Sermon On The Mount Series: Salt and Light

I've noticed that I have previously done certain parts of the Sermon On The Mount, and Salt and Light is one of them. This passage is from Matthew 5:13-16. Here is the link to go to that post. Hope you enjoy and learn something new. :D Here a quick preview if you want. haha.

¹³"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

matthew5:13-16

There are two main concepts in this passage. Salt. and Light. We are ALL Salt and Light of the world if we believe and have recieved Salvation. There is NO OPTION.

Check out the rest of the post... HERE.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Be the salt and the light of the world.]
God Bless You ♥

Sermon On The Mount Series: The Beatitudes

This morning, I learn about this in my sunday school class, so this passage should be easier to explain and interpret. Hope you'll learn something new, and you'll SUB IT as well. This passage is taken from Matthew 5:1-12

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

matthew5:1-12

Let's break this down a few verses at a time.

Verses 1-2
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:

Here, it is very simple and is just an introduction to the teaching. Jesus was LITERALLY having a Sermon on the Mount(ain). That is why it says "he went up on a mountainside and sat down". This gives us the gist of the setting, and how big the crowd was.

Verse 3

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus starts by saying "Blessed are the poor in spirit". What does this mean? Well, basically, Jesus tells us that being poor in spirit is like being humble. We are all not perfect and holy. We are sinners on earth, therefore we cannot be... "rich in spirit". For those who believe in Christ and is slowly growing spiritually, we have a spot in heaven. We mustn't be prideful or boasting. We should be humble.

Verse 4
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Secondly, Jesus states that those who "mourn" will be comforted. As a Christian, we should not be expected the perfect and good life. In fact, we go through sufferings because God loves us. Through these trials, troubles, and mournings, we learn to rely on Christ and trust him truly. God WILL comfort us when we cry out to him.

Verse 5
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

He then states that the MEEK are blessed because they will inherit the earth. Meek means being humble and patient. God likes those who are patient, it is in the fruit of the spirit as well which we should bear as Christians and followers of God. I think Jesus says that they will inherit the earth is because good will conquer evil and those who are good and true Christians will inherit the earth by reflecting the light of God and pointing others towards God.

Verse 6
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

In this verse, Jesus is saying that the ones looking for righteousness will be blessed. The ones who seek the righteousness of God and work for it will be blessed. As Jesus stated, HUNGER and THIRST. We humans usually will work hard to fulfill our hunger or thirst. For instance, tonight, i was so hungry and i worked hard and fast to make my fried rice to eat for dinner which tasted AMAZING. Anyways, God wants us to not want righteousness, but CRAVE it. And because we crave it, God will give it to us and we will be "filled".

Verse 7
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

This time, the merciful are blessed. Because if we are merciful to others, we will be shown mercy as well. God loved us first, so we love him back. Same concept. We should all learn to be merciful to one another and forgive each other instead of keeping grudges.

Verse 8
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Here, Jesus tells us only those who have a pure heart will see God. Pure in heart, I personally think means that those who are truly Christian, truly love God and others will see God. Those who want to see what God wants them to do will see God and will hear him. God will lead and guide you, ONLY if you are willing to listen and obey. When you do, it shows you have a pure heart for God.

Verse 9

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Peace is very important to God. He doesn't enjoy violence so he blesses the peacemakers. The peacemakers know what God wants, he wants peace and wants us to work together cooperatively. They will called the sons of God because they follow God's commands and.. create peace.

Verse 10
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here is an extreme important point. Blessed are those who are PERSECUTED beacause of righteousness. God sent his only son, Jesus Christ to DIE for us. We persecuted him because we didn't believe him. Im not saying that you must die purposely for righteousness to get to heaven, but you should be willing to die for your faith. If someone points a gun to your head saying, if you admit to believing in Christ, I will pull the trigger, what would you do? Deny it? Or take the blow?

Verses 11-12
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is a longer section of the passage. In verse 11, it is saying they those who are insulted and are hated on because of Jesus will be blessed. Jesus was also insulted, spat on, and beaten because of Christ. Jesus was willing to take whatever blow for his Lord and faith.

In conclusion, these are the beatitudes. If you fulfill everyone of these, you demonstrate a true Christian. Jesus fulfill EVERY SINGLE ONE of these requirements. Use Jesus as your example and follow him.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Follow him. Fulfill these requirements.]
God Bless You ♥

New Series.

