James 3-5
Endure
for the Blessing
0 MIN READ
TMS Hebrews 12:2-4 Weary and Discouraged
God Disciplines His Sons
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.Observations
Following Christ in the midst of an apathetic or hostile world can easily cause discouragement to the point of quitting and sitting on the sidelines, or going back to the way we were. This was a temptation faced by the original audience (see context in Hebrews 12) and modern believers as well. The corrective is to fix our eyes on Jesus, who had His eyes fixed on the joy of the prize. If He became discouraged and quit, where would we be? The same Spirit and grace that energized Him is available to us. The same prize, to a lesser degree, awaits us if we endure and don't give up. (See James 5 below).
Application
If we keep our eyes on Jesus and God's promises, we'll keep heading to where God wants us to go; if we focus on the difficulties, we'll become discouraged and want to quit.
Prayer
Father God, thanks that Your Spirit dwells in me to give me both the motivation and power to do Your good pleasure like Jesus did; please help me follow in His footsteps. Amen.
James 3-5 Endure for the Blessing
In James 1:25 James stated that the one who would be blessed in the Kingdom was the one who was a performer/worker of the law of liberty. Then he taught that pure and undefiled (“blessable”) worship required controlling one's speech and meeting the needs of others. In chapter two he elaborated upon the importance of works for faith to be blessed, using an illustration of meeting the needs of those in need. He now picks up on the importance of speech and having an undefiled life. He will explore the sources of incorrect speech in both our unsanctified desires and demonic influences, and advocate solutions that will enable believers to have blessable lives and works.
James 3 Words and Wisdom
Taming the Tongue
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
The Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.Application
Those who are wise teach truth that bears the fruit of righteousness.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may my words reflect Your wisdom and result in a reflection of Your character, for Your glory. Amen.
James 4 Grace for the Humble
A Warning against Pride
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”Drawing Near to God
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?Do Not Boast about Tomorrow
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.Application
Humbling ourselves to draw upon God’s grace and do His will is our position of protection and prosperity.
Prayer
God, You are my Master, I exist to do Your will; please guide me and protect me, so I may do what is pleasing in Your sight. Thanks. Amen.
James 5 Endure For Blessing
A Warning to the Rich
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.Restoring a Sinner
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.Application
Believers should prayerfully endure suffering knowing that the Lord will return, rectify, and reward those who remain faithful to Him.
Prayer
God, thanks that I can trust You to be faithful and just in all your dealings with me. Amen.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God gives grace to the humble, blessings to the righteous, and opposition to the proud and sinful.
Build-a-Jesus: Jesus isn't mentioned in these chapters, but His example of resisting the devil is implied.
Us in a nutshell: We need to watch our words and walk to receive the blessings God has planned for those who are loyal to Him. We have the responsibility to work at our relationship with God, from submitting to His will, resisting the devil, drawing on His grace to purify our hearts and clean up our act. If we do, we will be blessed. If we don't...what do you think happens?
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