Beyond The Four Spiritual Laws

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414) Heb 13:5a . . Let your conduct be without covetousness;

Not all covetousness is prohibited; for example 1Cor 12:31 where Christians
are exhorted to eagerly desire certain spiritual gifts.

The Greek word in this instance refers to avarice; defined by Webster's as
excessive, or insatiable, desire for wealth or gain; viz: greediness and
cupidity.

Were an avaricious person asked how much and/or how many it would take
to satisfy them; their answer would no doubt be "more" because it's in their
nature to grasp.

415) Heb 13:5b . . and be content with such things as ye have.

Since the writer connected this directive with avarice, I would have to say
his focus in that verse is on moderation; defined by Webster's as reasonable
limits and/or average; viz: avoiding extremes.

● Heb 13:5-6 . . He himself has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can Man
do to me?

Well, I think the mortgage crisis in 2008, the stock market crash, the 401K
meltdowns, the ENRON collapse, the decline in oil production, the GM
financial mess, the national debt, massive nationwide lay-offs, the
proliferation of Islamic terrorism, and Mr. Bernard Lawrence Madoff easily
demonstrate that Man can hurt me quite a bit.

I lost an appreciable amount from my retirement account when the housing
bubble burst, and the market crashed due to the bankruptcy of Bear Sterns,
Lehman Brothers, and AIG; thus proving The Lord's words that thieves break
in and steal (Matt 6:49-21) and some of those thieves are managing banks
and innocent people's investments!

However, in spite of all those threats to my peace of mind, I still believe in
providence; i.e. The Lord will get me through it all somehow. Well; so far so
good.

416) Heb 13:7 . . Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to
you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

The "leaders" of that particular verse refer to the ones who captained Yhvh's
people over the centuries; e.g. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David.
Elijah, Ezra, and Nehemiah; and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Micah; et al. about whom the Bible says:

"Who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained
what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the
flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to
strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies."
(Heb 11:33-34)

"Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured
and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in
prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death
by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute,
persecuted and mistreated-- the world was not worthy of them." (Heb
11:35-38)

"They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the
ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received
what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that
only together with us would they be made perfect." (Heb 11:39-40)

There was once an advertisement for a beer on television that said, in so
many words: "You only go around once in life. So grab all the gusto you can
get." Well; Christ's believing followers should not be thinking like that. They
don't go around once; the real gusto is yet to come.

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417) Heb 13:9 . . Do not be carried away by strange and varied teachings;
for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace rather than foods,
through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited.

The words "carried away" weren't translated from Greek words. They're
arbitrary insertions; viz: they're words that a translating committee penciled
into the English text so as to make the passage say what they guessed it's
supposed to be saying. Arbitrary insertions are pretty common and nobody
seems to fear they might be adulterating the Bible.

The word "strange" is translated from the Greek word xenos (xen'-os) which
essentially refers to someone or something with which Christians are
unfamiliar. For example; though most Christians are familiar with the dietary
laws contained in the covenant that Yhvhs' people agreed upon with God,
Christ's followers are under no obligation to comply with them for the simple
reason that those laws are contractual. Well; Christians per se, are not
contracted with God to comply with those laws. Hence those dietary laws
amount to "strange" teachings; viz: they're unchristian.

Now, what I find curious about Heb 13:9 is the fact that the anointing
spoken of in 1John 2:26-27 is supposed to steer those who have it away
from deception while at the same time aligning them with the truth. So then,
that being the case, then it's clearly possible for those with the anointing to
ignore its guidance and buy into strange and varied teachings.

Another thing I should point out is that according to 1Thesss 5:19, it's
possible to quench the anointing's guidance; viz: snuff it out like one would
snuff a candle so that it no longer produces light to illuminate one's path:
and that's not a good thing.

● 1John 1:5-6 . .This is the message we have heard from him and announce
to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say
that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do
not practice the truth.

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418) Heb 13:16 . . And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such
sacrifices God is pleased.

Doing good and sharing are bloodless sacrifices; and in point of fact are far
more likely to be accepted by God than the death of birds and beasts.

In the first chapter of the book of Isaiah, God lambasted Yhvh's people for
bringing all the correct, God-mandated sacrifices to the Temple. Why?
Because those sacrifices were insulting while His people were not only
crooks; but also lacking the milk of human kindness. The sacrifices that God
preferred over and above the Temple offerings were the below:

● Isa 1:17 . . Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed,
defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

● Hos 6:6 . . For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of
God more than burnt offerings.

So "doing good" consists of doing what's right, and seeking kindness and
fairness across the board for everyone; including the disadvantaged and the
disenfranchised. The US Government has been notoriously negligent in doing
good by its chronic failure to honor its treaties with Native Americans. Not
long ago I read in my local paper about 50 years of Federal foot-dragging in
respect to honoring its commitment to provide tribes situated along the
Columbia River with fishing villages to replace the ones that were obliterated
due to construction of The Dalles dam. Well; God takes note of injustices;
nobody is getting by with anything.

