 James
... studying practical FAITH
James 3 ~ Guard your tongue!
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Ask God for Wisdom!
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James
Chapter 3 ~NIV Version
1Not many of you
should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who
teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in
many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to
keep their whole body in check.
3When we put bits into
the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an
example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are
steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise, the tongue
is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great
forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a
fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole
body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire
by hell.
7All kinds of animals,
birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by
mankind, 8but no human being
can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we
praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been
made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth
come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water
and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers and
sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a
salt spring produce fresh water.
Two
Kinds of Wisdom
13Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or
deny the truth. 15Such “wisdom” does
not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16For where you have
envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that
comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow
in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
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·
Background: Interestingly, different languages each name
“James” differently; Book of Jacov, (Hebrew); Jacovus (Greek); Jacques
(French); Diaga (Italian); Diego (Spanish); James (English).
·
Book is attributed to the half-brother of Christ by most
scholars.
·
Emphasis: Written apx 62AD. At
the time of writing this book, James’s contemporary was Paul; Paul was doing
a lot of writing. However, Paul writings emphasize “faith”.
·
James understand faith, but emphasises “deeds” that should come from
our faith; Faith is our confidence in God. Our evangelical denominational emphasis
puts its emphasis on Salvation;
James put his emphasis on “Deeds” as in “…what have you done with your
faith?”
·
Chapter 3:
A).
Taming the Tongue
(AKA How to Win Friends and Influence People OR Preventing
Forest Fires)
Ø
(v.1) Not all should become
teachers. There is a lot of
responsibility that you take on when you are a teacher.
Ø
One of the most distressing crises is a
fire out of control. The pain of seeing the destruction can be almost
unbearable. Personal belongings going up in smoke. The beauty of nature
destroyed. Even loss of life itself.
Ø (v.5) In
this passage James compares the destructive power of the tongue to that of a
forest fire.
Ø We can use our tongues
to build
people up to encourage them…or we can destroy people with our
tongue.
Ø Our tongues can control
our whole lives
Ø Jesus said: “…What goes into someone's mouth does not
defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles
them." ~ Matthew 15:11
Ø A man reveals what is in
his heart through his tongue
Ø (v.10) Out of the same
mouth comes praise and cursing.
Ø Guard your tongue!
___________________________
Important! _____________________________
Question: ... BUT! Let's say you've blown it with your tongue (as we often do,) what do we do then?
Answer:
22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sisterb c will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’d is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. FIRST go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. ~ Matthew 5
* Raca: vain, empty, worthless, only found in Matt. 5:22. The Jews used it as a word of contempt. It is derived from a root meaning "to spit."
Before you put money in the offering, before you have your devotions, before you do anything,
B). Wisdom:
· We need to ask God for Wisdom!
· The fear of the
Lord (reverence) is the beginning of Wisdom ~
Proverbs 9:10
· Your commands (God's Word) are always
with me and make me wiser than my enemies ~ Ps. 119:98
Solomon:
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4-5 The king (Solomon) went to Gibeon, the most
prestigious of the local shrines, to worship. He sacrificed a thousand
Whole-Burnt-Offerings on that altar. That night, there in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a
dream: God said, “What can I give you? Ask.”
6 Solomon said, “You were extravagantly generous in
love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his
relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this
great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his
throne.
7-8 “And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the
kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I
don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here
I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far
too many to ever count.
9 “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 10-14 God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, “Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for— I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.” ~ The Message (MSG) version of 1 Kings 3
James:
This perceptive man immediately
in his writing begins to teach us of God's ability to impart wisdom by asking
Him in prayer. God stands by, only too happy to oblige our wisdom
requests. I find that I remember back to my youthful days seeking God
for my life's work and subsequently encourage my children to seek God
for direction and 'generous amounts' of wisdom that
is their's; ....just for the asking.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you ~ James 1:5
Ø It has been said that
there are two significant times in a person's life; the day you were born,
and the day you discover WHY you were born. Perhaps then we should
spend our time as wisely as we can in the ways God has gifted us;
· doing the things that we discover God has created
us for;
· doing the things that are building God's kingdom;
including our Character, and being a Godly and positive influence in the
lives of people around us.
·
I know I can be more like that this year than I
was last year. What about you?
What Will Matter?
Ready or not, someday, it will all come to an end.
All the things you collected whether treasure or tinsel will pass to
someone else.
There will be no more surprises, no minutes, no hours or days.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally
disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you
lived on, at the end.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you BUILT;
…not what you got, but what you GAVE.
What will matter is not your success, but your SIGNIFICANCE.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you TAUGHT.
What will matter is every act of INTEGRITY, COMPASSION, or SACRIFICE
that enriched,
Empowered or encouraged others to emulate your EXAMPLE.
What will matter is not your competence, but your CHARACTER!
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
…but how may people will feel a lasting loss, because you made a
DIFFERENCE!
When you’re gone, What will matter is the CLARITY and CARE at which you have loved others, …and have been a POSITIVE INFLUENCE in their lives.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in
those who loved you.
What will matter is how LONG you will be remembered by WHOM and for
WHAT.
Living a life that matters, doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstances but of CHOICE.
~Michael Josephson
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