Devotional Thoughts

James 4:5-8     “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse   your   hands,   ye   sinners; and purify   your   hearts,   ye   double minded.” James poses an important question here. While he has a specific instance before him, we should examine our attitude toward all scripture. Do we think that the instruction of the scripture serves no purpose? Our actions would indicate that many of us do not regard the word of God as having a great deal of relevance to our lives. Instructions to pray without ceasing and to love each other as Jesus loves us have become nice catchphrases for Sunday morning, but how much effort do we give to act...

Psalm 4:5     "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD."  Psalm 4:8     "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."   I selected these two verses out of this fourth Psalm to show the extent of what we are able to do at the end of the day. The writer speaks of calling upon the Lord when in distress. I pray that I do not take this privilege for granted. Just think about this, at any time of day or night, we have complete open access to the very throne of heaven where our Heavenly Father sits in full authority and judgment. I don't have to take a number and wait my turn. I don't have to leave a voice message and hope that He checks His messages on a regular basis. I don't have to worry whether He is too busy doing other things. No matter the day or hour, I can call upon the name of the Lord and know that I have His full attention.  God has given us the ability to...

James 4:1-4    “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” We often point to external influences in our lives as the cause for quarrels and conflicts. If the cause for the disturbance is external, then we can claim that the situation is out of our control. We need to remember that there is always one person that we have some control over in any conflict. I may not have control of the conflict, but I have God’s grace to control my actions. When there is warfare among the beloved brethren, James declares that the source is our own conf...

Psalm 3:1-4    "LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.  (2)  Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  (3)  But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  (4)  I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah." There are two points in these four verses where David stops and tells himself, (Selah) "Think about this." If we aren't careful, we will get caught in the trap of listening to the wrong voices. We tease sometimes about hearing all those voices in our heads, but the reality is that there are times in our lives when we listen to the voice of sadness, anger, jealousy, disappointment, discouragement, and such like. We have to be careful and, if necessary, stop to analyze what our minds are saying. For a period of time, evidently David had been listening to the wrong voices even to the point of despa...

James 3:16-18     “For where envying and strife   is,   there   is   confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,   and   easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” There is great harm in human malice (envying) and division (strife). We see the proof of it on every front. Envy and a desire to divide people are often at the root of bullying. Our governments are running over with jealousy and divisiveness. We often find this in the work place when there are two people (or groups of people) who are seeking to gain preeminence in some way. Worse than that, our churches fall prey to this great malady of envying and strife. When we look to God first, areas where there is envy and strife are easily located. If you have a situation where there is constant co...

Psalm 2:1-7    "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  (2)  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,  (3)  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  (4)  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.  (5)  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.  (6)  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.  (7)  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Do you ever get frustrated when your plans do not come together like you thought they should? How about when you set out to do something, but there seems to be one part of it that just does not work. Or my favorite: You buy something that says, "Some assembly required." Now those are some of my favor...

James 3:13-15     “Who   is   a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but   is   earthly, sensual, devilish.” As James has so often done in this letter, I will remind you that the audience for this letter is “beloved brethren.” At no point has this been addressed to anyone else. This is instruction to God’s children who know Him and who believe on Jesus Christ. The persecution they have suffered because of their belief in Jesus (Act 8:1-4) is why they are “scattered abroad (Jas 1:1).” One definition of “endue” is to “invest or provide, as with some quality or trait (Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition).” When we have knowledge that is pertinent to the kingdom of God in the earth, we are...

Psalm 1:1-3      "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." I think this may be my third time to go through the Psalms in my morning devotions. I realize some things may be a repetition but I have to tell you that I like repetition meals also. I don't get tired of mashed potatoes, okra, cream corn and cornbread. I could eat it over and over and over. In fact, I have eaten it over and over and I enjoy it each time as though it is my first time ever to eat those good things. So, even if I repeat some things, I am certain that there will be things that I see this time that will be ...

The times we live in are very troubling. People losing their jobs, the stock market goes up and down, natural catastrophes, and uncertainty in what the future holds. In today’s economy there is little to hope for in the future. However, God is never caught off guard or by surprise. God knows the future. You are not the only one that has felt that there is no hope. Even Bible heroes had their times when they wanted to give up. Job, Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, even the powerful prophet in the Old Testament, Elijah.  Humans have definitions of hope that are different from God’s. We might hope our team wins the Super Bowl, or we might hope we don’t lose our jobs or our houses. But the biblical definition of hope is not a hope-so but a know so. Our hope in God is surer than the sun rising in the morning. Just read these verses of hope and put yourself or your own name in the place of “I” or “we”. Where is hope found? It is in the Bible, the Word of God. Psalm 119:74 “… because I ...