419) Heb 13:17 . . Heed those who lead you, and submit to them; for they
keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do
this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Christianity is not a democracy. No; it is a theocracy with a monarch at its
head-- a monarch who regards dissent and disobedience as heresy and
insurrection.

● 1Sam 15:22-23 . .Has Yhvh as much delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices As in obeying the voice of Yhvh? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of
divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.

If perchance Christ's believing followers should find themselves under church
leadership that they cannot-- in all good conscience --respect, follow, and
obey; and/or simply cannot give their whole-hearted, unreserved support;
then it's time to abandon ship and move on rather than remain and rack up
negative points against themselves that will most certainly erode their
reward when they stand before the King for their personal evaluation.

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[bbyrd009]

then it's time to abandon ship

WH, one can serve God wherever they are at, and you are encouraging "ships in harbor" here, seems to me.
Christ's believing followers--the Church--shouldn't be finding themselves "under" anyone anyway

i mean no offense but this will never pass muster

 

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420) Heb 13:22-23 . . I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of
exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

The letter to Hebrews doesn't seem brief to me, but according to the author
it's a concise version of his thoughts, i.e. to the point; free of elaboration
and/or unnecessary details.

Christ's teachings as per the epistles are sometimes regarded as
recommendations; viz: as advice, rather than law. That's not the way his
thoughts are supposed to be taken; no, not at all. The writer of Hebrews
didn't say his word is a collection of suggestions, rather, as exhortation;
which Webster's defines as language intended to incite and encourage. In
other words: the teachings in Hebrews are meant to be taken seriously
rather than with a grain of salt; if you know what I mean.

Exhortation is taken from the Greek word paraklesis (par-ak'-lay-sis) which
is an ambiguous word that not only means exhortation, but also solace;
which Webster's defines as a source of relief and/or consolation; viz:
encouragement. In other words; the letter to Hebrews is for the reader's
own good; in more ways than just rules and laws.

It's interesting how various people perceive the Bible. Some see it as a
threat to human safety and dignity; while others see it as a source of
friendship and mentoring.

● 2Cor 2:14-17 . . For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who
are being rescued and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell
of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

421) Jas 1:2a . . Consider it all joy, my brethren,

The epistle of James is another like the epistle of Hebrews whose target
audience is the author's "brethren" viz: the twelve tribes of Israel; a.k.a. the
Diaspora.

● Jas 1:1 . . James, a bond-servant of God and of The Lord Jesus Christ, to
the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad-- Greetings.

So then, the epistle is probably best interpreted from the perspective of a
Jewish Christian rather than that of a Gentile Christian.

422) Jas 1:2b-4 . . when you encounter various trials knowing that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance have its
perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It is so frustrating to open a package supposedly containing all the parts
needed to assemble a complicated device only to discover that some of the
pieces are missing. Well, a lot of Christians are like that. They might be
really good at church attendance, while at work committing theft by using
their employer's computers for personal purposes without authorization
and/or in the habit of breaking the law by J-walking and driving too fast,
drifting through STOP signs without bringing their vehicle to a complete halt;
and given to outbursts of road rage. That's not a complete Christian; no,
that's a half-baked Christian.

Not all tests of faith are intended for behavior modification; but rather, for
proof-testing. Take for example Abraham's test in the 22nd chapter of
Genesis; which he passed to God's 110% satisfaction.

Other testing is the kind that engineers do with things like machines, toys,
cribs, printers, flashlights, guns, tools, pumps, motors, cars, etc. Before
putting a new idea into production, they subject it to a series of tests to
determine if it will perform under the circumstances for which it is designed.
Nowadays, not all testing is destructive testing, but rather via computer
models. But the purpose is the same: to reveal any weaknesses in the
design and function of the part; which are then addressed and rectified.

● Prv 25:4 . . Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for
the silversmith

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423) Jas 1:5 . . If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Within the context of James' epistle, the phrase "any of you" pertains to the
recipients of his letter; viz: the Diaspora-- specifically those among the
Diaspora whose religion is Christianity. So then, the phrase "gives to all
men" has to be interpreted with that in mind; which means that "all men"
doesn't pertain to just any and all men on earth.

424) Jas 1:6-8 . . But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,
because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from The Lord : he
is a vacillating man, unstable in all he does.

Christians should never begin a prayer by saying "God; if you're out there".

● Heb 11:6 . . Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is

Note the words "impossible" and "must" in that verse. A vacillating Christian
who's not sure there's a God out there is an unbelieving Christian, and can
just forget a reply from the Bible's God-- the instant the words of a
vacillating prayer leaves somebody's lips it goes directly to the dead-letter
office.

425) Jas 1:9 . . Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high
position;

According to the Bible, relatively few prominent people make it to safety
when they cross over to the others side.

● 1Cor 1:26-29 . . Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you
were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you.
Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to
shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are
powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by
the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to
nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast
in the presence of God.

