Bearing the infirmities of the weak.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

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The weak.

Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

1Co_1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty

1Co_9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

2Co_12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2Co_13:4  For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

1Th_5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

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Bear the infirmities of the weak. Support the weak.

Being weak isn't something we encourage, why would we? We are to be able-bodied, able to do for ourselves and not rely upon others. Yet throughout our Lord's word we are told to help those who are weak. If being weak is offensive then why are they to be helped? Seriously, why? Weakness can come in so many forms and if we possess a weakness that is self-willed and self-encouraged then we are not just weak we are sluggards, we are liars to ourselves, to God. If our weakness is something in us that we strive against so we can be strong in the Lord, then our weakness is not evil. Admitting a weakness isn't easy for most people. We don't want to be considered weak. Even those who end up being weak through various illnesses, or old age and such do not want to be weak. Many of those who are weak despise the weakness within them yet they are victims to that weakness. 

I would love to say that I am one of the strong supporting the weak but lately I feel I am one of the weak ones in need of supporting. Or rather, I thought I was strong and able to support the weak only to come face to face with my own weakness when I could not support the weak.

We do need to bear the infirmities of the weak, but what do we do if we are weak?  Do we allow others to support us? Do we rail against our weakness and shun the helping hand? 

When we are helping the weak do we feel they are somehow less than they should be, or is our compassion for them so much greater than anything else? Where is our mercy if we despise those we are helping? Christ would NEVER despise those He's helped, which is all of us in our great weakness.

No, we can't strive to be weak, but if we do find ourselves weak we must not hate ourselves but humble ourselves allowing those who are stronger to be blessed in our weakness.

Also, when we are strong we must not hesitate to support the weak, the bear the infirmities of the weak. We are called to this …

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

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And a note to make here is we aren’t to be concerned with pleasing ourselves before helping others. If we think about taking our pleasure when someone is in need, we are not doing God's work. This isn't to say if we can't help someone for legitimate reasons then we can't, but to choose self over others will forever be against all our Savior has revealed to us. 

May God forgive me if I've done this in my situation of late, truly my weakness has prevented me from being strong for another, forgive me, Savior, forgive me.

All in the name of our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ now and forever!

Able to save our souls.

Jas 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 

We have to LAY APART - all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.

(Filthiness-foul with, characterized by, or having the nature of filth; disgustingly or completely dirty)

(Superfluity-Superfluous definition, being more than is sufficient or required; excessive)

(Naughtiness- 1. Behaving disobediently or mischievously 2. Indecent; improper.

Lay apart (STOP all filthy, disgusting and excessive disobedience and mischief.

Do we do this? Do we allow ourselves to keep bits and pieces of our naughtiness? How often do people believe naughtiness is cute and acceptable? How often do we joke about things that are truly filthy? We have to lay apart- give up the part of us that gives into the world's acceptable account of what is proper and what isn't. The world is NOT our standard! The world doing something and behaving a certain way is NOT our example! We are NOT to blend into the world!  We are NOT to let ourselves be drawn away by the world and yet it is so hard to keep ourselves from the world and it's ways. God help us!

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

Eph 5:4  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 

We truly have to receive with meekness the established word of our God if we wish to be saved!

We need to humble ourselves before God and receive His truth! All by HIS grace!  We can't truly expect to be filthy, to be disobedient and willfully give ourselves to the world and its ways and then be saved, can we?

Paul lamented His connection to the flesh, to the world- he called himself a wretched man for doing the things he didn't want to do, things he knew were not of the Spirit. When we pat ourselves on the back and long to be of the world and its ways, we cannot truly be God's. Jesus was not of this world, and we are not of this world! Please, by the grace of our Lord may we NOT be of the world! May we put aside all that is of this world! May we RECEIVED the WORD of our LORD which is able to save our souls!

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!

Our Wrath, God's Wrath.

Not appointed to wrath--

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

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1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

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We are NOT appointed to wrath.

There is a wrath to come unlike any wrath we may personally possess.

1Th 1:9  … how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 

1Th 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

Luk 3:7  Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 

Rev_19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev_16:1  And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Rev_15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev_14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb

Rev_12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Rev_6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 

God has a wrath.

God has a wrath to come.

People do NOT like to talk about God's wrath at all, and why would they? It's a very fearful thing.

We are not to be wrathful, we are not to be unkind to any. When Jesus walked the earth during His ministry He did not bring any wrath with Him. Jesus didn't mete out punishment, there is a day appointed for that and it's not for us to promote.

We truly are not to be wrathful in our dealings it does NOT work any righteousness whatsoever and we will be delivered from the 'wrath' to come.

Prayerfully we will delve more deeply into the WRATH to come, we need to know more about it don't we?

We also need to keep ourselves from wrath and we can ignite wrath within us in so many ways. Pay attention to your life, notice the wrath. If you do NOT have any wrath in your life, if you are not prone to ire, to anger then PRAISE GOD!

