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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Temptation and Trial (2) Bible Verse:James 1:9-18 (NASB) "9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. " Message:
Paul writes in Romans 7 and 8 that although the believer's inner self has been transformed by the Spirit of God, there is still a capacity to sin on the outer level of self. Thus, at any point we can walk by the Spirit, or we can carry out the desire of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). Temptations appeal to the illicit desires and appetites of the flesh which are contrary to the new creation we have become in Christ. “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (1:14). In the same way that hunters and fishermen use the natural appetites of their prey to lure them into their traps, temptations are lures which solicit the lusts of the flesh.
There is nothing wrong with appetites and legitimate expressions of them, and even when we are tempted to pursue illegitimate expressions, we have not sinned. The crucial issue is how we respond to the pull of the flesh. “Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (1:15). James uses the metaphor of conception and birth to illustrate the pathology of sin as it moves from a choice to regard it as an option, through the gestation period of pondering it in the mind, to its actual fulfillment and consequences.
We cannot blame this process on God or rationalize it away. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (1:16-17). His character does not change; “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He always gives, and His gifts are always good.
The next verse illustrates this by referring to the greatest gift of all: “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures” (1:18). Unlike sin which is conceived in deception and darkness and brings forth death, God's gift of salvation is conceived in truth and light and brings forth life.
God hates sin, not only because it is contrary to His character, but also because of what it does to our lives. We must learn to hate sin for the same reasons. As new creatures in Christ, we no longer need be slaves of sin (Rom. 6:10-23). Instead, we can walk in the wisdom of this passage by recognizing the anatomy of sin and dealing with it in its earliest stages. When we walk in the Spirit in conformity with who we have become in Christ, we can say no to the deceptions and enticements of sin and yes to the meaning and purpose we have found as the first fruits among His creatures.
We are pleased to offer a guest commentary on the Epistle of James, running on consecutive Sundays, from Dr. Ken Boa of Atlanta.
Dr. Boa is devoted to a ministry of relational evangelism and discipleship, teaching, writing, and speaking. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from Case Institute of Technology, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from New York University, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in England. I highly recommend a visit to his website, KenBoa.org, which is filled with free videos, written commentary, newsletters, etc.
Meditation : Prayer : Lord, give me each day the wisdom to see which things are important, and which things are not. Show me how best to use the time and talents you have given me. Help me to use all my opportunities wisely, that I may share, through service to others, the good gifts I have received from you. And as I travel through the coming week, I pray that you fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I may abound in hope........Amen |
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