Learn From James (Ten) – Do We Just Talk?

Good morning.

We have reached the last passage from the first chapter of James and it spoke volumes to me.

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” (James 1:26-27).

This passage should be read in the context of the previous verses. In the preceding passage we have learnt that we should not merely read the Word of God, but do what it says. This passage says that just speaking about God and His Word and not making a difference, or getting one’s listeners to make a difference, is worthless. Father God always wants to see change, which is why James summarised the basics of change in this sentence: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”.

Looking after orphans and widows represents any form of change Christians need to initiate in the physical circumstances of people. This includes feeding, housing, clothing, and so on of people. Whether we give financially to others to do the job, or do the job ourselves doesn’t matter, as long as we obey the Lord sacrificially.

Keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world represents holiness. No Christian can be wholly effective if we stand with one foot in the comforts of the world and the other in God’s Kingdom. Imagine that the soldiers in a warzone lived each in their luxurious home with a wife and children, driving every day to the battlefield in their luxury car to go and fight. Would they be effective? No they need to stand together, focused on the task at hand. They need to plan together, encourage one another, laugh together, cry together and celebrate together.

Pollution by the world involves interests that steal our time, ideas that confuse our theology, entertainment, money and anything that keeps us from being set apart for the Lord and what He has in mind for us.

What James basically said in this passage is that we should not merely talk about what we should do, but do it. We get a lot of this in the church, don’t we? We hear forever what we should do and we wait forever on the Lord to bring revival, but in the meantime the Bible is loaded with instructions and commands for us to go and do. Keeping a tight rein on our tongue means that we should not say things that we are not prepared to back up with action, otherwise we deceive ourselves and only sound as if we are religious instead of being a person of God.

I have mentioned this before, but this is an appropriate place to mention it again. Ideally the church should function as follows. During a Sunday celebration teaching and encouragement should be given as to how to reach out to the world. This should compliment other teaching given during the week that equips the people of God for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204:11-16&version=NIV1984). Then people should be encouraged and organised during the following week to reach out. The home groups can arrange evenings to reach out to the world, the youth can reach out to the streets and clubs, individuals can reach out to their colleagues and people they meet along the way in the shops, hairdressers, sports clubs, and so on.

The following Sunday the church service can be opened with opportunity for testimonies of what God has done during the past week, which will give us reason to worship with enthusiasm.

If Christians live like this, where would we find time to be polluted by the world, television and other entertainment and the power of money and materialism? Would we not be completely focused on God’s will and plans and enjoy an exciting and fruitful life in Christ? Would this not be “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless”?

Lord, I am prepared to change and influence those in my sphere of influence to do the same.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Nine) – This Is What God Requires

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

We said in our previous message that the second solution to avoiding the moral filth and prevalent evil that James is talking about, in other words escaping a selfish and materialistic lifestyle that would lead to religion and a form of godliness without power, is found in the following passage: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does,” (James 1:22-25).

This is a mouthful, but how many of us look intently into the word of God, making every effort prayerfully to see exactly what it expects of us and then actually do what it says. “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account,” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

The Bible is not just a book to entertain and bless us with its promises or to sooth our consciences that we have done our duty by reading it. It is not called the Word of God for nothing. It is God’s word, the way He speaks to us. If we read the Bible it is as good as if we stand to attention in front of the King of the universe, receiving instructions from Him who expects us to do as He said. If this was a physical Kingdom and we were able to see God standing before us, giving us verbally the instructions that He gave us through the writers of the Bible, what would the next step be? Once He gave the instructions He will tell us to go and do it and then report back after it has been done.

Hebrews 4:12-13 tells about the power of God’s living Word. It says that whilst we read it, it goes right inside our beings and separates the inner chaff from the wheat. We cannot read the Word of God and not be affected, but we can choose to ignore it. In the light of our simile of God being here physically expecting us to report back; Hebrews 12:13 tells us that nothing is hidden from the Lord and He will call us to account. Since we will be called to account, what can we expect if we don’t do the Word when we are urged to not just read it, but to do what it says?

