Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Some might say outright that these verses don't really apply to them because they're living in a time when wars and fighting, killing to get what they desire is …well… unheard of. They're above all that fighting, war, killing stuff- that's for governments and they have no say so in what the government does. To actually fight, war, kill those around them that's not heard of except maybe in your street gangs and drug cartels, the mafia and the other organized crime syndicates. The average person just doesn't do that so these verses don't apply. WRONG.
Do you remember what Jesus said--
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment
And…
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Killing, fighting, warring -- while all these things can be done on a grand scale and while all these things can be done on an organized level- every single one of these things can be done on a personal-internal level as well without us ever raising a finger to shed actual blood. Seriously, we are in danger if our hearts are filled with wicked desires, even if they are never acted upon.
Let's for a moment just take a look at fighting among ourselves- do those fights come from the lusts that war in us? The lust of anger, the lust of selfishness, the lust of …well anything that becomes an overpowering wrong desire? When we fight there is a reason behind it, what are those reasons? I've noticed in myself more and more just how incredibly self-motivated I am and not in a particularly good way. If I don't agree with something I'm quick to voice that. If I feel put out I'm quick to grumble about that. How do we stop ourselves from being self-orientated? Seriously, how? I know people who go out of their way to help others- thinking nothing of their own imposition. You ask them to help and they are quick to do so, no hesitation at all. I long to be a person like that, not to be that person but to have those same attributes that seem so amazingly selfless.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
We can ask all we want for what we believe are things we need or simply desire- but God who searches our hearts knows why we want the things we ask for. God knows if our motives are selfish or selfless.
Psa 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
God knows the secrets of our heart. God knows us- He knows the reasons for all we ask.
Consuming anything upon our lusts is not a good thing- it's pure selfishness. We are to be selfless- not selfish, not self-centered, not self-motivated.
It sounds so easy and yet is it so hard to give up self.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
This is my prayer, my desperate, desperate prayer.
I don't want to be filled with lusts, with selfish desires, with selfishness, I long to be LED in the way everlasting.
Please Lord, help us to not 'ask amiss' when we petition You, help us to stop fighting, to stop the upsets, the envying, the strife among ourselves. Please help us to give ourselves fully over to You and Your love seeking only You and Your righteousness.
Amen.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Peace not wrath
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Them that make peace.
Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Our wrath cannot work God's righteousness. Reading that truth it makes you wonder how so many use their wrath as a form of teaching, as a form of preaching God's word, as a form of spreading the good news of the gospel. They raise their children and run their households with what they call the 'fear of God' as their tool. Don't they realize that OUR wrath is NOT God's wrath and if we claim we have God's wrath at our disposal to disperse as we will, then we are deluding ourselves. The righteousness of God is of God, not US or anything we do. Any wrath that we exhibit is not part of God's righteousness. Yes, there is a justified anger we can possess but we have to realize that anger is subject to God, God will judge our anger and if we use that anger selfishly, in any ungodly way it's NOT of God!
Peacemakers are blessed! Not fear-makers, not wrath-makers. Peacemakers are truly blessed.
Only the chastening that comes from God will create peace in us. We cannot PLAY God! We cannot presume to know what God would do. We have to fall on our knees and pray for understanding, for His guidance in all things.
Is there wrath in your life? What qualifies as wrath?
Greek definition-
1. anger, the natural disposition, temper, character
2. movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger
3. anger, wrath, indignation
4. anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself
a. of punishments inflicted by magistrates
Wrath.
Again I ask, is there wrath in your life? Take a moment to think about it, really think about it as you read that definition.
Any VIOLENT emotion.
Even INDIGNATION is wrath.
TEMPER.
Do we possess any emotions that could be considered violent?
Do we possess any indignation- something we love to call righteous indignation- saying we have the RIGHT to exhibit anger, to feel wrath because of the situation.
