Day #34

Begin by thanking God for some specific things that are present in your life.  Ask Him for a heart and mind that is thankful.  Allow Him to do whatever necessary to bring you to this type of heart and mind.  Talk to Him about anything that is not feeling right between you and Him.  Confess anything you know is sin and ask Him to show you how to turn away from it.  Praise God for His love and forgiveness!!  You can end by praying for understanding of today’s great reading!!

As a writer, James (brother of Jesus) always likes to introduce people who would object to his teaching in order to help us understand some important stuff.

Read James 2:18-19

This person argues that faith and works can very much be separated.  But, of course, Paul argues that they cannot.  A life that is pleasing to God can only, first, come from faith.  Any life that stems from just attempting to be a good person each day, will FAIL.  Our lives must first be rooted in the basics to even begin living rightly before Holy God.

The following verses are the basics of understanding when someone gives up THEIR WAY and asks for Jesus to be in charge of them.

Please open your journals and write down the following verses and the verse reference beside it.

1.  Romans 3:23

2.  Romans 6:23

3.  Romans 5:8

4.  Romans 10:9-13

When someone “gives up their way” and “allows Jesus to be in charge,” the evidence of this is the growing works that come from the person’s life.

Read James 2:19 once more.

From Bible times to this day, there has been a core creed, or central belief, to the Jewish faith.  It is called the Shema, which means “HEAR.”  The following verses prove that this Shema existed and still exists.

Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Mark 12:29- Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one…”

Romans 3:30- since God is one…

Believing that there is one true God is called monotheism.  James, however, is stressing how inadequate this belief is on its own… because “even the demons believe and they shudder.” 

The fact that God (God the Father, Jesus the Son, Holy Spirit the Gift) exists is a fact known by Satan himself.  It causes darkness to TREMBLE.  They are TeRriFieD of this fact!!  But, does it change them into being followers of Christ?  Does it bring them into a saving relationship with Jesus?  OBVIOUSLY NOT!!

TARGET of the DAY

I know that we have not done Bible Study for two weeks due to my lack of internet.  It is so easy to make other things more important.  We are sheep and without Jesus shepherding us each day, we will wander… maybe even walk off a cliff, lol.  Ask God to bring you back to your commitment that you made to be accountable.  Your TARGET is to actually spend time with God in the 3 lessons so far this week:)