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Christian Devotional – December 13, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:16–Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. TRUTH: We must be willing to share with others. We must share our struggles as well as our successes. As we are open and able to walk this life in Christ together, we will be able to pray and lift up one another. We are the most effective in our prayers as we are lifting up and praying for one another. Are we willing to lift up and share with our fellow believers so that we…
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Christian Devotional – December 12, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:15–And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. TRUTH: Do we pray in faith, believing that what we are praying for will be answered? James reminded them that illness is not always a result of sin, for the scripture uses the word “if” when talking about sin. People can be ill and have sickness and it not be the result or consequence of sin in their lives. Will we trust God completely with all that we our, our health included? That is where the prayer offered…
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Christian Devotional – December 11, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:14–Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. TRUTH: Sure, it’s easy to share with others when we are physically sick. People can see us having a cold or having to go to the doctor or the hospital. However, when we are emotionally or relationally sick, it’s not always as easy for people to see that. The verse states that if we are sick, we should call the elders and be prayed for and over. Are we willing to share our lives so much…
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Christian Devotional – December 10, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:13–Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. TRUTH: God created us to feel and experience emotions. We are going to be happy at times. We are going to be sad or hurt at times. We need to follow James’ advice here and allow ourselves to experience the emotions while leaning on God to bring us through both the difficult times and the great times. God is there with us through them all and as we are experiencing these different situation and different emotions, we can come to Him with all of them. Are…
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Christian Devotional – December 9, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:12–Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear–not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. TRUTH: Do we mean what we say? At the very essence of this verse, that is what it is asking us. Are we people of integrity who mean what we say? If we are, then we won’t need to swear to make people believe us and we won’t need to do anything else in order for people to believe us. The very fact that we said it and that we…
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Christian Devotional – December 8, 2015
Pre-orders for Piecing Together Forgiveness are now available! The e-book can be pre-ordered from Amazon here and the paperback is available for pre-order from my website here. Have you gotten your copy yet? Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:11–As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen that the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. TRUTH: Often, people talk about the patience of Job, but actually, it’s his perseverance that is the main thing to talk about. He wasn’t really very patient. He wanted answers from God and he wanted them yesterday!…
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Christian Devotional – December 7, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:10–Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. TRUTH: James has been speaking about not rumbling and being patient. Then, James gives them a very real example of what it means to suffer. all of the readers would have been familiar with the stories about how the prophets in the Old Testament were treated. They endured harsh persecution at the hands of many people for sharing God’s Word. James reminded the people that even in the face of the persecution, the prophets were patient and continued to share…
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Christian Devotional – December 6, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:9–Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! TRUTH: All our arguing and fussing against one another doesn’t go unnoticed. As we complain and argue against others, God hears us and sees our attitude toward them. What will be His response toward us? If we are spending our time grumbling against each other, God, who is the ultimate Judge, will be the one to see and hold us accountable by the same standard that we are holding others accountable. RESPONSE: Father, I know I have not always had the right attitude toward…
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Christian Devotional – December 5, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:7-8–Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. TRUTH: The Lord has promised His return someone day. He also indicated that no one would know the day or the hour when that will happen. Yet, we are to be watchful and looking forward to that day. Sometimes, when difficult and hard things happen, it can be easy to say, “Come on Lord! Let’s just go home now!” Yet,…
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Christian Devotional – December 4, 2015
Read James chapter 5 VERSE: James 5:6–You have condemned and murdered the innocent one who was not opposing you. TRUTH: As James finishes his section condemning the rich people who were oppressing others, he reminds the people that this is what they have been doing. When people have money, they often have power as well and frequently they will use those things as a way to impose their will on others around them. In this case, the people were doling out unjust judgments to the poor. Whether we are rich or not, we each have a measure of power and authority that we have in relation to someone or something.…