How does our temper fare? Do we have what is known as a short fuse? Does our temper flare up? Do we have a temper that is slow to burn but once it gets going it's a bonfire?
There is so much anger in us, so much wrath in us and we've come to call it righteous, we've come to believe it's okay to have this in us, that it's fine because it's righteous- we are in the right, we are being slighted, hurt, abused, tortured, cheated, and so on and so forth. We make excuses for our wrath and say we are just human and that is all the excuse we need. In truth we HAVE to beg for forgiveness for any wrath we possess, it's NOT okay, it's NOT fine, it's NOT something that is overlooked. Like any sin, we have to confess and repent of it and seek our Lord and Savior, seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and help where we feel completely helpless against our own besetting sins.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
IF we MAKE peace then the fruit of righteousness will be sown in that peace.
PEACE in our lives, NOT WRATH.
PEACE making peace, seeking peace, having peace in our lives.
All too often peace will disappear and discord will fill our lives.
We long for peace don't we? The peace of God.
We can't mistake getting our own selfish way, our own selfish desires as having peace and yet so many do. As long as things are going the way we like we claim that we have peace. We need the peace of our Savior to see us through all the strife in our lives. While the world around us seems to thrive on strife we need to hold fast to the peace of God in ALL aspects of our lives and we can have this ONLY through HIS GRACE!
Please Lord help us to have the peace You would have us possess and not wrath. We want the fruit of righteousness to be sown in peace, in us as we make peace all through YOU!
Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Amen.
Them that make peace.
Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Our wrath cannot work God's righteousness. Reading that truth it makes you wonder how so many use their wrath as a form of teaching, as a form of preaching God's word, as a form of spreading the good news of the gospel. They raise their children and run their households with what they call the 'fear of God' as their tool. Don't they realize that OUR wrath is NOT God's wrath and if we claim we have God's wrath at our disposal to disperse as we will, then we are deluding ourselves. The righteousness of God is of God, not US or anything we do. Any wrath that we exhibit is not part of God's righteousness. Yes, there is a justified anger we can possess but we have to realize that anger is subject to God, God will judge our anger and if we use that anger selfishly, in any ungodly way it's NOT of God!
Peacemakers are blessed! Not fear-makers, not wrath-makers. Peacemakers are truly blessed.
Only the chastening that comes from God will create peace in us. We cannot PLAY God! We cannot presume to know what God would do. We have to fall on our knees and pray for understanding, for His guidance in all things.
Is there wrath in your life? What qualifies as wrath?
Greek definition-
1. anger, the natural disposition, temper, character
2. movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger
3. anger, wrath, indignation
4. anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself
a. of punishments inflicted by magistrates
Wrath.
Again I ask, is there wrath in your life? Take a moment to think about it, really think about it as you read that definition.
Any VIOLENT emotion.
Even INDIGNATION is wrath.
TEMPER.
Do we possess any emotions that could be considered violent?
Do we possess any indignation- something we love to call righteous indignation- saying we have the RIGHT to exhibit anger, to feel wrath because of the situation.
How does our temper fare? Do we have what is known as a short fuse? Does our temper flare up? Do we have a temper that is slow to burn but once it gets going it's a bonfire?
There is so much anger in us, so much wrath in us and we've come to call it righteous, we've come to believe it's okay to have this in us, that it's fine because it's righteous- we are in the right, we are being slighted, hurt, abused, tortured, cheated, and so on and so forth. We make excuses for our wrath and say we are just human and that is all the excuse we need. In truth we HAVE to beg for forgiveness for any wrath we possess, it's NOT okay, it's NOT fine, it's NOT something that is overlooked. Like any sin, we have to confess and repent of it and seek our Lord and Savior, seek the Holy Spirit's guidance and help where we feel completely helpless against our own besetting sins.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
IF we MAKE peace then the fruit of righteousness will be sown in that peace.
PEACE in our lives, NOT WRATH.
PEACE making peace, seeking peace, having peace in our lives.
