Fellowship with CindyisHis (4) Part one

[peacechild4]

I am praying also..

 

[irenemcg]

Before I go, our oldest daughter broke her hand, shattering a bone. She goes in for surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30.

Praying for here!

 

[CindyisHis]

I am praying also..

Praying for here!

Wow! Thank you, ladies. Ya'll are quick!

She's going to be fine. A matter of recuperation and therapy later. She'll have a plate put in. She's young (27) and in good health so the doctor is not concerned at all that there will be any problem. And we know with prayer there will not be!

 

[ralangley]

Wow! Thank you, ladies. Ya'll are quick!

She's going to be fine. A matter of recuperation and therapy later. She'll have a plate put in. She's young (27) and in good health so the doctor is not concerned at all that there will be any problem. And we know with prayer there will not be!

Wonderful news! Also praying.

 

[Floatingaxe]

Praying for that precious little girl and her hand.

 

[Jere209]

Wow! Thank you, ladies. Ya'll are quick!

She's going to be fine. A matter of recuperation and therapy later. She'll have a plate put in. She's young (27) and in good health so the doctor is not concerned at all that there will be any problem. And we know with prayer there will not be!

 

[Jere209]

Well, I fully expected to readJames 3 today and then join in tonight. Ha! Nothing goes the way I expect. So, I'll try again tomorrow..
btw,,
hi to all.

 

[Mark2010]

Cindy, glad your daughter is OK. Haven't broken a hand, but HAVE spent too much time in the hospital in recent years.

Got a prayer request and I truly hope this doesn't come across sounding selfish.... I came across a really amazing job opportunity today. Tweaked my resume and applied online tonight. It seems like it COULD be an amazing opportunity and is a terrific match for my abilities, experience and interests. So definitely well within the realm of reasonableness. On the other hand, it's with a rather large company and I don't have a personal contact (just an impersonal human resource contact) and I have no idea how many applications they get for stuff like this. So it's altogether possible I could get lost in the shuffle.

So, anyway, just praying that God would open the door if this is something that is right for me.

 

[CindyisHis]

Cindy, glad your daughter is OK. Haven't broken a hand, but HAVE spent too much time in the hospital in recent years.

Got a prayer request and I truly hope this doesn't come across sounding selfish.... I came across a really amazing job opportunity today. Tweaked my resume and applied online tonight. It seems like it COULD be an amazing opportunity and is a terrific match for my abilities, experience and interests. So definitely well within the realm of reasonableness. On the other hand, it's with a rather large company and I don't have a personal contact (just an impersonal human resource contact) and I have no idea how many applications they get for stuff like this. So it's altogether possible I could get lost in the shuffle.

So, anyway, just praying that God would open the door if this is something that is right for me.

Lord, we pray You'll make Mark's app stand out from the rest if this is the place for him. Give Him Your perfect peace as He rests in You. I pray also that the hospital stays are over, that he will never have to be in one again, at least not as a patient.

The surgery on my daughter's hand did go well. She is very much needed her pain meds. She feels it right about when it's time to take another, so she takes it 30 min. in advance. She goes back to the dr. Fri. to be checked.

 

[CindyisHis]

Well, I fully expected to readJames 3 today and then join in tonight. Ha! Nothing goes the way I expect. So, I'll try again tomorrow..
btw,,
hi to all.

Here you go. You can't miss it now!

James 3

The Tongue Is a Fire

1Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2For we all stumble in many ways If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
3Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.
4Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.
5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.
8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
12Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
Wisdom from Above

13Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
18And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 

[Jere209]

Here you go. You can't miss it now!

James 3

The Tongue Is a Fire

1Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2For we all stumble in many ways If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
3Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.
4Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.
5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.
8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
12Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
Wisdom from Above

13Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
18And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

lol, Cindy. I did read it this morning. I have to clean for a couple of hours. I had company stop by before I had things cleaned up, and that always upsets me. I hate for others to see my house dirty. ugh.

BUT I will be back later to post my thoughts.!

hugs

 

[CindyisHis]

I have things to attend to now with my daughter, the one here, the youngest. We shall meet up later.

 

[Jere209]

Ok, now I'm back and ready to throw my 2 cents in.. Fwiw.

Right off the bat, this hits me square between the eyes, because it speaks of teachers. I love to teach, and when I found this scripture, it did not put a damper on my enthusiasm for teaching, but it sure did put some caution into my words. To know that God holds those of that teach His Word to a higher accountability than others really does put the fear of God in a person. "...let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." v1. For teachers are responsible for not only themselves but for all those they influence, also referenced in Matthew 23.

In verses 6-8 we see the true source of the unruly evil produced by the tongue is none other than hell. For at one end the tongue spits deadly poison like a snake, and the other end is manipulated by wicked spirits. ewww...

Therefore, no man can tame it...

In v13, it shows us that a teacher should be consistent with what they teach (practice), and in v14 we see if one is motivated by selfish ambition they will always lie against the truth.

