The Simple Life

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James  5:19-20  (ESV)   Our goal in life should be reconciliation, not retaliation. Separation from God is disastrous beyond our comprehension, and, if we have the same mind as that of God, we will wish for all those around us to be reconciled to God.   Often it is difficult for us to live in a world that ignores God. But, unfortunately, those who ignore God act like they ignore God and live for the moment, using what they should love, and loving what they should use. This should not surprise us, but it should break our hearts. This should also motivate living in the context of knowing and loving God to point to Him.   Demonstrating who God is to a lost world is our greatest privilege. We must see this as a privilege and not a burden.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. James  5:16-17  (ESV)   Honest communication with God and one another is vital to our purpose. Elijah was concerned with the condition of the nation and felt helpless. Yet, he knew God could intervene and put these people on the right track. His concern was for the confused, lost, and hopeless. His prayer was simple and to the only one who could make a change. He prayed for crisis so the comfortable would begin to seek the only one that could bring comfort.   God honored his humble, loving prayer.   What are you and I praying for today?   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. James  5:10-12  (ESV)   We are all good or bad examples. Those who know God and act like they know God are good examples. Those who do not know God continually demonstrate the "futile life."   Those who know and follow God find this life simple to live. We have one goal, to glorify our God, and to use all our time and resources to do just that. We do not have pages of regulations to check, sound bites to interpret, or legislation to read.   Pointing people to God is a simple task for all

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8 (ESV)   Regardless of the circumstances, we can be thankful that God holds the future. This life is full of uncertainties, yet, in reality, there are no uncertainties with God. His mercy, love, and grace are always abundantly available, and His children's future is secure.   Those who know God patiently wait for Him to provide and sustain, and they will never be disappointed. Unfortunately, those who do not know God are continually disappointed. It's time to "establish our hearts" and prepare for God to care for our future https://www.podbean.com/relate365

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and hope you are able to spend time thanking God for His many blessings as you are a blessing to your friends and family.   Psalm 34 (ESV)   I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!   I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.   Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.   Come, O children, listen to me; I will tea

You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. James 5:5-6 (ESV)   It is impossible for someone who lives in luxury and self-indulgence to live in harmony with the righteous because they are mutually exclusive. Those who do what is right understand that their "riches" are tools for showing the world who God is, not for self-indulgence.   Once again, we do not promote God as one who does not want His children to enjoy the promised land; however, the fruit of the land rots quickly and is not meant to be hoarded. We are thankful for the fruit and enjoy it, yet our hope is never in the fruit, but in the one who provided it.   It is difficult for those who live in wealthy countries to remain focused on God because of the abundance of blessings we can enjoy. One day, we will all see the purpose of God's provision, and either be sorry

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. James 5:1-3 (ESV)   "A philosopher has said, "Though a man without money is poor, a man with nothing but money is still poorer." Worldly gifts cannot bear up the spirits from fainting and sinking when trials and troubles come, no more than a headache can be cured by a golden crown or toothache by a chain of pearls. "Earthly riches are full of poverty." "Biblical Illustrator   Riches, in any form, are to be used, not loved. When they are loved, they are out of place and cause the "lover" to make poor decisions that affect this life forever.   Things that have corroded are things that have done nothing but sit. Our "riches" are to be achieving a

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him, it is sin. James 4:17 (ESV)   Those who insist that the Bible is difficult to understand have not read this verse. If we know something is right and do the opposite; it is a sin. Likewise, we will not know what is right if we listen to culture more than the Scriptures. Similarly, we will be confused about right and wrong if we listen to rhetoric, debate, or propaganda.   If we read the Bible and listen to God, we will know the difference between right and wrong. And ignoring right or overtly choosing wrong is foolish.   For now, the choice is ours. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James  4:13-16   Nobody knows what tomorrow brings. We all know that one day we will no longer be alive, yet we do not know what day that will be.  Reasonable people prepare for the inevitable more than the probable. Since we know we will die (inevitable), and do not know if we will live, but most likely will (probable), we should be prepared for death. For some reason, we find the idea of certain death troublesome, while thinking of the uncertainty of tomorrow comforting. But unfortunately, this mixed-up thinking causes much pain in life and fear of death.  

Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:7-10 (ESV)   Our life consists of endless opportunities to submit and resist. In submitting, we resist and depend upon the only one who can defeat the Evil One. I need to focus on knowing and obeying God continually. I do not need to know what is wrong with all the Godless ways, for that will be evident as I focus on doing what is right.   We will live more "anguished" lives as we cleanse our hands and hearts. Being "anguished" is typical for those who see and live in a Godless world. Satan continually tries to "normalize" sin and make sin tolerable, fun, and reasonable.   A broken heart and a h

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:4-6 (ESV)   The word "friendship" is used here only once in the New Testament and refers to "fondness."  You could rewrite the sentence like this: Do you not know that fondness with the world is enmity with God?   God made us to desire Him above all yet our "fondness" of this world, and its offerings distract us from what is most important. God could have said our dependence or faith in the world system, but He chose the term "fondness."   This is why we need to set apart time to think through what God says in His Word.