HI! IM BACK! I haven't posted in a LONG TIME. Im back with a new series. The Sermon On The Mount Series. I am currently taking a class on that and I thought it would be a good thing to do for the blog. I thought that Sermon On The Mount was just a name, but apparently, its actually something in the bible. Haha.. my bad.. The Sermon On The Mount passages are located in Matthew 5-7. The series will be kicking off really soon (hopefully) hope you like, enjoy, and SUB IT! :D For now, you can check out the newly made banner for it! :D

The first post will be on the Beatitudes (which I learnt today) found in Matthew 5:1-11.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Hope you like! :D]
God Bless You ♥

Suffering For Being A Christian (1 Peter 4:12-19)

I was scanning biblegateway.com for a new passage to interpret. Going through the different books, I came along 1 Peter and then to this passage about Suffering as a Christian.

12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1peter4:12-19

Verse 12

12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.

- Here Peter is writing/saying the letter.
- He tells us that we shouldn't be surprised at the trials we face.
- We as Christians sometimes think that because we have God, we will have good and perfect lives. But I've realized that after coming to Christ, my life hasn't gotten better. Actually it has gotten worse with all the trials God has thrown at me. But I rejoice because all these sufferings are for good and all have a purpose behind it.

Verse 13
13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

- Peter tells us to REJOICE because we suffer. Why? So that when we truly understand why God planned this and when we overcome our suffering with God, we can be OVERjoyed when we see his magnificent glory.
- We may not see it now, but we will learn and understand why God planned certain trials in our lives.

Verse 14
14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

- Peter even tells us that we are blessed when we are insulted because of Christ's name. The holy spirit is with us.
- I believe that Peter is trying to say, no matter in any circumstances, be joyful because God has blessed you with so much. The trial/suffering cannot take it away from you.

Verse 15 and 16

15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

- Peter tells us that suffering shouldn't be as bad as a murderer, thief, or a meddler.
- He tells us again to praise God and not to be ashamed of the trial we are facing everyday.

Verse 17 and 18

17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

- Peter asks us questions about judgment day and salvation. Im guessing that he's trying to question us that if we don't turn to God about our sufferings, what happens to those without God in their lives?

Verse 19
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

- Peter sums up the passage by telling us clearly, that those suffering with God in their lives should continue to have faith and continue to do good.

Mainly, I believe that we need to understand and know that we should be joyful in our sufferings and trials. God has planned these things in our lives for certain reasons and we will discover those reason eventually. Whether if its tomorrow, a decade later, or when we go to heaven, we will understand and know why.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Rejoice in your trials. Praise God in Everything.]
God Bless You ♥

The Parable Of The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

This is a long parable in the book of Luke, so I'll try to interpret it briefly, yet in detail too. If possible. I'll try my best. This passage comes from Luke 15, verse 11 to 32.

¹¹Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

¹³"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

²⁵"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

²⁸"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

³¹" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

luke15:11-32

Since this is such a long passage, I'll break it down section by section.

Verse 11 and 12
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

In the beginning, Jesus dives right into the story and describes the main points to start the story. From the two verses, we learnt that...

1. there is a man with 2 sons
2. younger son wants share of estate
3. man divides property

Verses 13, 14, 15, and 16
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Here, it talks about how the younger son leaves his home and father to go live by himself. This can symbolize how sometimes we leave God and we become to arrogant and want to do everything ourselves. But as it says in the passage, he spent everything and there was a famine in the country. This can shows how we may go through a big trial or trouble in life, maybe even just a small one and we have no one to rely on. Life may just get worse and worse as it did for the son and he needed to feed with the pigs which show how poor he was.

Verses 17, 18, and 19

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'

The son fortunately came to his senses and realized what he did wrong and learnt to repent and go back to his father. Like us, when we come to our senses, possibly in the midst of tragedy, we need to know and learn to go back to our Father in heaven who knows all and is almighty and powerful. Repent against your sins and ask for forgiveness from our Lord.

Verse 20

20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

This verse, I think maybe one of the most powerful verses in the passage. The son finally gets home and his Father has been looking for him and finally sees him. Like how when we return to God, he'll see us and welcome us. The father kissed him and loved him like how God will when we return and after we return.

Verse 21
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

The son now knows what he has done wrong and is repenting from his sin and asks his father for forgiveness. Just like how we all should when we sin or do wrong. Not just when we return to our Father's side.