All too often peace will disappear and discord will fill our lives.
We long for peace don't we? The peace of God.
We can't mistake getting our own selfish way, our own selfish desires as having peace and yet so many do. As long as things are going the way we like we claim that we have peace. We need the peace of our Savior to see us through all the strife in our lives. While the world around us seems to thrive on strife we need to hold fast to the peace of God in ALL aspects of our lives and we can have this ONLY through HIS GRACE!
Please Lord help us to have the peace You would have us possess and not wrath. We want the fruit of righteousness to be sown in peace, in us as we make peace all through YOU!
Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Out of the same mouth proceeds cursing and blessing
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Jas 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Jas 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Jas 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 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.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Cursing and blessing- out of the same mouth. How true this is for so many, unfortunately myself included. 'These things ought NOT so to be.' Like fountains- we don't expect to get sweet and bitter water from the same one- our mouths should not be cursing and blessing. Just as a fig tree cannot produce olive berries, and vines cannot produce figs, no fountain has salt and fresh water- these are FACTS, undisputed and undeniable. Yet, we are so unreliable, we are so confusing, we are incredibly unpredictable. We spew forth evil and then turn around and gush out love. We throw vile insults as other drivers as they pass us on the road and then go home and speak sweetly to our children. We verbally abuse others and then a moment later we are offering up loving words- how can it be? How?
I'll tell you how- Satan. At every opportunity Satan is there to provoke us and we fall to his provoking ways. We let Satan use us over and over and he will NEVER stop as long as we let him. He will never stop tempting us regardless of our state of being. Jesus was pure in all ways and He was tempted and tried. Satan will go after us, each one of us is another victory for him and he wants all the victories he can get. We must throw ourselves on the mercy of our Savior and beg Him to forgive us, to make us new in Him.
A 'wise man' - will 'show out of good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom'. GOOD conversation- not poisonous, not bitter, not abusive, not evil, not envying, not backbiting, not selfish, not vain, oh, I could go on and on and on but the truth is we know how bad our conversations can become. To have a 'good conversation' to speak only good, only lovingly, with meekness of wisdom- this is our desire! We don't want to have bitter envying, we don't want to have strife in our hearts, we don't want to glory in ourselves, we do not want to be liars. If our lives - our speech- is filled with all this negative evil then we know it is from Satan and not from God. We CANNOT allow envying and strife to fill our lives because from them come confusion and EVERY evil work. It is so incredibly important to really pay attention to how we speak because that is a very good gauge of what dwells within us.
If we find we are living lives filled with envying and strife we better get down on our knees and pray to God for forgiveness, for renewal in HIM, for cleansing from Him, for His blessing to give us His love, to replace our evil with His goodness. God will replace our evil with His wisdom, His purity, His peace, His gentleness, His compassion, His mercy- we need to be impartial and not hypocrites speaking one thing and living another. Please Lord we need the fruit of YOUR righteousness, Your PEACE to give us PEACE.
We cannot give up! We cannot lose hope no matter how hard Satan batters at us, no matter how many tiny victories he seems to score against us, we cannot give up! We have to plead for forgiveness, beg for mercy, we cannot lose hope!!!!
Please Lord, please, save us vile undeserving creatures who deserve to be lost, to be abandoned, to be destroyed! Only Your mercy saves us, only Your unfathomable mercy gives us hope. Please…save us, save us from ourselves and Satan who would have us be His. Forbid him from taking us Lord, please! Forbid Satan from overwhelming us with His evil, we would be YOURS, we choose YOU and YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS for we have none!
In Your love!!!!!!!!
Jas 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Jas 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Jas 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 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.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Cursing and blessing- out of the same mouth. How true this is for so many, unfortunately myself included. 'These things ought NOT so to be.' Like fountains- we don't expect to get sweet and bitter water from the same one- our mouths should not be cursing and blessing. Just as a fig tree cannot produce olive berries, and vines cannot produce figs, no fountain has salt and fresh water- these are FACTS, undisputed and undeniable. Yet, we are so unreliable, we are so confusing, we are incredibly unpredictable. We spew forth evil and then turn around and gush out love. We throw vile insults as other drivers as they pass us on the road and then go home and speak sweetly to our children. We verbally abuse others and then a moment later we are offering up loving words- how can it be? How?