With precious few exceptions, just about every notable personality on
parade is, and has been, going to Hell-- just about everybody in Congress,
everybody in the White House, everybody in show business, every singer,
every musician, every dancer, everybody in the publishing business, every
billionaire, every millionaire, every corporate CEO, every celebrity, every
Nobel Prize winner, every super model, every astronaut, every professional
athlete, every Miss America, and every news anchor-- just about --because
when you strip away their titles, their abilities, their looks, their popularity,
their accolades, their achievements and their accomplishments; and stand
them before God naked; people are only flesh and blood creatures; they're
little more than naked apes-- human wildlife whose destiny is death akin to
a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron as per Rev 20:10-15.

What is this "high position" that James wrote about? Well, I can think of no
higher position than being legal kin to the Bible's God and a family member
around the table in His own home. In my book, that beats an invitation to
the White House any day of the year.

The koiné Greek word for "glory" in Jas 1:9 is kauchaomai (kow-khah'-om
ahee) which means: to vaunt; which Webster's defines as: to make a vain
display of one's own worth or attainments; viz: to brag; to call attention to
with pride and often boastfully.

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426) Jas 1:10 . . but the rich should glory in that he is made low:

Jesus once remarked that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The rich generally get above-average respect from the world due to their
riches, but God isn't influenced by wealth. No, with God wealth gets no red
carpets, no comps, and no VIP preferences; everyone is a commoner.

When the rich come before God with hat in hand and their heads down low
instead of held up high, then they have done something worthy of an
attaboy because that is a really, really big accomplishment for pampered
people accustomed to better.

427) Jas 1:13 . . No one who wants to do wrong should ever say: God is
tempting me. God cannot be tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts
anyone else to do wrong either.

Human nature has a dastardly propensity to blame others for its own faults.
A prime example is right in the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis.
Adam blamed the woman God gave him for his part in eating the forbidden
fruit (Gen 3:12) and Eve blamed the Devil for her part in the act (Gen 3:13).
It takes really big men and women to admit their culpability and say: The
buck stops here! No recriminations!

However, though God tempts no one to evil, He does put certain ones
through the ringer to see what they're made of-- even His own kin --to test
and/or prove their resilience to temptation; e.g. The Lord himself.

● Matt 4:1 . . Then was Jesus led up of The Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the Devil.

● Heb 5:7-8 . . While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and
pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could protect him from
death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. So even
though Jesus was God's son, he learned obedience from the things he
suffered.

In other words, a truly righteousness person retains their innocence in the
presence of temptation.

Criminals often gripe about entrapment when the cops catch them red
handed in a sting. But if the crooks were truly righteous, entrapment
wouldn't work on them.

Another popular excuse is enabling. For example some folks insist it's God
fault that Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden tree because He put it in the
garden where they could find it.

President Clinton was once asked in an interview why he messed around
with Monica Lewinski. He answered: Because I could. In other words: Ms
Lewinski wasn't a temptation; no, she was available, i.e. an opportunity.

And alcoholics blame their habit on genetic predilection.

I once heard it said that locks were invented to keep an honest man honest.
(chuckle) I think there's a lot of truth in that statement.

● Jas 1:14-16 . .Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.
These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So
don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

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[bbyrd009]

WH, one can serve God wherever they are at, and you are encouraging "ships in harbor" here, seems to me.
Christ's believing followers--the Church--shouldn't be finding themselves "under" anyone anyway

i mean no offense but this will never pass muster

ah, here we are

ok, if i were to find myself in say Bohemian Grove, certainly i would be running; even though that might even be a bad perspective, as imo that is where we are usually sent, right. So we might search for any "flee from the devil" language--there def might be some, i dunno, but none is coming to mind?--but meanwhile reflect upon "resist the devil, and he will flee."

flee from the devil - Google Search

 

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428) Jas 1:19 . . Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to
anger;

Anger per se isn't evil; I mean after all, The Lord himself wasn't immune to
anger (Mark 3:5). And neither is the Bible's God immune to anger. (Ex 4:14,
Num 11:1, Rom 1:18, Rom 2:8)

Non-sinful anger can be a valuable tool if it's administered intelligently.
However, human anger is often spontaneous, impulsive, unfair, unjustified,
inappropriate, irrational, unnecessary, controlling, violent, emotional,
petulant, selfish, and reactive.

● Jas 1:20 . . for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that
God desires.

429) Jas 1:21 . .Therefore, get rid of all moral filth, and the evil that is so
prevalent; and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

"moral filth and evil" in this case pertains especially to the wrong kind of
anger; which only leads to more and more actions the likes of which The
Lord cannot approve.

Christians are sometimes victims of a sort of knee-jerk reflex whenever they
encounter a word like "save". The koiné Greek word for it is sozo (sode'-zo)
which is another ambiguous word that can mean save, rescue, protect,
and/or spare.