Verses 22, 23, and 24
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

The Father asks his servants to dress his son and make a celebration because his son has returned. Making a feast, dressing him us, giving the best to his son. Exactly what our God will do for us. In heaven, he will be celebrating when we return to him or if we go to him for the very first time. Angels will be singing, and there will be a marvelous party in heaven.

Verses 25, 26, and 27

25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

The older son, who was mentioned in the beginning of the passage overheard the noise and when to check it out. He gets the news that his brother has returned but his reaction was different. Instead of being happy for his brother, he was jealous.

Verses 28, 29, and 30

28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

The older brother got jealous. Why? Because he doesnt understand why his father gives his brother so much when he seems to get nothing. He's jealous because it seems like his father cares more for his brother. We as Christians may sometimes feel like that. We may wonder why this Christian is so much more blessed than us, but we should NEVER be jealous. Instead, we should learn to be thankful that one of our brothers/sisters are so blessed. Remember that God loves us all equally and unconditionally.

Verses 31, and 32
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

Here, the father says that they celebrate because their son/brother is back. Once dead but now found and alive again. Lost, but now is found. The older son ALWAYS had everything. So we must learn to be thankful and join in the celebration as well.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Be Thankful. Praise God for his blessings for you and as well as others.]
God Bless You ♥

Love ( 1 Corinthains 13:4-8)

Wow, i haven't posted in a while, but here will be my first post of many more posts to come.. hopefully. This verse is well known in almost all marriages because its based on LOVE. From 1 Corinthians 13, here's the Love Verse.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails...

1corinthains13:4-8

At my recent first missions trip, Urban Promise, on the last night of the trip, we were all doing our devotions and our prayer journals and I came along this verse and decided to memorize it. Surprisingly, it wasnt that hard and it didn't that that long either. Anyways, i decided to interpret it here, but i just realized how straight forward it was. Well, here we go. Phrase. By. Phrase.

"Love is patient..."
- patience is a important thing we need to have in our lives.
- patience is also one of the fruit of the spirit, so we as Christians need to have this as well.
- learn to be patient with one another to show love.

"Love is kind..."
- being kind is obviously a way of showing love... so im guessing enough said.
- for instance, washing someone else's cloths out of Love or service is showing kindness and love.

"It does not envy..."
- envy is also known as jealousy at times, but there IS a difference. Envy is when you Cross the line, and Jealousy is when you want it. For a better and longer answer, take a look, HERE.

"It does not boast, it is not proud."
- here the two things are somewhat similar.
- boasting is being prideful and blabbing about what you "awesomeness" which is something displeases God and therefore Love doesnt do.
- being proud is the same thing as being prideful. Boasting is carrying out your pride, while being proud is... being prideful.
- pride first, then boast follows along.
- both displeasing to the Lord.

"It is not rude..."
- Loving others usually doesn't consist of being mean to others, calling them names, or being disrespectful. AKA rude.

"it is not self-seeking..."
- this is just another way to say being selfish.
- a loving person would learn to share, therefore not being selfish, like the "somewhat" well known phrase "sharing is caring".

"it is not easily-angered..."
- as Christians, we should live a Christ-reflective life, and in the book of Numbers, it says this...

¹⁸ 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'

numbers14:18

- our God and the Lord is slow to anger. We should be like him, so therefore, we shouldnt be easily angered as well.
- in a past Splat sermon, we learned about Anger leads to talking and talking leads to less listening. We need to listen to care and know about other's troubles and trials. See how it all connects?

"it keeps no record of wrongs."
- God even doesnt keep a record of our sins. The past is the past, if you repent, you are forgiven and can start fresh again.
- so why should you keep a record of what someone has done to you wrongly? Forgive them. Forgiveness also shows love.

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."
- God is Love. God is the Word. God is the Truth. John1:1 states that,

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

john1:1

- 1 John 4:8, 16 both say that God IS LOVE. So when the verse 6 says "Love...." it can also be meaning as God.
- God obviously will not delight or rejoice or anything in sin and in evil nature, but with the Word and God.

"It always protects..."
- love protects. Because God loves us he protects us from sin and temptations. It says in Psalm 23:4...

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

psalm23:4

- God leads us through the valley of death and evil and yet we are safe and comfortable because of his Love for us because he watches over us.

"always trusts..."
- trusting others demonstrate love significantly. Having faith in God and others show love.
- others trust you because they know that you love them.

