Tag: James

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Colossians 3

Theme:

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts …
Let the word of God dwell in you richly…
Colossians 3:15,16

A brief rundown of Colossians 3:

  • God has made all things
  • He redeemed us through the Blood of His Son
  • We are now free from our old life, thoughts, and judgement of others
  • Noe we should seek things from above, get rid of the old and put on the new and let God work in our life.

LET

  • Not prevent or forbid
  • Allow
  • Allow to pass in a particular direction

PEACE

  • Freedom from disturbance
  • Tranquility
  • A state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended
  • A state of being free

RULE

  • One of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct
  • Principle/code that works within a particular area

HEART

  • Regarded as the centre of a persons thoughts and emotions, especially love or compassion
  • The central or innermost part of something

WORD

  • A single distinct meaningful element or speech or writing
  • A command, password or signal
  • One’s account of the truth

DWELL

  • Live in or at a specified place
  • (Dwell on/upon) think, speak, write at length, linger

RICHLY

  • Elaborate, generous, or plentiful way
  • Fully

PEACE

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

James 3:18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Psalms 122:7
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

Romans 15:33
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Jude 1:2
Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Matthew 10:34
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace …

Exodus 14:14
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Job 13:5
O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Psalms 29:11
The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Psalms 34:14
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalms 37:11
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Psalms 37:37
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Psalms 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 3:11
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Psalms 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

WORD

Luke 8:11
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Matthew 13:23
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Luke 4:4
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1 Thessalonians 4:18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Psalms 33:6
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Psalms 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Luke 11:28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

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James 1:4

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
(KJV)

And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.
(Amplified)

But let endurance and steadfastness andpatience have full play anddo a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
(Amplified Classic)

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Still Small Voice

Elijah on the mountain:

1 Kings 19

  • Wind
  • Earthquake
  • Fire
  • distracted from the still small voice (maybe it was always there, but we weren’t listening)
  • Still Small Voice (expounded from the Hebrew
    • a whisper
    • thin, small, fine
    • sound, voice

God has it covered; peacefully, reassuringly.

Remove ourselves from the drama. Stop – be still and listen.

Psalms 4:4
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Psalms 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Mark 4:39-40
39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis)

Genesis 3: 1-7
1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons

Desire to know everything

Human Beings have a desire to know everything. Technology these days has enabled us to be able to get any knowledge at our fingertips whenever we want. We want to know details as soon as they are found out. If we know something that someone else doesn’t we are one better, we have a leg up. The competitive edge! (Cain & Abel)

There is not just knowing the information, but also knowing every single aspect of it.  And despite that, it doesn’t matter because the other person has the wrong opinion anyway !! So it’s not just a battle of information, but opinions  about that information and how persuasive it is or how you can make it!!

All this points to is our lack of being content. It is never enough. We are never satisfied. Our desire for more is insatiable, because when we speak of something new we becoming “popular” and gain attention for the individual.

1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

Extremely appealing, but by allowing it (distractions, useless noise & information) into our lives we also become distracted.

So we are consumed by “information” that we have no need for. Knowledge where its main purpose is just to fill our mind. Self satisfying news that serves to push out any useful understanding like “How to live forever!”.

Daniel 12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Competing for our attention

With all the information feeding our thirst for knowledge, our attention gets drawn in this way and that way. Competing and grading for our every second of consumption. And if we allow it to, it pushes out the knowledge of God and so WE can fix everything ourselves with OUR own knowledge.

Romans 1:28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

What is happening in our life?

Elijah had a series of good runs. These periods of incredible boldness and being used to demonstrate the power and authority of God … but through all this it appears as though he had a thought in his mind that he was “the only one” (that was doing good, being used by good, going through this situation, etc etc) and there came this moment in his life where he was challenged and fear took over. And the result – he ran.

Maybe we can relate to this. Maybe we feel like we are alone and all we are feeling, seeing and experiencing is:
– The wind shaking the world around us
– Earthquakes trying to knock us off our feet
– And fire consuming everything we see

But none of these are God!

The Wind
  • Fierce strong winds can be incredibly damaging flattening buildings & trees, destroys crops
  • Makes it hard to walk and if (as in this case) it starts to moves rocks, it’s not only the wind that causes us difficulty, but the effects of that wind that we have to watch out for.
  • Once again, a light breeze can be hugely beneficial, by moving on bad weather, drying clothes, cools a hot day – but it’s a fine line.
The earthquakes
  • The things we thought were solid and unmovable
  • The noise and fear
  • The damage to things and people and daily life
The Fire
  • Looks spectacular from a distance but when you get to close it burns
  • In a small contained controlled environment it be hugely beneficial (heat, cooking) but that gives a sense of comfort and peace
  • A large fire is out of control, erratic

Maybe God is trying to speak to us, guide us, direct us, but because it’s doing it in such a quiet fashion we miss it over the glamour and glitz of us knowing everything?