Ambiguous words are not only a nuisance at times; but worse, they can be
misleading. James isn't talking about saving yourself from Hell and eternal
suffering by eliminating "all moral filth". No, that part of a believer's
association with God is past tense rather than future (John 5:24, Rom 6:3,
Rom 6:6, Gal 2:20, Col 3:3, 1Thes 1:10, 1Thes 5:9, 2Tim 1:9, Titus 3:5).

● Gal 5:19-21 . . Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are . .
hatred, contentions, and outbursts of wrath

People whose anger easily flares up are slaves to their anger and enjoy far
less peace than somebody whose anger is under control: thus peaceable
souls succumb to temptation with much less frequency than angry ones.

There's a guy up here in Oregon who founded a bread factory with his
brother that became very successful. You might know it as Dave's Killer
Bread. Well; Dave has rage issues. He was paroled from prison not all that
long ago and his life was on easy street until he lost his temper and got in a
bucket of trouble with law enforcement.

430) Jas 1:22 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.

Some Christians need to hone-up on their spiritual grooming habits.

● Jas 1:23-25 . . Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it
says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at
himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man
who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to
do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in
what he does.

I believe that "the perfect law that gives freedom" is the whole Bible from
cover to cover; as Paul said; "For whatever was written in earlier times was
written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the
encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Rom 15:4).

He also told his friend Timothy that all Scripture is inspired by God, and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good work. (2Tim 3:16-17)

Back in those days "all Scripture" was pretty much limited to the Old
Testament. Today it includes the New Testament canon.

People who make a life-long habit of studying the Bible from cover to cover
for its spiritual content can't help but be improved by it a least a little bit.
The easiest, and the best way I know to do this is by listening to a ½ hour
program on radio called Thru The Bible; hosted by a now-deceased minister
named J.Vernon McGee. His program takes five years to go through the
entire Bible practically verse by verse. The program loops; viz: when McGee
gets to the end; the program starts all over again. His method is pretty cool.
When he gets done with an Old Testament book, he starts one in the New
Testament, and vice versa. Program information is online at TTB.org

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431) Jas 2:1 . . My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ--
The Lord of glory --with respect of persons.

The koiné Greek word for "respect of persons" is prosopolepsia (pros-o-pol
ape-see’-ah) which means: partiality.

Webster’s defines "partiality" as: partisan, prejudiced, biased, and/or
granting one person more value as a human being than another in regards
to particulars like age, race, gender, looks, size, education, intellect, bank
account, career, clothing, popularity, neighborhood, and social status.

● Jas 2:2-4 . . For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting
dressed in flashy clothing and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who
is low-income and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention
and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can
stand over there, or else sit on the floor" --well, doesn’t this kind of
discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?

When I first began attending church as an adult back in the decade of the
1970's, my wardrobe consisted entirely of shirts and trousers that I bought
on the cheap at Value Village-- a popular second hand store on the west
coast the same as Salvation Army and Goodwill.

I never told anybody where I shopped, although I've no doubt that some of
the folk I encountered in church could tell that my fashions were a tad out of
date because there were some upper income people attending that looked a
whole lot nicer than me; but I figured: what the hay; I had as much right to
attend in my previously-owned clothing as they did in their untainted high
end threads. Some of them had gold watches too while I sported a simple
Timex with an imitation leather strap; and I drove an aging 1968 VW Beetle
that needed paint. You know, looking back on that era, I sometimes wonder
how many people avoided me without my knowing it because of all that.

432) Jas 2:12 . . So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the
law of liberty.

The law of liberty is different than the law of the covenant that Moses'
people agreed upon with God as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. That law is depicted in the New Testament as a law of
bondage rather than freedom. (Gal 5:1)

Within the context of James' epistle, the law of liberty-- a.k.a. Christ's law
(Rom 8:2) - judges Christians by how they treat other people in accord with
how Christ wants them to be treated in his name.

NOTE: There are Christians out there who are so uncivil, and so lacking the
milk of human kindness, that they would actually be doing Christ service by
not identifying themselves with him. Compare Mark 3:11-12 where Jesus
commanded some evil spirits to keep their mouth shut about his identity.
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433) Jas 3:1 . . Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for
you realize that we will be judged more strictly.

I've seen people actually boast of leading a Sunday school class; as if the
position were an achievement. Let me warn those people about something.
If they accept a position to teach Sunday school for the prestige, their heart
is definitely in the wrong place; they are not fully aware of just how
frightening a responsibility it is to stand in for Christ.

434) Jas 3:13-18 . .Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him
show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you
have bitter rivalry and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and
so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from
above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where rivalry and selfish
ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of compassion
and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is
righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The "seed whose fruit is righteousness" is oftentimes not sown in peace on
internet forums; nor is it sown on internet forums by people who make
peace. It's sown by flaming, competitive, assertive, confrontational people--
toxic, impulsive, mean-spirited personalities given to rejoinders, demeaning
comments, recriminations and fault finding. And if there's a problem, it's
never them; no, you are the problem, and for them; turning the other cheek
is no longer in vogue.