I'll tell you how- Satan. At every opportunity Satan is there to provoke us and we fall to his provoking ways. We let Satan use us over and over and he will NEVER stop as long as we let him. He will never stop tempting us regardless of our state of being. Jesus was pure in all ways and He was tempted and tried. Satan will go after us, each one of us is another victory for him and he wants all the victories he can get. We must throw ourselves on the mercy of our Savior and beg Him to forgive us, to make us new in Him.
A 'wise man' - will 'show out of good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom'. GOOD conversation- not poisonous, not bitter, not abusive, not evil, not envying, not backbiting, not selfish, not vain, oh, I could go on and on and on but the truth is we know how bad our conversations can become. To have a 'good conversation' to speak only good, only lovingly, with meekness of wisdom- this is our desire! We don't want to have bitter envying, we don't want to have strife in our hearts, we don't want to glory in ourselves, we do not want to be liars. If our lives - our speech- is filled with all this negative evil then we know it is from Satan and not from God. We CANNOT allow envying and strife to fill our lives because from them come confusion and EVERY evil work. It is so incredibly important to really pay attention to how we speak because that is a very good gauge of what dwells within us.
If we find we are living lives filled with envying and strife we better get down on our knees and pray to God for forgiveness, for renewal in HIM, for cleansing from Him, for His blessing to give us His love, to replace our evil with His goodness. God will replace our evil with His wisdom, His purity, His peace, His gentleness, His compassion, His mercy- we need to be impartial and not hypocrites speaking one thing and living another. Please Lord we need the fruit of YOUR righteousness, Your PEACE to give us PEACE.
We cannot give up! We cannot lose hope no matter how hard Satan batters at us, no matter how many tiny victories he seems to score against us, we cannot give up! We have to plead for forgiveness, beg for mercy, we cannot lose hope!!!!
Please Lord, please, save us vile undeserving creatures who deserve to be lost, to be abandoned, to be destroyed! Only Your mercy saves us, only Your unfathomable mercy gives us hope. Please…save us, save us from ourselves and Satan who would have us be His. Forbid him from taking us Lord, please! Forbid Satan from overwhelming us with His evil, we would be YOURS, we choose YOU and YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS for we have none!
In Your love!!!!!!!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tongue of poison, tongue of praise
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
How much more plainly can the Bible speak to us? How can God tell us more clearly this message of the tongue? He can't! How can we dispute the truth of this message, it is so incredibly understandable.
With our tongues we can destroy people. Some might say that's impossible that words are only words and nothing really tangible. Someone can put a person down all they want but that person doesn't have to listen, doesn't have to believe what the other is saying. Yet all too often great moments in our history are based upon mere words. Wars are fought and won, on words. Wars are fought and lost, on words. Insults and praise can come from the same tongue. This powerful, powerful member most of us possess is truly amazing and something to be feared.
I'm not going to go on and on about the tongue's evil, the tongue's deadly poison, YOU know all about it, just as I know all about it. We live with our evil tongues and the hurt they cause, the pain they inflict. We live with tongues that wound and cause invisible blood to flow. That same tongue that can so easily inject its poison can always soothe hurts away and show great compassion. We can't forget that, we can't. With Jesus as our example we must use our tongue to sing His praises, to show love to our fellow man.
No, we cannot tame the tongue, no man can- but Jesus our Lord and Savior can help us and He is a God-man, our Advocate, our Redeemer.
More tomorrow by the grace of our LORD!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
How much more plainly can the Bible speak to us? How can God tell us more clearly this message of the tongue? He can't! How can we dispute the truth of this message, it is so incredibly understandable.
