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As long as our "pleasures" involve God in the process. We need to be careful and know that God is not only in our "busyness" but in our recreation as well. We take God along If we ask according to God's will He is faithful and just and will accomplish just that in our lives. He wants us to en "joy" life to the fullest but in His ways. It becomes wrong when we live out our pleasures in order to satisfy our own desires which become evil if we don't involve God. We become greedy, lustful and rebellious. We need to invite God into our work and play.

Peacemakers use the tool of "common ground". That being that we are all made by one Creator and are controlled by that one Creator. If we were truly all of one body and Spirit we would strive to live the life that God has called us to, a life of holiness (wholeness in Him). If there is strife and envy among the brethren then God's love can not manifest among the body. We must surrender to God's will and not our own so that we can all function within the body as we must.

HUMILITY is the freedom from arrogance that grows out of the recognition that all we have and are comes from God. Freedom from arrogance is quite the opposite of selfishness. Our motivation in humility is to lessen ourselves so another can be greater. If we were to do that then envy and bitterness would not be an issue. There would be no room for jealousy. The denial of it hinders healing in that if we don't get rid of it there is then no room for God to do His work in our hearts and speech. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 says: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." Healing comes from God and in order for that to happen we have to surrender to Him and admit we need His help.

Not only is it an issue of having unclean lips but also unclean hearts. The passages states that "their hearts were far from God". If we don't have our "hearts in the right place" then our lips will speak wrongly. What we let contaminate our being speaks out of our mouths. We must give our whole selves over to God in order for the mouth to speak of what is good.

I don't think he is discouraging others from being teachers but I do believe he is laying it all out in front of them by telling them that being a teacher has it's problems. There is a great amount of accountability due to the fact that we must know what we teach and even more so live it. I don't think one should hold higher standards for a pastor but they should strive to live according to what they have learned to be "truth" in their own lives. Pastors do need to be held accountable by their students and the students can only do this by searching the "truth" for themselves.

James and Paul both agree that salvation is not by works but that works are necessary to exercise the spiritual muscle we call God's grace in our lives. We work because we are loved. We work because we have been shown mercy. It is like the slave that has been made free but "chooses" to continue working for the master regardless. Works should be an outward expression of our love for God. Our lives were already mapped out before our birth but what we do with them only puts pictures to a page already written on with words.

Obviously demons believe there is a God, they once lived among Him but they did not "choose" Him. They have no trust and no true relationship with him. Many times I see people living in "religion" with God but not relationship. It takes two to make a relationship work. Many do not "choose" God but rather self and live to make themselves look good out of "obedience of the law" rather than doing what is right out of sincere respect and adoration of God.

Faith, if not put to the test, does not grow. We must put our faith to work so that we may learn our place in the Kingdom of God. Faith is a noun and our action is the verb that puts feet to our faith. It causes it to move, to live and to have being. Without movement there is complacency and stagnation. With movement there is growth and life and being.

Who needs to be granted mercy? It is usually the down-trodden and neglected folks. There are rich in need to but I believe all must be granted mercy. The rich have their treasure but the poor are in need. We must relate to that since we were once lost too. Hosea 6:6 - It is a matter of where our heart is (an act of mercy) and not in obeying the law according to our standard. Matthew 5:7 - We will be shown mercy when we show it and in the reverse will be judged according to how we judge. Matthew 9:13 - The sinners need saving not those that "know it all" God did the unexpected. He showed us mercy when we deserved punishment for our sins. He granted us what was not expected. He gave us a wonderful gift through His Son. Our judgement was forgiven and we can rejoice in this.

Favoritism, as was stated, is the act of being partial. Who decides who is to be treated in what way....we do in our own eyes. We then become judges at that point and act as if we are God. The only one worthy to decide who gets the best treatment is God and His ways don't always mesh with ours (due to our selfish natures). It is only when we get familiar with "our Lord" that we realize how we must treat others....with respect, dignity and honor. Others may not merit that in our eyes but they are creations of God and need to at least be given a chance. Life on earth is but a mere testing of our love for God...how we treat others, how we live in His love, how we treat His creation.

I struggle with discrimination against people that "abuse the system". I feel for them and I know God, so must I, love their heart but I really dislike the way they want and want and want without giving in any way. I am blessed to be part of the "church" that uses the ministry in a very unique way to bring all walks of life toward God. I am not one to try and make a "good impression" on anyone. I know that not all people will like me but I try to "love on" people the best I know how. It is very much out of my comfort zone but regardless I am called to minister to others.

