Lesson 1430

(Lesson 1430)(08-31-15) 1 Peter 1:1-12

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."

In today's lesson Peter greeted and and gave spiritual reassurance to the "strangers" who were scattered throughout the land. He praised them for their faith and again related the promise that was God has given to all who will accept Jesus Christ as savior.

I believe that we, today's children of God, are a part of the "strangers" to whom Peter addressed this letter.

This lesson again confirms the security of the believer, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, WHO ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH UNTO SALVATION ready to be revealed in the last time."~

Lesson 1429

(Lesson 1429)(08-30-15) James 5:7-20

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

In today's lesson, James encouraged us to be patient and faithful, always diligent with our prayers. If we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, anything we need is always only an humble prayer away. However, as James pointed out earlier in this text, those prayers must be from the heart toward a better end and not from a heart of greed or spite.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.", therefore we should, in faith, join with our fellow Christians, caring for each other while leaning on Jesus Christ through prayer.~

Lesson 1428

(Lesson 1428)(08-29-15) James 5:1-6

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you."

In today's quote, James relates the condemnation of the rich who have worshiped their wealth more than God. Because of their greed they wager their eternity against the riches of a very short life and eventually lose both.~

Lesson 1427

(Lesson 1427)(08-28-15) James Chapter 4:13-17

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

This quote is a powerful lesson and should be taken seriously to heart by every child of God.

Our lives are far to short and unpredictable to rely on tomorrow because there well may not be a tomorrow. Knowing this we should devote every precious minute we might have left to making sure that those around us are aware of God's saving grace. We should present ourselves as living examples of the benefits of living within that grace.

As James pointed out in the last part of the quote, "to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." We will definitely atone for that sin, one way or another.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."(2 Corinthians 5-10

Lesson 1426

(Lesson 1426)(08-27-15) James Chapter 4:4-12

"Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."

The gist of today's lesson is that good things always come to those who have faith and the patience to wait. Herein, James used the example of Job and his horrible suffering to make that point.

In the last part of the lesson, we are encouraged to be straightforward and to accept things as they are without placing blame.

We should never "swear" nor make threats and promises we may not be able to keep remembering that our dealings with one another has a direct impact upon how we are seen by the lost.

Our duty is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and live our lives so as to reflect His grace in everything we do.~

Lesson 1425

(Lesson 1425)(08-26-15) James Chapter 4:1-3

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

In today's short lesson, James explained why so many who presume to pray don't have their prayers answered in the way they prefer.

God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, will indeed give us anything we ask for so long as our prayers don't run contrary to the good of others, and, if they are always asked from a heart that is truly concerned with the common good instead of our own selfish advantage. That means that if we pray to take away someone else's wellbeing, or if we pray to cause them harm or just to increase our own wealth or better our own earthly situation, that prayer will not be granted. However, if we pray for wealth so as to better and more comfortably minister to our own needs as well as the needs of those around us, I believe those prayers will always be answered.~

Lesson 1424

(Lesson 1424)(08-25-15) James Chapter 3

"My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.

My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

Today's lesson is a very important one in that it concerns the communications of mankind and whether they are made beneficial or detrimental to the purposes of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the mind, thoughts and ideas are conceived and through our voices they are proposed to others. Those thoughts and ideas, as they proceed out of our mouths, should always be filtered through a purely Christian mind set so as to only allow goodness toward others to proceed forth.

As children of God, we are to never allow evil, or hurtful thoughts to roll off our tongues.

Evil communication will only allow our thoughts to be developed into evil outcomes, whereas, good and decent conversation almost always produces good and honorable results.~