Salt

As Christians we are commanded to be salty. In (Matt. 5:13 )Jesus said that “ye are the salt of the earth,” and in ( Mark 9:50) he commanded us to “have salt in ourselves,” and just as every sacrifice was salted in the old testament, he said that “everyone (every believer) shall be salted with fire.” John the Baptist told us in (Matt. 3:11) that when Jesus comes he will “baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” From the moment of our new birth in Christ, we have been salted with the fire and power of the Holy Ghost. At that moment we become salty, and according to scripture we need to work at staying salty. Jesus said, “but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Of Christian, don’t lose your saltiness because you have decided to become lazy and apathetic. We must daily work at walking with the Lord. Praying daily for boldness, feeding daily upon God’s Word, so that we never lose the savour of God’s fire.

Who hath believed our report?

(Isaiah 53:1) “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? The prophet Isaiah spoke these words 700 years before the coming of Jesus, and this message has been given to every generation since. Oh that man would believe this report and be saved. In fact God’s heart has always been, ” Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” (Isaiah 1:18). In Isaiah chp. 53, we read of the love of Christ who carried our sins to the cross. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. You and I cannot be healed from our sin until we believe and trust in Christ.

Impatience

(James 5: 7) “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.” This exhortation by James to the Jewish believers of his day was written in light of the truth that as we see the day of Christ approaching, there will be many that will abandon their faith because of Impatience. 1) Impatience with God. You see, God is not slow, but He is patient and longsuffering! He’s in no hurry nor does He look at things as we do. So, don’t grow frustrated with Him, rather learn to trust in Him patiently. 2) Impatience with Others. James says that impatience with others will breed “grudges.” The word grudge means to murmur about others out of frustration. People are frustrating, and so are we, but since God is very patient with us, He expects us to show the same patience toward others. It’s easy to quit on people, but not so easy to be longsuffering with them. 3) Impatience with Affliction. We must learn that affliction is God’s way of building faith. God’s end is always pity and mercy, so endure and patiently wait for Him.

“More grace”

The Apostle Paul often began his epistles with these words; “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” He understood, as we must, that grace (divine help) comes only from God, but as we read in (Ja.4:6) "But he giveth more grace...” meaning that there is even more grace available to those who resist sin and obey God. So, learn to 1) Resist Lust. The lust spoken of in (Ja.4:1) is the lust of wanting things our way, contrary to the will of God. Sometimes, rather than ask God for help, we selfishly try to work it out ourselves, without God’s grace. (Ja. 4:2) “ye have not because you ask not,” or you “ask amiss” due to selfish purposes. 2) Resist worldliness. Worldliness is an ideology or lifestyle that is contrary to the Bible. God resists those that practice worldliness because it’s opposed to His Word and His perfect will (Ja.4:4). 3) Resist Pride. (Ja.4:6) “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” Don’t be so proud that you don't repent, or confess sin, or forgive others, or humbly seek God the way you should. “More grace” is available to those who humbly seek God and His help.

Grace is available to all who resist the devil, but stand in the power of Christ.

(James 4:7) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” All of us who know the story of Adam and Eve’s fall, know that they were deceived by the devil. His tactics have not changed over the years, because he always includes the words “yea hath God said.” He hates the Word of God and his temptation is always to get us to doubt it, but Christian don’t, Satan is a defeated foe. The only power that he has over us is the power that we give him when we doubt God’s Word. Jesus said, (Matt. 28:18) All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore..” And in (John 4:4) “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We have been given the power of Christ as Sons of God, not just to resist the devil, but to cause him to flee. How? By our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his Word. Jesus is God, and his name powerful. We can call upon no greater, and he has promised all who believe in him to do so when under attack by the devil. (Jn 15:5)”… for without me ye can do nothing” Grace is available to all who resist the devil, but stand in the power of Christ.

No faith, no power.

As Christians, God allows us to go through certain tests and trials for a purpose. In the book of James, James gives us insight into why we go through trials and into what God is trying to teach us by them. So why do we go through them ? 1) To Promote Joy. To teach us to have joy in Christ, even in the trial. Joy is an inner rejoicing of peace and trust, knowing within that no matter what happens Christ is at work both comforting and helping us for good. 2) To Perfect Patience. Patience is strengthened by experience. Trust God, obey God, and watch God handle the situation, so that the next time a similar trial comes, you patiently know God can handle it. 3) To Provoke Wisdom. When we ask for wisdom, God promises to give it. Wisdom is acquired in one of 4 ways: through prayer, bible study, council, and experience, so be careful not to miss it when it comes. 4) To Prioritize Faith. Faith is the power behind asking. No faith, no power. Ask doubting, and God cannot answer. Faith is prioritized when we have nothing to hold on to but God’s Word. 5) To Produce Endurance. Endurance takes much exercise. The more we are tried the greater our endurance or faith. An enduring Christian does not quit, is not impatient, nor does he waver in faith. He has learned to trust in God.

Religious hypocrisy is wide spread,“so say and do.”

In Christianity, it’s very common for us to say that we are religious but in practice, not be. In James 1:27, James explains to the Jewish brethren that pure religion is demonstrated by the practice of loving others, and by the practice of obeying God. In other words it’s not enough to know the truth we have been called to practice the truth. 1) Visit the needy. The church has been called to watch out for one another. Visiting involves caring for people, love, and time. We have been commanded to go, and not just pray for others. 2) Love without partiality. Our calling is to love & minister to all people, regardless of race, religion, stature, or depth of sin. “For God so loved” all men, and died for them. 3) Keep yourselves unspotted. As Christians, our affect on people is greatly determined by our walk with God. Before we can effectively preach to others, we must obey God ourselves. Religious hypocrisy is wide spread,“so say and do.”