With our tongues we can destroy people. Some might say that's impossible that words are only words and nothing really tangible. Someone can put a person down all they want but that person doesn't have to listen, doesn't have to believe what the other is saying. Yet all too often great moments in our history are based upon mere words. Wars are fought and won, on words. Wars are fought and lost, on words. Insults and praise can come from the same tongue. This powerful, powerful member most of us possess is truly amazing and something to be feared.
I'm not going to go on and on about the tongue's evil, the tongue's deadly poison, YOU know all about it, just as I know all about it. We live with our evil tongues and the hurt they cause, the pain they inflict. We live with tongues that wound and cause invisible blood to flow. That same tongue that can so easily inject its poison can always soothe hurts away and show great compassion. We can't forget that, we can't. With Jesus as our example we must use our tongue to sing His praises, to show love to our fellow man.
No, we cannot tame the tongue, no man can- but Jesus our Lord and Savior can help us and He is a God-man, our Advocate, our Redeemer.
More tomorrow by the grace of our LORD!
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Words are heard forever
Jas 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
Jas 3:4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
You cannot take back a single word you've spoken that others have been there to hear. Unlike a delete button on our computers that enable us to review things we've written and change them- when we speak in another's presence and they hear the words we say, those words have been heard forever.
I don't think there is a person who is old enough to speak and comprehend what they are saying- able to respond to others and reply in kind- that hasn't regretted words they've spoken. Ask around if you think there are those who haven't ever spoken a word they wish they could take back and not say. You might get some pretty cocky people who will readily say they've never regretted a thing, that regrets are for the foolish, but those people will be liars. Seriously, they'll be lying. Bridling our tongues and keeping them from speaking hurtful things is part of the flesh nature we possess, unfortunately, and people's lives have been altered in ways they don't want because of words spoken.
In yesterday's study we talked about the perfect person being one who does not offend in word, a person who has tamed their tongue is able to tame all their imperfections. Why is that do you think? Because the tongue though it is tiny compared to the majority of our body's members, is powerful. AND the tongue is a reflection of our minds. If we have control over our tongues we have control over our minds.
Satan delights in taking control of us in any way He can. Too many people believe they live outside of the influence of Satan, they'd rather put their own ornery, hurtful, deceptive ways down to themselves than to admit that Satan can influence them. People want to live outside the war, and most do that in their minds- believing the war doesn't even exist. So when we find ourselves caught up in a battle of the verbal kind and are slinging one hurtful barb after another and part of us thinks it's awful what we're doing, yet we keep on throwing hateful words around hoping they'll hit their target wounding the one they're aimed at- all to what end? Any victory achieved through such means is a vile victory stained so thoroughly by the blood of the unseen kind that it ends up being worthless. All too often we'll find ourselves holding that hollow victory and realize just how meaningless it is. We are filled with regret and wish we could go back and unsay what we said and get a do-over so we can do things differently. And yet, no matter how many times we hold hollow victories in our hands it would seem that we can't stop collecting them. Maybe we're hoping for a solid victory and yet we won't find that in a battle of hateful, hurtful words. Because even if you are in the absolute right of things and the other person ends up admitting it, the cost of the battle, the wounds that have been inflicted are open and bleeding for you to see and anyone that can take glory in seeing the wounds is an especially callous, heartless person.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Is it any wonder we are told this--
Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath
SLOW TO SPEAK.
