The Voice translates James 4:4 this way: “You are adulterers. Don’t you know that making friends with this corrupt world order is open aggression toward God? So anyone who aligns himself with this bogus world system is declaring war against the one true God.” Are you trying to “make friends” with this “bogus world system”?Continue reading “ARE YOU A FRIEND OF THE WORLD? James 4:4; 2 Cor. 6:17.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
IF WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE, THEN WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LAWS? Galatians 3:24.
How many laws are there in America? One thousand? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? The truth is, no one knows. In 2013, a Senior Legal Research Specialist with the Library of Congress wrote that “trying to tally the number” of federal laws “is nearly impossible.” [1] The laws governing life in ancient Israel were alsoContinue reading “IF WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE, THEN WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LAWS? Galatians 3:24.”
The Demons Also Believe. James 2:19.
Does belief save you? Is it enough to know Jesus died for you? Is believing He died to take away your sins the same as placing your faith in Jesus? Consider: “A man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, ‘What do you have to do with us, Jesus? Have youContinue reading “The Demons Also Believe. James 2:19.”
IS BELIEF ENOUGH? James 2:19.
No. Salvation is more than accurate beliefs—more than “head knowledge.” Something has to change. Your life is transformed and you are born again—THAT is salvation. The old dies and you receive a new life. Everything changes, like the caterpillar that ceases to be a caterpillar and is reborn a butterfly. James agrees. “You believe GodContinue reading “IS BELIEF ENOUGH? James 2:19.”
AN ACCOUNTING LESSON. James 1:2-3
Since Adam began naming animals, humans have categorized everything in nature: evergreens and hardwoods, volcanic rock and sedimentary rock, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians. The 19th-century saw the world briefly explode with naturalists. Explorers and artists like John James Audubon traveled with sketch pads, measuring tools, and boxes of specimens, seeking undiscovered animals to name,Continue reading “AN ACCOUNTING LESSON. James 1:2-3”
WISDOM. Hebrews 4:12-13.
The year 2020 was a year of searing pain. I talked to a friend at work during the summer of 2021 about the year of 2020, and about politics, riots, COVID, vaccines, and suffering. If you measured the greatest amount of pain distributed to the greatest number of people, the pain of 2020 must haveContinue reading “WISDOM. Hebrews 4:12-13.”
THE BIT AND BRIDLE. James 1:26.
Horses are huge, yet we expect to hop on and give orders. How? How can we control this force of nature? Most of us take it for granted, forgetting the power beneath us. When the majestic beast drags us under a low-hanging limb, or crow-hops to drop us, we get angry don’t we—as if bossingContinue reading “THE BIT AND BRIDLE. James 1:26.”
HUSH. James 1:19.
Do you talk too much? When you see your friends and family, are you more determined to talk or to listen? Do you feel compelled to get your story told, or can you be patient and listen? Would people describe you as a listener or a talker? There is wisdom in LISTENING. You learn soContinue reading “HUSH. James 1:19.”
How can you measure maturity in Christ? Consider speech. James 3:1-12.
James writes, “If anyone thinks he is ‘spiritual’ but does not control his tongue, then his spirituality is useless and he deceives himself.” James 1:26. Do the people you know choose their words carefully? Do they stop themselves from saying certain things? Do they take their time with their words? Or does everything they thinkContinue reading “How can you measure maturity in Christ? Consider speech. James 3:1-12.”
INVEST IN YOURSELF BY GROWING YOUR FAITH. James 1:2.
There’s a great old joke that may be new to the youngest among us: A man stops a musician on the sidewalk in New York and asks, “Sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” The musician answers, “Practice.” How does a runner increase his speed? By practicing. How does a weightContinue reading “INVEST IN YOURSELF BY GROWING YOUR FAITH. James 1:2.”
Household Words: 