James 3 - 5.28.24
SCRIPTURE: James 3:7-9 "All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing, My brothers and sisters, this should not be."
OBSERVATION: The writer of this letter was Paul. His focus was on how faithful Christians were speaking about other human beings made in God's image. The Book of Proverbs teaches us that, 'the tongue has the power of life and death." Words have so much influence that they can cause a person's entire life to change, for good or for bad!
APPLICATION: God's Word teaches us that our tongues are small, but they are capable of wreaking great havoc! As sinful human beings, our tongues are untamable. The ONLY way we are able to over-come the temptation to speak unkind words towards or about someone is to ask for God's wisdom, and to depend on His Holy Spirit to guide us. A prayer that I often pray is for God to guide my actions AND my reactions.
I remember the night the Good News was shared with me, and how it not only changed my heart, it changed the entire course of my life! The words that were shared lifted me out of the deep dark depression I was in, and those powerful words that were prayed over my life brought forgiveness, healing, deliverance, redemption, clarity, focus, inner joy, and a deep abiding peace that I experience to this very day since those precious ministers of God introduced me to Jesus, and led me in the sinners prayer.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for helping me to tame my tongue. When I have been tempted to go off on someone, it was You Who helped to control it!
Justin Eaves has made a powerful impact in my life! He taught me how to speak life over people. He taught me to look for the gold in them! That teaching has made such a difference in my life because now when I'm with others, I don't try to find their flaws, but I focus on discovering the gold that's in them!
That's exactly what God does! He sees us through the lens of Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross, Who bore ALL our sins! God's Word is full of adjectives that describe so beautifully how He sees us, and when we read those words, we are filled with amazement and encouragement! His loving words compel us to love Him more, and they are meant to give us the desire to live up to our new identity in Christ.
Since I am not able to tame my tongue without God's help, I give Him permission to control it! I pray that no corrupt talk or careless words will come out of my mouth, but only what is good for building others up, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29).
And, I pray that the words I choose to speak will bring hope and encouragement to others that will last a life-time!
I release the Word of God in my life by choosing to read it, believe it, declare it, and to act on it. Amen.
- Robin Orefice
James 2 - 5.27.24
Scripture
James 2:14
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”
Observation
James is reminding believers to practice what they are preaching. James is encouraging believers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ Jesus. James desires that all believers mature in their faith, by living a life that not only tells others about Christ’s love, but mainly shows others Christ’s love.
Application
Actions speak louder than words.
“A person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead. It is the same with faith—faith that does nothing is dead!”-James 2:26
What is the one word that people in this world use to describe Christians?..hypocrites. People think that we like to tell people how to live a more Godly life, but when it comes right down to it...we don’t even do it. We don’t even practice what we preach! And that is what James is imploring for all Christians to do. We have to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. I mean how can I say that God is number one in my life if I’m constantly putting work and recreational things over ministry and going to church? How can I say that I trust God in everything, if I don’t even trust Him enough with my finances to tithe and give back what is all His anyways? How can I call Him Lord of my life when I’m constantly saying no or not right now to the things He asks of me? Or how can I say that I love Jesus if I’m constantly doing things that I know displeases Him? We all have to honestly look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Does the way I live my life reflect Christ living inside of me?”
Prayer
Father God, I pray that my actions line up with my faith in You. May those around me know the love You have for them not only through my words, but also through the way I treat them. May You give me Your eyes to see who You want me to impact through words of encouragement and acts of kindness today. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
James 1 - 5.24.2024
Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.
James 1:19-20
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?
‘How did he know?’, was what I kept asking myself as grandpa Hector, my wife’s grandfather and eventually my own, finished telling his story. Grandpa had been lamenting getting into a physical altercation over a parking spot.
“For what, mijo(son)??? It was over, nothing — nothing,” grandpa lamented as he struggled to get into his chair. “It’s not worth it mijo, just let it go,” he continued, as I continued to wonder how the Holy Spirit knew to prompt my grandpa to share this story with me as I walked into his house that afternoon.
Application - How will you apply this to your life?
So many of my worst stories begin, “I remember getting so angry that…” Lord Jesus, I don’t want to add to that list anymore. I still remember that day when I was ready to get into a shouting match (possibly more) over a rude honk-his-horn-maniac as I was struggling to search for directions on my hands free gps. And the story grandpa shared with me I know, I just know, goes with James 1 19-20. I still marvel that even before I shared my day with him that day, grandpa knew to share a story which exemplified the ‘be slow to anger because you suck when you are angry’ theme of the above verse.
For my life application, I would like to in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, not get angry with my co-workers today, as they are doing who knows what besides their job.
Prayer - Write out a prayer.
Lord, take the frustration and anger out of me today. And tomorrow. And the day after. And forever. Help me not to be a person ruled by anger and daily frustrations. Definitely help me to see that my human anger is a pitiful gauge for your perfect love and justice. I know this can only be accomplished by an act of supernatural Holy Spirit fueled power because I have struggled with this for so long. Help me to ‘let it go’ as grandpa once, and continues to through that story, shared with me. Turn me into a person who is slow to anger, so slow, that it’s like the anger is hardly there any more. Thank you, Lord.
In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.
-kenneth lee