Those kinds of people do not like to be wrong, nor can they even think of
themselves as wrong, nor are they likely to admit when they're wrong
because they're really not all that interested in the truth; but only in
defending their version of the truth; viz: their truth is far more important to
them than even the God's truth; and should you not accept their truth, then
it's because you have no understanding and need to come to your senses.
These people are neither wise nor gentle. They'll ride rough-shod over your
feelings like a skate-boarder barreling through Autumn leaves on the
sidewalk. It's just awful how little they care for the injuries their attitude and
their choice of words cause others.

People who take it upon themselves to teach, preach, and/or discuss the
Bible ought to be sensible, and they ought to exemplify the Gospel. They
can't be doing it for the prestige, showing off, impressing their friends,
and/or competing with a rival. They have to be honest and forthright. They
have to have a heart, they have to be dedicated and reliable: they cannot be
vacillating, they have to practice what they preach, and they cannot be
sarcastic, obtuse, difficult, contrary, quarrelsome, snobby, pretentious,
demeaning, domineering, despotic, assertive, confrontational, stubborn,
pernicious, or pugnacious.

Christians that teach and/or discuss the Bible with others really ought to be
someone they can trust, and someone with whom they may speak their
minds without fear of reprisals instead of someone in whose presence
everybody has to walk on egg shells all the time.

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[bbyrd009]

yay! though i walk through the valleys and the shadows, i have no fear; for Thou Art, with me

 

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435) Jas 4:7 . . So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he
will shun you.

The Devil has the tactical advantage of being completely invisible, and no
more solid than the vacuum of space. So the human eye not only cannot see
the Devil, but human touch cannot feel him either. The Devil can't be
bumped into, he gives off no odor; he makes no sound, he takes up no
space.

The Devil rules in the world of men primarily by punching human nature's
buttons. There's our first clue in how to resist the Devil.

● Gal 5:16-17 . . So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
inclinations of the flesh.

Living by the Spirit isn't mysterious. All it really means is doing as God
wishes rather than permitting one's self to be manipulated by the impulses,
proclivities, predilections, and propensities of human nature. We can't stop
those forces of human nature from doing their thing any more than we can
stop our lungs from demanding we take breaths. But they can be
suppressed if one puts their mind to it.

● 1Pet 5:9 . .Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.

The Devil has many allies, not only in the form of spirit beings, but also in
the form of ordinary human beings who agree with his ways without their
knowledge.

● Eph 2:1-2 . . As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who
are disobedient.

Among the disobedient are Christian teachers, preachers, and ordained
ministers (2Cor 11:14-5). It's fairly easy to avoid being hoodwinked by
cults; but not so easy to avoid being misled by bona fide Christian churches
and whatnot who are covertly working for the Devil. According to Eph 4:14,
they can be very convincing.

The point is: since we can't fight the Devil kingdom on its own terms, then
the best defense is submission to God. Up to this point, I've listed 400+ of
Christ's commandments that, if complied with, will go a long ways towards
frustrating the Devil.

436) Jas 4:8-10 . . Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be
tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep
grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
When you bow down before The Lord and admit your dependence on him, he
will lift you up and give you honor.

In other words: Give in; surrender: walk with God, and He will walk with
you.

● 1John 1:6 . . If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

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437) Jas 4:11a . . Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.

The koiné Greek word for "speak evil" is katalaleo (kat-al-al-eh'-o) which
means: a traducer, a slanderer.

Webster's defines "slander" as: the utterance of false charges or
misrepresentations which defame and/or damage another's reputation
and/or a false and defamatory oral statement about a person; viz: libel.

Webster's defines "libel" as: 1) a written or oral defamatory statement or
representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression, and 2) a
statement or representation published without just cause and tending to
expose another to public contempt.

According to Webster's, a statement (or a photograph) need not be untrue
to qualify as libel. If the statement, and/or the photograph, is unnecessarily
denigrating and/or embarrassing to someone, though it be 100% true, then
it qualifies as libel.

For example: When US President Donald Trump was in the process of
procuring land in Scotland for a golf course, there was a low-income man
living on the land in a ratty hovel. Mr. Trump ran that man into the ground
for living like that and even took a camera crew out to the man's home to
film it. Afterwards, in a news conference, he said: "I'm only telling the
truth".

Yes, the man's place was a rat's nest; but was it really necessary to expose
that poor man to public embarrassment? No. Mr. Trump wasn't being
honest, he was being cruel; and that's exactly the kind of evil speaking that
Jas 4:11 prohibits.

Is Jas 4:11 saying that I cannot criticize someone? No; it isn't saying that at
all. I mean, after all, The Lord was, and is, very critical. The important thing
is (1) to make very sure that the statements are true, and (2) that they
really matter; or otherwise, keep it to yourself.

What I'm talking about here is "tact" which Webster's defines as: a keen
sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or
avoid offense.

There are some things we could say about others that, though true, aren't
necessary. For example, if you were to inadvertently see one of the ladies in
the office scratching an itch on her derriere; is it really necessary to go
blabbing about it all over the office? No; and in point of fact, to do so would
be libelous, not to mention possibly in violation of local labor laws banning
the fomentation of a hostile workplace; and these days, it could even be
construed as sexual misconduct. If that lady ever found out you were
blabbing about her derriere she might be so mortified as to make it difficult
for her to show up for work.