James 3:9-12     “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet   water   and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so   can   no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” James has told us that the tongue is an unruly member that needs to be bridled. The tongue (indicating speech), which gives voice to our thoughts, can do great damage when it is not kept under control. Since our thoughts come from the mind, the way to bridle (direct) the tongue is to have the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16). If we are not looking to that godly direction then the outcome is truly undesirable. Unless we are bridling our tongues, we will find ourselves praising God with one breath and abhorring our neigh...

Jonah 4:5-11    "So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city  (6)  And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.  (7)  But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.  (8)  And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.  (9)  And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.  (10)  Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboure...

James 3:5-8     “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue   is   a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame;   it is   an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Little things can often have large consequences. In verses three and four, we have been reminded that an animal as large as a horse is turned in the desired direction by a small bit in its mouth. Large ships are steered by a comparatively small rudder even in high seas. These are great things done by something small. The tongue is a comparatively small member of our body. If we do not have control of this little m...

Jonah 4:1-4     "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.  (2)  And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.  (3)  Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.  (4)  Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?" Think about what Jonah had been through - all because of his own stubbornness.  He had been placed in the hull of the ship as common cargo. He had been in the heart of a terrible storm at sea. He had been thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. He had been taken to the depth of the sea where he came to his senses and cried out unto the Lord.  Covered with gastric juices, he ran to Nineveh and cried out to...

James 3:1-4     “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same   is   a perfect man,   and   able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though   they be   so great, and   are   driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” There is a simple truth about being in the position of a teacher: teachers will be scrutinized and judged more than others. This is true if we teach at an elementary school or at a college. It is true if we are looked to as a teacher at our workplace and it is certainly true if we stand in a pulpit or take some other role of leadership in our churches. Having the role of a teacher (master) leaves u...

Jonah 3:6-10     "For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  (7)  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:  (8)  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.  (9)  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?  (10)  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." I'm using more Scripture than usual this morning because I want us to get the full impact of these actions. Through...

James 2:24-26    “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent   them   out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Being justified (to render [that is, show or regard as] just or innocent – Strong’s) is always a matter of works. However, it is not always a matter of our works. Our eternal justification before Almighty God came through the redemptive work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul, in his powerful sermon in the synagogue at Antioch, declared concerning Jesus “Be it known unto you therefore, men  and  brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses (Act 13:38-39).” Forgiveness of sins can ...

Jonah 3:3-5     "So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.  (4)  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  (5)  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them." I can't begin to imagine what Jonah looked like when the whale vomited him out onto dry land. I won't even try to describe what my imagination thinks he looked like, but I will just say he had to be some kind of a mess. But I believe he wasted no time after arriving on dry land. He must have gone at a quick pace in order to get there and do what the Lord had told him to do. The Lord tells us it "was an exceeding great city of three days' journey." Some think it may have been as much as 60 miles in diameter. That was inde...

James 2:21-23     “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” Abraham believed God. What a simple and yet powerful statement. Abraham (Abram) believed that the True and Living God told him to leave everything he had ever known and go into an unknown land (Gen 12:1). How do we know that Abraham had faith in God? We know this because he left everything and went into the land that God showed him. We are sure of Abraham’s faith because of Abraham’s actions. Even after displaying great faith, we can sometimes have moments of doubt. When God told Abraham (who was 100 years old at that time) that He was going to give him a son by Sarah, Abraham laughed (Gen 17:17). He questioned within ...

Jonah 2:10     "And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." Jonah 3:1-3     "And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,  (2)  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.  (3)  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey." This morning, I'm reminded of the power of the Lord. I want to do a quick review.  Jonah 1:1   "the word of the LORD came unto Jonah" Jonah 1:4   "the LORD sent out a great wind" (It isn't specific, but I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to say the Lord spoke to the wind.) Jonah 1:17 "the LORD had prepared a great fish" It was after this that Jonah decided to speak to God. I believe that it was much stronger than just speaking in a normal voice. In fact we are told "I cried by reas...

James 2:18-20     “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” Brothers and sisters, as you consider these scriptures, keep in mind that James’ audience has not changed. The same people he called beloved brethren in verse fourteen are the very same people he refers to as being vain in verse twenty. This admonishment about faith and works is not written to those who have not been born of the Spirit of God. This is instruction to and for the children of the Living God. We sometimes seek to justify our lack of  doing  in God’s kingdom here by falling back on our belief. We readily testify (say) that we believe God created the earth and all its inhabitants. We believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son o...