Category: Today’s Truth

Matthew five through seven contains the most famous sermon Jesus Christ gave while on earth: The Sermon on the Mount. It began on a mountainside. Jesus had gone up there to teach his disciples about how to live. As he was teaching, more and more people gathered until it was a large crowd. His message was not just for the disciples, but for all people. God had come to Earth and was instructing them how to live. He was explaining how to live a righteous and holy life.

Jesus knew that his followers would need guidance once he was gone. Imagine how the disciples felt once Jesus was really gone. I am sure that his words rang in their heads and hearts. They probably held their words with great regard. We know that many of them suffered a martyr’s death. They took his teachings, placed them deep in their hearts, and taught everyone they came in contact with. They were impacted in a way that changed them from the inside out.

The Sermon on the Mount is still relevant for us today. We can internalize the words of Jesus, live by them, and teach them to others as well.

James 3:17-18 tells us, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” Blessed are the peacemakers as Matthew 5 says! What are peacemakers and how can we strive to be better peacemakers in all we do?

Merriam Webster defines peacemakers as, “One who makes peace especially by reconciling parties at variance.” A peacemaker is not someone who simply stays quiet when others do not, although that can be helpful as well. A peacemaker is someone who actively tries to restore and reconcile the parties. The look to see how the bridge between the two can be healed. They actively pray for restoration. They go before the throne of God on behalf of reconciliation. It is of utmost importance to them. They do not show favoritism toward one party, but are instead sincere toward both. They are full of mercy. They have the very attributes of Jesus.

Have you known a person such as this? Are you a peacemaker? Think about the attributes listed in these two passages and spend some time in prayer. Ask God to make you more like Jesus, the ultimate peacemaker.

In this life, you will see many people fall away from the faith. This does not mean they lose their faith or never had faith necessarily, for that is not for us to judge the intent of their heart. As Christians, it is our job to gently restore them. James 5:19-20 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” There is great reward in restoring those who have fallen away.

So how can restoration be done? First, you must pray for them above all else. God is the one who restores, not us. Pray for that person everyday, that God will draw them back to Himself and that they will long for change in their heart. Second, invest in that person if you have not already done that. Try to spend time with them if they will allow it. When you are with them, do not condemn them, but tell them you are praying for them and even ask them specifically what you can pray about. These two things will allow you to become a trustworthy person in their life. You will have a greater chance of helping restore the person if they consider you to be trustworthy.

Never stop hoping. God is the God of restoration. He restored many people throughout the Bible. Most of all, He restored you and me through Jesus Christ. If He can do that, He can restore anyone.

Prayer is powerful. James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” When God’s people call on Him, He will do amazing, powerful things and they will get to be a part of it.

The first step to experiencing powerful prayer is to confess your sins to each other. Corporate prayer can be especially powerful when you confess to each other and hold each accountable. When I was in college, my friend and I decided to start meeting together once a week to help hold each other accountable. We asked each other questions about our lives and prayed together. It was so powerful knowing that I was not alone in my struggles when I confessed them to her. She understood and went through struggles of her own. It was also powerful knowing that there was someone out there praying for me. The second step is to actively pray for others so you may be healed. Does this mean physical healing? Possibly, but it most definitely means spiritual healing. When you pray for others it transforms your heart and mind, the way you think and act toward others.

Prayer is the most powerful thing you can do. When you tell others you will pray for them it gives them comfort to know that you are going before the throne. Spend some time in active prayer today and feel the power of God!

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” James describes in 5:13-15. Prayer is how we communicate with God. Prayer brings peace and comfort to the Christian. It also brings great joy during difficult times. Prayer heals and forgives.

If we will commit to praying in our churches, we will find it to be foundational. So how can we make prayer the central focus of the church? First, commit to praying individually on your own time. Wake up and spend some time with the Lord. Pray before you go to sleep. Pray for your struggles. Pray for your friends and family. Pray for others you know need help. Then, pray corporately. Find a prayer group or invite some people over to pray. God is there in the midst of you when you pray as Matthew 18:20 states, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Commit to being a prayer warrior for the community and world around you. You will see change in your life and the lives of others when you pray.