"always hopes, always perseveres."
- these 2 things are always similar. Love gives us hope. God is Love and God is our hope as well.
- BECAUSE that we have hope, we can perseveres and move on with love. Trudging forward with God by our side, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible. My favorite verse from Philippians 4:13 says,

13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

- thats why we must keep going. Never give us.

"Love never fails..."
- this is just the beginning of verse 8 and I love how it ends with such a powerful conclusion. LOVE. NEVER. FAILS.
- once again, in the word, it says that God is Love. Therefore this can also mean that GOD NEVER FAILS. But love itself, never fails.
- showing love and loving others can never go wrong. Its Love.

That's basically it I guess. Here is my interpretation on the Love passage from the Bible. Hope you learnt it. Its good to memorize and remember. It's like a checklist. When loving yourself, others, or God, think about it. Do I love them how God wants me to love them? Am I being patient? kind? not jealous? not prideful? not mean? not selfish? slow to anger? keeping record of others wrongs? Am I delighting in the truth instead of evil? Do I remember that it protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres and most importantly, that Love Never Fails? Am I all these things? If you are, im sure that you are showing, demonstrating TRUE LOVE.

Amen. God Bless You. Hope you, and me continue to love each other and God. Amen.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [1 Corinthians 13:13. L♥VE.]
God Bless You ♥

Blessing and Woes (Luke 6:17-26)

This passage came to me as I attended a "Gist" worship service on friday. Another one of our youth pastors, Ho-Ming was speaking and this passage came along and I found it interesting. So throughout this passage, most of it would probably come from Pastor Ho-Ming. Its from Luke 6. It has a interesting twist and a good meaning.

¹⁷He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, ¹⁹and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
²²Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
²³"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

²⁴"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
²⁵Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
²⁶Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

luke6:17-26

Throughout the post, I will mainly focus on verses 20-26, but the first 3 verses will be exaplined briefly as well.

Verse 17-19

¹⁷He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, ¹⁹and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

(17) - "He" as in Jesus went to preach to them.
- There were people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre and Sidon, which shows how much they appreciate his presence.
(18) - They came so they could be healed or just to listen and learn or to cure evil spirits.
(19) - Everyone tried to touch him. Like the story of the Woman who touched Jesus' robe (Mark 5:21-43) they all knew he could heal them.
- Because Jesus is so powerful since he is the son of God, there was power "exploding" from him and healed many people.

Now, to the main verses I'd like to concentrate on.

Verse 20-22

20Looking at his disciples, he said:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

(20) - Jesus says that the POOR will be blessed. and that the Kingdom of God is THEIRS. Not the rich, but the POOR.
(21) - Jesus continues to say "confusing things" that the hungry will be satisfied, and those who are in sadness and pain will laugh.
(22) - Here is a very awkward part, where Jesus says that you are blessed when people hate you, exclude you and call you names BECAUSE of Jesus, The Son Of Man.
- Not blessed when you are hated for what you have done, but because of JESUS CHRIST.
(23) - Jesus tells us to rejoice when those days come along. Why? Becuase our reward in heaven is great.
- That is how their fathers trated the prophets.

This may seem EXTREMLY confusing but (hopefully) I can clear it up for you after.

Verses 24-26

24"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
25Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Jesus continues to say...

woe. ~ meaning grief. But "grief" to those... (or suffer)
(click here to go to the definition @ dictionary.com)

(24) - Woe to those who are rich. Grief to the rich ones. Why? Because they have already received comfort.
- comfort as in so-called "happiness" or power.
(25) - Grief to those who are full, because they will become hungry.
- Grief to those who laugh, for they will suffer
(26) - Grief to those who praise you for that was how their fathers treated the FALSE prophets.

You are probably still wondering what this all means, well there is where I'll explain (to the best of my abilities).

Verses 20-26 concentrate on 3 MAIN THINGS.

1. POWER. (verse 20/24 ~ rich/poor as in those who had power and those who were weak)
   
2. SATISFACTION. (verse 21/25 ~ hunger/well-fed & laugh/weep as in the ones with satisfied and smooth-sailing lives compared to those with many trials and sufferings)
   
3. RECOGNITION. (verse 22/26 ~ hate, insult, exclusion/praise as in those who gain praise and recognition from awards, or deeds etc...)

Through the 7 main verses, Jesus is trying to tell us that he doesn't care about those 3 things. Powe, Satisfation, and Recognition are all meaningless to God. Those things may seem amazing and great, but to God, it doesnt matter. That is why he blesses those who don't have those things, and grief to those who do.

