UNSWERVED from the Deliberate Purpose! (James)

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:3

Knowing: to come to know, recognize, perceive

Trying: the proving, a testing; by implication, trustworthiness; trial

Faith: belief, trust, confidence

Worketh: to do that from which something results, produce

Patience: steadfastness, constancy, endurance (the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings)

http://biblehub.com/interlinear/james/1-3.htm

The characteristic of a man UNSWERVED from his deliberate purpose. Focused. Goal oriented. Steadfast. 

There is a purpose to the testings and trials. There is to be a result from all that happens in our lives. We can have maximum calmness (James 1:2) in the midst of the trials, because we RECOGNIZE that God has a very SPECIFIC purpose. 

UNSWERVED from the Deliberate Purpose!

Walk Worthy

As I was studying Galatians 5;22, 23, I decided to see what other verses used the same words.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

Gentleness: power with reserve

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)

Walk: to regulate one's life, to conduct oneself

Worthy: suitable because recognized as fitting; having worth that "matches" actual value

Calling: used of God inviting all people to receive His gift of salvation – with all His blessings that go with it

Were called: invited

Lowliness: humility

Gentleness: meekness ("gentle strength") which expresses power with reserve and gentleness

Longsuffering: patience, forbearance, slowness in avenging wrongs; embraces steadfastness and staying-power; long-tempered (as compared to short-tempered)

Bearing with: "still bearing up," even after going through the needed sequence (course of action)

Love: which centers in moral preference

Endeavoring: to move speedily by showing full diligence (fully applying oneself)

Keep: properly, maintain, preserve

Unity: oneness, equivalent to unanimity, agreement

Bond: a bond (close union); a close (inner) identity which produces close harmony between members joined closely together

Peace: wholeness, harmony

http://biblehub.com/interlinear/ephesians/4-1.htm

Walk worthy. 

Those two words pack a powerful punch. 

Am I living my life that I am recognized as one who has accepted God's gift of salvation? There is no question as to how that is to look. We are told in Ephesians 4, and Galatians 5:22, 23. 

Today's focus is gentleness. A meekness ("gentle strength") which expresses power with reserve and gentleness. Just because I have the strength, power, I need to reign it in, and respond with reserve. Handle situations and people carefully. 

Walk worthy.

Thanks Living: Relationship

O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1

Praise: give thanks

Have done: accomplished

Wonderful: marvelous thing, of God's acts of judgment and redemption

Eternal One, You are my God.
I will lift You up and praise Your name.
Because You have made wonders marvelous and beautiful—the most ancient designs holding strong and sure. Isaiah 25:1 (VOICE) 

Lord, you are my God.
I ·honor [exalt] you and praise ·you [ your name],
because you have done ·amazing [wonderful] things.
·You have done what you planned long ago [Your plans were made long ago];
·you have always done what you said you would do [they are faithful and trustworthy]. Isaiah 25:1 (EXB) 

O Lord, You are my God. I will praise You. I will give thanks to Your name. For You have been faithful to do great things, plans that You made long ago. Isaiah 25:1 (NLV) 

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said! Isaiah 25:1 (TLB)

Thanks Living is first having a personal relationship with God— "My God." 

Thanks Living is recognizing that relationship — "I will exalt You, praise (thank) Your name." 

Thanks Living is enjoying the benefits of that relationship — "You have done wonderful things."

Thanks Living is knowing that the relationship is based on everlasting truth — "faithfulness and truth."

Thanks Living is relationship based—a relationship with God— MY God! And when I grasp that solid truth—thanksgiving overflows. 

Recognize True Goodness

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The ninth of each month, I'm studying Psalm 100. Here's what Treasure I found today.

The Lord is good. His love is forever, and his loyalty goes on and on. Psalm 100:5 (NCV)

Good: beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, fine, glad, graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, the best, precious.

"For the Lord is good." This sums up his character and contains a mass of reasons for praise. He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, loving; yea, God is love. He who does not praise the good is not good himself. The kind of praise inculcated in the Psalm, viz. that of joy and gladness, is most fitly urged upon us by an argument from the goodness of God. The Treasury of David

Goodness is a very comprehensive quality. It is love, kindness, benevolence, that which leads you to wish well and to do good to those around you; and the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, because it is so full of his works and ways, which are the fruits and manifestations of his goodness. Pulpit Commentary Homiletics

God is good. God Himself is good. He is not only full of goodness, He is good. Because He is good, He does good things. However, His goodness is not based on what He does, rather what He does is because He is good. 

We often measure of the ‘goodness’ of people by how generous they are, how much they give or do for others. Yet, just because someone DOES something good, does not make them “good”.  Their motives could be very wrong.—like trying to buy favor or a position, etc. 

Yet, because God is good—first and foremost—He graciously does good. His character is that of goodness and that produces kindness. In God we can recognize true goodness!

But if God is good, why do bad things happen? The ultimate answer to that is “sin”. God gave us free-will, to make choices. And sin has consequences. When God allows bad things to happen, it could be for several reasons: 1. to judge, or bring punishment for disobedience  2. to bring glory to Himself 3. to get our attention, so that we acknowledge Who God is.  Also remember, that God may have reasons which we cannot understand.

Think of a parent/child relationship.  Many times the parent does something which the child sees as “not good” but in reality the parent knows that it is “very good”. The parent‘s action or lack of action, might be for protection, teaching, discipline, or the timing. The same is true of God, our Father. What we may think is “good” is not good at all, and what we think of as “bad” may be the best!    

God is good. That is a truth based upon God Almighty Himself. He can not change, therefore, He was, He is, and always will be good. And because He is good, He does good things for us.

What good things has God done for you lately? He’s done so much for me! 1. He provided a beautiful sunrise this morning. 2. He sent birds to sing to me this morning. 3. He made me laugh as the silly squirrels played “tag” through the snow this morning. Those are just a few things that God in His goodness, gave to me this morning. 

To create a positive day, I need to stop and recognize true goodness—God Himself; then praise God because He is good; then, I need to stop and thank God for sharing His goodness with me.