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!
But godliness with contentment is a great gain.
As you read this verse, I invite you to join me in a moment of meditation. Godliness is defined by religion or religious group according to their human understanding of the Word of God. As I study different characters in the Bible and see the different ways godliness is used throughout the entire Bible, it amazes me to see how lack of contentment drives people to want more, which often leads people away from God. Studying Timothy chapter 6 is one of many examples of how this world adversary (Satan) uses earthly wealth to manipulate us into believing that earthly gain equals power and that God is working in your life. I believe there are many people the devil has blinded to believe they are right with God because of their success.
You see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith alone.
What does the word faith imply in your life? Faith for me is having complete confidence, loyalty and trust in someone or something. What does it mean to you as you profess to be a believer of Jesus? As I continue to study the ministry of Jesus, I learn he had faith in God and therefore believed God’s commands and promises to be true. Jesus surrendered his will to God’s purpose and put his faith in God through obedience. To say we believe in Jesus and not have the faith to obey his teaching by allowing his word to transform our lives is vain worship.
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out---those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
The Gospel according to Jesus! I am always amazed by the teaching of Jesus. Do you sometimes find yourself attempting to wrestle with Jesus' teachings where you try to reason or understand why God says, allows or does certain things throughout the history of human creation? True confession, as I am in this path of reading the Bible and asking God to open my eyes and ears to see things through his eyes and hear things through his ears, I have found myself in more intense conversations with God. I have also learned from King David, even in my most distressful conversations with God, to humbly come back in humility asking for forgiveness and remind myself God is God, and he does as he pleases.
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Growing up, like most children, I did not like the dark. Particularly, growing up in a Caribbean culture where you hear stories about what takes place during the nighttime. I also think of the many dark places that I have been emotionally in my life. None of these experiences were pleasant at the time. Can you relate to that your dark places are not pleasant? Many of us don’t even want to talk about the dark past because it brings so much pain. As much as we hate the dark places in our lives, for many of us the scars and the emotional lifelong impact are not easy to escape.
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Reading these scriptures in the context of living under the authority of Jesus Christ makes so much sense to me. Oftentimes, I hear the first part of this passage being reinforced but not the second part.
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
A friend and I were speaking about the subtleness of Satan’s schemes in Christians lives as we were contemplating on all the things that even those who say Jesus is their Lord choose to compromise in. Every Christian should be on guard against Satan because he has been a deceiver from the beginning (Genesis chapter 3-The fall of Man) and he is still the same today. Apostle Paul’s warning about Satan’s scheme is alarming throughout his ministry. Those of us who profess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, are in a spiritual war. If we are not a student of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, we will be deceived by Satan’s demons. You may say not me! If that is the attitude of your heart, he has already deceived you.
