Monthly Archives: May 2025

James: A Little Salty vrs. A Whole Lot Living

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(Today we read James 3)

I grew up in southern Missouri near the Current River. It is a crystal clear river that is spring fed and fresh.

Every once and awhile my husband and I will take a vacation near the ocean. The one thing that impresses me is if I happen to get a little taste of the water in my mouth. YUCK! So Salty.

Our tongues are like a spring. What is down inside of us flows from our tongues in what we say. James says we are either a spring of “fresh water” or “salt water.” We speak either good from the good inside of our hearts or bad from the bad. H says, our mouths should not produce both “praise and cursing.” 

“Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?…Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living in us. His life will flow through us. Jesus described it this way: 

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our tongue — what we speak — must be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

“A little salty…” is a slang term here in America for being angry and aggravated. We aren’t meant to be “a little salty.” We are meant to be “a whole lot fresh!”

The Holy Spirit wants to produce in us His fresh life giving water flowing from within. That is what God desires to flow out of our tongues!

James: The Tongue

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(Today is James 3)

Bit’s in horses mouths, rudders on ships… small objects can steer large objects. Our tongue is a small member of our body. (Verse 5) It can make great boasts. It “sets the whole course of one’s life…”. This is because what we speak is what comes out of our spiritual heart. What is inside of us will be displayed by what we say. (Luke 6:45)

When our tongue is motivated by a heart that is consumed with selfishness and sin, it is “a fire, a world of evil among the part of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (Verse 6) The truth is, “no human being can tame the tongue…” (verse 7)

BUT God can!

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God gives us a new heart and fills us with His Spirit. He gives us His Word to meditate upon, memorize, and speak!

What is coming out of your mouth? When our tongue is submitted to God and His Word, speaking life, the course of our life changes. We will experience the life of God flowing out of us!

James: Be Careful Teachers!

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(Every day of this week I will be reading James 3 — Join me!)

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” James 3:1 NIV

“We all stumble in many ways…” (verse 2) How true this is! It is important to guard our hearts. Sin is crouching at the door wanting to devour us. (Genesis 4:7) That is our enemy’s plan for us — steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)

BUT, God has given us the way to keep our way pure:

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

James 3:2 also tells us, “Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”

What we say matters! Jesus told us “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) What is in your heart comes out! It will be on display for all to see. If your heart is full of the Word/ God, your mouth will speak the Word. What comes out of your mouth will build up and give life to those around you who need it desperately.

Teachers — One who instructs … a preacher; a minister of the gospel. (Webster’s 1828) — will be judged more strictly. We must present the Word accurately, not full of our own opinion.

We cannot take lightly the privilege that God has given us to share Jesus with those around us. People are watching us. They are listening to everything we say. Our words have power to influence others. This is why “we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Whatever capacity we are “teaching’ {instructing, informing, communicating to others the knowledge of that of which that person was before ignorant about God (Webster’s 1828)} — whether it be as a parent to our children, or a mentor to their mentee— we are influencing others for good or bad with what we say.

May our hearts be full of God’s Word and may His Word be the overflow of our lives! May we speak His Word accurately in every situation and circumstance! It is alive and active. It will produce good in our lives and in the lives we influence with what we say.

James: Is Your Faith Dead or Alive?

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(Today is James 2)

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”  James 2:26

Faith is the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. (Webster’s 1828) It is receiving and believing the truth. Faith requires action! If we believe something is true we will act upon it.

In verse 25 of chapter 2, James refers to the account in the Old Testament of Rahab. She had HEARD of the great miracles that God performed for Israel in delivering them from Egypt. When she heard the truth, she BELIEVED that God was, “God in Heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:11) She wanted to be on the right side when God gave the Israelites victory over Jericho. So she ACTED. She hid the Israelite spies. Her faith in what she had heard was alive! 

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God has given each of us a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3) We all have the ability to believe. The Word that is alive and active comes to us. The choice is ours. Do we receive the Word and act upon it with our obedience? If we do, we will experience life. But if we hear the truth in the Word and reject it by choosing to do our own thing, we will live in spiritual death.

If Rahab had heard the testimonies of what God was doing for the Israelites and continued doing what she always did, she would not have acted upon what she heard by hiding the Israelites spies. She and her family would have died with the rest of the people in Jericho who did not believe in God and act upon what they had heard about Him.

God’s word is inspired. Which means it is God-breathed. God’s breath of life is in His Word. When we receive His life being breathed into us through His Word, we will come alive and our actions will display the life of God within us.

Is your faith alive? Or is it dead? Do you hear the Word of God and obey it? 

“Faith without deeds is dead.”

James: “Screen Door on a Submarine”

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“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Today is James 2)

Faith without works is useless!

God has given each of us “a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3) This is the capacity to believe, but we must act on it! Our actions “complete” our faith.

We can say we “believe there is one God.” (verse 19) And James says that is “Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” The question is: “what are we doing with what we believe?”

If we truly believe that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ came and died then resurrected from the dead in order to set us free from sin, do we live like we believe it?

Abraham believed God and the Scripture says, “It was credited to him as righteousness.” (Verse 23) He was put into right standing with God and He was known as “God’s friend.” He had a personal relationship with God. This relationship was reflected by his willingness to obey God no matter what the cost of obedience may be.

If you and I have faith and believe what God says, then we will act accordingly. In short, we will do it!

Coming to God in faith is just the beginning of what God wants to do in our lives. He wants to consume us! He wants us to receive His Word — what He says. He wants us to believe it to be true. He wants us to act upon it in obedience.

