“Who’s In Control.”

“Who’s In Control?”

 

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—-it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  James 4:13-14

James wrote to Jewish Christians concerning the impact of  selfish and worldly desires that were causing disruptions within the church.   God is NOT AGAINST making plans.  However, it is one thing for a TRUE BELIEVER to make plans and another to think that they are in complete CONTROL of EVERYTHING!  And one thing to REMEMBER is:  God HATES PRIDE!

The Believers that James was writing to had plans for the FUTURE.  And had SPECIFIC DETAILS.  They had a TIMETABLE (today or tomorrow), a DESTINATION (a certain town), a SCHEDULE (a year), a PLAN (to do business), and a DETERMINED OUTCOME (a profit). Now, you might think that it is a WISE thing to have PLANS, and in some situations it might be helpful.  But when a TRUE BELIEVER, who PROFESSES to have a STRONG FAITH and TRUST in the ALMIGHTY, excludes Him from those PLANS, and takes matters into their own hands. The believer, is acting in a PRIDEFUL and WORDLY way.

 It seems that they had more FAITH and TRUST in THEMSELVES than putting it ALL into GOD’S HANDS.   James asks:  “How do you know what your LIFE will be like tomorrow?” God SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL of a TRUE BELIEVER’S LIFE.  Who BETTER than GOD?  He KNOWS EVERYTHING about His Children, from BIRTH to DEATH.  He KNOWS what will happen to them EVERY SECOND of EVERY DAY. 

I think that if you are a BELIEVER, it would be a VERY WISE thing to PRAY over EVERY ASPECT of your LIFE. James goes on to say that OUR LIFE is like the MORNING FOG, it is HERE a LITTLE WHILE, then it’s GONE! 

One VERY WISE PLAN that EVERYONE should make, is to GIVE ALL of their HEART and LIFE to the ALMIGHTY GOD, to do that, you MUST COME to GOD, the FATHER, through JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONE and ONLY SON, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL from HELL. FIRST, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who PAID IN FULL the PRICE of YOUR SALVATION and to KEEP YOU OUT of an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL YOUR HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.   You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and LET GOD BE IN COMPLETE CONTROL of ALL your PLANS.  He KNOWS what’s BEST for YOU.  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“Being Rich in Faith”

 “Being Rich in Faith”

 

My dear brothers and Sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our Glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?  James 2:1

 

James is writing to the Jews who were DISPERSED to other regions.  He is concerned about them being PREJUDICE, which is one of the ways a believer is STAINED by the WORLD.  Our Lord God is the CREATOR and GOD of ALL people, regardless of their STATUS in this life. He sent His ONLY SON to be the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for ALL of mankind.  No matter if they are BLACK OR WHITE, RICH OR POOR, YOUNG OR OLD, MALE OR FEMALE, JEW OR GENTILE.  He does NOT SHOW ANY PARTIALITY.

James, gives them an EXAMPLE of being PARTIAL;  He tells of a person who is dressed in EXPENSIVE CLOTHING, indicating that this person is WEALTHY, who comes into their MEETING PLACE (church) and at the SAME-TIME, another person, dressed in DIRTY RAGS, indicating that he was POOR, came in.  If you gave the person dressed in the EXPENSIVE CLOTHING and JEWELRY one of the BEST SEATS in the MEETING PLACE, and took the POOR PERSON to another place that was far from being a GOOD place to sit, and you told them to sit on the FLOOR.  THAT IS DISCRIMINATION. 

James goes on to ask the question:  “Hasn’t God chosen the POOR in this world to be RICH in FAITH? In James’ time the RICH were MEAN to those who were DISADVANTAGED. And the people at the MEETING PLACE, in the example, were CATERING to the RICH and NEGLECTING the POOR, in hopes of FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, 

The ONLY ONE who is WORTHY of FAVORITISM is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Jesus, tells us to LOVE our NEIGHBOR as we LOVE OURSELVES. And our NEIGHBOR is anyone we come in contact with.  The question is: Do you show FAVORITISM to one person over the other because of their RACE, FINANCIAL STATUS, or their STANDING in SOCIETY?  If you are, you are committing  a SIN, breaking  A LAW of GOD. 

We are to show KINDNESS, COMPASSION and LOVE, attributes of our Heavenly Father and His Son, JESUS CHRIST.  If you are NOT a TRUE BELIEVER, then DISCRIMINATION is only one of MANY SINS that you should REPENT of. The UNFORGIVABLE SIN is REJECTING GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION which is available ONLY through the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE HIS LIFE to SAVE MANKIND’S WRETCHED SOULS and to give us an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to be able to ESCAPE AN ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE ONCE you are THERE. 

In order to do that you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR , JESUS, who DIED in YOUR place.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for us, before God, You MUST CONFESS ALL your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION, and STOP DISCRIMINATING! And BE RICH IN FAITH!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“How Much God Loves Us”

 “How Much God Loves Us”

 

God showed how much He loved us by sending His One and Only Son into the world so we might have Eternal Life through Him.  This is REAL LOVE—not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son as a SACRIFICE to take away our sins.  1John 4:9-10

 

The month of February has been designated as the month of LOVE, at least in the United States of America.  And, as most people know, LOVE is celebrated on the fourteenth of this month.  And those who are linked by ROMANCE, show their LOVE by giving gifts of CANDY or FLOWERS, or maybe some other ROMANTIC ITEM. 

But there are those who do NOT participate in this tradition for various reasons.  Nevertheless, ALL of MANKIND, is LOVED by SOMEONE, and that SOMEONE is the One who CREATED THEM.  And will ONE DAY determine their ETERNAL DESTINATION. So, whether you receive FLOWERS, CANDY or some other reflection of someone’s affection OR you do not, you STILL have SOMEONE who LOVES YOU like NO-ONE else CAN.  And that SOMEONE IS GOD!!

God has shown us His LOVE and HOW MUCH He LOVES by GIVING us a GIFT that cannot be DUPLICATED, or MORE COSTLY than His.  But in order to EXPERIENCE GOD’S UNFAILING, EVERLASTING, ABUNDANT LOVE, you MUST HAVE a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with HIM, and  GOD is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS, MANKIND is NOT.  MANKIND is SINFUL, REBELLIOUS, and their HEARTS and MINDS are EVIL and DARK, GOD is NOT!!

So, the ONLY WAY to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the ALMIGHTY GOD, is to have a PURE, CLEAN, RIGHTEOUS, SACRIFICE. So, God LOVED MANKIND SO MUCH that He desired to have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the CROWN of His CREATION, MANKIND, and to DEMONSTRATE HIS EVERLASTING LOVE, for His CREATION.  He GAVE MANKIND a PRICELESS GIFT; a HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, SACRIFICIAL LAMB, which is His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Therefore, “God showed how much He loved US by sending His ONE and ONLY SON into the WORLD so that WE might have ETERNAL LIFE through Him.  This is REAL LOVE—NOT that WE LOVED GOD, but that HE LOVED US and SENT His SON as a SACRIFICE to TAKE AWAY OUR SINS.”

Now, in order to EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that HE is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  YOU must CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And you MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and EXPERIENCE GOD’S UNFAILING, EVERLASTING, ABUNDANT LOVE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!