James -- Doing a Perfect work

[ZNP]

James -- Seeking Wandering sheep

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:”

Today all of the Lord’s sheep are scattered in the world the mission of the Lord’s servants is to bring the wandering sheep back to the truth. I teach at an inner city school. There is a reason some call inner city schools “failure factories” and the “prison pipeline”. These kids are exploited by the system. They are like sheep without a shepherd who have gone astray.

Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations

This can be very difficult to do. There are teachers that take “mental health” days. One teacher retired saying the job is like a bad marriage, you stay in it for the kids. This entire book will help you find the narrow path that leads to life. Once you are on that path then you can “count it all joy”. You may feel that you can count some it joy, but there are certain things that you definitely cannot count joy. I would ask that you go through the entire book and when we finish chapter 5 tell me then. I suspect that James will be able to show you, like he showed me, how to count it “all” joy. I think the US is currently under attack and it is not a coincidence that they are shutting down schools and churches.

knowing that the trial of your faith works patience and let patience have her perfect work.

My first year teaching I was surprised at how poorly my students did on the Regents exam. All the teachers at our school had the same results and had come to accept it. That was the beginning of the trial of my faith. For thirteen years I have believed that my students can do as well as students in the best schools. Every year they get closer. If the students in my school in Brooklyn could do as well as the students at the best high schools in the US, then for me that would be a perfect work. Someone might argue that the US is ranked 18th in the world, so a real perfect work would be to do as well as the best high schools in the world. Actually, the very best high schools in the US compare favorably with the best high schools anywhere in the world. Several of the best high schools in the US are in NYC, so it is easy for me to compare my students with these schools. The reason we are 18th is not because of our best schools. If you understood this point you would be outraged at those responsible for our education. The schools in the wealthy suburbs compare quite well with the best schools around the world. However, the public schools in the urban areas do far worse than 18th, these are the schools that bring our overall average down to 18th worldwide. The problem is not money, we spend more money per student in these schools than many of the top school systems worldwide. The problem is political corruption. The money is spent to pay back political donors, not to advance the education.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Each year you discover there are more and more details to this work. If your goal is a perfect work you will count every trial as a joy, because with each trial you become more complete. But it is not perfect yet, as long as there is a disparity in the education of young men of color we are wanting. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. It is a lot of prayer for wisdom from God. My school is 84% males, primarily young black men, a large percentage of immigrants with a very high poverty index. Last year my students scored in the top 7 percent and this year, the Lord willing, they will score in the top 3 or 4%. The top 3% is the point that I identify the best high schools in the country. For comparison, there is another school in Brooklyn that has the same makeup as ours, same percentage of males, the same percentage of blacks, the same percentage of special education students. They are in the bottom 17% of all NYC students. That is in line with broad statistical norms of this demographic group. However, the pandemic has sunk our hopes. Many of my students have had to go to work to support their family. School used to be a place where they could come and get fed, but with the shutdown that is no longer an option. A large percentage of our students will be homeless at some time during the year. When you living situation is in turmoil it is difficult to have a reliable place to work on a computer that has access to the internet.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

You have to be firmly fixed on the goal. I feel like I am sailing into the wind and against the waves, but every year I make progress toward the goal. The waves crash over the ship but we don’t waver. For the students that have been able to work remotely from home we have made significant improvements to what we do. When we come out of this we will have even better results than ever.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Many teachers claim that this goal is unrealistic because the students in the top schools in NYC start 9th grade with a huge head start over my students. That is true. What these teachers miss is that my students will rejoice far more when they are exalted. Our advantage is our motivation. For example, when I was in school we took the PSAT and then were told we were in the top 97%. We thought it was a joke and they were telling us this to boost our confidence. One friend of mine scored an 800 on the Math SAT and a girl in my english class scored an 800 on the English SAT. Yet there wasn’t any rejoicing in their exaltation, no rejoicing that this student went to Harvard and that one to Yale. If that were to happen at the school I teach at now the entire school would rejoice. We realize that the exaltation of any of our students uplifts us all. None of us takes it for granted. If you are rich your attitude has to be that this is passing away. You have to be focused on finding something eternal.

 

[ZNP]

Drive the Stake in here!

Do you want to count it all joy? Look at the diverse temptations, the battles, the response to trying to do a forensic audit of the vote or of trying to to publicize the evidence. We need to verify the election results. We need to eliminate fraud, we need to eliminate anything that would take the sacred right away from the people. This is where the battle is, drive the stake in here. Ask in faith, don't waver. We are not double minded men, we have one request and we will not be denied. We will follow the law and we will verify this election.