At this point I felt the Lord prophesied and this is therefore what He says to some readers. This may not to apply to everybody, but may the Lord reach the hearts of those who need to listen: “Haven’t I spoken to you all these months? Day after day have I challenged you with truth from My Word, yet it fell too hard on your ears. Is it really that hard to obey My Word? It has been broken into digestible pieces to help you understand it, but you have either looked unto the messenger, not seeing it as My Word, or have found it too hard to obey. I have asked James to prompt you to obey My Word, I have told you so myself many times when I was on earth, I have used various of my servants to speak and write to you through the medium of My written Word, yet you have still chosen to follow your own mind. What I had written down I meant. If you wait and see whether I am going to call you to account it might be too late. Why not rather decide to believe and obey and enjoy the promise of my blessing and rewards.’

Shall we pray? ‘Lord, I need to obey your Word’.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Eight) – What Is Your Desire?

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you,” (James 1:19-21).

Why did James instruct us to get rid of the moral filth and prevalent evil? It is because it is them that cause anger and carnal reactions in us and a reluctance to accept the Word of God. Paul told us in Galatians 5:16-17: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

If we give in to the desires of the sinful nature, it will take control of us and slowly entangle us, so we will gradually lose interest in the things of God. The scary subtlety about it is that it will just leave enough conscience to allow us to be religious and not realise that we are actually not living a Christian life anymore. This is the point where we become religious, adopting “a form of godliness but denying its power,” (2 Timothy 3:5). These desires of the sinful nature can be multiple – an addictive sin, such as lustful eyes, a materialistic lifestyle, earthly ambitions in career and sport, television and other entertainment, and so on. James mentioned moral filth and prevalent evil. How much of these have we accepted as normal, having become so desensitised to it by seeing it so often in movies and hearing it in the workplace that it don’t even shock us anymore.

How often do we see and hear Christians involved in moral filth and evil and we do nothing about it? “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,” (Luke 17:3). “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life,” (1 John 5:16). How many of us do this?

Anger is born out of selfishness, which is born out of a sinful lifestyle. Self-centred people want things their way and do not care about their neighbours’ feelings, so anger and a quick sharp tongue often are the fruits. This is just the opposite of what God is like, and is therefore unrighteousness. However, it is not only an angry tongue that causes unrighteousness, but also a critical mindset and attitude, and how many of us are guilty of this? Nothing is ever the way we want it – the government, the weather, our health, our finances, the church and so on. This is because we think with our sinful nature and not by the Spirit, who is faith, hope and love.

So what is the solution? James first of all mentioned listening. As a child I have always heard I have two ears and one mouth and therefore I must listen twice as much as I speak. Asking questions instead of making statements helps us to listen. Critical thinking or thinking in statements are equal to speaking and can cause anger in our hearts. Thus thinking questions will cause us to verbalise them. Asking ourselves questions about God will cause us to seek the answers and this will lead us to look for the answers in the Bible.

The second solution James mentioned is: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does,” (James 1:22-25).

This we will look at in our next message.

Lord, I’d like to live by the Spirit.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Seven) – The Good and Perfect Gift

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

In our previous message regarding James 1:13-15 we have discussed temptation. When we look at this passage in the context of James 1:2-18 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%201:2-18&version=NIV1984 we see that temptations actually form part of testing and trials and it links in well with the passage we discuss in this message: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created,” (James 1:16-18).

When we are being developed by the Lord to be fruitful for the sake of His Kingdom, we are put to all kinds of trials to test our development. It’s the same as training a soldier for the army or a civilian for the career she is pursuing. The trainee needs to be introduced to all scenarios they may encounter. A soldier will encounter ambushes, landmines, personal mines, snipers and so on during his career in the warzone. He will need to be good at shooting, leopard crawling, climbing, swinging, swimming, etc. During training he will be mock-attacked, shot at whilst crawling or running, and whatever is needed to get him used to the real situation.

Training in God’s Kingdom is a lifelong mission and if we are serious about being fruitful and effective for the Lord, we will be introduced to new skills all the time and will respond well to training. Most of what I teach I have lived and believe me it is not always easy, but definitely exciting and worth the while. Living as a soldier of Christ is certainly an exciting lifestyle.

Therefore in the context of James 1:2-18 temptation, including the temptation to be rich and comfortable (verses 9-11), is the enemy and our sinful nature shooting at us during training, testing our reaction and skills. ‘Every good and perfect gift that is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, through the word of truth’ (verses 16-18) is the equipping we receive from our Instructor, birthing in us skills and capabilities that would make a vast difference in this world as we are prepared to work with Him. We are then the firstfruits that will lead to much more fruit as those, whom we reach for Jesus, also enrol themselves in the Kingdom’s army in order to be the firstfruits of those who will be born of them.

