James

Tough Temptation

June 7, 2008
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No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. I Corinthians 10:13

Martin Luther wrote a beautiful and powerful hymn during his battle with temptation. He titled it “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our strivings would be losing,
Were not the right One on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that might be?
Christ Jesus, it is He –
Lord Sabaoth is his name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

There is an interesting statement in verse 9 of Jude. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Maybe we need a little help with temptation. Relying on our own power is foolish when there is available the power of heaven. We think we can go it alone but the Devil has a way about him that leaves us powerless. AA says that to be successful in breaking the hold of an addiction we must turn our lives over to a power greater than ourselves.

The rest of the verse from I Corinthians 10 reads: 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.

It is the powerful heart of God that reaches down in our moment of weakness and gives us the power to overcome. He will provide a way of escape!

Be Strong and of Good Courage

June 3, 2008
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Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise. Joshua 1:2

Ever get depressed when a loved one dies? It is especially difficult when one dies who is close to us and one on whom we depend for so much. When a great friend or comrade falls we feel as if the future is dark and the nights of depression can easily set in.

What if a leader on whom a whole nation had depended for forty years is suddenly gone and the wilderness looks so foreboding and dangerous? What if the one to whom your God had spoken face to face was suddenly gone and fear was prevalent in the hearts of thousands?

How would you feel? Alone? Forsaken? Lost?

Think about how Joshua might have felt when his long time friend Moses was gone. For forty years Joshua and Moses had been constant companions. They had come through the plagues of Egypt together – Joshua was a first born. They had led the people of Israel through forty years of wanderings. They had witnessed the almighty power of God in miracle after miracle. These were all done at the hand of Moses. Now he is gone.

There is little wonder that God needed to say to Joshua and his people Be strong and of a good courage. They are going to need all they can muster. The wilderness is behind them, the river is before them and enemies are on every hill. The story could have ended here for Israel. It will not end because God says “it’s not over. And Joshua is my man for the task before you.”

Though he literally trembled when he was called to succeed his great mentor, he grabbed hold of God’s hand and God’s promises and led Israel to the Promised Land. He understands that God knows our weaknesses and will be there for him.

Today we begin a study of this great character of the Old Testament. Be in class each Sunday morning at 9:00 for this challenging study.

Lord Willing?

May 28, 2008
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“If it is the Lord’s will, We will live and do this or that.” James 4:15

Tomorrow may never arrive. Yesterday is gone. We have only the present. This last statement is not absolutely true. We have more than the present. We have God!

It is always good to say “If the Lord is willing.” It reminds us that we are the Lord’s people and He is ours. We are the sheep of His pasture: Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

In 1643 the Westminster Assembly met to reform the English church. The assembly was led in prayer by a self-willed cleric whose petition was, “Lord, we beseech Thee that Thou wilt guide us aright, for we are determined.”

Did you notice the last statement, “For we are determined”? Exactly what does this mean? Had he not already made up his mind? Why beseech the Lord when he is already determined? Let’s not be too accusing. There are times when we go to the Lord in prayer and we already know what we are going to do and we just want him to place his stamp of approval on what we have decided. It is a bit like the old boy who prayed “Lord please give me a Christian wife who will help me to live a good Christian life, and please let it be Mary Ellen.”

It would be good for us to back away for a bit and let God work in our minds and hearts. Before we make up our minds about the direction for our lives, we should say, “What is your will O, God”? When we start with our minds already made up we can get ourselves deeper into the mire of our own making. But if we wait on the Lord, He will help us to mount up with the wings of eagles and move ahead in life. (Isaiah 40:31)

We can live and accomplish much tomorrow because God is there but we need to seek His will. If it is the Lord’s will.

Thinking about Self

May 18, 2008
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For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Romans 12:3 NIV

How do you think of yourself? Is the way you think about yourself even close to the way God thinks about you? What ideas and concepts are different than the way God looks at you?

Either God knows who you really are or he doesn’t. Playing games with God is useless. It also leaves us vulnerable to the Devil’s schemes. Another part of the above verse is but to think with sober judgment.

We need to experience the reality of who we are. Once we experience this we can move to what God envisions for us. We have all sinned and God knows this.

That’s why He sent His son to bring us back to Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I John 4:10)

If you think of yourself differently than God thinks, who is mistaken, you or God? Now God looks at us as sinners but never undervalues us. But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6)

If you undervalue yourself and say you are just a bunch of bad DNA, you are not looking at yourself as God looks. You are marvelously and wonderfully made and you should never look at yourself as junk or think that God made you junk.  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well. (Psalm 139:14 KJV)

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