 

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Drive the Stake in here!​

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

There are those who are investigating the election to see if there was fraud and they have to persevere under trials. We have had over 2,000 people come forward and sign affidavits of fraud they have observed even though for some they lost their job for doing this, for others they were threatened, and still others were doxed (their personal information was put out there so that their homes, their families and their kids could be threatened). There are states where the election officials are defying court orders and refusing to comply. But they persevered through all this. Texas and about 20 other states took their case to the Supreme court which ruled they had no standing. Think about that, the only court that Texas can go to if they have an issue with how another state does their election is the Supreme court. If they have no standing there then they have no legal way to resolve this. State legislators upon seeing the videos and other evidence of fraud wrote letters to the US congress saying they certified the vote before seeing the evidence of fraud so they want congress to send this back to them and give them another 10 days before certifying. According to the constitution Congress and the Senate were supposed to deliberate for 2 hours concerning each state that was objected to but shortly after Arizona's results were objected to street thugs broke into the capital causing the process to stop and resulting in the entire city to be put into a curfew and lockdown. Then in the middle of the night the federal government "certified" the election.

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

It is not clear yet who broke into the capital and rioted. We do know that some of the people who were identified were supporters of the "Stop the Steal" rally, while others apparently have been identified as ANTIFA. Regardless of their political persuasion breaking into the capital was evil and it was not God that tempted them to do that.

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

We have a legal process to follow. It is a good and perfect gift. This constitution is from above, our new birth is from above, and this army that was raised is from above. It is perfectly reasonable to think that the behavior of some judges, some elected officials and some election workers was evil. It is all being exposed, it is all being revealed. Their drastic violent and secret actions all reveal how desperate they are to keep their shameful deeds from coming to light.

Many times I have pointed out that BLM rallies are irresponsible if they hold a rally that turns into rioting and looting. They claim that this is not them, but others who use the rally as an opportunity to do evil. The Bible says we are supposed to take forethought for what is honorable among men. Likewise, can't the same can be said of this "Stop the Steal" rally? I thought so at first, but not so much now. First, the "Proud Boys" generally show up at these rallies to provide security so that nothing does happen and sure enough with over 40 Stop the Steal rallies around the country including 3 in Washington DC there were no incidents of rioting or looting. However, the Proud Boys were arrested the day before this rally, so the Washington DC mayor decided to remove the security provided by the rally. She should be held accountable for that. Second, there were both DC police and National guard at the Whitehouse during the speeches and yet very few at the Capital building. Without a doubt whoever organized that security did a very poor job and I agree that they need to be fired. That was their job, you can't fail at your job worse than what we saw. Third, I watched a short video of people dressed in Washington DC police uniforms opening the barricades to let people into the Capital. That clearly created confusion that may have deceived some into thinking they could go into the Capital.

Drive the Stake in here. By that I mean we have discovered what it is that the evil one is terrified we'll find out. Dig right here.

 

[ZNP]

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, 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.

We saw this with the immediate reaction of the media and elected officials. In the midst of the "fog of war" before anyone really knew what was happening much less had perpetrated this there were high ranking officials calling for the use of the 25th amendment or of impeachment of the President. One senator claimed he saw a confederate flag which would imply that these were white supremacists that did this. There are plenty of photographs available of "Stop the Steal" rallies that have taken place around the country and in the US and you cannot see any Confederate flags. Likewise there has not been any rioting prior to this. Therefore we should not be so naive as to assume that this had to have been from them.

The purpose of the rally was so that Congress and the Senate would carefully review and deliberate over the evidence of fraud. The effect of this riot was to short circuit that process and put a stop to it. If the Washington DC mayor had not arrested the Proud Boys the day prior to the event it is likely they would have prevented it from happening. If the DC police and Mayor had done a better job of positioning adequate security at the Capital it is likely this would not have happened.

Every single person who entered the Capital needs to be arrested. The last I heard they have only arrested 18 while video shows that there were clearly more than that. We need to know who these people were and what prompted them to do this. We can easily do this. Photographic evidence should be enough to identify 90% of them if not 100%. Washington DC has more cameras per square foot than any place in the US. Let the FBI, Secret Service, and Military do their job. Track them down, arrest them and get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent in our community.

 

[ZNP]

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

I see this with teachers all the time complaining that students are "lazy". Look in the mirror, you are lazy. People are just like you. Do you get frustrated? Do you wish the "authorities" would listen to you? The issue is a lack of faith. Unbelief is sin.

However, there is another lesson from history we are going to have to relearn since we obviously didn't get it before. When you ignore the people, tell them to shut up, tell them to "eat cake", you create a pressure cooker that will explode in violence. This happened in the French Revolution, and in the Russian Revolution, and in the Cultural revolution. The reason we have democracy is that as long as people are persuaded it is a free and fair election and there is a process for them to have their views heard it allows their anger to dissipate like steam from a pot. The media has refused to listen, refused to investigate, and censored these people repeatedly. That is what is creating this explosive situation. The judges are telling the people they have no standing to object. According to the constitution it is "We the people" who form this union, telling them that they have no standing is what is splitting the union. Election officials did many things that were illegal and are now ignoring people's outrage. That doesn't cause the outrage to go away, it causes it to build up.

 

[ZNP]

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion 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.

There is language used on both sides of this debate that is offensive to me. The bottom line to me is that there are orphans and widows who in their distress are appealing to the government as they should. These rallies are organized by women's organizations. It is outrageous that these judges and elected officials are ignoring these pleas. This will cause the Lord Jesus to step in.