I personally believe that these things are not BAD, but when you use it inappropriately, that is when God doesn't like it. How so?

1. POWER. - using it not to praise God but yourself, fulfilling your OWN needs instead of others (1 Corinthians 10:31).
   
2. SATISFACTION. - although you are having a "good" life, you choose to just stay happy instead of helping others when their lives are not going so well (Ephesians 4:29).
3. RECOGNITION. - its great that you are getting honored for your deeds, but if you become too prideful and do not HUMBLY accept the blessing you have been praised with, it becomes a bad thing (Philippians 2:3). Also, your deeds should be done for God not for yourself and your own benefit (1 Corinthians 10:31).
   

Does it make a lot more sense now? Thanks to Pastor Ho-Ming and his wonderful sermon on Friday. Credited to him.

Any questions? Please leave a comment!

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [1 Corinthians 10:31. Do everything for the glory of God.]
God Bless You ♥

Sploxa Series - Doing Faith! [partthree]

Today, our wonderful Pastor Keely concluded and finished off her outstanding mini series on James 1. After the past 2 weeks, we have finally gotten to the last 8 verses of the chapter. James 1:19-21. Here's what I got from the sermon.

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, 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.

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But 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.

²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
james1:19-27

Like last week, we split up the section into 3 separate parts. Verses 19-21, 22-25, and 26-27. Throughout the sermon we cut it down and broke it down and applied it to our own lives. Here's how it went, and what I learnt.

James 1:19-21
- (19) James first, grabs the attention of the group, signaling that it is an important message and that they/YOU need to pay attention.
- the main point he starts with is that we must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. When we talk too much, we cannot listen.
- when we read the scripture, LISTEN, don't speak, LISTEN. Also, be slow to anger or frustrations so you can take in what God wants you to learn.
- we need to learn to approach the scripture with a humble and clean heart.
- the more anger, the more talking, the less listening.
- (20) if we do not obey these commands, it will bring a life God doesn't desire.
- (21) therefore we should get rid of all of our sinful nature and accept his Word that will save us.
- we must learn to SUBMIT ourselves to the word.
- submissions = willingness of the heart, respect.
- so, submit to the word of God out of RESPECT.

James 1:22-25
- (22) "Do what it says". We must not just LISTEN to the word, but ACT upon it.
- we as Christians are RESPONSIBLE to act on the Word of God. Put what you profess into practice.
- (23) Analogy: mirror - to study yourself, and get to know yourself. bible - to study God and learn about God.
- (24) We cannot simply just look away and COMPLETELY forget about it.
- (25) a TRUE christian; remains faithful, true to what you've listened to, not a double-minded person and constantly "looks in the mirror".
- in verse 25, the "perfect law" refers to the law of Moses.
- the law of Moses is the will for our lives, it gives us freedom but is impossible to achieve. So how does it work?

LAW - if we keep it, we can have a relationship with God, but it was impossible. God knew, so...
JESUS CHRIST - he sent his son to SAVE us from the law.
REACTION - out of LOVE, we choose to keep those laws because we love and respect our God.
understandable?

James 1:26-27
- (26) we must keep a rein on our tongue. We cannot have unrighteousness and righteousness come out of the same mouth.
- allow fruitful things, encouragement, and holy things to come out of your mouth.
- (27) religious things (ex. missions) should be done out of LOVE.
- motivated by LOVE.
- we should achieve genuine faith so we can avoid pollution from the world into us.

Conclusion of James 1

1. It isnt enough to just LISTEN, ACT upon it. What separates you from non-believers?
2. It isnt just enough to ACT, our HEART must be in the right place. We should act out of LOVE.
3. What fuels your faith? Motivation of LOVE and GOD.

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [do it out of LOVE.]
God Bless You ♥

Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

Worry, I am sure is a big part of many many people's lives. I see people worrying about several things. From what they wear, to how they eat, to how they talk, about others, and friends and family, many things. You can basically worry about EVERY. SINGLE. THING. in the world. Matthew, a disciple of Jesus talks about it in this passage from Matthew 6.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

matthew6:25-34

I personally, like a format I have used recently. Although it may SEEM more lengthy, you can understand the passage much better, word by word, or phrase by phrase.

verse25
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life," ~ Matthew starts off the passage with a clear, powerful statement, telling us NOT to worry about life.

