Good morning. Today we're going to look at the Pastor's favorite book – James. Is anyone among you suffering? Let them complain. Oops that's the revised perverted version. No, it says let him pray. Sadly too many Christians do complain when something bad happens. Of course what American Christians think is suffering is nothing at all. Our worst day is better than a lot of people in the world's best day. Is anyone cheerful? You don't have to encourage someone to sing when they are cheerful – it's just natural. And you don't even have to be in the shower to do it. Are you sick? Call for the elders of the church. That must mean that they are really sick to have to call for the elders to come to them. I'm sure there are people in the church that have the pastor on speed dial. The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. That's confirming that it wasn't just a bad cold. See, we are the ones that are supposed to be praying for that kind of sickness. It's when we are so sick that we have no faith to believe that we will be healed that we need to call for the elders to come to us. We then rely on their faith. We are to first ask in faith without doubting, and then God will heal us. If we don't have the faith, then we call. The effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much! You are righteous and your prayers can accomplish a lot! God will listen to you when you ask for something. Remember to ask in faith without doubting. Father help the reader to trust in You and in himself/herself. Help him/her to believe that his/her prayers will be very effective. Keep him/her from suffering; from becoming sick; to always be cheerful – singing praises to You.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed

  Good morning. We left John at the entrance of the tomb, stooping and looking in. “Shy” Peter then arrives following John, and enters the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there. So the other disciple, John, who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. It does not say whether or not Peter believed. For as yet they did not understand the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. I’m not exactly sure what it means by their own homes. They were originally from Galilee and would not have had homes in Jerusalem. Perhaps it means the homes where they were staying while in Jerusalem. Apparently, they were not staying in the upper room, or it would have said so. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped (just like John) and looked into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been l...
Read more

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and he granted permission. So he came and took away His body

  Good morning. After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and he granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pounds weight. Remember that myrrh was one of the gifts that the magi brought when Jesus was a baby. Also notice that he had 100 pounds of spices. Normally one does not have that much just lying around the house. Since most likely he was older, he may have been storing it up for when he himself was going to die. Or perhaps while Jesus was hanging on the cross, he went to the merchants and purchased it, because there was no time to do so after Jesus died prior to the beginning of the Sabbath. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. My Bible says that these were thin ...
Read more

Why are you timid, you men of little faith?

  Good morning. Remember that Jesus had given orders that they should depart to the other side (of the lake). While Jesus was asleep in the boat, there arose a great storm, so that the boat was covered with the waves. This was no afternoon shower; it was one of those “make the palm trees bend over and touch the ground" kind of storms. And Jesus just slept through it! He had confidence in His Father to protect Him. The disciples, however, were not confident. They were focusing on the circumstances and not on the word Jesus had given them. They awoke Jesus saying, “save us, Lord; we are perishing!” Jesus had told them to go to the other side; so they should've been confident that they would make it. They did not even think about all of the miracles that Jesus had just finished doing. But even if they had, they probably would've said “well that was one thing, this is something entirely different”. The same thing happens to us. God tells us to do something, and a storm arises....
Read more