Bob Reeves

It is so easy for a Christian to become like a Pharisee. I've seen this only too often, a person that claims to be a Christian points their finger and flops their tongue to some one that is not dressed like, talks like, acts like, or the person is living in some gross sin. James tells us a person is deceived in his own heart and his religion is in vain if he acts as what was said in the paragraph above. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father" are powerful words. We must visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction in order to keep ourselves "unspotted from the world". Otherwise, we would be as the Pharisee. James, following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us to be "doers of the word, not hearers only. Quite time is our time with the Lord.

The perfect law is loving your neighbor as you love yourself. I must say "perfect love" comes only through Christ Jesus. The perfect law is the love that can only come through Christ. I can only define this pefect law as I help those that are in need such as widows, children, and those that are without. I could do this in the flesh, just to satisfy myself. Without Christ Jesus in my live, this would mean nothing. I have the love of Christ in my heart, therefore, I want to please Him because of His love for me. The "royal law" will be fulfilled in you as you love others as you love yourself. Jesus taught we should love one another as He loves us. This loving one another as we love ourselves fulfills the perfect law of God. You see, we are accountable for the way we handle the law of God.

The saved and the unsaved can be lulled into an attitude of believeing that: 1. if I read my Bible and go to Church then I have done my duty as a good person. 2. if I memorize some Scripture and quote it whenever called upon, then I am religious enough. The Word of God teaches us "not to be a hearer only, but a doer of the word." The nature of self-decption is sin. We sin when we become hearers only and not doers.

Through the reading of the Word the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sin and sin nature and caused a hunger in our heart for The Living God to come into our lives and cleanse us of our sin and save our wicked soul. Thus, whenever we allow the Holy Spirit of God to come into our lives, we become "born again." In John 1:1 we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Paul writing to the Romans in chapter one and verse sixteen goes like this: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." It is the Power of the Word that convicts us and works a miricle in our heart. We become new creatures in Christ Jesus.

1. Wisdom is the promise God will give if we ask. With wisdom comes great responsibilities. I've learned not to to ask for wisdom until I have my path cleared to carry the responsibility. 2. Ask for wisdom in faith. Do not ask with your mind focused on something else. 3. We learn through trials. Trials make us more dependent on the Lord. We learn to search His Word for therein lies wisdom. I use to work on automobiles for a living. I didn't always have a manual to read to help me solve a mechanical problem. I had a boss that was very learned in automotive mechanics. He had been in the business for years. He was my book. I would follow his instructions just as he gave them. I gained a lot of knowledge and wisdom from him. Sometime the boss would say, you figure that one out. Anyway, the Bible is best Book to direct us to wisdom.

It seems trials keeps you focused on the promises of God. Might mention though, there are different kinds of trials. I think "kinds" is the word I want to use. There are some trials we can fix and there are those we try to fix, but when they get worse, we turn them completely over to The One Who can fix them, The Lord God. Like whenever there is something wrong with my car, I try to find out what is wrong, then I try to fix it. Sometime it works and sometime it doesn't. I end up taking it to the garage. Sometime, I make it worse and I have to have it towed. Just gotta try to fix it first. I'm learning there are some things I can't do. It hurts sometime, but you have to let go and get the professional.

I must say this takes me back to a time in my life when the devil had control of my life. This evil influence had complete (at least I thought) control of my mind. He had me believing God was bad because of all the evil in my life and the world. Thank God for His long suffering.... A. Why do people blame God for evil? People blame God because they don't see their own evil. So when something disrupts their lives, they blame God. B. God cannot tempt man in evil. Tempting man with evil is not in God's nature. C. No, God cannot and does not tempt sinful people with evil. D. God in his loving nature has given man free choice. God allows people to sin because He is longsuffering. It isn't His "will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." E. This again, I believe the Bible gives the best answer; II Peter 3:9; "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (KJV). So that brings us to this; God loves us and wants us to come to Him for deliverance from sin.

Trials has made me a stronger Christian. I believe my walk with the All Mighty God is a lot close and of course, I depend on him more because of the trials. I'm so thankful that the Lord will never forsake or leave us. I'm convinced He will be with me in every trial that comes my way.