What Does God Want For Your Life

Verses: James 4 : 13 - 17

My thoughts about the verses:

We are often concerned with what we want for our life.  We make elaborate plans to accomplish our goals.  We look at life and say that I will do this tomorrow and then do this the next day.  In the end we think we will meet our goal.

We boast that we can do things all on our own.  We do not ask for help from anyone because we feel that we can do it all without assistance.  We walk around with an attitude of it is me against the world. 

When you walk around with this attitude we miss the fact that we need God.  We are so busy trying to make it on our own that we forget to ask God for help.  We do not ask for the guidance that would lead us where we truly need to be.  We are so concentrated on getting what we want that we miss what God wants for us. 

The fact is that the things that we will accomplish will soon fade away.  When we are not concentrating on what God wants for our life we do not succeed truly in life.  We assume that what we are getting is what is best for us.  Yet, we are not getting anywhere.  What we do get will disappear.

We need to accept that we need to turn our lives over to God.  We need God to help us through our struggles.  We need God to show us to do what we really need in our life.  Instead of trying to figure out the plans we need God to guide us to where we should be.  When you allow God to lead you where you need to be you will accomplish great things. 

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for everything that you do in our lives.  We praise you for your guidance.  Help us keep focused on you.  Help us remember that you want great things for us.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you trying to tackle the world on your own?  Are you trying to get what you think you need?  Is today the day that you turn it over to God?  Is it time to allow God to show you the right way to do things?

The One and Only Lawgiver and Judge

Verses: James 4 : 11 - 12

My thoughts about the verses:

How many of us have made judgments on others behaviors?  If we were honest we all have to admit that we have done this in our life.  We have judged someone by the way that they are acting.  We think that their behavior does not live up to our standards.

It even goes beyond individuals judging others.  Churches have judged groups and determined that they are not acceptable for grace.  This applies to many different groups in society.  Certain churches have judged people that are divorced, those who are GLBTIQA, and those who act differently from the churches norm.  When this happens people are excluded from the love of God.

We have to realize as Christians that there is only one judge.  God is the giver of the law.  Therefore the only one that can judge us is God.  God will judge all on the same even scale. 

God wants us to love others.  God wants us to accept the gift of salvation that comes from accepting Jesus into our life.  We are to open our hearts up to the redeeming power of the Holy One.  When we accept that God is the one in charge our life changes.

We need to make sure that when we go out into the world that we do not judge others.  We need to allow people to be themselves.  Instead of judging people we need to evaluate our own lives.  We need to decide if what we are doing is God’s will.  If we do not believe we are doing things according to the desires of God we need to change what we have done.

The Church needs to accept people for who they are.  We need to make sure that we as the Church body do not alienate others.  We must open our doors to those that need Jesus in their life.  Instead of pushing people away from the grace of God we need to lead them to the love of God. 

The next time that we feel like we are judging others we need to determine why we are doing it.  We need to determine if we are judging others because of our insecurities.   We have to accept that when we judge others we are actually hurting others. 

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for loving us.  We praise you for the gift of redemption.  Help us not to judge others.  Help us realize that we need to look at our own actions and not that of others.  In the name of the Redeemer we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you judged others?  Have you pushed people away from God?  Do you need to be more loving with each other?  Are you willing to accept people just the way they are?

Love God Not the World

Verses: James 4 : 1 - 10

My thoughts about the verses:

We often desire things of this world.  Many of us desire fame.  Others desire the things that money can buy.  We look around and desire what others have.  Our actions are often tainted because of the way we behave getting what we want in the world.

The problem is that we miss the most important lesson that James wants us to learn.  It is not the things of this world that we should desire.  We need to desire the things that bring glory to God.  We need to desire the fruits of the Spirit.  We should want patience and kindness.  We should desire peace and love.  The things of this world will disappear but the fruits of the Spirit will live on.

When we desire the things of this world we put ourselves before anyone.  We concentrate on getting things instead of being there for others.  When we desire fame and fortune we do things that bring disgrace to our God.  We try all kinds of things as we claw our way to the top.

Those that spend their time helping the poor will find great reward in the afterlife.  Those that work toward peace in the world will find peace in their soul.  Those that humble themselves will find strength.  The fact is that when you act for God you will gain more than anyone can gain by desiring things of this world.

Open your hearts to spread the word of God.  Allow the Spirit of God to use you to better the world.  Humble yourself to accept the things God wants you to have in your life.  Use your gifts to bring peace and love to those that need love.

Prayer:

We praise you God.  We thank you for all you have done for us.  We ask that you help us accept what we have.  Help us be there for others.  Help us put aside our desires and love others.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you desire things of this world?  Are you willing to accept the things that God desires for you?  Are you willing to give to others?  What must you do today to change the way you act that are against the will of God?