Sportsmen and –women as well as soldiers should understand this discipline well. In the limited amount of time I have spent watching the Olympics this year I have noticed a girl from Jamaica laying on the track, after she had won the race, whispering “thank you Jesus”. I have also learnt that one of the multiple gold medal winners from England is set to enter the mission field soon.

Paul compares our Christian walk with a race and Jesus said “’If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it,’” (Luke 9:23-24). To die on the cross was the purpose of Jesus’ existence on earth. What is the purpose of your existence as a Christian? What are you good at and interested in? Whatever you are created for to accomplish for God’s glory is the cross you are to take up. This is the good and perfect gift the Father of the heavenly lights has for you, which He wants to develop through the word of truth, the Bible, which He uses by making it alive to us so we could learn.

Lord, I am available. Please bring me to the point where I can be most fruitful.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Six) – Analysing Temptation

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

We are all aware of temptation to sin, but do we analyse our temptations and respond to them so we could do something about it? Do we not often shrug our shoulders claiming that we cannot help we are sinning, and then wonder why our circumstances are what they are? Have you ever considered that bad circumstances could be due to the Lord’s discipline because of our continuous unrepentant sin?

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons,” (Hebrews 12:4-7).

Sin therefore cannot simply be ignored. James 1:13-15 tells us: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Sin is a process. The tempter, Satan, works together with our sinful nature to cause us to sin. Sometimes it is only our own desires that tempt us and sometimes Satan whispers suggestions in our ears that appeals to our weaknesses. When we are tempted, we have a choice. Children are often invited by their peers to do something they know is wrong. At first they would say no. Then the peers keep putting on pressure by using all kinds of luring, attractive suggestions and excuses why it is okay to do it. The tempted child then starts to wonder whether it actually is so bad and hesitates. Next the other children would take him by the arm and pull him to come with them and he would probably resist, maybe jerking his arm free. Unless he turns his attention away from the invitations by turning and walking away from the temptation, the tempters will win.

This is how it is with temptation as James described it. We sense something we want that is not of God, and unless we turn away from this stimulus it would turn into a desire. Here we still have the chance to stop it before it turns into sin. If we however yield to the desire, we have sinned, but it is not the end yet for we can stop halfway into the sin and turn back. Even if that child, who has been tempted to do wrong, runs away once he started doing it, he has broken free. However, if we stubbornly continue with the sin it will lead to death, which is separation in our relationship with the Lord.

Take for instance gossip. We hear a story about someone and burn to share it with others. If we resist doing it we have not sinned, but it is even better to not even listen to the story but turn your back on it.

Sin is damaging to our relationships with others, but in particular to our relationship with the Lord. It also affects Him in that His enemies ridicule Him (2 Samuel 12:13-14 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%2012:13-14&version=NIV1984).

That is why we need to analyse our temptations carefully in collaboration with the Lord for “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13). The question, however, is whether we want to. Maybe we should remember: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear,” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Yes Jesus has paid for our sin on the cross and we are forgiven, but we cannot wilfully live in sin. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6)

“In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood,” (Hebrews 12:4).

Lord, help me to be holy.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Five) – High or Low?

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

In James 1:2-4 we have discussed perseverance under trials. This has been followed by wisdom to know what the Lord is doing in our lives and how to make the right decision (verses 5-8). The next passage is about the rich and humble (verses 9-11) and only in verse twelve James returned to these words: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

This indicates that both the issues on wisdom, as highlighted in our previous teaching, and those on rich and humble are all included into the trials the Lord uses to form and develop us as discussed in the first few messages on this topic.

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business,” (James 1:9-11).

What is being rich and what are humble circumstances? To the middleclass person a bank account of a few million would be handy just so we don’t have to work every day to survive, and we consider those who have such assets rich. To the family in Africa, that lives several people in one twelve by twelve foot corrugated iron structure, rich means to have meat to eat or shoes to wear. To such people the middleclass family with an average size house and one car is extremely rich.

The issue in this passage is the status we have in God’s view. The not-so-rich may also have an obsession with money in that they constantly desire it to make life worth the while, which is why so many play the lottery or turn to crime. To the Lord our status is determined by our faith and obedience. If we really obey the Lord we will never be poor. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6:31-33). If we live humbly, since we feel materialism robs us from a quality relationship with the Lord, it doesn’t mean we are poor. Because we decide to rather get along with less so we could spend more time serving Jesus instead of working hard to make money so we could live comfortably, we are considered high in God’s social structure.

