June 13, 2010

James 1: 19-27 

  Listen To Him & Obey Him  

James

My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Your anger can never make things right in God's sight.

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls.

And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to.  If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.  For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law - the law that sets you free - and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles and refuse to let the world corrupt us. 

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Thoughts...

May God bless you this morning...everyone....be blessed!

First I have to apologize that I got out of sync in the scriptures....I missed this one, so I am going back to it to insure we cover all of James.  Although I believe I have touched on this one in the past year or so, it is a part of the complete text so I will be reviewing it again.  I apologize if I am repeating myself.  I do that from time to time.  One cannot preach the gospel in due season and out and not touch on everything over and over again.  However, each time we read the scriptures, God can reveal more to us than he did before.  We grow, and so some things are about being rooted another layer deep in the soil of God's love, and being watered...cleansed and fed....ripe for the picking....the rapture.  

So, listen and obey.  Easy for me to say, huh?  It is NOT easy for me to do anymore than you.  The act of turning to God unleashes the nature of Satan.  Satan wants us to fail, so we will worship him and do things that are not of God.  So, with all you have in you, turn to God and don't let go.  He has a beautiful voice that, if you listen, you will hear.  It is the voice you hear within that is peace filled and gentle.  It is the one that guides you to do the things that are right in life as measured by HIS standards.  By his word.  The word of God does not go against itself, so if you are in question as to what to do, go to his word...the Bible.  If you are new to reading the Bible, get one that has a lot of references and help lists.  Lists of charts and articles to teach you much, that you can go to from time to time, when you read his word.  As you know, if you have been following this site for any length of time, I prefer the Life Appllication Bible New Living Translation.  You can order a used copy from most any used book site.  I prefer the 1998 edition, but all editions will teach, feed, uplift, and encourage you.  The word...the new law...the new testament of Jesus Christ will set you free.   

Let's go back to the beginning....I'm getting ahead of myself...ahead of the word. 

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Your anger can never make things right in God's sight."  This is very hard to do sometimes....."be quick to listen and slow to speak, and slow to get angry."  I've always wondered how some people can listen, ponder/contemplate and then gently look you in the eyes before speaking.  It astounds me.  My thought is that if it is in my brain, it has a millisecond to be spoken or it will be gone.  My brain is a journey to be reckoned with, believe me.  Laugh.  Somedays I want very much to emulate those in quiet thought and disposition, but Holy Spirit in me is verbal, fast, and direct.  I don't usually mince words....and....sometimes I go on a while as you might well know.  Since one of my strokes, I don't have much presence of forthought, but that is just what we are called to have and act with.  So pray for me, my brothers and sisters, and I will pray for you....that we can all be quick to listen...that I do....and slow to speak.

Scripture tells us we are to be slow to get angry.  Must we get angry?  There are times we are to definitely get angry.  Righteously only.  NOT self righteously, but righteous in God's eyes.  There is this presence of thought that Jesus never got angry, that he was just a flower child flitting through earth.  Wrong info and image.  He was very angry with the money changers outside the temples.  It was a healthy righteous God based anger against injustice.  Injustice to God, not to him.  Think on those words.....the next time you are angry at someone or something.  Is your anger right and rightly projected?  Could you really be angry at yourself and projecting it onto another or in another situation?  Is it something that God would be angry about?  Why?  Does it align with the word of God?  Is it you who needs to make a change in your life?  You who needs to be healed?   God is telling us through James that there is a better way to address situations than with anger and still achieve positive results.              

"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls."  Make better choices....from the thoughts in your head to the words from your mouth to your actions.  If you fill your mind with things of God, his word, music that honors him, people who are grounded in the word and live their lives with him, you will find this much easier to do for eventually it will all come naturally for you.  HUMBLY....don't 'Lord' all over people.

