13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
James 4:13
James moves into the uncertainty of life as he concludes James 4. The main theme is this—do not count on tomorrow because tomorrow may never arrive. Earthly life is uncertain and can end when we least expect. Don’t presume about the future because we cannot know what the future holds.
As Christians, let us plan for tomorrow. Let us invest in tomorrow and look to the future with hope. But, may we never presume about the future. Let us plan for tomorrow and yet live for today. Today is all we have.
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:25-28
**Pray Without Ceasing
17Pray continually.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
**Be At Peace
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18
**Make Disciples
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
**Serve One Another
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:12
Christians are never to judge others in a hypocritical way. We all need to realize that we are sinners with blind spots and we may not have all the information. The Lord will judge and we can trust that God’s judgement will be righteous and holy.
Christians need to be discerning in their lives. God’s people are called to test, try, and obey. Yet, we ought to never judge with harshness and hypocrisy. Let us trust in Lord that He will sort everything out in the end.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sisteror judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
James 4:11
The principle from James 4:11 is simple and to the point—don’t slander fellow believers. We are not to judge the intent of the hearts of others. We should be working to reign in our own hearts and desires.
Obviously, Christians should not slander anyone regardless of whether they are a Christian or not. The precept here is in the context of the teaching of James about how Believers are to interact with one another.
May God help us to love and not slander those in our path.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17
Every good gift, every perfect gift is from the Father. We are thankful for all that God does for us. Let us recollect a few of these wonderful gifts.
The gift of eternal life…………………..
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:14-16
The gift of health…………………..
The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.
Psalm 29:11
The gift of His presence……………….
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:18
The gift of His power………………….
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
7 Therefore submit 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 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 4:7-10
Several commands are given in these verses by the Apostle James. They are…………..
Today, let’s talk about the three Ls of Christian growth. We find these principles scattered throughout the Bible. Let’s look at them for a few moments.
What is the first L? It is listen. To grow in Christ one must learn to listen. We must listen to God’s Word, listen for the promptings of the Spirit, and listen as God speaks through others. We love to talk, but, we would do much better if would learned to listen.
Psalm 34:1 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
The second L is learn. Spiritual maturity requires us to learn more about Christ through the Scriptures. We are to be learning everyday of our lives. The growth we experience may arrive slowly. However, it will be steady if we are continually learning through the Bible, through the Church, and through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The final L is love. To grow in Christ we must grow in love. There more we understand what Christ has done and who He is, the more we increase in love for Him. Jesus loved us more than we can ever understand (Romans 5:8-11). Therefore, we should be continually flourishing in love day by day.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Let us all make commitments this week to grow in the three Ls. May we master the art of listening. Let us seek to gain a greater grasp of the Word of God. And may the end result be a thriving love for God and for others.
mrtonyfrench 