How many of the verbal battles we engage in at Satan's urging would have been thwarted if we'd known to be SLOW TO SPEAK? How many of those awful word exchanges could have never been if we'd only listened to the word of God and tamed our tongue at least slowing it down. Too many angry exchanges are made in the HEAT of the argument, in the HEAT of the moment and that heat was set ablaze by our thoughtless words. Truly, thoughtless words. Words we've taken absolutely NO time to speak of, to think about, but rather blurted them out the very microsecond after they were thought. Do you think it's possible to speak without having any thought at all? No. The words must come into our minds through thinking them and we've perfected the art of thinking and speak instantaneously rather than thinking those words and taking time to consider whether or not they are the right thing to say. We think therefore we speak is how we live. Yet we should be thinking and therefore we contemplate our thoughts before putting them into words that we can never, ever, take back, words that are forever spoken, words that can never be erased by a million apologies. A person can forgive a thoughtless word spoken, but they can't forget it. Time will ease the memory of an angry thoughtless exchange but never do away with it.
Oh to be able to learn this great lesson- be slow to speak.
All by the grace of God we will learn, all by the grace of God we will put on the full armor of God and stay protected in this wicked evil world we live in.
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Jas 3:4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
You cannot take back a single word you've spoken that others have been there to hear. Unlike a delete button on our computers that enable us to review things we've written and change them- when we speak in another's presence and they hear the words we say, those words have been heard forever.
I don't think there is a person who is old enough to speak and comprehend what they are saying- able to respond to others and reply in kind- that hasn't regretted words they've spoken. Ask around if you think there are those who haven't ever spoken a word they wish they could take back and not say. You might get some pretty cocky people who will readily say they've never regretted a thing, that regrets are for the foolish, but those people will be liars. Seriously, they'll be lying. Bridling our tongues and keeping them from speaking hurtful things is part of the flesh nature we possess, unfortunately, and people's lives have been altered in ways they don't want because of words spoken.
In yesterday's study we talked about the perfect person being one who does not offend in word, a person who has tamed their tongue is able to tame all their imperfections. Why is that do you think? Because the tongue though it is tiny compared to the majority of our body's members, is powerful. AND the tongue is a reflection of our minds. If we have control over our tongues we have control over our minds.
Satan delights in taking control of us in any way He can. Too many people believe they live outside of the influence of Satan, they'd rather put their own ornery, hurtful, deceptive ways down to themselves than to admit that Satan can influence them. People want to live outside the war, and most do that in their minds- believing the war doesn't even exist. So when we find ourselves caught up in a battle of the verbal kind and are slinging one hurtful barb after another and part of us thinks it's awful what we're doing, yet we keep on throwing hateful words around hoping they'll hit their target wounding the one they're aimed at- all to what end? Any victory achieved through such means is a vile victory stained so thoroughly by the blood of the unseen kind that it ends up being worthless. All too often we'll find ourselves holding that hollow victory and realize just how meaningless it is. We are filled with regret and wish we could go back and unsay what we said and get a do-over so we can do things differently. And yet, no matter how many times we hold hollow victories in our hands it would seem that we can't stop collecting them. Maybe we're hoping for a solid victory and yet we won't find that in a battle of hateful, hurtful words. Because even if you are in the absolute right of things and the other person ends up admitting it, the cost of the battle, the wounds that have been inflicted are open and bleeding for you to see and anyone that can take glory in seeing the wounds is an especially callous, heartless person.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Is it any wonder we are told this--
Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath
SLOW TO SPEAK.
How many of the verbal battles we engage in at Satan's urging would have been thwarted if we'd known to be SLOW TO SPEAK? How many of those awful word exchanges could have never been if we'd only listened to the word of God and tamed our tongue at least slowing it down. Too many angry exchanges are made in the HEAT of the argument, in the HEAT of the moment and that heat was set ablaze by our thoughtless words. Truly, thoughtless words. Words we've taken absolutely NO time to speak of, to think about, but rather blurted them out the very microsecond after they were thought. Do you think it's possible to speak without having any thought at all? No. The words must come into our minds through thinking them and we've perfected the art of thinking and speak instantaneously rather than thinking those words and taking time to consider whether or not they are the right thing to say. We think therefore we speak is how we live. Yet we should be thinking and therefore we contemplate our thoughts before putting them into words that we can never, ever, take back, words that are forever spoken, words that can never be erased by a million apologies. A person can forgive a thoughtless word spoken, but they can't forget it. Time will ease the memory of an angry thoughtless exchange but never do away with it.