Please, Lord, please help us all. Give us the knowledge, the understanding we need to know about the wrath to come. Keep us from any personal wrath we are prone towards. We don't want to be kept from  Your righteousness.  All by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and FOREVER!

Slow to Wrath.

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

How slow is our wrath?  Seriously, how fast do we become wrathful?

Anger or Wrath is an intense emotional response. It is an emotion that involves a strong uncomfortable and emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. Anger can occur when a person feels their personal boundaries are being or going to be violated. Some have a learned tendency to react to anger through retaliation as a way of coping. (wiki)

Let me ask you this? Have you ever had any road rage? Even a little bit? Road rage truly has become an epidemic. The anger we feel when driving and encounter what we perceive as anger inducing situations causes us to react in ways we shouldn't. We yell, we swear, we drive unsafely, we let that anger fuel us and you know what? Many times things we get upset about from other drivers are innocent mistakes, unintended swerves, a hurried lane change from an instinctive reaction to get into the right lane for a turn, a total miscalculation of the time it takes to stop… there are a lot of mistakes made innocently, I know- I've made lots of them. Yet when we encounter *stupid* drivers we instantly feel we have the right to be angry, to get wrathful.  How slow are we to wrath behind the steering wheel of our cars?

There are many situations that bring wrathful feelings upon us- having to wait extra long in lines, at drive throughs of fast food places, at tardy waiters/waitresses, at slow moving people when we are in a rush (I've even gotten perturbed at my elderly dog- much to my shame- for not moving fast enough when I need to rush to do something(important somethings). It's not my dog's fault I'm in a rush and she can't comprehend I have to run to get to grandma before she falls on the floor.  We get angry in many, many situations and most of them have the root cause of us being self-centered. Did the need to get to grandma bring out my selfishness? No, not all anger is selfish but a lot of it is. We are in a rush simply because we don't want out precious time wasted in many situations.  That time we believe is being wasted could be spent in prayer, couldn't it? Instead we use it to get wrathful, to get angry and fueled by that anger allow it to rile us into doing things we shouldn't (swearing, etc)

Also, how many of us are swift to speak and slow to hear? Preferring to speak not listen? How many of us have to fight not to interrupt those talking to us because we are in such a hurry to add our point of view, our two cents to the conversation? We believe our need to speak supersedes the one talking to us because what we have to say is so incredibly important it might just take away the need for the other to speak at all.  We understand, we know things, we have opinions that matter greatly, we, we, we! 

God knows how important it is for us to be slow to speak, fast to hear and slow to anger. God knows and wants us to know and comprehend fully. If we want to work the righteousness of God, we have to pray for these words of the greatest wisdom to become a part of our lives- so ingrained in us it is natural for us to be slow to speak, swift to hear and very slow to anger.

Please, Lord, we would work Your righteousness! Live in us, let us do Your will, all through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and FOREVER!

Willing to learn.

Psa_25:4  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Psa_25:5  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Psa_86:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Psa_119:12  Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

Psa_119:66  Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

Psa 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

Asking God to teach us, this is so important. Why do we often assume God will automatically teach us? If this were true would David have to ask over an over to be taught? David learned, but he never wanted to stop learning. One could say that if he asked once and God answered, why did he have to ask over and over? Perhaps the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to do so because of how important it is for us to be willing to learn from God.

It does no good to teach one who is unwilling to learn, one who has no desire to be taught. If we half-heartedly want to know God and His will, can we really know Him? Our heart's desire must be to know God.

Joh_17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

We can know God by being taught by Him.

Teach us!

We would know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ sent by the Father.

Psa_143:10  Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Joh 6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

Jas 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 

Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

More on this tomorrow by the will and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever!

Teach.

Psa 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

Teach me.

How can God teach us?

Throughout our lives we have been taught many things by many people, many situations. As children we are made to go to school to learn, all the while our parents are still teaching us ways of life at home. It’s the parents that teach proper behaviors, personal hygiene, manners- when we begin school we are expected to have a certain amount of these.

We have educators all through our lives up to 18 years and beyond if we take on higher learning. Also, even if we don't take on formal higher education we learn out in the job force from our bosses, our supervisors and such.

Can we ever say there comes a day when we cease to learn? I don't think so. I think we are learning all the time even if it's stuff we won't necessarily use, we can't help but learn because we are exposed to influences all around us- on our computers, on the television, in movies, books, just in people we meet all the time.

Teach me to do thy will - we say this to God. We want to be taught by GOD and God will teach us, He wants us to learn.

Psa_25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Psa_25:9  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Psa_25:12  What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Psa_27:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Psa_32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psa_34:11  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psa_51:13  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Psa_86:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Psa_90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Searched.

Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Our hearts are searched.

Psa 44:21  Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. 

And our response to being searched…

Willingness.

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.