Christine's Blog (2,677)

Why DO people fight, anyway?  We have just discussed various facets of peace, and we would all agree that living in peace is a much better way to go, and yet . . . well, pick up the newspaper--what do you see?  Turn on the radio--what do you hear?  Go for a road trip with your kids in the backseat--how long do you drive before there is a…

Oh what a beautiful verse . . . what a brilliant piece of writing, bridging humility and the richness of peace.  James writes, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”…

Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.1 True humility comes from a place of strength and inner security. Genuinely humble people who have a desire to seek the well-being of others are generally very secure people. They are fully aware of their gifts, their training, their experience, and all the attributes that make them successful at whatever they do. That security--that honest, healthy self-assessment--results in more than healthy self-assessment--results in…

The definition of humility is far from the definition of pride . . . or is it?   The common dictionary's first entry for pride is: a sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.  The key word was proper; when pride moves toward arrogance, we have issues.  Consider once again with…

How does one measure the difference between worldly wisdom and the wisdom of God? Let us consider James’ words: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from Heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and…

Thought 

The Proper Care and Feeding of our Hearts. (spinoff Jas. 3 still)

Yesterday afternoon I spent some glorious time in my back garden . . . it came at the end of a rather tedious day, which included a lengthy medical appointment, a funeral, and another standby while my automobile oil was…

What’s in your Heart? (segue from James 3—the heart that drives the tongue)

Little girls practice drawing hearts, have you ever noticed that?  I am not sure why it is not something boys do . . . but there…

We consume a lot of fruit in my home – though by far, the most sought-after fruit by all of us is the apple.  Danny likes the Gala, while Dean, Dylan and I usually prefer the Fuji.  I have been thinking about it--do we even know if it was an apple that Eve plucked, took a bite of, and gave to her gullible partner, Adam?  No matter, it seems so innocuous,…

My roses have already been hard-pruned, and are now leafing out, any danger of frost having passed . . . you see, California sport gardeners—those of us who garden for hobby and enjoyment—have gotten an early start this year.  We really have not experienced much cold weather, especially in Southern California.  Ha, the other day, I came in out of my backyard…

James passionately describes the destructive power of our tongue, of our unguarded words in the first half of James, chapter 3.  And writes, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”  B…

You got a chance to read James 3, (http://pastorwoman.com/ReadArchive.aspx?id=837) I trust, a…

We turn the page, and read what our Lord’s brother has next to say to us.  Read with care:

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.…

James points to a prostitute to make his point.  In the midst of his discussion about faith and works, and to corroborate his point that the authentic Christian has some sort of ‘works’ in his life, he uses Rahab as his illustration.  Take a look:

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to…

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging…

James' mood makes a decided shift--he seems frustrated with being unable to make his point to these new Jewish believers, with regard to the discussion about faith and works—he wanted them to GET IT . . . their conduct simply had to line up with the faith they claimed to have!

In James 2, verse 19 we see James' mood…

I recently mentioned the reading of a great book as a wonderful way to stimulate your thinking and grow your mind.  Now I am more than halfway through BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, and I read something that gripped me, and I thought perhaps, just perhaps, it might you.  I have been reading this book at the gym, and I read this passage, then I reread it, then I…

What is a conundrum?  [Another lesson plucked from the study I wrote on James a few years back … the balance between faith and works from the second chapter of James]…

Last night on television I saw an advertisement for Scientology … one of our culture’s greatest dupes to entice people to grow wiser and actually increase their ‘IQ’… Of course, it also entices folks to spend a lot of money to do so, because a ‘follower’ has to work with an auditor on his e-meter (similar in function to a lie detector machine), to achieve next levels as he moves to remove the…