GaleB
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James 4:11-17
James 4:11-17
"11 Do not speak evil against one another, brethren.
He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you that you judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain";
14 whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is you life?
For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that."
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
Proceding in study of James, leaving Joleen Duck Taped to the bed, so she has to study.... 
Thoughts .....
God Bless the reading of His Word...
Last edited by GaleB, 8/28/2008, 6:16 pm
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8/28/2008, 6:15 pm
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Joleen711
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Re: James 4:11-17
Well,I think I went past 4:12 in the last study.
So reading 13-17 I was looking at 13:
James seems to be asking what do we plan for now or the future. We all make differnt plans for our day, week and future.
I think planning is not the bad thing for a lot of sucess comes from planning I think but the problem is we make them with out lining them out with what Gods plans are for our lives. Have we sought His guidance and leading through it?
In 1 Corinthians 16:7 says "if the Lord permits..."
God wants us to understand his will (Ephesians 5;17)
God wants us to Be filled with His will
(Co 1:9)
and prove His will for our lives
(Romans 12:2). We should always show our trust and dependence on Gods will for our lives by committing our plans to His will.
When we dont commit our lives to the will of God usually it is because life is uncertain, frial, complex and brief. Everything inlife is fast pace. Everyone wanting a right now answer to a right now question...eliminating God out of the picture. We basically put ourselves over God Himself! Ouch...that hurts.
We have to truly commit EVERYTHING to Gods will in our lives and wait for Him to guide us. Nothing is more important or that Urgent that one can not wait for God to Answer and that is what Satan just loves about our messed up world today.
Example- I need you to call me on a bid on this house right now or you will lose it. Well, you may really like this house but if you lose it, it was not meant to be in the first place.
Our life is nothing but a vapor. Waiting on Gods guidance for His will should be priority. Job knew all about that.
I hope that was not too much. I think I hit all the verses. Maybe I need to put my study thoughts and references in with the scripture number?
Love, Jo
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8/29/2008, 3:55 pm
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GaleB
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Re: James 4:11-17
Excellent Joleen. Thank you so much for your study and insight.
You did just fine with your format too.
I like the reference of, we are but a vapor. when we place our short lives in that context, it becomes clear, just how truly short it is. We certainly need to get it right, we do not have long here.
I can say, from my perspective, we have some here, who are daily, getting ready for Heaven. Hourly.
You are such an inspiration and witness to so many.
Thank you... anyone else?
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8/29/2008, 11:45 pm
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horseshadowrider
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Re: James 4:11-17
There are several things here that are quite powerful.
The one reference to the fact that if we know to do good and don't do it, it is sin to us. Some people think they are not sinners because they don't do a lot of outwardly bad things (to their way of thinkin) but God says that if you even know to do good and don't do it, THAT's a sin.
To not speak evil of your brethren. ONe sure sees that a lot in churches, where people are judging their pastor, their pastor's wife, talking behind the backs of others, it's like they are not loving brethren at all.
About the will of God, there is a neat Scripture that I found years and years ago which has meant a lot to me, something practical that I have used many, many times.
1 John 3:19-22 (King James Version)
19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
***********************************
To me, this is saying that your heart will show you what is the will of God. If we feel any doubt or feelings that something is wrong, that is our hearts telling us that this is not the will of God.
just some random thoughts!
thanks for all of these other comments!
---
Virginia
4 plc fracture of the C1, Tethered Cord, (acquired chiari and elongated brainstem resolved by Tethered Cord surgery); atlanto occipital dislocation and cranial settling all due to equestrian accident,
2004. CC Fusion upcoming.
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8/30/2008, 12:33 am
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GaleB
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Re: James 4:11-17
Virginia, excellent references you brought to us. Thank you so much.
The heart is like a balance or weight scale, of justice, letting us know, what is God's will. I love that. So very true in all aspects of life.
So often, we *mean* to do something for so, and so. They are going through so much, we say, the day gets by, the nest days comes, slips your mind, and it doesn't happen. Have we sinned?
Regarding Judging others:
"He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law."
"When we set ourselves up as "the expert" in speaking against another, James says we are actually claiming to be an expert on the very law of God and judging it.
Rather than putting ourselves under God's law along with everyone else, we put ourselves above the law and use it as we see fit to judge others.
And once we do this, we are no longer in right relationship with the law or God. Our relationship to God's law is to be people who obey it out of love, trust, and hope in the One who created us and teaches us how we are to live.
But we are not trusting in God our Father when we set ourselves up to "know" exactly what is going on with another and so dismiss them with our word of judgment.
The only One who truly sees all and knows all and can see into the heart of others is the Lawgiver, "he who is able to save and destroy."
Since we do not have ultimate power over life and death, we should be very careful when our words convey "the final word" about another.
"But who are you that you judge your neighbor?" James asks his readers.
How easy it is to say, this person is this, or that. That does make us judges. Do we know what that person is carrying? What life has brought to or, through?
Virginia, thank you so much for your insight and love of God, deeply en grained in you. The love of your King James , which has led you and fed you, all of your life. Your scriptures are awesome...
GB
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8/30/2008, 6:23 am
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GaleB
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Re: James 4:11-17
Planning for the future:
When we remember and count on God to be our future, as well as our past and present, then we can make our plans, but not in any absolute sense.
"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.'"
We live in God's hands, in His great and wonderful grip.
I do not have to look to my future to make my life "okay."
God gives me His presence fully now and will always do so.
It doesn't mean that I have to learn to put up with or enjoy the trials and not hope for a better day.
Ultimately there is a time in our future when we will be "perfect and complete", able fully to live in and receive God's overflowing grace and love moment by moment.
Our trials are opportunities to cling more closely to the God who is able and willing to make us more and more the joyous children
He made us to be, and to look forward to that future in Him.
We can still, and should make plans for our lives here, but we know that we don't have to count on certain circumstances or opportunities to give us our lives and identities.
God will not be thrawted in His great good purposes for us if our plans do not go the way we think they should.
We can plan out of trust and look to Him to lead us to the next step.
When we plan without God we are arrogant.
That is because we are refusing to acknowledge the truth that we are not God--we do not know everything and we are not in charge.
We do not know all that's going on in others' lives, even in our own, and we cannot guarantee that we will even live another day.
This is why "all such boasting is evil"--because it is not true.
When we know what to do, to live out of trust in a good and loving heavenly Father, and fail to do this because we seek to find our security, purpose, identity, or life somewhere else, this is sin.
There is a wonderful freedom in the truth James is teaching his readers.
We can lay down the burden of having to know everything, having to control everything and everyone.
We don't have to have the final say nor fear others or that a particular circumstance will have the last word.
God alone has the first and last word in all things.
And the name of that Word is Jesus Christ.
Thank you Lord,,,, Thank you...
Ref: Trinity Bible Study
Gale
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8/30/2008, 6:39 am
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