James discusses wisdom here in v17, but it is the practical, moral wisdom not theoretical.

To sum up all of chapter 3, it would be about leadership. And the fact that leaders are held at a higher accountability level than others, judged with higher standards that those that follow after them. In 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1, it gives great attention to details, but here James reminds that those in leadership will be held accountable for exemplifying Jesus Christ in their spirit and behavior, as well as in their words and duties. Government, military, and business leaders are seldom judged on their personal lives. Leaders in the kingdom, however, are. It isn't so much as what we accomplish that we are judged by, but rather what our character reveals about us. Every time a Christian leader falls, everyone swoops in for the kill. I am very careful to not do the same as everyone around me in juding these people. Teachers just should not judge other teachers (nor anyone for that matter). This high standard applies not so much to the leader's achievements as to the codition of their hearts and spirits. It's possible (as we all know) to have someone with grand accomplishments and even orthodox behavior, but still manifest a loveless, ungodly spirit. But if first the leader's heart is right, godly behavior wil always follow and good leadership will be manifested.

So, there's my take on chapter 3..
One could literally write a book on chapter 3 alone..

 

[Jere209]

I have things to attend to now with my daughter, the one here, the youngest. We shall meet up later.

 

[icedtea]

You are a good teacher.

 

[Jere209]

You are a good teacher.

If you are meaning me, thank you..

 

[CindyisHis]

I love chapter 3 and I just haven't been able to post on it! Wah!

The Lord has been churning some things in me as I have been fasting and praying, which has diverted my attention. Tomorrow is it. If I don't post on it tomorrow, it will be another week's study, unless I extend it since we haven't yet heard from ral either. Friday will be pretty busy and I'll be out of town Saturday. My daughter's invited to a birthday celebration at Disney World. Our admission is paid, along with parking, which is now a whopping $11. That leaves tomorrow. With the house cleaned today, I just may be able to swing it. Hope so.

I have gotten away from work on my book, ever since Mom fell. I was so faithful to work at it every day, until then. It's time I put it on the front burner again. I will have to apply the rule to myself that I cannot post unless I write in it first.

With all the things to do in life it can be easy to neglect the most needful - our relationship with the Lord. It's all about Jesus. How much time am I spending with Him? Am I sensitive to the promptings of His Spirit, let alone the written Word? Am I obeying Him, and cleaving to Him, holding fast to Him?

As we continue in the Lord we must guard our hearts to see that we don't begin to do only the outward things and our hearts far from Him. Do we pause during the day just to tell Him we love Him? Just to bless Him? Are we more mindful of ourselves and our plans and schedules than Him?

......rambling thoughts as I go to bed.

Thanks for sharing, Jere and HD.

 

[CindyisHis]

There are 4 things that stand out to me from the many things to glean from chapter 3.

1. Teachers receiving stricter judgment.
2. The amazing power of a controlled tongue to direct our lives.
3. Evil and good flowing from the same source.
4. Wisdom from above and earthly wisdom.

1. Teachers. Yeah, what she said! Amen to Jere's commentary on that. That is my take and also how it affects me.

Right off the bat, this hits me square between the eyes, because it speaks of teachers. I love to teach, and when I found this scripture, it did not put a damper on my enthusiasm for teaching, but it sure did put some caution into my words. To know that God holds those of that teach His Word to a higher accountability than others really does put the fear of God in a person.

Amen.

2. The power of the tongue.
James 3:2 ......if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.
4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. NLT

A. We could control ourselves in every other way if we can control our tongue.

That's huge! That's worth committing to memory, to sowing in our hearts, in order to incorporate it into our every day lives.

Three ways to gain control over the tongue are God's Word, prayer and fasting.

Replace the negative, contrary, disobedient, defiled speech with God's Word. This not only includes harsh words to others and profanity, but also that which God considers profane, such as doubts regarding the integrity of His Word. When we say things like, "I don't know if God really loves me, why did He let _________ happen?" That is profane in His holy ears. How would you as a parent feel if your children said such a thing? "I don't know if Mom really loves me. I know she has enough to buy food for me, but she may not." How insulting! It would be better to think, "Mom, loves me, I'm sure, but I know times are hard and she may not be able to get what I need right now. But I know she would if she could." Can you see the difference?

It is satan who goes about planting doubts in our minds of our Father's love for us. In times like these it is tempting to blurt out what our emotions are dictating, but that is a grave error. Lay your hand on your mouth, as scripture says, and don't let that escape from your lips. Go to the Word and strengthen yourself. Encourage yourself in Him. How long? Until the desired end is reached.

Prayer is essential, for it God who we rely on, not our own strength. Verse 8 says no one can tame the tongue. I had to ask the Lord about this verse. He said we are to tame our tongue, then it says no man can. What's up with that? No man can in his own strength, but with God, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, with the Word, with stirring up the things within by praying in the Spirit, we can. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Pray in the spirit and pray with the understanding at all times. Keep yourselves in the love of God by praying. Keep yourselves strong by praying both in the spirit and with the understanding.

