Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. James then talks about controlling horses and ships with very small items. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! - just like a bit for a horse and a rudder for a ship. And the tongue is a fire (tell me about it), the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. If the devil cannot get you to do wrong, he will get others to say evil things about you. All creatures of nature have been tamed by man. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. Father help us to allow the Holy Spirit to control what we say; to speak forth uplifting things and not those that drag people down. Continue to bless the reader and his/her family.

  Good morning. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. We commented on this last time. Let not many of you become teachers knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. It is bad when you have wrong beliefs; it is worse when you share those beliefs with others, hoping they will also believe like you do; it is the worst thing possible when you elevate yourself into the place of a teacher, training others to share the same wrong beliefs that you have. The lawyers and Pharisees did the same thing. They came under strict judgment; and so will you. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man able to bridal the whole body as well. “Out of the heart the mouth speaks“. We all have let things slip that we wish we had never said. You want to be the best of the best? Then watch what you say! Father help us to not dwell on ev...

  Good morning. Continuing with Abraham offering up his son on the altar: you see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works (corresponding actions), faith was perfected (brought to completion); and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.“ (that would seem to imply that if Abraham had not offered up his son, that he would not have been considered righteous) And he was called the friend of God. He was called the friend of God because he trusted so much that God was going to fulfill His promise that through his son Isaac he would be called the father of multitudes even when it looked like there was no way it could happen. He did what God was going to do thousands of years later with His Son, Jesus. Father help us to exercise our faith in such a way that we will be called Your friend.

  Good morning. You believe that God is one (there is one God). You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. Is that part of your “I have faith“? If so, it’s not very convincing. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? That seems a little less harsh than saying that your faith is dead; but the end result is the same. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? Here is another place that Paul and James seem to disagree majorly. Paul says that we didn’t do anything to obtain our justification. It too was a gift of God. Possibly it was because Abraham was before the cross. No one had obtained justification for him, nor anyone else at that time. And so it was necessary that he do something to obtain justification (just as if he had never sinned). Father help the reader and his/her family to continually show faith that is living and not useless.

  Good morning. If a fellow believer has needs, and you say to them “God bless you – have a nice day”; what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. They are both just a lot of hot air. Someone may well say, “you have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works“. Of course you cannot “show your faith“ without doing something to corroborate your statement. It is like Jesus with the paralytic who was let down through the ceiling. “Which is easier, to say your sins are forgiven, or to say rise and walk”. Anyone can say “your sins are forgiven“, and no one except perhaps the person himself will know whether or not his sins are forgiven. But if you say “rise and walk“, he better rise and walk or you will be denounced as a fraud. Anyone can say they have faith and no one will know whether or not it is a true statement; but if you have works (corresponding actions), everyone will know you have fait...

  Good morning. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. That seems contradictory, a “law“ of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; Mercy triumphs over judgment. That seems to go along with “Judge not, lest you be judged“. Now we come to the section that seems to divide James versus Paul - works versus faith. What use is it, my brethren if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? That is a legitimate question. People today say that they are Christians, but their words and actions seem to contradict that. Just because you say you are a Christian, that does not mean that you are going to heaven. Your words and actions should confirm that. But is that what James means by “works“, or does it have to do with works of the law? Instead of the word “works”, a notable evangelist said that the phrase “corresponding actions” should be used. Can faith without corresponding actions save anyone? Fathe...

  Good morning. Continuing with the way you treat the poor versus the way you treat the rich in church: if you are fulfilling the Royal law according to the scripture, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself“, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. This is a clear example where James talks about things concerning the law. I have questions about his using this throughout the book. Is he simply writing this because he is writing to Jews who knew and understood all things about the law, and is using the law to illustrate principles of Christianity? Or is he writing this before he came to a full understanding about what it meant to be saved and to live under grace? Depending on which “expert“ you consult, there are differing views about when the book of James was actually written. My question is, was it written befo...