Oh to be able to learn this great lesson- be slow to speak.
All by the grace of God we will learn, all by the grace of God we will put on the full armor of God and stay protected in this wicked evil world we live in.
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Offending not in word
Jas 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Imagine not offending anyone by what we say. Seriously, imagine it.
Right now stop and think of the last time you offended someone by something you said, can you remember it? Unfortunately it's all too easy for me to remember the last time I said something that offended someone. I'm not talking about speaking truth and offending by the truth, I'm talking about every day speaking with those around us. And so what if the other party is easily offended, that's NOT the issue here, that's not an excuse for us to use. Offending in word. Our mouths, our tongues, our lips, our speech, the words that come from our thoughts spilling outwards and offending. It doesn't have to be intentionally offending. I didn't set out to offend anyone, and most of the time we do NOT set out to offend it just comes out unexpectedly from perhaps being wounded by something the other person said or did. Something caused it, perhaps a hormonal imbalance, or low blood sugar, or… I could go on and on but does it really matter what causes the offending? Excuses - legitimate or not are still excuses. Honestly there really, truly is no excuse for speaking offensively is there? Would Jesus offend? Some might said He offended a lot of people and they'd be right, but they were offended by the truth, not by any hurtful words of our Savior.
'If any man offend NOT in word…
…the same is a PERFECT man.'
A perfect man. We are so far from perfect aren't we?
This perfect man can bridle his whole body!
I truly can only imagine that because I feel so incredibly far from being any where near this perfection spoken of.
The fiery furnace of trials seems to be burning hotly all around me lately as more and more of my imperfections are exposed. I pray that God keep me through all the fires, that He protects my eternal life while stripping me of the evil flesh I possess. I pray that He sees Christ's righteousness as I cling to my Savior, whose grace alone can save me.
I pray for Him to KEEP THE DOOR OF MY LIPS!
Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Jas 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Offend not in word.
By the grace of God!
Amen.
Imagine not offending anyone by what we say. Seriously, imagine it.
Right now stop and think of the last time you offended someone by something you said, can you remember it? Unfortunately it's all too easy for me to remember the last time I said something that offended someone. I'm not talking about speaking truth and offending by the truth, I'm talking about every day speaking with those around us. And so what if the other party is easily offended, that's NOT the issue here, that's not an excuse for us to use. Offending in word. Our mouths, our tongues, our lips, our speech, the words that come from our thoughts spilling outwards and offending. It doesn't have to be intentionally offending. I didn't set out to offend anyone, and most of the time we do NOT set out to offend it just comes out unexpectedly from perhaps being wounded by something the other person said or did. Something caused it, perhaps a hormonal imbalance, or low blood sugar, or… I could go on and on but does it really matter what causes the offending? Excuses - legitimate or not are still excuses. Honestly there really, truly is no excuse for speaking offensively is there? Would Jesus offend? Some might said He offended a lot of people and they'd be right, but they were offended by the truth, not by any hurtful words of our Savior.
'If any man offend NOT in word…
…the same is a PERFECT man.'
A perfect man. We are so far from perfect aren't we?
This perfect man can bridle his whole body!
I truly can only imagine that because I feel so incredibly far from being any where near this perfection spoken of.
The fiery furnace of trials seems to be burning hotly all around me lately as more and more of my imperfections are exposed. I pray that God keep me through all the fires, that He protects my eternal life while stripping me of the evil flesh I possess. I pray that He sees Christ's righteousness as I cling to my Savior, whose grace alone can save me.
I pray for Him to KEEP THE DOOR OF MY LIPS!
Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Jas 3:2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Offend not in word.
By the grace of God!
Amen.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Great condemnation
Jas 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
All too often people will strive to be superior to others, advancing their knowledge so they can impart it. In truth aren't we encouraged to spread the gospel? We are to let our lights shine, right?