Fasting brings about control like nothing else. Fasting doesn't change God, it changes us. God will never change, and we don't want Him too. He's perfect. We are the ones who need to get things in order and line up to His Word. Fasting not only causes us to hear Him clearly, but to gain control over the flesh. I always come out of a fast with more power because I have more control over my tongue. It happens without even purposing it to happen. It is a by-product. See, it is not the fasting where the power lies, but in the tongue. Fasting helps us gain power of the tongue. It is prayer that changes things, not the fasting. Fasting is a tool, and a very effective one at that.

So just how powerful is the tongue? It's compared to controlling a horse and to a ship. I love these two analogies. One pertains to our inner selves, and the other to outer circumstances.

B. A bit goes in a horses mouth to control it. Here we have this massive powerful, and I must say beautiful, animal whom w control by a little piece of metal. From within, the horse may want to head back to the pasture when taken out for a ride, and he may want to run all the way back when he's heading home (ask me how I know ), yet the strong urges can be tamed by a bit. What strong urges do you have that are dominating your life? Use your tongue to turn it about.

C. A ship doesn't feel like going one way or another, but it is affected by outer circumstances. Should a raging storm come up from the south, we can steer it in another direction to avoid it. And if it is in a storm the rudder will keep it heading in the desired direction no matter how it gets tossed about. We can avoid many storms by our tongue. It is only too often it is our tongue that creates the storm, especially in relationships. It's easy to see in this sphere. A harsh word stirs up anger scripture says. And pleasant words are sweet to the soul and health to the bones. It's not as easily seen in other areas, but it is working just the same. One can't see the rudder on a ship either. Trust God's Word - it's working sure enough, whether it is visible yet or not.


3. Evil and good, blessing and cursing, from the same source.
James 3:9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.
10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?
12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. NLT

We need to be consistent in our speech. We wonder why things aren't working. Scripture says faith works by love. If we are not walking in love, our faith will be hampered. It shuts things down that are working in the spirit realm. We may believing for something and things are set in motion, the answer is on the way. The we lose our temper, our bear a grudge, and things come to a halt until we take care of it. Sometimes it is only a vague feeling of animosity, so we think it's okay. It's not. We're either in love, or we're crossing over into the hate the side. There's isn't a gray area with God who examines our hearts and from whom nothing is hidden.

Observe for a minute what happens. Let's spend a moment worshiping the Lord, telling Him we love Him. Say we have entered in. We sense His presence and it is glorious. We leave that place and go to our work, whatever it is we do in life day in and day out. Still have that joy, that peace, unless we let worries in. Now say we leave that place and begin wondering why so and so said that to me, and blah, blah, blah. What happens to that joy, peace, and confidence we have before God? What happens to our connection? It's like pulling a plug out of the socket. We lose our power source.

4. Wisdom.
James 3:4 But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth. 15 This [superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal), even devilish (demoniacal).
16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity). AMP

We can see those little attitudes of the heart make a big difference. We let those in, and by the way, they're only little to us, not God, we let those in and we expose ourselves to the wisdom from below, which is demonic. Whew! I don't want that! None of us want that. We don't want to find ourselves in a desperate situation having wisdom from a demonic influence. No way. And I'll tell you, it is not always apparent we're receiving this earthly wisdom, not when we're in the midst of it.

We want help from on high. Thankfully, it comes easily. God gives wisdom liberally we know from James 1. Our attitudes, our sin, will keep us from connecting to it.

I think it does us well to take note of the things in the list that will block it. These things grieve the Lord. And the main reason we want to put these evil things to death is for that reason. We want to please Him in everything because we love Him. Our love for Him is evident in the choices we make.

Sorry so long, there is so much here!

 

[ralangley]

Hi! I posted something a few minutes ago and my computer froze up!!! So, all I'm going to say now is GREAT POSTS Jere & Cindy!!!

The girls are in day bible camp this week. Having a great time! We're having nice, hot weather. Hope everyone is doing well. Peace. Ral

 

[CindyisHis]

Hi! I posted something a few minutes ago and my computer froze up!!! So, all I'm going to say now is GREAT POSTS Jere & Cindy!!!

The girls are in day bible camp this week. Having a great time! We're having nice, hot weather. Hope everyone is doing well. Peace. Ral

Oh no! That is so frustrating, losing posts. I've had trouble with this site today myself.

Glad you're having nice weather. I hope we don't get a downpour Saturday, or if we do I hope I am inside at the moment. We've had scattered thunderstorms every day for weeks. The good news is it cools it down for us. Orlando gets real hot, being inland. If it weren't for my daughter's friend's birthday we would not go this time of year. It is usually packed during summer vacation and the day is spent standing in long lines in the hot sun. So cloud cover is welcome. So are fast passes.

I can hardly wait to see my good friend, the girl's mother. She moved from here about 6 mos. ago and is now working at Disney. So we get in on a good deal. Praise God!