  Good morning. We’ve seen what religion is not; now we see what religion should be - pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. It isn’t whether or not you talk the talk; it’s whether or not you walk the walk. Helping widows and orphans would be disdainful in the sight of religious people. They wouldn’t want to “get their hands dirty”. We can’t go out of the world; we have to live in it. But when you do, it is too easy for the world to “rub off on you“ - to put it’s “stain“ on you. James then admonishes us to not think that just because we are Christians that we are better than the “lowliest” people that come to church, and to give preference to the rich. Father help us to be mindful of those who are less blessed than we are, and when they come to church to treat them as equals with even the rich.

  Good morning. The one who looks intently (this is from the same Greek word that describes how Mary and also John looked into the empty tomb of Jesus) at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does (the word). One does not think of a law as bringing liberty; one thinks of it as restricting what you can do. James reiterates that one must not just be a hearer of the word, but also a doer of the word. OK here’s the litmus test of spirituality: if anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. There are too many Christians who think themselves “holier than thou“, but their actions and words reveal that they are not. Father help us to allow You to control our words and our actions.

  Good morning. Today we begin the book of James, the Lord’s brother (while the author of the book does not claim to be Jesus‘ brother, it has been accepted by the church that he was). James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes who are dispersed abroad (this reveals that he is writing to Jews, and this explains a lot of the terminology that he uses). Can you imagine your big brother that you’ve known all your life and now you find out He is the Son of God? And now a verse that really does not sound right: consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Are you kidding me – joy? Notice what he did not say – be happy about it. The joy comes from knowing that you were counted worthy to have your faith tested. My Bible says the word translated trials and the one in a later verse translated temptations come from the same Greek root word. Both require faith to stand firm in the midst of. Yo...

  Good morning. The final verses that we will cover in the book of Hebrews, is my prayer for you: now the God of peace (that passes all understanding), who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant (the blood of animals established the first, temporary, covenant; the blood of the Lamb established the second, eternal, one), even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasant in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen!

  Good morning. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. So if in the previous verse a sacrifice of praise to God means you praise Him even when things are bad, then sacrifice here means doing good and sharing when you are not able or don’t feel like it. No, just like with praise, it is the way we offer sacrifices to God now instead of with slain animals. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. As we have said before there are groups of Christians who believe that there is a hierarchy to the leadership. There is some “apostle“ who is over a group of “apostles“ who are over your pastor who is over you. Each level can tell the level below them exactly what to do. They are not dictators. We go to them for advice and counsel. Father help us to continually offer sacrifices to You, not just with our lips, but also with our actions.

  Good morning. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Unfortunately, some people have interpreted this a certain way because of the ambiguity of the word sacrifice. They interpret it as meaning: despite how bad things are for me and how badly I feel, I should still praise God – I am sacrificing for Jesus. But that is not how the Jews in the early church would’ve interpreted the word sacrifice. The Jews offered up sacrifices to God for many different things; one of which was a thank offering. The author of Hebrews defines what he means by this: it is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Instead of offering up animals or other items through fire, we offer praise through our mouths. Now it does include the times when we don’t feel like it. We will see next time that the next verse, also using the word sacrifice, would also have to be interpreted the same way. Father, we offer prai...

  Good morning. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. We don’t have to worry about, “well, that’s the way Jesus operated when He was here on earth with His disciples; or the way He acted to help the early church; but today is different“. Just like Jesus is the same, so is God’s word – it never changes. A lot of people, including some Christians, want to say that however God operated and whatever He said thousands of years ago does not apply today – everything is different. Remember: “I am the Lord. I change not”. And because God and His word do not change: do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings (in this case about what foods one was allowed to eat under the law of Moses). Father thank You that we can trust that You never change. What You said and did yesterday is what You say and do today and tomorrow.