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
Yet we are NOT all called to be teachers, right?
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
This verse in James tells us outright- 'be NOT MANY masters'.
Another word for master is teacher- 'be NOT MANY teachers.'
If everyone was a teacher there would be none to fill the other duties needed, right? The plain truth is that not everyone can teach and yet so many strive to become teachers, to become those who know the in-depth knowledge only deep scholars can know. Barring that, many try to pretend to be teachers having vast amounts of knowledge to impart to others. We are told 'be NOT MANY masters', so where does that leave people? If we are not to try to become so knowledgeable that we can teach? We are to become those who learn and live what we learn in our everyday lives, not seeking to be masters of it all and make that our calling. That verse doesn't stop there though, it goes on to say that MASTERS will receive GREATER condemnation.
Why? Why should masters receive greater condemnation?
It follows along this line--
Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
A master- a teacher- who is not truly called to be a teacher but has made it their own desire to become a teacher is not following down the path God would have them follow. They become hypocrites in their desire to teach, and that desire is NOT based upon what God would have of them, but what THEY want. They want the accolades of a scholar, they want the superiority of a teacher lording over their students, they want the authority, the position of power and NOT the things that God would truly have of His teachers. When they take on teaching for the wrong, wrong reasons they become hypocrites and have greater condemnation than those who do not seek their own glory in any way at all.
It's important for us to know this because we have to understand that we need to follow God's will and not our own, never our own.
Please Lord help us NOT to seek to be masters, but if any of us are to be masters give us the strength and the courage, the heart love of You to know this is a true calling from you and NOT a hypocritical desire. Please Lord we do not seek great condemnation, we are Your students forever and You are great Master.
Guide us into all knowledge of You, teach us Your gospel, reveal the Kingdom to us Lord all through Your love, Your forgiveness, Your mercy, Your grace and YOUR righteousness!
In You Lord!
Amen.
All too often people will strive to be superior to others, advancing their knowledge so they can impart it. In truth aren't we encouraged to spread the gospel? We are to let our lights shine, right?
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
Yet we are NOT all called to be teachers, right?
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
This verse in James tells us outright- 'be NOT MANY masters'.
Another word for master is teacher- 'be NOT MANY teachers.'
If everyone was a teacher there would be none to fill the other duties needed, right? The plain truth is that not everyone can teach and yet so many strive to become teachers, to become those who know the in-depth knowledge only deep scholars can know. Barring that, many try to pretend to be teachers having vast amounts of knowledge to impart to others. We are told 'be NOT MANY masters', so where does that leave people? If we are not to try to become so knowledgeable that we can teach? We are to become those who learn and live what we learn in our everyday lives, not seeking to be masters of it all and make that our calling. That verse doesn't stop there though, it goes on to say that MASTERS will receive GREATER condemnation.
Why? Why should masters receive greater condemnation?
It follows along this line--
Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
A master- a teacher- who is not truly called to be a teacher but has made it their own desire to become a teacher is not following down the path God would have them follow. They become hypocrites in their desire to teach, and that desire is NOT based upon what God would have of them, but what THEY want. They want the accolades of a scholar, they want the superiority of a teacher lording over their students, they want the authority, the position of power and NOT the things that God would truly have of His teachers. When they take on teaching for the wrong, wrong reasons they become hypocrites and have greater condemnation than those who do not seek their own glory in any way at all.
It's important for us to know this because we have to understand that we need to follow God's will and not our own, never our own.
Please Lord help us NOT to seek to be masters, but if any of us are to be masters give us the strength and the courage, the heart love of You to know this is a true calling from you and NOT a hypocritical desire. Please Lord we do not seek great condemnation, we are Your students forever and You are great Master.
Guide us into all knowledge of You, teach us Your gospel, reveal the Kingdom to us Lord all through Your love, Your forgiveness, Your mercy, Your grace and YOUR righteousness!
In You Lord!
Amen.
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