"what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." ~ He becomes more specific and lists examples. Food, drinks, clothing, basically, he wants to say about EVERYTHING.
"Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" ~ Life is more important than these things. Like in a previous post from a sermon, everything we have and DON'T have are meaningless (James 1:11). -for the post, click here- LIFE, is more important than all these tangible things.

verse26
26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns" ~ the birds our Lord has made does not do not worry much about anything and their Father (creator/God) still feeds them." In 1 Kings 17 1:6, Elijah was didn't worry and trusted the Lord, and the Lord fed him as well.

"Are you not much more valuable than they?" ~ compare yourself to the birds. God has blessed us with shelter and SO MUCH MORE. Doesn't this show how much MORE God loves us? Trust in his unconditional love for us and DO. NOT. WORRY.

⁸ But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

psalm52:8

verse27
27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ~ like mentioned before, compare yourselves and understand/believe how blessed we are. We worry even more than the birds. We worry as if we can add hours to God's Life? Stop worrying!

verse28
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin." ~ why should we care or worry about what we wear? Lilies are beautiful without work, and like lilies, God made us naturally beautiful. We do not need to work to be beautiful. We already are.

verse29
29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

"Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." ~ even Solomon, he was rich and wealthy and he did work so hard to dress to impress.

verse30
30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire," ~ if God clothes grass without work and making it naturally beautiful, without work and the grass is here for a long period of time and even thrown into the fire,.... then....

"will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" ~ he will surely make you beautiful as well, correct?

verse31
31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'" ~ once again, Matthew reminds us and brings up the point that we should not worry or worry through speaking as well.

verse32
32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

"For the pagans run after all these things," ~ pagans (non-christian/jewish/muslim) run and worry about things like clothing and food.

"and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." ~ unlike the pagans, our God knows EVERYTHING and he knows exactly what you need.

verse33
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness," ~ we must remember to seek God and his righteousness first. Our goal is to be Christ-like and live a Christ-reflective life. Learn to be like God. It will not happen overnight, and it will take time, but we will get there eventually if you are willing to.
"and all these things will be given to you as well." ~ if we seek his kingdom and goodness, "all these things", such as food, shelter, etc... will be given to us. Matthew 7:7 states,

⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

verse34
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." ~ Matthew concludes the passage with this verse, which is actually a gesture. We shouldn't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow, is tomorrow. Allow God to control your future, and your stress about the future will be taken away.
"Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ there are already many trials and temptations and troubles in every single day we encounter. In the 24 hours you can experience a lot, so there is no need to worry about the future. Even the near-future as well.

Conclusion/Things to Ponder on:

1. Do not worry about LIFE. Food, shelter, clothing etc...
2. God KNOWS what you need and he will provide, so why worry?
3. Seek his kingdom and greatness and he will give you what you need.
4. Do not worry about the future, allow God to take over.

A while ago, I read "Right With God" by Ron Mehl and I learnt a lot from the book. One part of the book REALLY stood out to me and I have remembered it ever since I read it.

"Worry is a warning light on the dashboard, informing us that we've been taken back our lives from his care, a very foolish thing to do." - Right With God by Ron Mehl (16)

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Do Not Worry. Give it to God.]
God Bless You ♥

A Psalm Of David (Psalm 23)

(the Lord is our Shepherd.)

This, I believe is probably one of the most well known passages in the bible and probably the most well-known passage in the Book of Psalms. Let me give you a hint. "The Lord is my Shepard...". Yes. That's it. Psalm 23 is the passage we are looking into today.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

psalm23

This passage is only made up of six verses, but each verse is pretty long. Let's take a look at each verse, separately.

VERSE ONE.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

It says that our Lord, our God is our Shepherd. So what is a shepherd? Well, these people are to look over the sheep or lamb. Lamb and sheep are usually somewhat, stubborn creatures. As you see sometimes, they run off everywhere and get lost all the time. So if GOD is OUR Shepherd, what are we? We are the sheep. The stubborn creatures that run around and get into trouble. Is that true about us? YES. We as "sheep", we...

~ run off to other roads we are not intended to be on.
(ex. do not follow God's commands, lured into temptations)
~ get lost and may possibly move away from God.
(ex. fall away from God through sin)

That's why we need a "shepherd" to look over us. And who is our shepherd? God. And he is an AMAZING shepherd as well. Why? Verse 2 shows us.