We can have all the quiet times and worship with God we want but if our lives aren't speaking what we experience with God than our lives are being spent wrong. We must have those times of refuge with God of course but for the equipping of the saints. We must then enter the mission field and bring others to God through our words, actions, and deeds. We ask God to give us what we need and ask for opportunities and let Him shine through us. There is a phrase " Soup, Soap and Salvation". You meet an individual where they are, you meet a physical need so that you can get to the spiritual need without expecting pay backs. It is all about God teaching us how to share His love with others and in turn teach us to live selflessly for Him.

The Perfect Law is setting your standards based on God's love for you and others and your love for God and others. If love isn't a basis for the principles of Christianity than you will surely break the law. If our desire to follow God's commands is based on love we will not want to break the laws. Of course, following the laws do not make us a Christian but they do give us the liberty to experience God's love in the way it was meant to be experienced. Royal v. Perfect law? In my eyes that would mean following the law of the land for true order to take effect.

It goes back to the "you look great on the outside but on the inside you are rotting away". We can make our lives presentable to the world but if we let evil corrupt us with secret sins or sin of any kind of course we will be found out. We must "live" what God says and not just look at it now and then and think "that was a nice story" or such and so should pay heed to that. We should take God's Word personally. Just as a parent knows that we must live what we say so should the christian.

God's Word (as the world calls it - The Bible) is not just a nice book with lots of stories. It is Spirit-filled and God breathed (II Timothy 3:16) and is what our faith is built upon. We live (or should) are lives based on the truth that God's Word reveals in us. His Spirit spurns us towards the truth and we grasp it. That is all we do. Our faith is totally built upon God's promises in our lives and those promises give us life and we find those promises in His Word.

The promise is that we will be given Godly wisdom if we would only ask. The condition is that we believe wholeheartedly that God is true to His Word. We must come in the knowledge that He is ultimately in control of our lives. Trials help us to get to the point of asking God for "His" wisdom rather that relying on our own "street smarts". When things are going smoothly we tend to forget who is in charge and then when "push comes to shove" we are persuaded that He is able to keep our lives in check when asked.

Trials help get us out of our comfort zones and make us realize we must make a choice. Sometimes we get too comfortable in "our own lives" we leave no room for God to work. We must surrender to Him for order to take place in our lives. God's way or our way is the choice and too many times we find ourselves choosing the "low road" and finding our lives falling into the ditches of life when all we had to do was take the high road which includes the best guide possible, The Holy Spirit. Trials help us decide where God fits into our lives and what path we should take.

It brings to mind the phrase "we have made our bed and now we must sleep in it". When sin first entered into the realm of mankind it began reeking havoc on the world and hasn't stopped. People blame God because He is the creator and preserver of all things and they see Him as ultimately responsible but they forget about the choices our forefathers have made. God created a perfect world for us but also gave us free will. God does not tempt us with evil but he allows us to make choices. He hopes that our choices are to follow Him (hence: the ten commandments). He allows sin to exist in order for us to decipher the light from the dark and hopefully choose the lighted path.

Trials have caused me to rely on God more than anything. When tough times come I can lean on the One who is in control. Satan has tried his hardest to tempt me to give up but then I remember God's faithfulness in the past and it is good to know that God is the same "yesterday", today and forever. I have chosen to let God refine my weak areas and ask Him to make me stronger. I believe I am a new creation and an ever changing one from the day of salvation, working to be the person God would want me to be in Christ. God is definitely not finished with me yet

Q1. (1:2-4) What value have trials had in your life? Have you let Satan destroy you with those trials? Or allowed God to refine you? How have you changed? Trials have caused me to rely on God more than anything. When tough times come I can lean on the One who is in control. Satan has tried his hardest to tempt me to give up but then I remember God's faithfulness in the past and it is good to know that God is the same "yesterday", today and forever. I have chosen to let God refine my weak areas and ask Him to make me stronger. I believe I am a new creation and an ever changing one from the day of salvation, working to be the person God would want me to be in Christ. God is definitely not finished with me yet

Hi, I live in southern Nevada and I pastor a church for The Salvation Army with my husband. I look forward to learning with you all:)