Morning, May 12
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Bible League: Living His Word
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

In Chapter 4 of the book of James the author describes the struggles between believers within the Christian community he was addressing. He made it very plain that these struggles did not come from God, but "from the evil desires at war within you" (verse 1). He told them, "You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them" (verse 2).

Instead of asking God for what they wanted, they fought each other for it. Even when they did ask, James said, "you don't get it because your motives are all wrong--you want only what will give you pleasure" (verse 3). Although they were Christians, they were not acting like Christians. They were acting like people of the world. In effect, they were spiritual adulterers. Although they were married to Jesus, they acted as if they were still married to the world.

James identified the primary motivating factor behind these struggles as pride. Instead of submitting to God and the ways of God, they were struggling with one another in the pride of the flesh, in the pride of the sinful spiritual state. James made it very clear that God would not stand idly by while all this was going on. He quoted Proverbs 3:34 to show them that "God opposes the proud" (verse 6). God actively opposes all those whose actions undermine proper order in the church.

The struggles of the church in James' day still happen today. The actions of the proud still undermine proper order in the church and God is still opposing them. The solution to the problem, from James' point of view, is to "humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (verse 7). Instead of struggling with other members of the church for whatever it is we want, we should humble ourselves before God and seek His will and His ways in our dealings with them.

We should repent with tears for the things we have done and renew our loyalty and trust in God. Although God opposes the proud and brings them down, He gives grace to the humble and lifts them up.

In due time He will lift up the humble in honor.

Bible in a Year
Old Testament Reading
2 Kings 4, 5


2 Kings 4 -- The Widow's Oil; The Shunammite Woman's son rasied; Stew and Bread Feed Many

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


2 Kings 5 -- Naaman Cured of Leprosy; Gehazi Smitten

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


New Testament Reading
John 4:1-30


John 4 -- Jesus Testifies to the Samaritan Woman and Townspeople, Heals an Official's Son

  NIV   NLT   ESV   NAS   GWT   KJV   ASV   ERV   DRB


Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library.
Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion
Blessed are all those
        who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
        and keep themselves from doing wrong.
Insight
God commanded his people to rest and honor him on the Sabbath. He wants us to serve him every day, but he wants us to make one day special when we rest and focus our thoughts on him. For the Israelites, this special day was the Sabbath (Saturday).
Challenge
Some Christians set Saturday aside as this special day, but many accept Sunday (the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead) as the “Lord's Day,” a day of rest and honor to God.
Morning and Evening by Spurgeon
John 14:21  And will manifest myself to him.

The Lord Jesus gives special revelations of himself to his people. Even if Scripture did not declare this, there are many of the children of God who could testify the truth of it from their own experience. They have had manifestations of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in a peculiar manner, such as no mere reading or hearing could afford. In the biographies of eminent saints, you will find many instances recorded in which Jesus has been pleased, in a very special manner to speak to their souls, and to unfold the wonders of his person; yea, so have their souls been steeped in happiness that they have thought themselves to be in heaven, whereas they were not there, though they were well nigh on the threshold of it--for when Jesus manifests himself to his people, it is heaven on earth; it is paradise in embryo; it is bliss begun. Especial manifestations of Christ exercise a holy influence on the believer's heart. One effect will be humility. If a man says, "I have had such-and-such spiritual communications, I am a great man," he has never had any communion with Jesus at all; for "God hath respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off." He does not need to come near them to know them, and will never give them any visits of love. Another effect will be happiness; for in God's presence there are pleasures for evermore. Holiness will be sure to follow. A man who has no holiness has never had this manifestation. Some men profess a great deal; but we must not believe any one unless we see that his deeds answer to what he says. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." He will not bestow his favors upon the wicked: for while he will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he respect an evil doer. Thus there will be three effects of nearness to Jesus--humility, happiness, and holiness. May God give them to thee, Christian!

Daily Light on the Daily Path
1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Romans 5:5  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 8:15,16  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" • The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

1 John 5:10  The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

1 John 4:9  By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

Ephesians 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 2:7  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

Evening May 11
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