“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:1-3 ESV)
We, as Christians, are not to fight and quarrel with each other in heated arguments and debates. We especially are not to contend with one another over matters of differences of opinion and that which is not critical to us understanding and receiving the truth of the gospel message. We may challenge a fellow Christian over doctrine if we believe that Christian is going the wrong direction, but we should be decent with one another and not nasty, and not hateful, but with a heart of love and concern for each other.
For, as fellow believers in Christ, we are to be those who are speaking the truth to one another, in love, and who are exhorting and encouraging and urging one another in walks of holiness and in righteousness. This is so that we are not led astray by the deceit of liars in their cunning and craftiness who are leading many to follow after false gospels of men, and so that we aren’t led astray by the deceitfulness of sin, but so that we deny self, die daily to sin, and now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands.
But we are not to be selfish greedy people who just want their own way despite who it hurts in the process. And so they fight and they quarrel over what is meaningless and that which produces only evil, and not good. And it appears that some of them took it so far as to murder one another in order to get what they wanted. Wow! And murder, hate, and selfishness all come from what is stored up in the human heart. But we are to be seekers of truth and righteousness whose desire is to serve and to obey our Lord.
[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:4-6 ESV)
If a man or a woman cheats on their respective spouses via any type of sexual immoral behavior, or via romantic and/or flirtatious relationships with others not their spouses, or via lusting after others or fantasizing over having improper relations with others not their spouse, this is adultery in the eyes of the Lord. But this is speaking of spiritual adultery which is cheating on the Lord via the idols and the cravings of the flesh and via sinning against the Lord who delivered us out of bondage to sin so we would be faithful.
And so what is this letting us know? If we are in friendly relations with the world and the things of the world – the desires of the flesh and of the eyes and the pride of life – this is enmity with God. So if we decide to be on friendly terms with the world of sin, we make ourselves enemies of God. For that is not of God but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Therefore, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (cf. 1 John 2:15-17).
And do you understand what that is saying? We cannot live for the flesh and for God, too. We cannot walk in sin and in holiness at the same time. We will do one or the other. We cannot desire God and desire the lusts of the flesh, too. The two don’t mix. So if we claim to be in fellowship with God, but while we walk (in conduct) in sin (in practice), we are liars. And if we claim to know God but while we do not obey his commandments, in practice, then we are liars. For if sin is what it obey, it leads to death. Obedience to God is what ends in eternal life with God (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6).
[Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:7-10 ESV)
So, this is the solution to it all! This is the remedy. If we are to be genuine believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we must submit ourselves to God to do his will. We must resist the devil, and we must flee temptation to give into sinful behaviors. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to sin, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and obey our Lord, we have eternal life in him.
[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; John 10:27-30]
My Sheep
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.
So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.
Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…
They know my voice, so they follow me.
https://vimeo.com/114938263
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