Sacred Sunday Presents~James Chapter 3/A Teacher Tongue Lashing!

12/11/16 • 27 min

The Paranormal and The Sacred Radio Show

James 3 Summary Those Who Can't Do, Teach Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher like James. Oh, really?Teachers have to watch what they do and say at all times because people are just waiting for them to screw up. Well, it's sort of true.But teachers also make mistakes. Tons of them. Sometimes it's hard to keep control of your tongue.A person's tongue is the rudder on a ship. It's a little tiny piece tucked away under the boat, but it can steer the whole vessel through uncharted waters. The tongue is pretty small, too, but it can take you to some amazing places.It's sort of like how a whole forest can go up in flames just from a few matches. Our tongues are like tiny fires ready to set the world ablaze. Stand back!But an unruly tongue can produce good words and bad words.We say all kinds of good things about God with our mouths. But then we talk bad about his creations—other people—in the same breath. How rude!Folks really shouldn't be doing this, says James.It makes as much sense as having a faucet that pours out pure, sparkling water on one day and then raw sewage on another. Gross.If you're smart, then you'll be humble and kind.But if you've got the wrong kind of wisdom (the devilish kind), then you'll be a bitter, envious, selfish, clawing, liar. Yikes.The bad kind of wisdom can wreck the world. The good kind can bring peace and sunshine and rainbows to everyone. Thanks to shmoop.com

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Sacred Sunday Presents~James Chapter 2/Faith vs. Works: The Ultimate Showdown

Sorry, One-Percenters Being a faithful person means that you don't favor rich people over poor people.When fancy folks wearing expensive clothes stroll into church, everyone falls all over themselves to get these hoity toity guys a seat.But when someone without a lot of cash in his pockets walks in, he's told to stand or sit on the ground. It's not very polite.If that's how you treat the poor—whom God specifically said were going to be part of his kingdom—then you are really not getting it, says James.Why should Christians love these rich guys so much anyway? Wealthy folks are the ones who have you arrested for following Jesus. They drag you into court and basically mock God. What's so awesome about them, again? Faith vs. Works: The Ultimate Showdown If you're merciful to others, God will repay the favor. But if you spend most of your free time judging people based on their appearances, then God is gonna judge the heck out of you, too.Seriously, you can't say you follow God and then act like a jerk.Having faith alone can't save you. You also need to do good works to complete the picture.James continues: it won't help anyone for you to just smile at poor people and wish them well. Where are they supposed to live? How are they going to eat? If you don't help those who need it, all your pious faith and feel-good beliefs are dead in the water.Of course, some knuckleheads think that you can separate out faith and works.These folks say, Hey, I have faith in God. You do the good works. Then everyone will be covered.If your spirit leaves your body, you're dead. And if you just think nice things about God but never do anything, then you're dead, too. 'Nuff said. Thanks to shmoop.com

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Sacred Sunday Presents~James Chapter 4/Why Fight so Much?

James 4 Summary Why do people love to fight so much?Well, sometimes a person wants something they don't have. So they get all freaked out and angry about it and start going to war with other folks. That's one way to get what you want.But the real reason those people don't have the stuff they want is that they don't ask God. Or they ask, but they're super selfish about it, so God doesn't hand it over. He's not gonna help you win the lottery if you're just gonna use the money to buy a garage full of sports cars.Seriously, says James, don't you know that if all in love with the things in this world, then you've made yourself into God's enemy?God likes it when folks are humble, not when they act like entitled jerks. If you snuggle up with him, he'll snuggle up with you, too.Don't be "double-minded" (thinking one thing and doing another). Walk the straight and narrow with God and everything will be a-okay.More rules: don't badmouth another believer. If you're saying nasty things, you're judging. Remember, only God can judge you. Forget the haters. Because somebody loves you.And don't make too many plans for the future. It's kind of arrogant.Maybe you plan on graduating from college in four years and making mega bucks in the recording industry. Well, you don't know what's gonna happen between now and then. Only God knows that, says James.The world doesn't revolve around you and your dreams. You're like a mist that floats into the world and then disappears a few seconds later. (Has your self-esteem plummeted yet?)James would rather you say Maybe I'll get my degree and then start dropping albums left and right. If that's what God wants. At least then you're showing respect to the Big Guy.