as judge of others?

LET IT GROW

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. when you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. James 4:11 NIV

Does this mean that when I put down someone, I am making myself superior to other Christians?
Speak against means to talk down. It's the idea of talking about one person to another with the goal of lowering your listener's estimate of that third person.
Judge means to pronounce condemnation upon someone. In order to judge someone rightly, however, we must know all there is to know about that other person. It requires the kind of complete understanding about a person's thoughts and motives that only God possesses.
Didn't Jesus tell us to get the log out of our own eye before we get the speck out of our brother's eye?
(Matt. 7:1-5)
When I critize others, I speak against the law and judge it. Probably, the law which James is referring to is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (2:8). Do I then change position from being a doer of the law to a judge of the law?
Isn't God supposed to be the final authority over my life? Do I depend on Him? Or am I "playing God" with myself?
[Swindoll's Study Guide on James]

I remember that the beginning of this chapter discussed strife. The solutions for strife is to get right with God and to get right with other people.

Wehn I'm right with other people, it will show in the way I talk about them. So I must not speak evil of one another and not judge my brother/sister.
1 John 4:20 says, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (NIV)

When I have the proper humility before God, it just isn't within me to arrogantly judge others, is it?

Friends, I have some homework to do with this lesson.


LET IT GO

Stop judging others. Stop critizing them.

Start loving others as Christ does-accepting us as we are.

Pray for others and myself.

Why? Why? Why?

527.  "Why? Why? Why?"                 May 25, 2012
James 4-Part 1
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.   James 4:6-9
LET IT GLOW

Why? Why? Why? How many times does a preschooler ask that one worded question in a day?
I find myself answering it, but getting impatient with the next why. Then I turn around and ask,"Why? why? why?" I am glad that God does not get impatient. That brings me to some questions I asked after reading chapter 4. Here are some:
Why are our Christian brothers and sisters in church quarreling and having conflicts?
Why does God seem so distant from me?
Why do I not feel more of God's grace?
Why won't the devil leave me alone?
Why won't God lift me up?
The answers to these questions are found in James chapter 4.
1,. What causes fights and quarrels among us? (verse 1)
     We don't get what we want. (verse 2)
     We don't have because we don't ask God for it. (verse 2)
     When we ask, we don't receive, because we ask with wrong motives-so we can spend what we get
      on our pleasures. (verse 3)
     ANSWERS:
     OUR INNER DESIRES, PASSIONS, PLEASURES ARE FOCUSED ON OURSELF.
     WE STRIVE TO SATISY OUR INNER DESIRES WITH WORLDLY MOTIVATION.
So if everyone is wanting their way instead of God's way, there are conflicts.
2. Why does God seem so distant from me?
     Friendship with the world is hatred towards God. (verse 4)
     My allegiance divided between the world and God.
     I shut out the Holy Spirit. (verse 5)
     My sins have seperated me from God.
     ANSWERS:
     HUMBLE MYSELF BEFORE GOD AND HE WILL GIVE ME MORE GRACE. (verse 6)
     HE JEALOUSLY WANTS HIS SPIRIT TO DWELL IN ME. (verse 5)
3. Why do I not feel more of God's grace?
     Pride.
     ANSWER:
     SUBMIT TO GOD. (verse 7a)
     SURRENDER MY WILL TO HIS WILL.

4.  Why won't the devil leave me alone?
      I am not resisting temptations, but yield, and thus sin.
      I'm not standing up against the devil and his ways.
      I am straddling the fence.
      I don't know enough scriptures to refute him.
      ANSWER:
      RESIST THE DEVIL. (verse 7b)
5. Why won't God lift me up?
     I don't come near to Him. (verse 8)
     I don't wash my hands and purify my heart. (verse 8b)
     I don't grieve, mourn, and wail over my sins. (verse 9a)
     Instead, I laugh and am joyful in my sins. (verse 9b)
     ANSWER:
     HUMBLE MYSELF BEFORE THE LORD AND HE WILL LIFT ME UP. (verse 10)
[Reference: James, Practical and Authentic Living by Charles Swindoll]

LET IT GROW
What does James tell me to do?