VERSE TWO
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

He, "God" makes me lie in green pastures. Well, God doesnt REALLY make us lie down on grass, but what this means is that he gives the best for each and everyone on of us. In the verse, it mentions "GREEN" as well. Would God let us lie in "yellow" pastures? Not. He gives us GREEN grass, or whatever crops/plants there are. Sheep EAT grass so, God gives us this. This also shows that God PROVIDES for us.

The second half of the second verse says that he LEADS us by quiet waters. The word "LEAD" is used. This shows that we should FOLLOW our LEADER (God). I, personally am not sure what "quiet waters" represent, but I think it can demostrate that God leads us through and by peaceful places. He leads us to PEACE and his Grace. What else does this wonderful God do? Its continues in verse 3.

VERSE THREE
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Here, I can say that David is being more... relevant to "humans". God restores our souls. God guides us to righteousness. If we ask our Lord for forgiveness, he will generously give it to us and he will restore our soul. Take away the sinful things we have done, and wipe our slates clean. He guides us as well. How? Through the GOSPEL. The BIBLE. As I have been told before, an acroymn for BIBLE is... Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. And, it is true. Everything in the Bible teaches us right from wrong, and if we follow his commands, we will become more like God and be righteous people.

VERSE FOUR
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

This is a longer verse, but it has a LOT of meaning and gives relief. Throughout the verse it talks about God's presence and fearing no sin or evil. Even if we walk in the SHADOW OR DEATH, which can mean temptations, trials, sin, lures, We will fear NO EVIL. Why? Because you are with me you rod and staff comfort me. The "rod" and "staff" can represent many things such as, prayer, or the bible, or pastors as well. They are sent and used by God and ourselves so we can be comforted and so we can fear no evil. This verse is a very relieving verse. It gives you comfort and it reminds you that no matter what goes on in life, God is with you and you have NOTHING to be afriad of.

VERSE FIVE
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Here, it tells us that God has prepared a table for you. In heaven God has already reserved a spot for you as long as you have believed and your name is in the book of life. If you believe, you have a table prepared for you and have given you salvation. In the past, and possible nowadays as well, when you "anoint someone's head with oil" you are usually blessing them. Well, in this verse that is EXACTLY what it means. God blesses us with many things. Food, water, shelther, friends, family, EVERYTHING we have is a blessing from God. Because you have some many blessings, your cup overflows, not with water or a drink, but from the overfilling amount of blessings God has blessed us with. We should learn to spread and give those blessings to others as well.