  Good morning. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” That’s an interesting statement following the remark about the love of money. We should not be stockpiling money out of the fear that we will have to take care of ourselves without help from God. It’s too easy to put your confidence in your money and not in God. He is not going to leave us to our own devices. And now a good way to live our lives: remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. As always, we don’t elevate people; we elevate the result of their way of life and their faith. We follow them, as they follow Christ. Father go with the reader and his/her family, helping them to have a character free from the love of money, imitating the faith of those who lead them.

  Good morning. All of the fireworks happening on Mount Sinai was nothing compared to what is coming. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven“. That’s kind of unsettling. This denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Will you be one of those that remain? We know you will! Therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. If we lived our lives with this thought in mind, we would never disobey God. Father thank You that the reader and his/her family are among those that will remain!

  Good morning. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and… (all of which were fearful to the children of Israel). The author of Hebrews is referring to Moses and the children of Israel coming to Mount Sinai (for the giving of the old covenant). But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the myriads of angels, to the General assembly and church of the firstborn (The word is plural in Greek, so it is not talking about Jesus. The firstborn son got an extra portion of the inheritance) who are enrolled in heaven (The book of Revelation talks about those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life), and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect (possibly talking about those who were considered righteous under the old covenant), and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel (in the book of Genesis, his blood cr...

  Good morning. Pursue (imperative!) peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Legally we are sanctified at rebirth; experientially it takes a lifetime. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God. Operating in the grace of God is the highest plane. To operate in our own strength and power is to fall short of the grace of God. That no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. Something causes bitterness, and it is not always obvious – many times it is hidden deep within the roots in the ground. That there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. Afterwards he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance though he sought for it with tears. I used to think that he was seeking for his own repentance (change of mind). I now realize that he was trying to change Isaac’s mind through tears, just like little children today. Father help us to set ourselv...

  Good morning. Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. This is what we read yesterday and emphasizes that the race is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. You don’t “endure“ a sprint. You have not yet resisted to the point of (the) shedding (of your) blood in your striving against sin. Even though Jesus’ blood was shed during the scourging and crucifixion, He still resisted yielding to sin in order to save Himself. “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines“. It is for discipline that you endure. But if you are without discipline, then you are not sons. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. “This is going to hurt me more than it is going to hurt you“. Yeah, right! Father thank You that we are Your children, and You discipline us for own good.

  Good morning. The author of Hebrews then mentions many people in the old testament who had faith. All these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. It’s easy to empathize with them that they believed against all odds, and yet never saw the culmination of their faith. And yet in one sense, we don’t either; we don’t see the ultimate outcome of our faith – ourselves going to heaven. Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Father help us to endure to the end that way may be pleasing in Your sight...

  Good morning. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure  ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. If you have seen the movie, “the 10 Commandments“, it’s hard not to think of that movie as being what truly happened. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king (that’s not what the book of Exodus seems to say); for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood; also they passed through the Red Sea as though dry land. With every miracle, Moses gained more and more confidence that God was truly going to take them to the promised land. Father thank You that You have promised much for the reader and his/her family. Help them to remain confident in You that it truly will happen just as You sai...

  Good morning. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. At that point in time, Joseph had been in Egypt 90 years, and the rest of his relatives 70 years. They were prospering and multiplying in numbers. They had no “need“ or desire to leave Egypt. Why would he even think about the children of Israel leaving Egypt - because God had said that they would after 400 years. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they were not afraid of the king’s edict that all Jewish baby boys should be killed the moment they were born. Just like before, it does not “read” like they were not afraid. The Jews had gotten too comfortable living in Egypt, and were not even thinking about going back to the land of Canaan. Sadly, too much of the church is the same today. They have gotten too comfortable living in the world and do not even look forward to leaving it for heaven. Fath...

  Good morning. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “in Isaac your descendants shall be called”. How could he do that? Could we? This is the way that God said it was going to happen, and now He’s saying to throw it all away…! He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. This was definitely impressive. No wonder Abraham was called the friend of God. He did the same thing that God would do thousands of years later with His Son. James says that by this act, Abraham was justified before God. That is not required today – Jesus obtained our justification for us; it is impossible for us to do it ourselves. Father help us to keep our faith like Abraham, even when it seems like it is impossible for what You promised to happen.