• Submit to God. Order yourself under God, surrender to Him as conquering King, and receive the benefits of His reign.
• Resist the devil to solve problems that carnality and strife cause. Stand against the devil's deceptions and intimidation. Come in the authority of what Jesus did on the cross.
• Draw near to God.  
• Cleanse my hands at the cross and purify my heart.
• Humble myself. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. (Grace is unmerited favor of God.) (David Guzik)

Liberty Bible Commentary has this to say:

Because of God's never-ending grace, the Christian's logical behavior is total submission to Him, rather than enslavement to the world's allurements. The believer must walk in the Spirit with the utmost caution. He must walk worthy (Col 1:9-10).

LET IT GO

Totally submit everything and myself to God.



    

    
   

What Kind of Fruit is in Your Garden?

526.  "What Kind of Fruit is in Your Garden?"                            May 24, 2012
James 3-Part 6
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peacae of them that make peace.  James 3:17-18


LET IT GLOW

One spring my son and I decided to plant a garden. We hoed by hand a spot of ground outside the fenced in yard. (We had a beagle inside that liked to dig.) Since we didn't have a tiller, it was hard work hoeing to dig up the grass. We planted the hills of corn and squash, tied up tomato plants, even put in seeds of okra, too. After much watering and weeding, as time passed, we had the fruit of our labor to enjoy. It was a good time that we spent together, talking, and working with our hands. There are seven fruits that were not found in our garden, but are characteristic of divine wisdom from above. Shall we see what they are?

We talked about the true, false, and human wisdom in our last lesson. Today's verses talk more in depth about the true, divine wisdom that is from above. The tests of true wisdom are good behavior and gentleness (verse 13). Good behavior means change: an inner willingness to obey God's Word. Gentleness refers to strength under control, like that seen in a high-spirited horse that has been well trained.

What are its characteristics of divine wisdom? (Thayer's Lexicon definition), [from Swindoll's James],  {from MacArthur}

1. Pure: (pure from every fault, immaculate)
              [It is listed first in importance and first on the list. Means freedom from defilement, without
               contamination, clean; moral cleanliness and purity of  motive. In Matt. 5:8, Jesus says
               the pure in heart will see God-meaning they'll see Him come to their rescue when
               tempted or facing trials.]
              {This refers to spiritual integrity and moral sincerity.}
 
2. Peaceable: (loving peace),
                       [We're like a desert when God's rain gently falls upon the desert, a peaceable attitude
                         springs to life.]
                      {Refers to peace-loving, peace-promoting.}

3. Gentle: (fair, mild)
                  [Means equitable, moderate, tolerant; refers to those in places of authority over
                    others. "Sweet reasonableness-to extend to others the kindly consideration we would wish
                    to receive ourselves," says Matthew Arnold.]
                  {Such a person will submit to all kinds of mistreatment and difficulty with an attitude of
                    kind, courteous, patient humility, without any thought of hatred or revenge.}

4. Easy to be Intreated, reasonable: (easily obeyed, compliant)
                                                             [Refers to those who are under someone else's authority; means
                                                              easily persuaded]
                                                             {Willing to yield, someone who is teachable, willingly submits
                                                                to moral and legal standards; obedience to God's standards.}
5. Full of Mercy and Good Fruits: (Mercy is kindness or good will towards the miserable and
                                                            afflicted; joined with a desire to relieve them, of men towards
                                                             men)
                                                            [Mercy is a compassionate attitude, and good fruits are actions
                                                             that naturalllly flow from mercy.]
                                                            {A gift of showing concern for those who suffer pain and
                                                              hardship, andthe ability to forgive quickly.}

6. Without Partiality: (Without dubiousness, ambiguity, or uncertainty)
                                      [Unwavering-means a person of fixed principles; decisive person who is
                                        unafraid to make decisions based on Scripture.]
                                      {A consistent, unwavering person who is undivided in his committment and
                                        conviction and does not make unfair distinctions.}

7. Without Hupocrisy: (unfeigned, undisguised)
                                        [A hypocrite who wears a mask, who pretends to be someone he or she is not,
                                          as an actor; not two-faced or deceptive.]

