Judy Ferguson

James speaks to those who "presume to be teachers" which suggests to me that there are those who go beyond wanting to be teachers to presuming they are, for the honour or prestige or approval of man they will receive. Possibly they do this out of pride and desire for recognition. James' warning to this group is to take the office of teacher seriously because it is subject to greater scrutiny and accountability. Teachers are responsible for the consequences of both their words and their actions, and will be judged accordingly. Therefore pastors who also present themselves as teachers must be held to a higher standard than those who are receving the teaching.

I think that first and foremost we are responsible for helping the poor and needy in our church community. And "poor and needy" can take many forms, not limited to financial needs. We can invite someone out for coffee and listen to their problems. We can provide classes to teach parenting, cooking on a budget, etc. And these should not be restricted to those within the church. What an opportunity to reach the poor and needy in our communities with God's love by giving them practical help. And when they ask, "Why are you giving up your time to do this?" we can share our faith with them and let them know that God loves them, too.

If we limit our definition of faith to what we believe intellectually we misunderstand its real meaning. When Jesus said, "You must be born again" He was talking about a radical change in the way we live our lives. Thus our actions will demonstrate our faith. These actions go far beyond such things as going to church on Sunday and doing all the "right" things from a legalistic point of view. Our faith will recognize needs which we can meet, people whom we can encourage, menial jobs that need to be done which we are capable of doing. And these actions will not necessarily be visible. Intercessory prayer, praise and worship, waiting to hear from God, done in private will still arise from faith. Without these we can run ahead of God and our actions will be motivated by something other than faith such as our desire to receive the praise of man..

Taming the tongue and caring for the poor are the results of obedience to the Royal Law, "Love your neighbour as yourself". During our quiet time and worship we draw and are drawn closer to God but we are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. A tree bears fruit after it receives the nutrients from the soil and water and sunshine. It's value lies in the fruit it produces for the benefit of those who eat it, not just in being nice to look at. So are we to produce fruit which will benefit others, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23)

I totally agree with joyandblessings and others who expressed similar ideas. We live in a time when we are taught that knowledge is power so we are in information overload with Christian books, Christian CDs and DVDs, Christian television, Christian radio, etc. as well as what we hear in church. We become passive listeners, believing that because we see, read and hear these things somehow we become righteous by osmosis. Until we become "doers of the Word" and "doers of the messages from books, TV programs, sermons, etc." we are indeed deceiving ourselves and ignoring the fact that "living out" is an active verb.

Recognizing the Word of God is THE "word of truth" opens the door to faith which results in our spiritual birth. It was Jesus who said that we must be "born" again and when the Word of God is put on the same level as other religious documents and philosophies as just one version of many truths the door to life-giving faith is closed. Moral relativism and the denial that any truth is absolute has caused confusion for many people but the fact that life is absolute and death is absolute gives the lie to this anti-Christian belief. As God continues to speak to us through His living Word we can rest assured that He will continue to guide us daily!

There is no point in asking God for wisdom if we already have an idea in the back of our mind that when we receove it we will decide whether we want to follow God's wisdom or make our own decisions without reference to God at all. If that is our position we simply will not receive wisdom from God, but He will allow us to stumble along on our own. Trials help us to receive this wisdom because we often find ourselves in a place where we are unable to help ourselves and are at a loss as to what we should do. There is only one thing left, and that is to ask God and trust His answer. And I for one can testify to the fact that when this happens things always come out for the best, even if it didn't seem to make sense at the time.

I picture doublemindedness as being like a fork in the road. I start down one path for awhile, then I turn around, come back, and start down the other path, come back, and on and on, never making progress and never getting anywhere. Trials force us to make a choice. Choices have consequences. If I choose the faith path I will not be walking alone because I know that God will be with me. If I choose the other path (anything other than faith) or if I choose to do nothing I will miss out on what God has prepared for me. Trials bring us to this place: Choose you today who you will serve!

People who blame God for evil do not understand who He is or why He sent Jesus Christ to earth to die on a cross and rise from the dead. Nor do they understand that God created Adam and Eve to have fellowship with them, and they broke that bond of fellowship when they chose to believe Satan rather than God. God does not tempt anyone with evil but has given us free will so that we can choose if we want to have fellowship with Him or not. When we understand that we understand why evil must exist so that His grace may abound.

There have been many trials in my life but with the passing of time as I look back I increasingly understand their value. There was a time that when bad things happened I would allow Satan to raise doubts in my mind about the goodness or even existence of God, to become discouraged and depressed, to wonder if there even was a divine order in the world. But at one point I chose as my life verse Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." And I began to see how if this negative thing hadn't happened, this good thing wouldn't have come about. I began to understand what it means to know God has a plan for your life; nothing happens by chance but things do happen by choice. And this has made an incredible difference in my life. It has made it possible to overcome obstacles and to achieve goals that at one time seemed far beyond my reach. But most important, it has drawn me into an intimate relationship with the Father and a new love for His Word and His will.

Hi! My name is Judy and I'm from northern Ontario, Canada. I participated in an online Bible study a few years ago and really learned a lot so I am looking forward to this one.

Hi! My name is Judy and I am a teacher in a secure custody facility for young offenders between the ages of 12 and 15. I am also Children's Pastor at my church, Gateway Pentecostal. I haven't done an online Bible study for a while and am really looking forward to this one. Gideon is one of my heroes! God is good! P.S. I am also from cold Ontario, Canada!