James 4

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! Been caught up in Holiday activities, but I’m back. I have much to be thankful for. God is good to me all the time. Our family had a wonderful traditional thanksgiving celebration. How about you?

My Bible Study today is found in James, chapter 4.

1. From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
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.

Lust is “sinful longing; the inward sin which leads to the falling away from God (Rom. 1:21). "Lust, the origin of sin, has its place in the heart, not of necessity, but because it is the centre of all moral forces and impulses and of spiritual activity." In Mark 4:19 "lusts" are objects of desire.” ( Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

This is especially powerful today. I watched the news on Black Friday Evening with a certain amount of horror as fights and arguments were reported to have broken out in stores and malls around the country while shoppers scrambled for the best deals. War rages in Afghanistan, and threatens in North and South Korea. What a different world this would be if every individual would control and subdue their own lusts and ask God for what they truly needed.

3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Enmity is deep-rooted hatred.(Easton’s Bible Dictionary) The world spends much of it’s time and energy chasing sex, power, wealth, and and destroying whoever gets in the way. God’s ways are not our ways. He wants us to love Him first, and love people next, and treat everybody the way we want to be treated. Whose side are you on? Do you hate God because loving Him (truly) is inconvenient to your chosen lifestyle?

6. But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Grace is..."Unmerited favor from God (GRACE - God's Riches At Christ's Expense)” (Bramford’s Bible Dictionary) and humble means..."Meekness, not to think more highly of yourself than you should.” (Bramford’s Bible Dictionary) To “draw nigh” means to get close.

So verse 6 means that God will give us more of His riches at Christ’s expense if we lay down our pride, be humble, and trust Him with our lives (and lifestyles). The devil gets our minds all twisted. Did you know that with God, you can run him off, and be free from his destructive influences? Get close to God through prayer and Bible Study. Find a good Bible believing church, get in it, and be faithful. Stop sinning, mourn for the evil you’ve done, the separation from God, and the people you’ve hurt.

10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13. Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Be humble, trust God, get and stay close to Him, and let Him lift you up. Plan for tomorrow, but know it only comes by God’s grace. God willing, I will visit with you again soon. God bless you all!
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Karon Webster is a caregiver and affiliate marketer.
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Sex, 13 Common Lies, and The Truth from God's Word now available on Amazon!

James 3

Hi!
For a number of years I used to keep a hand written daily Bible Study Journal, kind of notes on whatever blessed my soul or struck my fancy, you know, for personal growth. It is fitting, therefore, on the day that I have elected to begin publishing my thoughts online that my scheduled Bible Study is James, chapter 3.

I want to acknowledge and honor God right here, and thank and praise Him for this privilege of blogging, and ask that He bless my efforts to encourage and strengthen His Kingdom. I thank you dear Lord in advance, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

James 3 talks about our tongues.

1. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
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.

James was addressing the “twelve tribes that are scattered abroad”(1:1). He calls them Brethren, (1:2) which suggests to me that they were saved, born again, Holy Ghost filled Jewish believers. Maybe they’d been driven out of Jerusalem by persecution and settled elsewhere, planting churches where they landed.

In chapter 3, he starts out telling them not to all try to be in charge, because the leaders get greater (bigger, more, worse) condemnation from men (whether right or wrong) and from God (when they’re wrong). Perfect people (they do exist) don’t offend with their words, and can control their whole bodies.

8. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

James explains that the tongue is a tiny thing full of poison that we cannot control. People say think before you talk. I say pray before you talk. We can’t control our tongues, but God can.

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.

According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary “meekness” is ...

Text: a calm temper of mind, not easily provoked (James 3:13). Peculiar promises are made to the meek (Matt. 5:5; Isa. 66:2). The cultivation of this spirit is enjoined (Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 6:11; Zeph. 2:3), and is exemplified in Christ (Matt. 11:29), Abraham (Gen. 13; 16:5, 6) Moses (Num. 12:3), David (Zech. 12:8; 2 Sam. 16:10, 12), and Paul (1 Cor. 9:19).

Bramford’s Bible Dictionary says “meekness” is humbly submissive.

So, when we are wise, we demonstrate out of good conversation (no cursing or profanity, encouragement & clarity) our works (whatever good thing we’re doing) with calmness and humility.

Abandon envy and strife, it’ll lead you to earthly wisdom, which is devilish, and evil.

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.
18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Cool.

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Karon D. Webster is a work from home care giver and affiliate marketer.
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Sex, 13 Common Lies, and The Truth from God's Word now available on Amazon!