There are a lot of fruit of divine wisdom, isn't there?


LET IT GROW

Now that we've completed our fruit inspection, did we find all seven in us? What result can divine wisdom make in our lives?
Peace, according to James, means being rightly related to one another; it's a horizontal peace between humans beings, not vertical peace between God and man.

Righteousness means integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting.

Do I want correctness in my thinking, feelings, and actions? I need to study the Word so I know how.

Verse 18 refers to good works that result from salvation. Righteousness flourishes in a climate of spiritual peace. (MacArthur)

As rain gives life to the desert, so can God cultivate a garden of divine wisdom in us through the living water of His Holy Spirit. Am I ready to change from being a fruit inspector to a fruit grower?


LET IT GO

Be a fruit grower; allow the Holy Spirit to produce divine wisdom in me.

Develop pure thoughts. Slam that door to unpure thoughts and temptations.

Live peaceably with others.

Become a gentle and  reasonable person.

Have a heart full of mercy and good fruits.

Stand unwaveringly in the principles of the Word of God.

Be a person without hypocrisy.




                                       

True or False

525.  "True or False"                           May 23, 2012
James 3-Part 5
If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.  James 3:13 NLT 
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. NAS

LET IT GLOW

I liked true or false tests in school. I had a 50 % chance of getting it right. I would look for anything that might make the statement false, if not found, then it was obviously true. Wisdom can be true or false, genuine or counterfeit. James tells us about both.

How do I recognize if wisdom is true or false? Charles Swindoll helps answer that question in his book James, Practical and Authentic Living.

True wisdom, divine and genuine, is tested by good behavior and good deeds.
Good behavior means to return or turn back, with the root idea being to change or return to the truth. James is saying a wise person is someone whose life is changing in accordance with the truth of God's Word. Gentleness, in James' day, meant bringing a high-spirited horse under control. The spirit and strength of the horse weren't lost, simply harnessed. The test of wisdom is a life that is patterned after the truth and is under control; is a changed life. Paul said it in 2 Timothy 2:24-25.

A gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:4)

Human wisdom is characterized by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in the heart (verse 14a). Jealousy begins with full hands but is threatened by the thought of losing what it possesses. James is saying that an unwise person is someone who tends to be suspicious, resistant, and given to rivalry.
Selfish ambition is the desire to be seen, quoted, and respected (Matt. 23:1-7). The wise allow God to open doors instead of trying to force them open themselves.

NLT says in  verse 14, But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying.

Shouldn't I face it, deal with it as sin, confess it, and seek wisdom instead of covering it up with boasting and lies?
Which wisdom describes me? Our next lesson will describe divine wisdom, so come back tomorrow
.

LET IT GROW

There are four charactistics of false wisdom given in verses 14b-15:

1. Arrogant-rationizing our own sins or even boasting that the end justifies the means, that the bad done wasn't all that bad, or that everybody does it.This word was used to describe a person who boasted about winning anelection dishonestly, in ancient times.
2. Lying against the turth-eventually the truth will be manipulated to justify the person's sin.
3. Earthly-veiew everything from a strictly horizontal perspective using earthly success, standards, motives, attitudes, and methods.
4. Natural-soulish, meaning fleshly, not related to the Spirit of God; limited by temporal things, not eternal.
5. Demonic-no change, no obedience, and no yielding of self to God.

The result of false wisdom is not only bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, but also disorder, confusion, disharmony, and every evil thing, which are worthless, petty, and evil, sinful thoughts.


LET IT GO

Live an honorable life with good behavior and good deeds.

Strive to have a gentle and quiet spirit.

Keep jealousy and selfish ambition away.

Yield to the spirit of God.

Seek true wisdom, not human or false wisdom.