Verses five through twelve– In extremely dry areas people are asked not to throw cigarette buts out car windows and to be very careful with barbecue coals. Thousands of square miles of land, hundreds of homes and many lives have been lost to flames caused by the careless treatment of the smallest sources of flame. Many years ago I was […]

Verses three and four–My earliest memories of travel involved horses and wagons. Having grown up riding and handling horses, the Lord’s Words concerning the use of bits rings familiar. In verse 3 He notes that men place bits in the mouths of horses by which they force the animals to obey them and go in the direction […]

No part of the human anatomy does more damage than the tongue. This is especially true when it is being used to spread false “Truths” about the Lord, His will and way. Chapter three speaks to this issue. The subject was introduced in 1:26 where He warns the more religious among us that they must bridle (control) their tongues, […]

Verses ten and eleven: Here the Lord, referencing His Words recorded in Mark 10:17-22, makes clear the fact that to break one of the Ten Commandments is to break all of them, making one a “worker of iniquity” (Gk.-Lawlessness). Jesus declared that He would reject Lawless people, including church people, at Judgment (Mat. 7:23). These are they who believe that “The […]

Verse eight: In  this posting we will reach back to 1:27 where we are told that pure, undefiled religion involves such things as helping fatherless children and widows “who are widows indeed” (1 Tim. 5:16). These are widows in the true church who have no one else on whom they can depend. The point I want […]

Note: The end of 1:26 and verse 27 will be addressed later at which point the subjects (the tongue and helping the brethren) will be discussed in greater detail. Verses one through seven: Note in verse 1 that we are to operate in (live by–Rom. 1:17) the same faith as Jesus Christ (“the faith OF our Lord Jesus Christ”). […]

Verse twenty-six: Four Words stand out in this verse and must be highlighted: “any,” “among you” and “seems.” It is important that we do not forget that the Apostle James, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, is writing to and about people in the Church of God–the only name by which God’s true church is called and known by Him. All […]

Verse twenty-two: Many people “hear” the Word of God to some degree. Many have a regular reading or listening program where they partake of God’s Truth on a daily basis. However, as today’s focal passage attests, the Word they ingest is forgotten within minutes as the cares and concerns of the day–the really important things–consume their attention. God and His Word […]

Verse 17: The Biblical God is the source of every good and perfect gift. Therefore His people serve as spiritual gifts (light) to a dark world as a beacon that will lead God seekers to Him. This is brought out in Matthew 5:38-48 where Jesus tells His disciples and all who would follow Him that as […]

Verse thirteen: God, Who cannot be tempted because He has no lust, tempts no one. If a man says God tempted him he is accusing God of what he cannot do, as well as calling Him a liar for He said He cannot be tempted. We live in a society of victims. Turn on the […]