  Good morning. Because of all this faith… therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. That’s a bunch, especially considering that Abraham had only one son, Isaac, and two grandchildren, Jacob and Esau. All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. (reminds one of the old gospel song, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through“) Could we keep our faith in God that He would do what He said He would, even until death? They desired a better country (than the one from which they went out), that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Father help us to not look back wistfully on the place from which we’ve come like the children...

  Good morning. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. Me, I’m going to say, “Hey God, would You put the GPS coordinates in my phone?” He lived as an alien in the land of promise with Isaac, and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. They lived in tents and never had what we would call a permanent home. He was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. If you read the account in Genesis, Sarah laughed when the Lord told Abraham that she was going to have a baby boy. That does not sound like she considered God faithful; and yet the book of Hebrews calls her so. That is the way that God sees even us. Father help us to see ourselves as You see us - people of faith.

  Good morning. He mentions Abel offering to God a better sacrifice by faith; then Enoch being taken up because he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (if you seek Him, He will let you find Him) Next he writes: by faith, Noah being warned by God, and in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. By this he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. In chapter 2 of Genesis, it says that God had not sent rain upon the earth at that time. It does not mention whether or not rain did come before the flood. Even if it had come, it had not come to the magnitude that it did during the flood. Noah believed God that he would need something as large as the ark to protect himself, his family, and the animals, even though he had never seen anything that would require something that huge. Father help ...

  Good morning. The author of Hebrews is now going to mention various things that happened in the old testament which seem incredulous. It requires faith for one to believe them. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. This of course is a big controversy today. Christians believe that the creation of the universe happened just as the book of Genesis said it did. Non-believers that say that things just got together and all of a sudden there was a Big Bang, and now we have what we have. Supposedly science agrees with them. It takes a lot of faith to dismiss what the supposed science says and to believe what the book of Genesis says. Humans believe that things come from other things. Where did those “things“ come from? Hebrews says that God created everything out of things which are not seen. God said …, and it was. Who ya gonna believe – supposed science, or God? Father thank You that ...

  Good morning. My righteous One shall live by faith. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. So what do we mean by faith? Faith is the assurance (substance)  of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen. Remember – for why does one hope for what one sees? Hope has no substance, because it is in the future – what you are hoping for  does not exist right now. When there is a crime, there is evidence left behind. You do not see the actual event; you see the results of the event. Faith is the “evidence“ that the “crime” (what we were hoping for) has happened. For by it the men of old gained approval. Do you want approval – have faith. Father thank You that even though we cannot see with our physical eyes what we are hoping for, we know for certain that if You promised it, it is ours.

  Good morning. Remember when after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. You accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Could we do that? If we had to go through all of that because of our beliefs in God, would we do that, especially joyfully? You have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. There are missionaries and other believers in other countries that have lost everything, including their lives because of their beliefs. Are we willing to endure all of that? Father help us to keep our eyes on the prize and to not bend to the will of those who try to afflict us because of our beliefs in You.

  Good morning. If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. That’s pretty harsh. When we sin and don’t immediately get zapped, humans tend to think they got away with it and can keep doing it. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? In other words, there is no such thing as “greasy grace“. The Bible has said “vengeance is Mine, I will repay; and the Lord will judge His people“. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Father thank You that Your Grace is greater than Your judgment. Help us to obey You, n...

  Good morning. Since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and Living way through His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. We don’t have to come trembling into the presence of God fearing that He will destroy us. On the day of atonement, when the high priest went into the holy of holies, supposedly they tied a rope around his ankle so that if he had not performed the proper sacrifices for himself and God killed him, they could drag him out of the holy of holies. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us not forsake our assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Father help us to come before You with confidence, not fear. Help us to always remember th...