One evening, at a single's group meeting, I overheard a friend seated behind
me comment that a certain woman in the group was very attractive; and I
could tell by the look in his eyes that he was seriously considering making a
move on her. Well, having had personal contact with that woman, I told my
friend that he could do better because that particular lady was conceited,
cruel, insensitive, and mean-spirited; in other words she was somewhat
psychopathic; which Webster's defines as: a mental disorder marked by
egocentric and antisocial activity.

Was I wrong for saying what I did about that lady? No. I knew for my own
self that woman was bad news and it was my honest intention to spare my
friend the emotional pain he was sure to endure by approaching her. In that
particular case, the ugly truth about someone mattered.

Some years ago when I was working as a welder/ship fitter in a family
owned boatyard on Shelter Island in San Diego, one of the boss' adolescent
sons came out on a skiff I was helping to construct. He remarked to one of
the men standing there, in my hearing, that I looked stupid.

Do I look stupid? Yes, I do. It's been a curse my entire life. If you were to
meet me, your first impression would be that I'm a lummox. Some people
look intelligent, and some people look just the opposite. I'm among the ones
who look just the opposite; and I was looking low-brow way before Weird Al
Yankovic came out with a rock parody in 1985 titled: "Dare To Be Stupid."

So then, what the boss' son said was true. But was it necessary? No; it was
thoroughly unnecessary, and in point of fact his thoughtless remark cut me
deeply; but what could I do? He was the boss' son. Anon, that boy grew up
to become one of worst cases of male vanity it has been my misfortune to
encounter in life. Though he came of a good family, the boss' son had the
nature of a churl; through and through.

"Words are weapons,
Sharper than knives."
INXS; The Devil Inside
Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence

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438) Jas 4:11b-12 . . He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his
brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law,
you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able
to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Someone is sure to jump to the conclusion that James is referring to Matt
7:1-5 but this has nothing to do with that. What we’re talking about here is
a kangaroo court which Webster’s defines as: (1) a mock court in which the
principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted, (2) a court
characterized by irresponsible, unauthorized, or irregular status or
procedures, and (3) judgment or punishment given outside of legal
procedure.

One way to speak evil of the law, and judge the law, is to misrepresent the
law by construing it to mean things it doesn't say in writing; in other words:
to overrule it and/or criticize the law as out of date.

When a group of beer buddies, and/or a coffee clutch of girl friends, get
together and rake somebody over the coals behind their back, those buddies
and girl friends are conducting a kangaroo court in which the evidence
presented is typically hear-say, feelings, thoughts, and impressions. I
believe the common colloquialism for that activity is "character
assassination."

Typically the accused is never informed of the trial, nor given an opportunity
to confront their accusers, nor are they granted the right to an appeal.
Sadly, yet all to commonly, once kangaroo courts reach a consensus, the
condemned person’s reputation among those kinds of “judges” is ruined
forever with no chance of repair.

439) Jas 4:13-16 . . Come now, you who say: Today or tomorrow, we shall go
to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and
make a profit.

. . .Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a
vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you
ought to say: If The Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that. But as
it is, you boast in your self confidence; all such boasting is evil.

There are two benefits to my association with God that I value very highly.
One is the ransom that His son paid to rescue my soul from the death
depicted at Rev 20;11-15; viz: the destination spoken of at Isa 66:23-24,
Mark 9:43-48, and Luke 16:19-31.

The second benefit that I value very highly is providence; which is the thing
that James is getting at. His criticism is directed towards overly ambitious
Christians who deliberately neglect to take into consideration God's thoughts
about their schemes.

They also neglect to take into consideration the brevity of life. In other
words: if you're getting by alright in your present circumstances, don't seek
better circumstances. Instead, live out the remaining days of your fragile life
where you are now unless circumstances beyond your control force you to
relocate and make some changes.

"Piety, with contentment, is great gain. For we brought nothing into the
world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation
and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into
ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with much grief." (1Tim 6:6-10)

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440) Jas 5:1-3 . . Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending
miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth
eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a
testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored
up treasure for the last days.

Gold doesn't react with oxygen so it won't rust. However, under certain
conditions gold will tarnish, e.g. long-term storage in boxes, bins, and or
environments containing organic sulfur compounds. In other words; James
condemns the rich for stockpiling their gold and never putting any of it to a
use beneficial to their fellow man.

The worst case scenario is the hoarding of gold that rightfully belonged to
laborers who worked to earn it.

● Jas 5:4 . . Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and
which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of
those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of The Lord of Sabaoth.

James' final comment actually accuses unfair labor practices of murder
because they deprive the working man of a living wage; and of course most
of the world's working men do not challenge unfair labor practices in court
because they simply cannot afford to; and in some countries, they would risk
severe political reprisals if they dared.