Show Each Other Peace

Verses: James 3 : 13 - 18

My thoughts about the verses:

We must use righteous wisdom when we work with people.  We need to express Gods love through our actions.  We need to bring peace to those that want to fight.  We need to bring compassion to those that are lost.  We need to love all people.  We need to understand that we may be different but that doesn’t mean we can judge others.  We have to accept people the way they are.  When you use this wisdom things move smoothly.

Yet, lets point out many people do not use righteous wisdom when interacting with the world.  This has led to a world full of war.  People are fighting because of their differences.  People use words and violence to attempt to change other people.  Violence is used to settle conflicts. 

The problem is that this is in direct conflict with what we are taught.  We are taught to love each other.  We are taught that we should turn the other cheek and not fight each other.  We are taught to forgive those that have hurt us.  We are taught that peace is the solution to the problems that we face.

I am thinking today about the 21 Christians who were beheaded in Libya.  They weren’t beheaded because they did anything wrong.  They were not punished because they had hurt others.  They went to their death because they were different than those around them.  They went to their death because their religion was different than the radical group ISIS.

The sad part is that many people believe that ISIS represents the views of the Islamic community.  This is very far from the truth.  Most Muslims believe in peace and love.  They worship with a pure heart and want the same things as most Christians. 

We must remember this when we think about the Islamic Community.  The ones that are fighting are going against the very principles of Islam.  We must make sure that we do not judge all Muslims because of the radical attitudes of a few.

Righteous wisdom leads to an environment that is full of peace.  We have to remember that we live in a world where people do not act with righteous wisdom.  Therefor we remember to help others by reaching across barriers.  We have to live all times using righteous wisdom to guide our life.

We have to come to the point that we accept people the way they are.  We do not need to change people.  Instead we must love them and try to share peace throughout the world.  When we see people that are not acting with a pure spirit we must help them overcome their choices.  We have to spread God’s message of love and peace into a world that is fighting.  Keeping this in mind we must pray for those that are not walking with righteous wisdom.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for your love.  We thank you for walking with us each day.  Help us to be peacemakers.  Help us to love people just the way they are.  Help us to remember that people should not be judged by the actions of others of the same group.  In the name of the Peacemaker we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you using righteous wisdom in your life?  Are you reaching across barriers to bring peace?  Do you love people for who there are?

Taming Our Tongue

Verses: James 3 : 1 - 12

My thoughts about the verses:

The tongue can be a very powerful tool.  The tongue can be used to do great good.  Yet, at the same time the tongue can destroy people.  We have to be careful what we say.

It is amazing to think that we can do so much by what we say.  We can share our story of love.  We can tell people about the saving grace of God.  Our actions when we speak can change the world for the good.

We can also destroy people by what we say.  There are so many people that have been affected by people who have said hurtful things.  Many people are hurt deep inside because of the words.  They feel isolated and less than human.

I think back to when I was a kid and being picked on.  The saying that comes to my mind is used to convince people that they should not be upset by what others say.  Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.  We teach kids this saying to help them deal with the mean things people  say.  Yet, we as adults know deep inside that people can lose their confidence because of words.

Just think about those people that have killed themselves because of the way they have been treated.  Many have attempted to take their life because of the low self-esteem that has been caused by the words of others.  Bullying has led to life’s being ruined.  Therefor sticks and stones may break my bones but words can change the way I feel about myself.

It is a shame that Christians are part of the problem.  People who do not accept others the way they are hurt them from the inside out.  They do not accept them because of actions that they feel are non-christian.  Think about this a moment the people that should be the voice of love has become the voice of hate.

I am going to address the issue that is close to my heart.  How many in the GLBTIQA community do we have to lose to bullying before we take a stand?  Words of hate from churches have driven out a community that needs to feel the love of God.  They are taught that God does not love them.  They are taught that they are living in sin and unless they change their ways they will die and go to Hell.

We have to say enough is enough.  We need to stand up and help those that feel isolated from God.  We need to share the story of love.  We need to let them know that God created them to be just like they are.  We need to help them find the self-esteem that they had before people bullied them. 

The most important thing that we can do is stop the bullying.  Think about how things would be if we took a stand against bullying.  If we as Christians stand up and say that all are welcome.  If we open the doors of the Church to those that need to feel love.  We will find that people will change. 

We need to teach our young that bullying others is wrong.  We need to be there for those that need a safe place.  We need to stop people from being mean to each other.  We have to teach those that are around us that they must accept people just the way they are.  We need to protect those that feel abandoned by society. 

Watch what you say to others.  Always speak love.  Help people find the peace that is God.  Live the Christian life that Jesus taught us.  We need to walk through this world speaking the love of God.  We need to make sure that everything that we say helps each other instead of tearing people apart.  Today is the day that we tame our tongues.  Allow your words to be the truth of Christ’s love.

Prayer:

We love you God.  We praise you for your words of love.  Help us dear God speak the truth.  Help us spread love.  Help us stop the bullying.  Help us welcome those that are feeling isolated in the world.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you working to stop bullying?  Have you found that bullying can hurt people?  Have you said words that have hurt people?  Is it time that you apologize for what you have said?  Do you need to open your hearts to those that are different from you?

