Planning for the future is always a good thing to do… as long as we keep God in the mix! May we always yield our planning and preparation to His loving care.
In today’s message we took a deep dive into the context of the relevant passages and discovered that James and Paul had very different audiences who were at different levels in their spiritual maturity. Both disciples' messages are actually very similar and complementary: we are not saved BY good works, but we are saved FOR good works.
In James 2:1-10, James warns against favoritism, gives an example of what it looks like, then explains why it doesn’t make sense in light of the Gospel.
In James 1:22, the author gave his readers a thesis that is repeated throughout the epistle and appears in one way or another throughout Scripture: "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
James encourages believers to “consider it pure joy” when they face all kinds of trials and difficulties. What possible benefit could God have for introducing or allowing trials in our lives?
In continuing the “Before” Christmas series where we are looking at how prophecies spoken by the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled at the first Christmas, we discover the most remarkable and extraordinary event of all time.
There will be light. There will be peace. There will be celebration, singing and joy! These are some of the prophecies Isaiah wrote about almost 800 years before Christmas and were fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.