If, however, we build our social status around what we have accomplished, in other words we feel we are somebody special and should be honoured accordingly; James said that we are actually very low in God’s social structure for “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” (Matthew 23:11-12). These accomplishments can be removed from us in a matter of moments. I know people to whom it happened and if not on earth, certainly in afterlife.

So are we not entitled to be rich? To be frank the answer is no. It is written all over the Bible. If we are gifted to make money we are gifted to give financially (Romans 12:8) and are therefore meant to use our talents to make money and pass it on to God’s Kingdom, but should ourselves remain in humble circumstances so we could have a heavenly reward and a high position with the Lord. We should also not use our riches to extensively look after ourselves for our future (Luke 12:13-21: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012:13-21&version=NIV1984).  

Dear reader, the Lord meant what He wrote when He so adamantly in various ways warned us against materialism that robs us from being rich towards God. When are we going to pass the test and receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12)?

Lord, help me to humble myself so you can have control of all areas of my life.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Four) – Wisdom for What?

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God.

In the last few messages we have learned about perseverance under trials in order to become mature and complete. What happens when we are under trial, in other words what is the purpose of a trial? We are to learn from it so we could be changed. A trial is usually the Lord’s way to test whether we have listened when He has spoken and also a way to get our attention if we persist in disobedience.

In the context of this passage follows the next passage in James 1:5-8: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

According to the Dictionary.reference.com wisdom is “knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action; rationality, discernment or insight”. We therefore need the wisdom we ask from God to have insight into what the Lord tries to teach us - the change He tries to work in us. In the previous messages on this topic we have seen that the Lord works constantly in us to change us into perfect unselfishness so we could serve people the way He does.

The wisdom we would ask of God therefore would be to understand and have insight into what He is like – His perfection. The double mindedness that James mentioned has to do with our decision whether we really want to know what God is like and expects of us, for this will demand change, and change is going to require sacrifice. Holiness and obedience, and the resulting trials to establish it in us, involves sacrifice of selfish and materialistic living and we need wisdom how to make it work in us. The way the Lord ‘works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose’ (Philippians 2:12) is by teaching us what He wants from us. This we receive through messages from various sources and from the Bible. Whilst we hear the message the Lord speaks to us personally through the message, giving us instructions to change. We are then tested by trial to see whether we are going to apply what we have learned (to will and to act according to his good purpose), such as the example of my trial that I have mentioned in the recent message.

The wisdom we need from God is meant to discern what we have to do in order to pass the test, as well as wisdom to decide whether we actually want to change or pass the test. If the test is for example to cut out television in order to spend more time with the Lord and in His service, we need wisdom to make the right decision in this respect. When we receive the wisdom, we need to be decisive whether we actually want to do it. The wisdom we receive will reveal to us the advantages and disadvantages of our decision, as well as the consequences thereof.

What would the consequence be if we are so busy with our materialistic life, packed with entertainment, that we don’t find time for obedience? What would be the wise thing to do? If we ask wisdom from the Lord to do the right thing, we must be ready to accept His wisdom, whether we like it or not, in other words we must have our mind made up about it. We still want to be in the world, but actually know we should serve the Lord fully, yet we find our comfortable life so pleasant, although we would really like to have our rewards in heaven... Do you get my point? The Lord looks at us, shaking His head saying: “Make up your mind girl; I need to know what you want so I can give it to you.”

Lord, time is short. Please give us wisdom do live fully for you.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Three) – Mature and Complete

Good morning.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God. We started in our previous messages on James 1:2-4:

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I want to look at the last sentence in this passage: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James almost gave personality to ‘perseverance’. It is as if it is a person working in us to get us to a result. Perseverance indicates time spent continuously with the same thing until it is accomplished.

If a sprinter works at improving his time over the one hundred metres sprint, he runs it over and over whilst the coach times him and looks for little things he is doing wrong that slows him down. It could be that his start is too slow, or that he is not focussing on the winning line or that he slows down too early. It could be that he does not use his whole body correctly to propel him forward. The significance is that he spends time and effort to increase his speed. Unless he perseveres, i.e. unless perseverance finishes its work, he will not reach the speed he is aiming at. When does perseverance finish its work? Only when he has reached his goal - his target speed. If he gives up before the time he will have to settle for a less favourable position in the race for which he is practicing.