● Jas 5:6 . .You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he
does not resist you.

The "righteous man" in this context refers to people putting in an honest
day's work and not being fairly compensated for it and/or employers
contriving tricky ways to short change them by deducting trumped up
expenses from their pay. There's a lot of that goes on in the garment
industry.

It's still true even in our day that only the rich and powerful can afford
justice. However; there's a day coming when that imbalance will all come to
an end.

● Ps 72:4 . . He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the
children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.

● Isa 11:4 . . But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with
fairness for the afflicted of the earth;

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441) Jas 5:7-8 . . Persevere, therefore, brethren, until the coming of The
Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being
patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; be
strong, for the coming of The Lord is at hand.

The koiné Greek word for "at hand" is eggizo (eng-id'-zo) which means: to
make near; viz: approach

So then, "at hand" doesn’t necessarily mean The Lord is poised to drop in
any second now, but rather, his arrival is approaching and getting nearer by
the minute.

Although James' encouragement no doubt applies to all believers, it
especially applies to his Jewish countrymen. They have been waiting, and
waiting, and waiting for God to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; and to restore David's kingdom as per the voices of the
prophets. I'm told that many have given up hope of the promises and the
predictions ever coming to pass. But James says don't give up; God is
reliable; and He and the kingdom are both worth waiting for no matter how
long it takes.

The problem is: according to 2Pet 3:9, The Lord is actually reluctant to
return; primarily because of the amount of suffering and loss of life that will
occur when he does.

Take for example Rev 16:18-19 where there's predicted a world-wide
earthquake preceding The Lord's return so severe on the Richter scale that
cities all over the world will collapse at once. Something like 2,829 lost their
lives when the World Trade Center was demolished by a terrorist attack in
2001. Well that was only a small portion of New York City. Just imagine the
body count when all of Manhattan comes down at once. along with other
major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, Moscow,
Beijing, Tokyo, et al. The carnage will be beyond belief. Surely nobody in a
right mind is in a rush to see all of that start happening.

442) Jas 5:9 . . Do not complain against one another, brethren, that you
yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the
door.

Although watching porn, quarrelling with a spouse, mistreating the kids,
road rage, J-walking, coasting through a stop sign, spray-painting graffiti on
a subway car, or cussing the neighbor’s dog, is bad enough; kangaroo
courting is even worse.

If there’s a personality clash between you and a fellow believer; God forbid
you should drag other people into the middle of it! And keep in mind that
God is an eavesdropper. He hears and sees everything we do, think, or say.
Don't let Him catch you maliciously shredding a fellow believer's reputation,
assassinating their character and/or running them into the ground behind
their back.

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443) Jas 5:10 . . For an example of suffering and patience, brethren; take
the prophets who spoke in The Lord's name.

In rock music, role models are called influences. But whatever your
preference, role models and/or influences are handy for providing a pattern
for the kinds of people we wish to be and/or the kinds of people we think we
ought to be.

One of my favorite prophets was Noah. Can you just imagine the mockery,
and the cruel remarks that poor man must have endured while he was
constructing the ark? And the feelings of futility? He was a preacher of
righteousness for 120 years (2Pet 2:5) and the only converts Noah won
were his own wife, his three sons, and their wives. When the ark embarked,
there was only a paltry eight human beings aboard.

According to Gen 6:1-2, there were other holy men on earth during Noah's
days but they sold their souls for pleasure and subsequently died in the
Flood right along with everybody else.

Noah was an oak; he never caved to the pressures of his era’s social
customs nor duplicated their spiritual hypocrisy. Noah held his ground,
remained true to the Bible’s God; and as a result, survived the Flood totally
unharmed. He’s listed in the Bible as one of the most righteous men who
ever lived.

● Ezek 14:13-14 . . Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent
unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of
bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these
three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only
themselves by their righteousness: testifies Yhvh God.

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444) Jas 5:12 . . Above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or
by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no be no;
so that you may not fall under judgment.

Does this mean Christians shouldn’t even take an oath in court to tell the
truth? No, it doesn’t mean that at all; I mean, after all, Christ took an oath
in court. (Matt 26:62-64, Mark 14:61-62)

God takes oaths. (Gen 22:15-18, Heb 6:13-18, Heb 7:20-21)

Angels swear (Rev 10:5-6)

Paul swore. (Rom 1:9)

Israel's covenanted law, which Christ came to defend (Matt 5:17-19)
requires oaths on special occasions. (e.g. Ex 22:10-11, Lev 5:1, Num 5:19,
Deut 29:10-15)

So then, not all oaths are wrong.

The problem is, people are too careless with their oaths. They’re wont to say
“I swear to God” and/or "Hand to God" for just about everything. And they
make promises sealed with the same words. Those promises are a snare
because like Jesus said “you cannot make one hair white or black”. Sure
enough, when you seal a promise with an oath, the forces of heaven and
hell, the stars in their courses, dumb luck, brute force, circumstances
beyond your control, and the neighbor's dog are going to make it impossible
for you to keep that promise. Will God grant you an excuse? No. In order to
grant you an excuse, He would have to compromise not only His integrity;
but also the dignity of the name by which you swore; and that He will never
do.