There’s a classic song by Rich Mullins that I am going to attach. Listen to its words and consider. Do I act upon what I believe? Or do I have a “screen door” on my spiritual submarine?

James: Faith

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(Today is James 2)

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Faith — the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) When we hear the Word and take it into our hearts, it will do a work producing faith within us. When we receive what is said, we believe it!

What we really believe or our “faith” produces “deeds” or action within us. What is in our hearts will come out of us and be on display for everyone to see.

James tells us if our faith does not produce action it is dead. (Verse 17) A dead faith makes it impossible to please God.

God wants for us to believe what He says and to act on what He says because it is for our good! He loves us so much!!

James: The Word — God’s Measuring Stick

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(Today is James 2)

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Word is the law that gives freedom. (James 1:22-25) It is the truth!

The Word judges. It is the measuring stick by which we must take every thought, every teaching, every decision and lay it up beside to examine, distinguish, and decide if they are according to God’s perfect will for us. When we “speak and act” according to what we see in the Word we will live in freedom. But if we refuse we will live in error which is a life of captivity.

Through Jesus, God has displayed His mercy towards us. We are placed in right standing with Him. When we receive Christ, His Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us. The Holy Spirit will empower us to “speak and act” as God desires.

We need to know the Word so that we know God’s will for us. As we see what God wants for us in His Word, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us power to obey. Whatever our circumstances may be may we place them against the measuring stick of the Word. So we may judge correctly what we need to say and do. This is how we can live free — filled with God’s joy, love and peace!

James: No Favoritism

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“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Today is James 2)

I have four kids, who are all adults now. Throughout the years my husband and I have tried very hard to treat them equally. (However, I am sure that there have been times we did not do this perfectly)

Each Christmas, they had close to the same amount of presents with the same amount spent on each of them. Whatever their needs have been we have tried to pay close to the same amount and spent equal amounts of time. My goal has been that they would each feel that they were my favorite. They frequently joke about who is my favorite. The truth is… THEY ALL ARE!

If they begin to think any differently, it cause all kinds of issues. Favoritism divides.

In the family of God (i.e. the Church) we are all God’s favorite as well. The word favorite is defined as “A person or thing regarded with peculiar favor, preference and affection; one greatly beloved.” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) God is equitable. If I am someone he regards with favor, preference, affection and love, then so are you! He does not look at our social status, our ethnicity, our wealth or the lack thereof… “For God so loved the World…” He loves us all and He loves each of us completely and perfectly. He is Love. His love cannot be divided into different sizes or portions. We are to love like our Heavenly Father does!

Favoritism or giving a preference to one over another. It is giving special attention to someone. James states that having favoritism is a sin. (Verse 8)

The remedy for favoritism is found in what Jesus called the second greatest commandment:

““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

James says if you do that “you are doing right.”

Everyone is equal at the foot of the cross. We are all sinners in need of forgiveness and hearts that need to be transformed. Those who are born again are born again into a family where we are one in Jesus!

If we elevate or devalue someone according to what they possess materially, (or for any other reason) we are missing the mark, in sin. We are dividing what God has created to be united in Him — ONE!

James: Do What It Says!

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(Today is James 1) 

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In America, we have ample opportunity to “listen to the word.” We can download the Bible to our phones. We can freely attend church without fear of persecution. We can tune into countless podcasts that talk about the word. We have Christian TV, Christian Radio, Christian entertainment —movies, concerts, etc.

We could listen to and or attend every single thing I have mentioned and walk away unmoved by it. Why? Because we refuse to act upon what we have heard.

This is not the relationship that God desires for us to have with Him! 

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We are to “look intently” and to “continue in” the Word. We are to “not forget what we have heard, but DO IT.”

Our encounters with God’s Word are to be taken into our heart and His Word is supposed to make a change in our lives. The Life the Word produces through our obedience is supposed to eradicate the death our sinful choices have brought. The Truth we are receiving is supposed to expose the lies. The Word will produce freedom where captivity to sin has abounded. The Word will bring blessing in all we do.

Why do we choose to stay in the pattern of our own ways when we hear the Word speaking the way to go?

Don’t merely listen to what the Word is saying! Do IT!

James: Cleaning House

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(Today we read James 1)

My daughter in law is a minimalist housekeeper. At first her way of doing things seemed a little extreme to me. If she doesn’t use something, she gets rid of it from her house. She doesn’t hold onto very much stuff “for a rainy day…” Her house is clutter free, easy to keep clean, and refreshing.

I’ve been living at my current home for 17 years. I have not adopted her mindset when it comes to stuff… There have been times when my husband and I contemplate getting a dumpster to get rid of the extras. Life would be a little easier if we did. 

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

James tells us that God has good things in store for us. “Every good and perfect is from above…” God desires that righteousness is produced in us. Which is “Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law.” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

In short, we need to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…” Repentance is the equivalent of cleaning out the spiritual clutter of our spiritual hearts. It is making room for the “Word planted in you, which can save you.” The word “Save” here in the Greek means, “To save, heal, preserve, rescue.”

God wants us to be full of Him — His Word! He wants to save us from our destructive patterns, heal us from our hurtful past, and rescue us from the sin that destroys us.

What is it that we need to “get rid of…?” Holding tightly to our ways, our thoughts, and our desires (i.e. sin) leads only to death, darkness, destruction. 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s time to take our “spiritual clutter” (sins) to the dumpster of repentance and get rid of all the moral filth we have been living in!