What is the goal for which we aim with regard to faith and obedience? We aim for maturity and completeness, not lacking anything. Are you aiming for this in all areas of your life or are you just not bothered? The aim the Lord has for us is perfection “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matthew 5:48). This is not a suggestion, but a command. In a previous message we have discussed what Jesus meant by perfection. He wants us to be mature. One of the key elements of maturity is unselfishness. He wants us to be as mature and unselfish as Father God is. Now think of Father God in these terms. He is available to us all the time. Jesus said in John 9:4: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” In Psalm 121:3-4 we are comforted with: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

The Lord’s perfection makes Him live completely for those He loves - not only for the righteous, but for all mankind. “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” (Matthew 5:44-45) and “...God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” (1 Timothy 2:3). What do these passages say about Father God?

Father God has to tolerate a lot of nonsense from his children as well as from those who hate Him, but He does not complain or care about Himself. Because He is love He is motivated by love. One important aspect we as His children must realise, though, is that He works at reproducing Himself in us. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10) and therefore we need to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose,” (Philippians 2:12).

Lord I would like to persevere in obedience so I could become mature and complete, lacking nothing – just like you.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (Two) - Tested

Good morning.

Remember we only place a teaching every second day now. You may want to catch up on some of the older ones.

We are looking at the book of James, a Bible author who told it as it is. His teachings challenge the reader to act on and not only hear the Word of God. We started in our previous message on James 1:2-4:

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

One important key in this passage is the term ‘perseverance’. We live in an instant society where everything should happen as quickly as possible, so we could get it over with and continue with our lives. We want to learn life principles and truths quickly and instantly and therefore think it is sufficient to go to church or read the Bible and have head knowledge or theory, which we can shift into our archives and then carry on with our lives as we wish.

In our previous message we have seen that the Lord loves us too much to allow that. We need to learn how to apply the knowledge and revelation, which we receive, to our lives. It is much like somebody who reads the rules of the road and then expects to get into a car and drive legally. Such a person should first get practical instruction and then pass the appropriate driving test before she is allowed to drive legally on a public road.

How about this as an example of a trial? We tend to fight our own fights, don’t we, but the Lord told the Israelites in Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Even though He spoke to the Israelites, it actually applies to any of His loved ones, especially if we have received it as a rhema revelation, which I did. In the past I have often relied on my own skills to try and get out of persecution (Proverbs 3:5-8 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%203:5-8&version=NIV1984). Then one day I was tested severely. I had a meeting with a group who indicated they had a problem with me. I was very scared and therefore prayed intensely a few days before I entered the meeting. The meeting was much worse than I expected as the lies shot like daggers from their tongues through my heart. The only words I could desperately get out in response to every accusation were ‘it’s not true’. After a while I just sat there, letting the daggers shoot though me whilst I silently let the Lord do His thing.

The next day I saw them again and they were as tame as lambs, almost embarrassed, and I heard clearly in my heart the Lord saying: “Well done, you have passed the test and will now have peace.” A little later a few of my accusers came to me apologising for their behaviour. You see, Satan instigated them to persecute me and the Lord used the opportunity to see whether I will rely on Him rather than fighting my own fight. Because I persevered under the trial and did not act in the flesh by fighting my own fight, I have matured in that area of relying on the Lord.

Each command in the Bible involves a trial for our development, i.e. if we would like to get to the stage where we obey a certain command regardless, we will be tested on it until we pass. Spiritual growth is a choice, for we choose to reach the goal that the Lord has set before us by passing the tests as we go through the trials.

How many of us have a sin that keeps controlling us? Some just live with it and therefore stay in defeat, whilst others struggle to overcome it. In Hebrews 12:4 we have an instruction: “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” To get to this point demands hard work and discipline. The sinful nature resists the spirit, so we cannot really do it on our own. The Lord is ready to help us for “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

If we therefore commit ourselves to resisting sin to the point of shedding our blood, we will be tested whether we are serious and when we have proven our commitment with perseverance, the Lord’s power will make us mature and complete in that area, lacking nothing. It is our choice whether we just want to float along the river of life’s struggles or be victorious and fruitful in Christ.

Lord, I am available to be tested in order to grow.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Learn From James (One) - Are You There Yet?