VERSE SIX

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Love and goodness with follow us because we have God and he blesses us forever until the day we leave the earth to join with God. Because we are believers of Christ and we love and obey him, we will dwell with God forever. The house of God is the CHURCH, but it can also represent God. We must learn to abide in him FOREVER. Follow his commands, fulfill his purpose for us in life, and follow God. If we abide in God, he will abide in us (John 15:1-17).

~~~
Conclusions/Things to take away:

1. GOD IS OUR LEADER, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM. -verse one-
2. GOD PROVIDES US WITH THE BEST THINGS. -verse two-
3. GOD GUIDES US AND WILL FORGIVE US. -verse three-
4. GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US. FEAR NO EVIL. -verse four-
5. GOD HAS RESERVED YOU IN HEAVEN IF YOU BELIEVE. -verse five-
6. GOD WANTS YOU TO FOLLOW HIM AND ABIDE IN HIM FOREVER. -verse six-

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [God is with you. ALWAYS.]
God Bless You ♥

Shining Like Stars (Philippians 2:12-18)

(going against the current/flow)

Here is another passage from Philippians which basically talks about what we should do as Christians and rejoicing in the Lord. I think its a brief, but a good reminder for us.

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

philippians2:12-18

This time, I will try a new format... or possibly, I have used this already, but I just want to try new ways of interpretation.

verse12

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ...

This is the first verse from the passage and it is written, well this whole book is written by Paul and Timothy.

"Therefore, my dear friends," ~ Paul and Timothy talking to his congregation or audience or in our perspective, us.

"as you have always obeyed" ~ saying that we SHOULD have always obeyed God, as long as we are Christians.

"not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence" ~ obeying God not ONLY in his presence (can be meaning, in the house of God, church) but moreover in his ABSENCE (at school, work, outside of church).

"continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," ~ do what? to work out your salvation with fear. Working towards salvation, and fearing God.

verse13

13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

"for it is God who works in you" ~ you cannot work without God, when you influence others, it isn't really YOU influencing them, it is GOD influencing THEM.

"to will and to act according to his good purpose." ~ God works in you so you can act accordingly to why he made you. God helps you fulfill your purpose in life.

verse14/15

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe...

"Do everything without complaining or arguing," ~ do not talk back when you are asked to do something. No complaints. Do everything in obedience and be humble while doing it.

"so that you may become blameless and pure," ~ why? to become pure and righteous in God's eyes.

"children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation," ~ we are known as Children of God, or Christians, and we should stand out of the crowd (the world). Our world is turning into a "crooked and depraved generation" so we mustn't follow it, but move AGAINST it.

"in which you shine like stars in the universe" ~ to stand out in the world. To illuminate God like how stars illuminate the universe.

verse16

16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

"as you hold out the word of life" ~ standing out in the word, how? through the word of life (the gospel, God's word).

"in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." ~ so that on judgment day/day of Christ, you can proclaim that you worked for something. You stood out of the crowd, went against the current, for a reason. For salvation.

verse17

17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

"But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service" ~ it is possible that it seems like all this work may be worth nothing, all the sacrifices and things I have done.

"coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you." ~ but because of your faith in the Lord, we (brothers and sisters) are all glad and will celebrate with you.

verse18

18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

"So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." ~ and because I rejoice with you, you should rejoice with me as well.

Throughout this passage we need to learn to....

1. live by God's Word whether if it flows with the world, or not.
2. when you obey and follow God, you will gain in the end.
3. as we live by God's word and go against the current together, we will rejoice together.
   

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [Follow God's Word. It is hard, but possible. Philippians 4:13]
God Bless You ♥

Doing Faith! Series (James 1:9-18)

Today was part two of KJT's mini series on Faith and a study on James 1. Today we studied verses 9:18. I honestly love her sermons because it is so deep and she uses a lot of enthusiam and just it moves me... a lot. Anyways, let's get into the fantastic sermon she preached today. Amen. (for James 1:1-8, click here.)

⁹The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. ¹⁰But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

james1:9-18

Like Pastor Kelly did, the passages are broken down into 3 different sections. Verses 9-11, 12-15, and 16-18. Let's start the break down.

⁹The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. ¹⁰But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

James 1:9-11
- (9) the "brother in humble circumstances" is to represent the ones in low positions or the poor, or just the ones suffering and are facing many trials.
- they must learn to take pride and know that although they are facing these trials and maybe in a low point, they are still children of God and they are equally loved in God's eyes.
- (10) the "rich" are the ones who have smooth lives at the moment and seem to have no problems or trials.
- they should also take pride because he and his things will fade away soon enough.
- from these 2 verses, you can get that BOTH kinds of people are the same. Not much of a difference.
- we are all sinners, we will all die, and we will all face God.
- (11) talks about in the end, everything will fade away. From clothes, to money, to cars, everything. The "blossom" can represent clothing or valuables, but in the end, it will ALL FADE AWAY.
- this shows that everything we have and do not have are all meaningless and are nothing.

12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:12-15
- (12) we get tested through trials and temptations. Like a car test, we get smashed into walls and others, but do we last? Do we pass the tests? Are we durable?
- (13) temptations do NOT come from God. God cannot be tempted and he doesnt have the evil desire to tempt us as well.
- (14) temptation "sparks" sin. "by his OWN evil desire (temptation), he is dragged away and enticed (sin).
- temptations starts off by our OWN evil desire.
- when we act upon or after temptations, it becomes a sin.
- temptation is NOT a sin. When we act upon it, or give into it, it becomes a sin.
- (15) Desire >>> Sin >>> Death.

¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1corinthians10:13

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 1:16-18
- (16) do not be deceived by others/media.
- when you need wisdom or advice, ask God and not others
- (17) God gives generously and he will always be the God that gives generously. He is the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
- (18) gospel >>> God >>> Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

1. Trials come in the form of temptations. Will you give in? Will you ask God for wisdom?
2. Temptations do NOT come from God. (It is Satan's way to take us away from God)
3. Temptations are NOT sin. Satan cannot force us to sin, but he can only lure us to sin.
4. Every good thing/blessing is from God. He never said the good things must be happy things are things that make you rich. The trials and sufferings you and I go through are some of those blessings. It helps us grow and have a stronger relationship with God.
   

SUB it,
Smij Nahc † [part three coming next sunday]
God Bless You ♥