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Paul wished that their love should abound with proper discrimination. That they would be prepared to know truth from falsehood

Paul expects that God's spirit will continue to work within the Philippians (and us) transforming them into the image of Jesus Christ. We know this process of perfection as "sanctification". For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose. (Phi 2:13) Paul understands that man cannot make this journey alone. Without God's continuing grace at work in our hearts, we would surely fall astray. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the LORD holds his hand. (Psa 37:24) Paul knows that God will not abandon the Christian community, but instead, his unending grace will continue to perfect us, until the end of times when Jesus Christ returns to earth and claims his saints. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. LORD, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands. (Psa 138:8) Paul's confidence stems from his personal experience with God's work in his life and from the Word of his Savior. "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish

God will fulfill our needs in abundance when we share our resources with others. That doesn't mean that our lives will be complete with material riches

The concept of "slave" infers property ownership. The slave is "property" and wholly subject to the will of the "owner". We are slaves to Christ in that Jesus paid for us in blood. When we accepted Jesus' forgiveness and allowed him into our lives, we completed a transaction

As we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, we become more Christ-like in our actions

Oil is a ritualistic symbol representing the Holy Spirit

It is the elders

James tells us that we should initiate prayer for healing by involving our church elders. When we are sick we call upon our doctors to prescribe treatment, recognizing their experience and training. Often we don

Our grumbling and complaining ways reflect our impatience with the predicaments we face. We rebel against God for events that disrupt the quiet of our lives. We do not want to be tested. We want a stress-free existence. We do not seek God

Without patience, worldly distractions beckon us and loosen our resolve, and we can slip in our walk with God. Without patience, we are more likely to fall into temptation, doubt Christ

James warns us not to be presumptuous in making our life plans. Our times are not in our own hands, but at the disposal of the God. However, that does not mean that we should be unmoved, waiting for God's knock upon our door. Instead, we should seek prayerful guidance in all that we do and submit ourselves to God

God does not deny us creature comforts and simple indulgences. However, we cannot horde our wealth solely for our own betterment and comfort. When we do, we break the Royal Law—loving material goods and ourselves. Let us not be like the Rich Man. " 'Son,' Abraham said, 'remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. (Luk 16:25) Our ultimate reward awaits us in heaven. Nevertheless, here on earth we seek worldly fulfillment and measure happiness with our possessions. Oh, to be patient for that glorious day ahead when we will be in God’s presence and share eternal life with Jesus. Increasing demand for low-priced goods forces us to reduce costs—and since all costs ultimately arise from labor—we must decrease payments to our workers, and/or demand greater productivity from the same salary expense. A common approach to reduce the cost of goods sold is to shift production offshore to developing countries. In doing so, we irreparably harm agrarian third-world economies when their families forsake the fields for factories—increasing their dependence on others for income, food and shelter. Moreover, children of impoverished families often leave school to work in the factory, enslaving themselves to a life of labor. When jobs move overseas, we not only force our domestic employees to seek alternative employment—often at a reduced wage—but also we intrude into cultures as we pray on man’s greed, tempting others with promises of wealth. Unfortunately, we seldom manage to think beyond short-term returns demanded by our shareholders, and we do more harm than good to our global society. It is a perilous road we undertake. It's time to rethink our misuse of God's children at a global level. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming, and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, that slave's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luk 12:45-46)

It is tempting to bad-mouth others, as we seek to glorify our self, and feel more worthy to be called Sons of God. In doing so we act like the Prodigal

If we are to reap the fruits of God

Humility involves putting others before us

James chose the word

Pleasure is not forbidden by God. Christians are not expected to live a vow of poverty, nor embrace a dour existence on Earth. But when pleasure seeking becomes obsessive and self-oriented

Peacemakers sow with the tool of wisdom given through God

Until God's word is written indelibly upon our heart, our tongue will echo the evil that resides within us. When we commit our lives to serving the Lord, only then can we begin to control our tongue. But until we are fully conformed in the image of Jesus, our tongue will continue to bedevil our lives

What an awesome responsibility we accept when we teach. How similar to teaching the Word is our obligation as parents. The Pharisees let self interests interfere with their teachings. Jesus warned

What first appears as conflicting is actually complimentary when viewed in the context that Paul and James each faced a different situation. Paul was dealing with Jewish confidence in good works as grounds for salvation, whereas James was facing believers who expressed no outward signs of faith. When James refers to

The difference is a loving faith. Demons are agonizingly aware of the reality of God and the redemption offered by Christ, but they are in no sense committed to God

All that we have has come from God. As good stewards of his abundant blessings it is binding upon us to relieve the poor and needy

Faith involves an active, personal commitment to God. True faith is a gift of God's grace

When we show mercy to the wealthy, we forgive their sins and offer them our unmerited favor and unconditional love. They are wholly incapable of earning our mercy