Good morning.

James was quite an intense writer and I love his directness. I wonder whether the Lord would one day say to us: “Have you read what I had to say through my servant James?” Wondering what would come next we would hesitantly nod our heads. “Oh, you have?” the Lord might say. “So why have you not obeyed it?”

More direct than James put it we would not find. In this series we are going to look at some revelation from the book of James.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,” (James 1:2-4).

Have you ever doubted that the Lord loves you? I think most of us have. What concerns me much these days though, is the fact that we hear a million times during church services that the Lord loves us, but the message portrays the Lord as a father loving his babies. It is all about His care and pampering over us. How often do we hear sermons on our responsibility in getting where He wants us to be?

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul had to reprimand the Corinthian church about their immaturity. “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly —mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” Aren’t we the same?

The Lord often talked about ‘sons’ inheriting the Kingdom (Matthew 5:9. 44-46, Luke 6:35, John 12:36). This is the extent of His love – He wants us to develop to our fullest potential of mature sons and not to remain ineffective babies. The Olympic Games have just finished and we have witnessed the sons and daughters of society proving the extent of their responsibility to the whole world. Was it easy for these athletes to reach this point in their lives? No, they had to be tested over and over again and every time they failed, they had to return to the drawing board and improve on their previous mistakes. It was those who put in the most that got out the most. How about us in our spiritual lives?

The aim of God’s love is to protect us from His wrath as a result of disobedience and inefficiency, i.e. to prevent promises such as in Matthew 7:21-23 to come into fulfilment: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207:21-23&version=NIV1984. To believe in Jesus or to be born again is not sufficient. We need to “continue to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12). Paul didn’t refer here to salvation from our inborn sinfulness. This is dealt with during our rebirth when Jesus gives us a new spirit and the right to eternal life. The salvation Paul referred to is being saved from the consequences of disobedience. We are, however, not left on our own in the process of working out our own salvation. Philippians 2:13 states “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” He expects of us to seek that which He is doing in our lives, i.e. seek holiness and knowledge of Him and seek to change to become like Jesus.

If we just live for ourselves, unaware that the Lord tries to do something with our lives in order for us to become obedient and worthwhile servants, we will never be holy, obedient and dedicated to His purposes – reaching His goals for us. This is why we are tested and put through all kinds of trials as James put it in the passage under discussion.

If an athlete decides to ignore the rigorous tests she is being put through by her coach to determine whether she is up to standard, and rather live the way that is comfortable to her, would she ever reach the goal set for her?

The Lord has a higher purpose for us and to get us there He has to get us into shape. In our next message we will look more into this passage.

Lord, I want to pass my tests.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

Sunday Special

Good morning.

After some time of fellowshipping with Jesus I am ready to start the next season of writing. This time, however, I’m committing myself to a message every second day, since I have many other writing commitments for which I do not find time.

We will begin looking at the book of James, so I leave you the chapter from the NIV, which we will be looking at from tomorrow onwards.

James 1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

⁹ The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. ¹⁰ But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

¹⁹ My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.

For the time being...

Good morning

I am going to spend some time with the Lord for a few days, so for the time being teachings will not appear every day. In the meantime you may want to catch up on reading some of the older teachings you have not read yet.

May the Lord bless and keep you.

God’s Greatest Enemy (Part Four)

Good morning

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” [Mammon KJV] (Matthew 6:24).

Have you ever watched the stock market in action? Everybody shouts at once, almost trampling one another to get more of their god. It’s a worship service for Mammon, and the worshippers get excited. Moreover, what would you say about Christmas? Who is the real savoir worshipped during Christmas? The stores are madness during that time. How sad that we bow the knee before Mammon.

These are signs that we serve Mammon rather than God:

• Compromising values for the sake of money; changing my beliefs when I see what they might cost me
• Having the attitude that “business is business,” and in the process separating righteousness from making money
• Allowing money to overtake the purpose of an activity, as in the case of a police officer giving traffic tickets in order to raise money and not for the purpose of law and order

These are signs that we love money more than we love God:

• Money influences moral decisions
• Making money enjoys priority above obedience
• We compromise values because of money
• Competition diminishes godly love
• Making money, worrying about money, and thinking about how to protect it or get more of it takes the time and energy that belong to the Lord
• Obtaining material goods takes priority over godly service

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness,” (1 Timothy 6:6-11).

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life,” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.