What causes quarrels, and what causes fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. James 4:1-3 (ESV)   Personal responsibility is rare. We seem to desire to be victims, unable to change the course of our thoughts and life. We fight the idea of all men, including ourselves, being sinful and dependent upon God's mercy and grace to enjoy life.   I quarrel because I am all about me, and you are not. I continually attempt to get you in line with my thinking and obtain the dominant stature I think I should hold. Often, my prayers are about me and having others get in line with my thinking, comfort, and success.  In essence, the quarrels in my life are caused by my passions at war within me, as God has stated here in the book of James.   The an

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James  3:17-18  (ESV)   When our thoughts are God's, they are pure, peaceable, gentle, and make sense. These thoughts display mercy and are from the heart and aim to establish the peace that passes human understanding.   Anxiety, anger, strife, and discord are not fruits of God's wisdom, indicating we are listening to a lie. Satan is gifted at presenting lies as "truth." Therefore, our only defense is to be constantly in discovery mode when reading the Bible, and to recognize the difference between the fruits of the Spirit and the fruits of lies.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. James  3:13-15  (ESV)   When you are good at something, you need not talk about it to others because they will know you are good by your actions. Those who constantly "sell" themselves do so because their skill or talent is not recognizable.   A team player never tells the coach what they do well because the coach already knows. Instead, the coach places them in the best position to be successful based on the skills that has been demonstrated. God knows our skill set and will put us in the best position to see them utilized.   Those who talk much about loving God need to talk less and live as one who loves God. Those who speak of caring for the weak need to speak less and

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening, both fresh and saltwater? James 3:7-11 (ESV)   Things should make "sense," and we need to pause and rethink things when they do not. For example, if we sing praises to God one day and curse our neighbor the next, something is out of sync.   It is impossible to say you love God and live as if you do not. It is impossible to say you trust God and fret or worry about your future. It is impossible to say you love people and ignore the widow and orphan.   Our actions tell us what we believe and cannot be overruled by our words alone. Those whose acti

Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:4-6 (ESV)   The small things in life have a significant impact on life. Thoughtless words, ignorant actions, or an angry look carry tremendous weight. Laziness in our daily routines, making our home life about us, and absorbing excessive Godless chatter throughout the day leave us weak and vulnerable to our evil desires.   The small habits of life will combine to impact how we live and even the quality of our lives. Those who prove faithful in small areas are desired and prepared for more significant responsibilities.

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. James 3:2-3 (ESV)   We all stumble, fall, sin, or fail. There are many descriptors we could use, and many possibilities for causes, yet all the reasons point to us and not to friends, family, or circumstances.   We can choose to be victims, to make others or circumstances greater than God in our minds. But, when we do this, we have no hope because our only hope is in Christ alone. He, alone, can guide us through the many minefields we tread.   But unfortunately, constant criticism of others, the blaming of circumstances for our sin, and the justification of our lifestyle due to "the way we were created," deflects the responsibility and plunges us deeper into the quagmire of despair. Cleaning up how we talk indicates we have cleaned up how we

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. James 3:1 (ESV)   Teachers help shape lives. The most significant way to teach is by example. Some teachers formally teach, and others teach by being parents, friends, or guardians. Yet, all who teach, at any level, will be held accountable for living what they teach.   God warns us of the seriousness of causing the weakest among us to fail. Luke 17:1-2 says this: "And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin."   Living right is our most powerful teaching tool and will always outweigh our words.    https://www.podbean.com/relate365

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the Spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. James 2:24-26 (ESV)   Faith without works is not faith. If I believe in something, it affects my actions. If I say I believe in something that does not affect my activities, then I do not believe. This is not teaching that we achieve favored status with God by working. It is stating the obvious that faith and actions are one.   If I say, I believe God loves me, and do not act like He loves me, then do I think that He does? If I say I trust God but live as if I do not, do I trust Him? If I say I believe in God's mercy, yet live a guilt-ridden life, do I believe in His mercy? James is stating the obvious here: our talk can be disconnected from reality or hypocritical. How we live our lives is t

  …and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. James 2:23 (ESV)   Abraham believed God and lived like he believed God. That is one of the most profound and simple messages of the Scriptures.   If I believe there is a God, I should act like there is a God, and if I am not acting like that, then I do not think there is one.   If I believe God loves me, I should act as if God loves me, or I do not believe God loves me.   If I believe I can trust God with my future, I need to act as if I can trust God with my future, or I do not believe I can trust Him.   If I believe I was crafted by the hand of God while in my mother's womb, I need to live as if I was crafted in my mother's womb by the hand of God, or I do not believe I was uniquely created.   If I struggle with what God has said, I do not believe what God has said, and I must not know Him as I should.   If I struggle wi

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works…. James  2:21-22  (ESV)   Faith does not just believe something; it acts on what you believe. Yet belief does not make anything true or false. Therefore, we must be careful to know the truth to ensure we believe something true.   Secondly, we need to be in the habit of applying the truth. So, for example, to say to those without food and shelter that you wish for them to be warm and satisfied is foolish unless you help them find shelter and food. Faith acts on belief, so we must be cautious to guard our minds and only allow truth to shape our thoughts.   But unfortunately, Satan recognizes the importance of belief systems and works diligently at getting us to accept various renditions of "truth," or, in reality, lies. Once a lie is believable and takes residence in our belief system, we are deceiv

Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? James  2:20-21  (ESV)   God's word is simple, yet profound. If we try to make too much out of something simple, we usually destroy its meaning. In this case, James is simply asking that if he said he has faith, but lives as one who is faithless, does he have faith?   If I claim to trust God yet live in constant fear and anxiety, I do not trust God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and believing it. But, there comes a time when what we say we believe will be tested. We will know if we believe or know about God's character and promises. Those are precious times in life that allow us to adjust our thinking.   Faith is the only way we can please God and the only way to enjoy life and not fear death. Faith is only available to those who know and believe what God says.   https://www.podbean.com/relate36