Today's Devotion: James 1:2-3 (New International Version) - 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Of all the books in the New Testament, the Epistle of James is one which seems to focus on a lot of the negative, rather than the positive. James talks a lot about what seem to be works, and even Martin Luther was frustrated when he read James' letter.

Today's Comments: If you look closely at James' writings, however, you will see that when he talks about doing good things, he really is talking from a faith prospective. Good works are not the result of human intent, they are the result of God's grace, and good works are given in response to that grace, enabled by it, and proceed from our faith. And while God himself does not necessarily challenge our faith by putting stumbling blocks in our way, there are plenty of other outside influences over which we can easily trip. And it is those stumbling blocks and this corrupt world that become our real test of faith.

Today's Devotion: Titus 3:4-7 (New International Version) - 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Paul is telling Titus that God favors us, not because of what we have done for Him, but because He loves us. That is God's grace, pure and simple.

Today's Comments: I always think about Martin Luther, when I read passages in which Paul talks about God's Grace. In my History of Theology class, we are given a vision of Luther, frustrated by his own thoughts, because he has no idea how to live a life that will be pleasing to God. While Luther wants to meet God's expectations, he cannot figure out just what to do. Then, he reads Paul's words, which jump out at him in a way that scripture has never jumped out before! God's grace has nothing to do with what kind of life you live! It has to do with what is in your heart! No matter how hard we try to please God, we will come up short. But all we have to do is let Jesus into our hearts and proclaim Him as our savior, and the Holy Spirit will do His work. Grace will come to you, and the good works will flow naturally from that gift. Simple? Yes.

Presenting Our Requests to God

Today's Devotion: Philippians 4:6 (New International Version) - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Paul is calling on us to be joyful and to be in the Lord for all things. He is preaching the Peace of God.

Today's Comments: I have been spending numerous hours, by myself and in group study trying to study for my Theology I exam. I really have no idea as to how well that I will be able to do. But, I must trust in the Lord that He will enlighten me and give me the tools necessary to be successful. I am doing my best not to be anxious and pray that He will help me understand. Please continue to pray for me. A little help from the outside will not hurt.

Today's Devotion: Psalm 112:1; Psalm 112:7 (New International Version) -1[a] Praise the LORD. [b] Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

We all receive bad news sometime during our lives. However, if we trust in God, He can deliver us from our afflictions, whatever they may be.

Today's Comments: Despite the fact that life can be rough, much of that roughness, in my opinion, results from our desire to do things our way rather than His way. That gets us into a heap of trouble! Fear of the Lord, however, is one tool that we can rely on to keep us on a straight path. He is the only one who gives us strength and courage to overcome any of life's many problems.

Giving Up To God

Today's Devotion: Proverbs 16:3 (New International Version) - Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. We can do nothing without the Lord. It is He who makes us successful, and it is He who sends the Holy Spirit into our lives so that we may be obedient and do His will.

Today's Comments: Right now, I am in the middle of studying for my penultimate final examination. I am having difficulty with the memorization and connecting the material. It is Theology 1. I also realize that it is somewhat difficult for me to just give everything up to the Lord. But, I can see that this is going to be a test of my obedience and devotion to Him. I must realize that, without His guidance, I may not do well in the final (which will be oral). Therefore, I ask for guidance and understanding. I also ask to be comforted while I study so that what is left of my memory banks will absorb the material and will be able to recall it when time for my exam comes. Whoever is reading this blog, please keep me in your prayers.

Pay Attention

Today's Devotion: Hebrews 2:1 (New International Version) - We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. The reference here is that which God has given to us in order to understand him. The implication here is that we must pay attention to scripture, which is the Word of God given to us.

Today's Comments: This is a message that needs to be delivered to liberation theologists and their churches who are in apostasy. Man, through his own lame excuses, has allowed himself to drift away from God. To correct that condition, we must come back to His Word in scripture. We must not try to seek understanding using our own rationality and reasoning. We need to seek understanding according to God's Word and revelation to us. Only then will we be able to return to the point from which we have drifted.