Eastrea

This is the second Joyful Heart Bible Study Forum that I have participated in. It has been a great blessing to me as it has challenged me greatly as to how to try and live for Jesus. to be both salt and light in a dark and decaying world.

This was the first online Bible Study that I have ever done. I am so pleased that I did. I found the method and style of tecahing so helpful and the questions which came through each day thought provoking. I will definitely be doing another Study soon. I really gained a lot from studying the book of James in particular. I found it helpful trying to apply the Studies to my life, as one looking in a mirror.

Grumbling and complaining mean that we are not completely trusting the Lord to bring about His purposes in any given situation. Part of our problem is that we live in an "instant society"; instant food, instant news, etc, and we can be tempted to want an instant God also.

At the end of the day we do not know the day or the hour of christ's return, but we know that he will return one day. If we get set on a particular date, we may become disappointed and impatient and also discouraged. All these feelings can lead to doubt also. And we may start to fall away from the Faith.

The danger is that we will see these things, comfort and luxury as necessary requirements to our lives. Our demand for low priced goods can lead to other people being expolited because at the end of the day one of the main components of production is the wages bill. Unscrupulous employers can drive wages down in order to generate even greater profit.

These verses are trying to stop us getting too full of pride or becoming boastful about OUR abilities and desires. BUT rather we are to rely on the Lord to lead. Nothing wrong with being ambitious, but is what WE want what the Lord wants for us?

By bad-mouthing another person we are not loving them as God commands us too. Sometimes we just get caught up in what others might be saying about someone and fail to see the plank in our own eye!

They are signs of true repentance. They go against our human nature which wants to always be our own master, and not to submit to God. It is hard to resist some of the more subtle approaches of the Devil, especially as I am/was quite a feelings led person. I have had to try and re-train my mind to see that whatever I may feel may not actually mean the external world has changed at all i.e. God still loves me, as does my family, I still have a job and so on.

We are called adulteresses when we choose to flirt or play with the world and what it appears to offer us over the things of God. We should be married to Christ. Friendship with the world makes us double-minded and we can be in danger of falling for it's apparent charms, which are deceptive.

No I do not think that I serve a kill-joy God, but so much pleasure is self centred in the world. I have only recently been converted I feel although I went to Church for years. I was Christianized rather than Saved. I used to seek pleasure to make me happy, but then I read the words of Augustine, that "our souls are restless until they find their rest in God". How true. And how I now understand that statement.

We sow with the tool called Love. Love changes our hearts, displacing selfishness. This is the ripening crop of righteousness. This crop grows in us as individual Christians.

Both the negatives cited are opposites to humility because they seek to promote oneself above God. Denying or boasting about these traits prevent God from dealing with them in our lives.

Without a change of heart the tongue cannot be tamed. Before this change of heart, the tongue is untamable. Proverbs 27:19 says "as water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man" (NIV).

Teachers will be judged more strictly, which is appropriate as they have more responsibility to the Lord not to lead others astray. We do set higher standards for our Pastors, although they too are human because they have a greater capacity to bring the gospel into disrepute if they were to fall into sin.

We are saved by faith alone, but arising from that saving faith should be the desire to do good works.

A demon intellectually knows that God exists. A non practicing Christian also knows that God exists but this belief isn't evident in their lives. A practicing Christian wants to bring glory to God by demonstrating their faith in Him by doing good to others in his name.

We are very much responsible for the poor and needy in the Church community.I would say less so for those outside, in that the scale of the problem is so large. But we should do as much as we can within our sphere of influence. But Jesus did say, "the poor you will have with you always".

Works show that faith is alive, by demonstrating practical Christianity. For example, feeding the poor in Christ's name. Without good works as a natural progression of faith then it may be just head knowledge a person has rather than a real conversion.

The wealthy often do not feel that they are in need of god's mercy. We add to their belief if we treat them well just because of their wealth or status. Mercy triumphs over judgement in that if we show mercy it will be given to.

It is more royal than the Mosaic Law because sums up what the very essence of the Mosaic Law should have been about. Favouritism towards a rich person and disdain towards a poor person both break the Royal Law, because in both cases we are not showing true love.

We can be tempted to judge on the outward appearance, face value, i.e. is someone rich or poor. Then we can be tempted to make decisions about people on their ability to help us back, or our Church. So we pander to the rich man because of his wealth or influence.

I don't believe that I now discriminate against any type of person, or sinner. But I know that I used to when I was more self-righteous. I used to think that some types of sins/sinners were worse than others, particularly sexual sins. But recognising my own sinfulness, I now know what I have been capable of in the past, and it humbled me. i want people to know that Jesus can make a difference in their lives. That He is the God of the second, third, fourth chance, etc. My Church is lovely, and agian I didn't always believe or see that. They don't try and flatter anyone. All who come are welcome, are treated the same and are told that they need to turn from their sins. England is no longer a Christian Country, and Gospel believing churches are hard to find. Praise God that I am in one.

Because they are both objective tests if you like. We should always be known as those that speak gently towards others, especially non Christians, so that in our lives they can see the Lord. And again caring practically for people is showing our faith in action.

I would define the Perfect Law as being all those things revealed to us by the Word of God and which were commanded by the Lord Jesus, and which He has placed in our hearts. The Perfect Law takes us, I believe beyond the Royal Law, in that it challenges us to ever more higher standards of behaviour for the Lord. The Law of the Lord sets us free, because we do not strive alone, but have the Holy Spirit to help us and also because we know that we are doing God's will if we try to live by his commands. I found this question a tough one to answer!

We lose sight of what it actually means to BE a Christian. We confuse being surrounded by Christian things i.e tapes and books, or going to Church, with the importance of being in a close relationship with Jesus. We get comfortable and smug and can also become self righteous. The nature of the problem is that we can be tempted to "rest on our laurels" and not move on with Jesus.