Remember the 'speck in the eye' scripture...if you have one you cannot point fingers at others.  HUMBLY ACCEPT the world of God...the message God has planted in your heart.  It will save your soul, if you LISTEN AND OBEY.  Look around you...and within you...today and discern what God would classify as filth and evil.  Then go to the Lord in prayer.  Give it up, let it go, make a change, make a choice, grow and move on.  And hold on.  Because the moment you give up that which is Satan's, Satan will attempt to stronghold you into returning to the bad, sad, mad stuff.  So I mean literally, firmly HOLD ON.  Look to God, Jesus and Holy Spirit from where you help will come.  WILL come.  Like Jesus, when he was tempted, he spoke the inspired word of God to Satan calmly, but firmly.  Get out the Bible and just read it aloud next time you are tempted.  Satan will mess with your head for a bit, but eventually if he sees you are dedicated and serious, he'll back off....for a while.  But watch out....he'll come at you later when you least expect it.  Go back to the word and preach to him again.  And tell God....be a tattle tail.  Tell God, Jesus and Holy Spirit to handle Satan and then just stand back, out of the fray, and walk in blessed assurance that what you have asked for of God is being handled.  Do your part....stay out of the way, don't take the situation back and read the word of God to be strengthened.  Spiritual warfare by any other name is just Satan having a hissy fit.  All over you and the rest of the world.  Know that you are not alone.  All of us are in direct lineS of fire.  But your soul will be saved, your life will be redeemed, if you listen and obey the word of God.                 

"If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."  This goes along with what I've said above about the words in your mouth.  We watch Tv, well you might, I cannot since they changed the signal, and we have been in the world in life.  There is a lot of vulgarity out there.  I am guilty of having a potty mouth.  I need your prayers to help control this.  I battle Satan with the word of God and fight him on a lot of levels.  I am convinced strokes are a tool of Satan to short circuit your thoughts.  I am sort of laughing here.  Not very hard.  Because as I said above, things can pop out of one's mouth without forthought.  I had a situation  yesterday where I remembered a past moment and was searching for a phrase that was used before, and another one, not so clean came out.  And I wondered 'where did THAT come from?'  The same time frame, different moment perhaps, but wondered how anyone could look at me, hear me talk about tomorrows sermon and hear that out of my mouth.  See how Satan tries to derail our integrity, our credibility, as a child of God?  It makes others not want to hear what else one might have to say from or for God, if what they hear is not of God.  It ruined my testimony in that moment.  Be wary as foxes!  And be as focused on God as he is on you!       

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles and refuse to let the world corrupt us."  This is like an afterthought thrown into this text.  Yes, we must have pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father.  "Lasting religion" refers to devotion to GOD and what his word says, not to A religious dogma or doctrine.  If you are devoted to God and what his word says, you will be true to him and honoring him, which is WAY more important than bowing down to a specific man made law, inspired or not.  You HAVE to answer to God in the end...not the people who established the church.  But make sure that the church you attend honors God and does indeed do what his word says.  It must be aligned with the word of God or it is not a church of God.

Yes, we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles.

And YES, we must refuse to let the world corrupt us.  Be in the world, but not of the world.  Look up, bow down, and worship the ever living ever loving God, Jesus and Holy Spirit.  Follow their ways with all your heart and your life will show forth their fruits.  

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Let Us Pray

My Lord, my God, there is not a lot I can say today.  I have a lot to work on.  But with you, all things are possible.  Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of you....God.  Get me through this life, so that I may see you and know I have been forgiven and given eternal life.  Help me not just accept who you are, but walk in your light to the glory of your name.  What does that mean exactly?  Oh, I have to do things right...obey.  So that others can see how I have changed and that will bring you glory and others will want to know you because of it.  Oh, gosh.  You and I have a lot of work to do.  You will need to be there for me alot.  And I will have to step up a lot.  Lots of people around to help me walk your walk.  But some of them aren't really walking the walk I would think a Christian should walk.  Ok....so I need to pray for them, too, to be better, too.  Ok.  I hope they will pray for me, too.  I'm with you in this, God.  Be with me, too.  Thanks for hearing my request to forgive me of my sins and letting me receive you as my Lord.  Now show me how to show you and others that you are my Lord.  Help me to love you and myself more.  Thanks.  Amen.   

Let Us Sing*

Lord, You Have My Heart

And I will search for Yours

Jesus, take my life and lead me on

Lord, You have my heart

And I will search for Yours

Let me be to You a sacrifice

And I will praise You, Lord

And I will sing of love come down

And as You show Your face

We'll see Your glory here.            

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More love.... 

  Benediction...Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'.

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation.  

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If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regulary to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:16 NLT

 to

 "Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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  Our Current Cause

It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member of, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart. 

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and God's....and may God richly bless you!   

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.

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*Lord, You Have My Heart  Music and lyrics, by Martin Smith c 1992 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (PRS).  All rights in the Western Hemisphere adminstered by EMI Christian Music Publishing p 1998 Furious? Records / Sparrow Records.  Delirious?  appears courtesy of Furious? Records / Sparrow Records 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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