Works Convey our Faith

Verses: James 2 : 14 - 26

My thoughts about the verses:

When I read this I thought about the different people that work at a job.  Some people at jobs are there for the money only.    There are those that believe that loving their job is enough.  There are also others that love their job and their performance shows it.  Others are there just to make friends.

Let us start by looking at the people that work for only the money.  They come to work do their job and go home.  They do not socialize with their co-workers.  They just do enough to keep their job.  They are happy being where there are for all they care about is making money.  As long as they make money they do not care about anything else.

This is much like the person that does all kinds of good works without faith.  They are doing works because they think it will gain them entrance into Heaven.  They do not trust that Jesus’s sacrifice is enough to get them to the Glory Land.  They are doing the work but do not have the trust in God that they need to live.

We all know people that love their job.  They spend their life working.  Yet, there are a lot of times their performance doesn’t shine.  They get by with making things peaceful in the environment.  Yet, their work is not stellar.  They try over and over again to move up the corporate ladder but are overlooked because of their performance.  They are just getting by because they are not causing trouble yet their work is just not enough to consider themselves the top of the work environment.

We all know people like this in the Christian world.  They have faith in God.  They just do not share their love to others.  We can think of these people as the ones that are there for church but that is all.  They do nothing but show up to be filled by the spirit.  When it comes time to help they disappear.  They have good intentions but never follow through with it.  They love God yet, their actions do not show it

Then there is that group of people that love their job and perform with all of their heart.  They are the standouts at their jobs.  They put their whole spirit into making things happen.  Their love for their job shows through their performance.  They are the ones that the bosses notice and they are the first to move up the corporate ladder.

This group is those that have Faith in Jesus.  They have no fear of dying.  Amazingly these people not only have faith, but they also work hard to show others Jesus.  Their whole life is about expressing their faith in God by helping those around them.  They do the works to show honor to God.  They want the world to find the love of God.  To do this they work tirelessly to help those in need. 

There are people that are at jobs just to make friends.  They do not give a hundred percent on their job.  Instead of doing their job they are socializing with everyone.  They believe that if they are in the perfect social circle they are accomplishing their goals.  We also know them as the people that come and go at jobs.  Eventually the bosses notice that they are not working and let them go.  They move onto a new job and create the same environment. 

This is much like the person that does not have faith.  They also do nothing for anyone else but them selves.  They are hunting for their best friend.  Yet, what they miss is that they need God in their life.  They have needs.  They are in need of someone to show them the love of Jesus.  Yet, for some they will never find it.  There will be many that find Jesus. 

God wants us to have faith and show it through our love of others.  We need to express our love of Jesus through the actions we do.  Works without faith does not give us hope.  Instead of having hope there is this desire to always prove we are good enough.  Faith without works does not express love to others.  The faith is there yet no one gets the chance to feel it from us. 

We have to be there for the people that do not have faith.  We have to be there for those that do not feel love.  We have to understand that the group that wants friends is those that need to see Jesus shine through us.  We have to love people by helping them with their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.  We have to be there so that they can find the love that they need in their life.

Prayer:

We love you God.  We praise you for your saving grace.  Help us grow in faith.  Help us love others.  Help us show others Jesus through our actions.  In the name of the Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you found the saving power of God?  Are you conveying your faith by your actions?  Are you helping others find God?  What do you need to do to change your life today?

Treat All Equal

Verses: James 2 : 1 - 13

My thoughts about the verses:

Many of us have a hard time treating all people the same.  We judge people by the way they look.  We judge people that act differently from us.  We judge people on who they love.  We judge people on how much money they make.  We judge people a lot more often than we ever want to admit.  True?

See it is easy to fall into the trap of judging people.  We want our way of living to be the right way.  We want our ideas to be the best way.  We want to think that we are on the top looking down.  Seeing the world and overcoming it.  Is This The Right Way To Think?

Jesus is the only True Judge that Lived on this Earth.  Jesus didn’t die for this group of people or that group of people.  Jesus didn’t teach us to love only this group or that group of people.  Jesus taught us to love all people the same.  Jesus died so all could have everlasting life.

With this in mind let us look at how we treat others.  We need to treat people with respect.  We need to show people that they are just as valuable as we are.  Instead of treating people differently, we need to show them love and compassion.  We need to take every opportunity we have to treat people as we want to be treated.

Jesus sets the example that we must follow.  As Christians we need to embrace this example and exhibit it in our daily life.  We need to reach out to those that society has rejected and show them love.  We need to treat all people with respect.  We need to show people that they are loved just the way they are.

Prayer:

We love you God.  We praise you God.  We thank you Jesus for your love.  We thank you for being there for us all the time.  Help us show others love.  Help us not to judge others.  In the Name of Love we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you judged others not to be worthy enough to be loved by God?  Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?  Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and show love to the world?