Having Bible knowledge and understanding is great, however if the scriptures are not living and active in our lives, it is all in vain (Hebrews 4:12-13). The life application selections contain thoughts provoking, real life challenges that will prayerfully transform us to be more like Jesus in our spiritual journey. James 1:23-27 challenges us to not just merely listen or read the scriptures, it says “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” Do not miss your blessings my friends!
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Dear heavenly Father! We come before you in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. We are asking you Father God, to please help us see this world that seems broken and in chaos through your eyes. Father, show us how to keep our eyes healthy so that our body will not stray away from your light. Father, it is difficult to see goodness when we look around us and all we see is pain, injustice, greed, deceit, hatred, impurity, and so on. Our hearts bleed tears and the earth groans (Romans 8:22-25) waiting for the revival redemption. Father, we need a word from you as we desperately wait for miracles. Father, our eyes and heart say all is lost and there seems to be no hope. Father God, your words teach us you are the beginning and the end; you have the final say; You are full of compassion; You are the way maker; nothing is impossible; you are the miracle worker, and you detest evil. Father, hear our cry for mercy and justice. We feel powerless but we know that we serve a God who is powerful beyond measure. Please Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, do not let us drown as we look toward you for deliverance that can only come from you. Amen!
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
God’s words and promises are true and will always come to past! Have you found yourself doubting God in your life? I know that I have done it so many times. In my doubting season, I never doubt if he can do it, but will he do it for me? Or question why is he not doing it? There is so much that we can learn from the book of Ezra. Nonetheless, I was led by the Holy Spirit to read chapter one and verse one which resonated with my personal journey with Jesus Christ. In the past year as I watched so much chaos happening in the world, I have found myself fighting to defuse Satan's lies in my mind about God’s promises, sovereignty and trusting his words as truth.
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
We might read this passage and miss the incredible gift that God, through Jesus Christ, has given us. What veil are we continuing to hold over our face?
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Is there anything that is weighing you down where you feel there is no hope or no way out? I know we have heard this statement many times, ‘bring it to Jesus’ and it has become a cliché to our ears. When you are tempted to doubt God when life brings you situations that seem impossible and you are about to give up, think about the faithful men and women in the Bible who chose not to give up and brought their life circumstances to God.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Envy (jealousy) - Oxford dictionary
A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else).
Selfish ambition - dictionary.com
Devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.
Miriam-Webster.com
Synonyms for SELFISH: egocentric, narcissistic, egotistic, egomaniacal, solipsistic, egotistical, self-centered, etc.
How are things going in your life? Do you find yourself in disorder? Do you find that no matter how successful you are there is always a longing for more? Or no matter what you do the results are not what you hope for? Take some time today to assess your heart and mind and see if there is any possibility that you are operating in the spirit of envy or selfish ambition. Maybe that's why your life might be in disorder and your decisions might be leading you toward evil practice instead of Holy practice according to the words of God. Let's remember, ambition is different from selfish ambition. To have ambition to accomplish goals and dreams in your life is not a sin but the motive that inspires or drives you to the ambition can lead to selfish ambition. Allow God’s compass to guide your heart and attitude and watch his power transform your life of disorder to serenity.
Likewise, 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. The 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.
As I study James chapter three which I have read on numerous occasions, I felt this heavy burden. I started pondering how we use our tongue for many good purposes in our lives, yet if we are not careful, this important/special sense can lead us to eternal fire. How do we avoid using our tongue to produce " a world of evil"? Jesus, in Luke 6:43-45, tells us what we store inside of our heart will be the result of our speech. I have heard this statement as a young child that resonates with me, it takes seconds/minutes to make a mistake, but it takes a lifetime to fix it. The words that we speak matter. Our salvation depends on them. Let us think about how we can use our tongue wisely. That is why scriptures say, "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” Mathew 12:37. Let's be more intentional on how we used our tongue.