Some years ago I cosigned a loan for a fellow welder who was down on his
luck. Sure enough, he fell behind on a payment and the finance company
telephoned me. I went down and made good on the payment (and all the
rest after that one too) because my name was on that contract; ergo: my
credit reputation was at stake. The co-worker was thunderstruck and
protested that he intended to make the payment: it would just be a little
late; that’s all. (sigh) Dead-beats just don’t get it.

It’s one thing to break your word, or default on a loan, or breech a contract;
but it is a whole other thing to break an oath; so if at all possible; don’t
swear with God’s name.

Quite a few municipalities have taken God's name out of their oaths and
simply require the testifier to swear in court to tell the truth; and leave out
the "so help me God" part. An oath like that goes on record just as binding
as one's signature on a legal document. But if your courts require you to
include "so help me God" during the swearing-in process, do it because
that's for keeps rather than a chit-chat bull session.

The US President is not required by the Constitution to include the phrase
"so help me God" in the oath of office; so when one is sworn in, it's his
prerogative to leave it out.

Considering the gravity of an oath taken with God's name in it, I would be
scared to death to accept an office that requires any such oath; especially an
appointment to the US Supreme Court. Though all nine members are
supposedly experts in Constitutional law; they seldom, if ever, are
unanimous on anything. That means somebody on that court is dishonoring
God and they will one day be called into account for it. Those judges might
be the highest court in the land, but they are not higher than the God of
their oath of office.

But Supreme Court appointees are typically not interested in God's feelings
about anything; they're only interested in the appointment; and these days,
an appointee need not be an expert at law at all since they're only required
to render opinions rather than absolutes. No, their politics need only be in
line with the President who appointed them in order to qualify for
recommendation.

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445) Jas 5:13a . . Is anyone among you undergoing hardship? Let him pray.

Though Jesus' followers weren't experiencing difficulty while he was getting
ready for his destiny on the cross (Luke 22:39-46) he no doubt knew that
they were soon to undergo a stress test that would cause them to do
something really stupid if they failed to seek God's providence in what was
ahead.

Most any kind of "hardship" can cause us to become irrational, lose our
composure, and do something stupid, e.g. layoff, illness, death in the family,
old age, betrayal, divorce, legal problems, student debt, traffic incidents,
crime; etc. When that happens, it's a good idea to speak with God about the
possibility of being led into doing something really stupid.

446) Jas 5:13b . . Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.

It's not impossible to sing when sad and depressed. A man named Horatio P.
Spafford composed a very moving hymn while recovering from the deaths of
his four daughters whose lives were lost aboard the S.S. Ville du Havre when
it sank during a transatlantic voyage in 1873.

However, I recommend not asking the ones undergoing hardship to sing.
They're very likely not in the mood.

447) Jas 5:14 . . Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of
the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of The Lord

It's all too common for religious fanatics to allow their underage children to
die from treatable medical conditions on the basis of that verse. Where do
we draw the line with the so-called "freedom of religion" guaranteed in the
US Constitution's first amendment? Answer: We draw the line at the child's
inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; which,
according to America's Declaration of Independence; are not only God-given
rights, but also a self evident truth that men were created with those rights.

The DOI goes on to say that all men are created equal. It doesn't say grown
up men; it says all men, which means that women and children have just as
much right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as anybody else.
Parents who deny the truth of those rights are nothing in the world but
wicked despots; and in point of fact the very kinds of twisted monarchs the
DOI targets.

Christ addressed this issue indirectly by means of his teachings on the
seventh day Sabbath; which, in a nutshell, says that the seventh day was
made for man, not the other way around. (Mark 2:27)

● Matt 12:11-12 . . And he said unto them, What man shall there be among
you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day,
will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than
a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath days.

The sanctity of human life trumps the sanctity of the Sabbath. So then,
hospitals, doctors, nurses, firemen, law enforcement, soup kitchens, rescue
missions, Red Cross, emergency workers, etc. who are busy on the
Sabbath do not sin. Do they break the Sabbath? Yes; but the sanctity of the
Sabbath is secondary to the sanctity of human life.

So then, I would have to say, in accordance with Matt 12:11-12, that people
who deny their children adequate medical care in the name of religion regard
the value of their own flesh and blood as something less than that of a
beast.

It's okay to have elders pray for your child, and it's okay to anoint them with
oil as per James 5:14. But after that, parents really should take their
children to a doctor because the sanctity of human life is far more important
than strict observance of one's religious rituals.

There used to be an old saying going around in Christian circles that went
something like this: When a farmer prays for a crop, he should say amen
with a hoe. In other words, don't just sit back and wait for a miracle when
it's in your power to take some action; and if you don't, then in my opinion,
you deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when a child in
your care dies from a treatable condition.

● 1Tim 5:8 . . If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his
own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

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