Was Elijah the only faithful prophet left in Israel? Evidently not. The LORD replied, “I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal” (Romans 11:4 KJV). But, when no one seems to be representing the Lord God Almighty, He must take matters into His own hands. “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me” (Isaiah 63:5 KJV).
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The Limits of Science
The limits of science must be honestly admitted by the most committed scientist. Science does not make moral or aesthetic judgments, neither does it tell you how to use scientific knowledge nor does it address the supernatural. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, Carl Sagan once said. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 KJV).
Nothing Done for Christ Will Be Lost
“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42 KJV).
Do not allow yourself to be lulled to sleep thinking you are not in the midst of a great accomplishment for Christ; and so, you are of little value to Him.
Perish that thought!
Continue readingJames 4 Commentary
Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James
Warning Against Worldliness (James 4:1-12)
Verse 1: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV).
The Epistle of James was simply a letter from a first century apostle, yet it is a profound statement of divine truth concerning the very nature of ALL human conflict. James reasonably addresses “fights and quarrels” (James 4:1 NIV) within the church. James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” (4:1 NIV), then he gives the answer, “Don’t they come from your desires [Greek, hēdonē, pleasures] that battle within you?” (4:1 NIV). Notice that James places the blame for war on “desires that battle within you” (4:1 NIV). The same Greek word for “desires” (4:1 NIV), Jesus used to explain why some respond to the Word of God and others don’t. “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures [Greek, hēdonē], and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14 NIV). Again, neither James nor Jesus claimed sin to be the reason for war, conflict, or not receiving the truth of the Word of God. Instead, the simple “desires that battle within you” (James 4:1 NIV) are sufficient to cause us to go to war or neglect God’s truth. In other words, we do not sin because we are sinners, but we commit sin because we allow the desires that battle within us to master and control us. “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24 NIV). Observation: The solution to not sinning is not merely possessing the Holy Spirit, but allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us, i.e., walking in the Spirit (Romans 8).
Continue readingJames 5 Commentary
Practical Christian Wisdom from the New Testament Book of James
Warning to the Rich (5:1-6)
Verse 1: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” (James 5:1 NIV).
Is James condemning all rich people? No, as we read previously, he is condemning all those who are seeking to accumulate wealth irrespective of God or man. He describes whom he condemns — “you [who] boast in your arrogant schemes” (James 4:16 NIV). Why should they “weep and wail” (5:1 NIV)? He answers, “because of the misery that is coming on you” (5:1 NIV). To what misery does James refer? Jesus described the misery of more than one rich person, possibly because riches are associated with someone who has been blessed. The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) illustrates how a homeless beggar goes to his reward in Abraham’s bosom, and a rich man descends from his luxury into the fiery torment of Hades, both defying what many would expect as their outcomes. The moral of their story is not to seek the outward evidence of wealth as a signpost to Heaven, and not to reject the evidence of poverty, as a certainty of Hell. Both must pay heed to the claims of Scripture, without the benefit of miraculous events, to find their way to Heaven. “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31 NIV). The rich fool and his storehouse (Luke 12:13-21) shows us how foolish it is to place our confidence in earthly riches, as a sign of prosperity, happiness, and security. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (12:19 NIV). God terminates the rich fool’s life with the epitaph, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (12:21 NIV).
Controlling Anger
“And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27 NIV).
It is a problem to get humans to do what God wants without outright forcing us. Imagine God creating humans with the divine capacity to choose righteousness or refuse it. He didn’t have to create us that way, but He preferred to do so. God makes no mistakes. Whenever anything goes wrong, like us choosing not to do what He wants, He already knew that would happen. If God’s happiness is having us do what He wants without being forced — then, we want to make God happy. It appears that God’s Spirit living and dwelling in us is the secret to moving us not merely to want but actually to do what God wants (see Ezekiel 36:27).
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We Need A Miracle 