… a still small voice …

I’m sure our first response is “well can’t God speak up?!” (aka Show us a sign and it suffices us – Matthew 12:38) but to seek out an answer (to pray) from God, requires us to remove the noise and allow our heart to truly seek Him out.

Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Thought:
Saul being made blind when Jesus spoke to him

Maybe part of the blindness was so that he became acutely aware of the voice of God. That it removed his default senses to allow him to actually hear ...

Job 22:21
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Psalm 55:16-18
16. As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

1 Samuel 1:17
Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
(to Hannah asking God for a son – Samuel)

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Isaiah 26:3-4
3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Isaiah 54:10
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

James 3:17
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.

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Continuing Faith in God

Hebrews 11:1

1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith >> seeking the Lord for a victory

Philippians 1:3-6

3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Reminding ourselves that what God starts, He WILL finish

Romans 8:18

18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:23-25

23. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25. But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Romans 8:26-28

26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:31-21

31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Reminding ourselves of what is to come, of hope, and with help, God doesn’t hold back

Matthew 7:7-11

7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

If we know how to look after our children, how much more will God look after His children.

Luke 17:11-19

11. And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18. There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Act of Faith despite no visible signs of healing

Thanking God (before and after), also not being caught up in thinking we “deserve” this. It was the Samaritan that came back to thank Jesus.

Ephesians 5:20

20.  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Give thanks ALWAYS

Colossians 1:20-23

20. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Colossians 1:12

12.  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Continue in Faith, being grounded (established) and settled (content), and giving thanks!

James 1:2-8

2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

LET patience …
If we lack, ASK … in faith NOT wavering

Ephesians 3:14-21

14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

HE THAT HAS EARS TO HEAR

 

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Visiting the sick

Notes from Pr Deane Clee

General comments.

Physical Sickness

Sickness is a part of life, which comes to us all at times. In the 1930s, a Swiss physician named Tournier proposed the concept that when a person is sick, the whole being is affected – the physical, the psychological and the spiritual.

We read in the scriptures that Jesus when he saw the sick, he was moved with compassion. Likewise, we should have the same approach if we are to help others. We need to have ‘Compassionate Care’. The Gospels devote a number of references tot he topic of healing the sick. The disciples were expected to carry out this healing ministry. For instance, Mark 16 describes, as one of the signs of a believer, that “they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover”. Jesus did not set up a clinic in the temple, rather, he went to the people who were sick.

Old Age

The Bible says that Christians are commanded to honour their parents – “that it may go well with you, and that you may enjoy long life upon the earth”.

Older people are to be respected, cared for, and loved in Christ, along with all age groups. As one gets older our body runs down. We experience declining health and strength, no longer working, limited income, declining ability to think or act quickly, rejection, more vulnerable, get more depressed or frustrated, etc. This group are sick more often, and therefore need understanding by those that are visiting, and each must examine their own attitude towards the elderly to be really effective. It is hard when you are younger to relate to the things which affect the elderly. Try to be empathetic.

Pointer for visiting the sick

Visit frequently, but keep the visits brief (depending on the medical condition of the patient).

Let the patient take the lead in shaking hands, unless you know them well.

Stand up or sit where the patient can see you easily.

Give the patient freedom to talk freely, and listen carefully to there comments. Some want to discuss their feelings and concerns, others like to talk about something else.

Use the spiritual recourses at your disposal, be positive, or build up their faith, about what God can do, and has done for others. Make encouraging comments, share the testimonies of others. Quote and read the scriptures. Leave a small list of scriptures. Check if they have a Bible with them.

It is best to suggest prayer. Be aware of how the patient feels. For example, in a public ward some prefer the curtains closed. The prayer in such a case should be of low volume and kept short.

At a hospital visit, if the door is closed or with a ‘no visitors’ sign, check at the nurses station or reception.

If the sick is at home, then phone before the visit and make sure your visit is at a convenient time.

A phone call between visits helps to check on the patient’s progress or needs.

Do try and call when there are not a number of other visitors present.

Dos ad Don’ts

Dos

  • Be friendly, cheerful, reassuring and comforting.
  • Help the patient feel at ease as much as possible
  • Recognise that anxieties, discouragement, guilt, frustrations and uncertainties may be present.
  • Give reassurance of God’s love, promises and care. He never leaves nor forsakes His people.
  • Give reassurance that you, and others, are upholding the patient in prayer.

Don’ts

  • Talk about your past illnesses, unless it is a real testimony to the Lord.
  • Force the patient to talk, something, your silent presence is reassuring.
  • Visit when you are sick.
  • Talk loudly.
  • Criticise the hospital, treatment or the doctors.

Scriptures:

James 5:14-15
14. 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:
15. 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.

Psalms 34:15,17,19
15. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
17. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Matthew 9:29-30
29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.