Sometimes we say too much. We do not want to let someone down when they ask us to do something, so we go ahead and commit when we are not sure if we will be able to do so. Then, we let them down because we have taken on too much. I don’t know about you, but this is what happens to me time and time again. However, James 5:12 tells us, “But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.”

So how can we honor commitments, but at the same time not take on too much? First, we must decide the things in life that are a priority and important to us. If family is important to you, then make a commitment that you will consult your family before deciding anything. Commit to spend time with them and make them feel like they are your priority. If church is your priority, then commit to getting involved and making it important. If your children are your priority, then make sure they know. Commit to getting involved in what they are involved in. Above all, if you make God your number one priority above all else, then everything else will fall in line. You will not feel split if He is your priority.

It is okay to say no to things that are not your priority. Always take everything into consideration before giving an answer, but once you have given an answer, let you yes be yes and your no be no.

The Christian faith is one that has stood the test of time. We have many examples in the Bible of those who suffered and persevered for God’s sake. James 5:10-11 says, “For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.”

This verse specifically mentions Job and how he endured his suffering, Because of his endurance and perseverance, God blessed him tenfold. We also see the lives of men like Paul who suffered in chains time and time again and endured beatings for the name of Christ. Many of Jesus’ followers died martyr’s deaths. We have so many examples in the Bible of men and women who lived for God and ministered to so many people. God in turn showed them kindness and mercy because of the suffering they endured. The gospel message and the love of God was their motivation.

What is your motivation today? Is it God or is it yourself? What inspires you to continue on each day. If you lean on God and make Him your motivation, as it was for Job, you will find peace, joy, and blessings.

Be patient, James 5:7-8 says. “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” We as a people have a difficult time being patient for tomorrow, let alone the return of the Lord! One definition of patience in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary can mean, “bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.” This is exactly how it can feel waiting on the Lord. We will go through pain and trials in this life. How we handle them truly shows our patience toward God.

Do you wait for the Lord to do His work patiently? Or do you try to take control, thinking you know what is better for you? We tend to take control of the little and big things in our life without any regard for God. What if we begin to live in light of eternity? We would make decisions with eternity in mind. We would choose spouses and friends who glorify the Lord so that we could be better together. We would speak and act in such a way that someone else’s eternity depended on it. Instead, we go throughout our lives looking out for ourselves.

God is returning for us someday. We need to live in such a way that we will be overjoyed at His return. Not like we are caught in the midst of sin. Spend some time praying today, thanking Him for His patience with you. Pray that you may have patience waiting on Him.

James reminds us in 4:17 to “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” When God has given you a clear direction about what you should do and you decide not to do that, it is considered sin.

Paul understood this very well. He tells us in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Probably every one of us can relate to Paul. We do what we do not want to do. This is our sin nature. It only seeks its own desires. So when we give in to it, we are giving in to our selfishness. When we allow our flesh to take over, we are allowing ourselves to live in sin. Jonah did this very thing. He allowed his hatred for Nineveh to take over. His view was clouded and he ran from God’s will and ended up in the belly of a whale. Even after he went to Nineveh, he sat on a hill and waited for God to strike Nineveh down. He still did not understand God’s mercy and grace. God still moved in the people of Nineveh, despite Jonah’s attitude.

James is right when he tells us that it is sin to know what we should do yet turn from it and not do it. It is a rebellion against God when we turn from His ways and instead entertain our own. Take some time today to ask God to help you in your obedience.

James 4:13-15 says, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’” God’s will is something that has perplexed man for generations. So if we are trusting Jesus, should we still make plans? This verse makes it seem like we should not make plans. However, there is a difference between making plans without God and being a part of His plans.

There are some that think you should never make plans and only trust in the Lord to lead you. There are others who do not give God the time of day when it comes to their plans; He is a part of their Sundays, but not every other day. I believe there is a balance to all of this. God created us with a free will and mind to serve Him in whatever way we can. Whatever we do, it should be to serve and honor God. He wants to be a part of our daily lives. So we shouldn’t live our lives apart from Him. We should pray that in everything we do, we could glorify God.

Take some time today to love and honor God. Pray that in the little things you could honor God, and that in the big things you could seek to follow God and bring Him glory.