But on the other side we must keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. This riot at the capital was "polluted by the world". The organizers should not have been complacent about security and once the Proud Boys were arrested they should have immediately realized the threat. They sent out notifications to all that everyone needed to "videotape everything" because they were anticipating that removing their security indicated there would be violence.

 

[ZNP]

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

I heard Anderson Cooper do this on CNN. He despised the Trump supporters saying they eat at Olive Garden and go back to their Holiday Inn. It seems there is a class warfare, it isn't racism, it is classism. Because these people are "white trash" they are despised.

Tucker Carlson did an excellent job of showing the hypocrisy in the way the BLM riots and looting was covered where person after person on CNN said "riots are the language of the unheard" whereas within hours of this event they were calling it an insurrection, and condemned it in every way possible.

Anyone reasonable person without some agenda can easily see there is a discrimination taking place with evil thoughts.

For example it is very easy to see videos of dozens of people entering the capital building, small groups of people breaking windows, and individuals doing things that are shameful. But it is much more difficult to find a picture of the rally at the Whitehouse with 500,000+ people (I found one on Epoch times). I can't post the picture it is too large, but the point is that a thousand people or less are trespassing. That means that 99.8% of those attending the rally were not incited to do anything illegal.

People have become judges with evil thoughts.

 

[ZNP]

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

I have realized this. This doesn't mean that being "poor" is a blessing. It means that many, many of those who are rich in the view of the world got that way by being abusive, suing others, dragging people into court, and blaspheming the name of the Lord.

It seems to me that the poor are often much more sympathetic and empathetic to the needs of others. They are much easier to do unto others as they would have them do unto them. For many who are rich they seem to think that a homeless person got that way due to their own fault and they are getting what they deserve. Poor people on the other hand often realize how serving in the military and returning injured can cause you to become destitute or some other catastrophe can befall you.

The point here is not that being poor makes you rich in faith, rather the point is that just because someone is poor in the eyes of the world it has nothing to do with how rich they are in faith. If you are in a group of 20 people who are either very poor or very wealthy you are very likely to find several people in that group that is poor who are rich in faith. On the other hand you are also very likely to find in that group of wealthy people a few who are blasphemous and abusive.

 

[ZNP]

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right.

The royal law is to love your neighbor as yourself. If you do that you are doing right. You will know it in your spirit, it will be easy to "count it all joy". Sometimes it is very difficult to know what is right. I have heard the leaders of the Democratic party and Republican party accusing Trump and his supporters of treason and being mentally imbalanced. On the other hand you hear his supporters claiming they stole the election with fraud, that Biden is a "crime family" and these leaders have sold out to China. It is very difficult to know who is right, but what is easy to know is that loving your neighbor as yourself is right.

9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

There are 350 million Americans. If you show favoritism and say these are the good ones and those are the bad ones, that is sin.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Well that is radical! There is plenty of evidence of fraud in this election, but many have responded that "this happens all the time" and have brushed it away as something they don't need to worry about. If we have a little fraud in our election we must deal with it otherwise it will grow, spread and undermine our democracy.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

There are a lot of things being said that are not merciful. There are a lot of judgements that are being bandied about that are not merciful. Every one of us must stand before the Lord and be judged by this royal law. If you loved your neighbor as yourself and treated others mercifully then you will receive a similar judgement. If on the other hand your judgement is hateful and merciless then you also will receive that judgement.

 

[ZNP]

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Examine yourself. If you are claiming that you do indeed love your neighbor as yourself and treat others mercifully then you should be able to recount numerous examples. I don't need you to share them with me and you don't need me to share them with you. But we both need to have these so that when we appear before the Lord's judgement we will be treated as we have treated others. And James has made it clear that "favoritism" is a perfect example of someone who is not obeying this royal law.

What is favoritism? It is the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one group over another or at the expense of another. Sexism and Racism are two examples of favoritism. Think about this, calling 75 million Americans "deplorable" is clearly an example of favoritism but isn't condemned because of our warped understanding of sexism and racism.

 

[ZNP]

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

There are moments in time that are pivotal. The family that hid Anne Frank are considered righteous because of their deeds. Many people who were living in Germany may later claim they didn't know what was going on, they didn't agree with it, yet they did nothing. They have no deeds and we treat their claims of being righteous with the respect it deserves.

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are considered our two greatest presidents, not because of their "faith" but because of their deeds. To me it was a miracle that we went from Valley Forge to victory in the revolutionary war. Likewise I think it was a miracle that after such a bloody and horrible civil war we were united again.

But Rosa Parks, Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela, these people are all considered righteous for what they did and not by faith alone. Yes they had faith and they spoke that faith, but it was accompanied by actions. We all need to examine ourselves. Is our faith accompanied by deeds?

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

I always associate Oskar Schindler with Rahab. He was working in Nazi Germany and getting rich by selling himself and his morals to the Nazi's. However, when he saw what they were doing with rounding up Jews for concentration camps he knew he couldn't agree and he knew God would judge them. So he gave all the Jews he could afford to purchase lodging and sent them off by another way risking his life the entire time.

 

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3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

This is very apparent when with our comedians and political candidates. We make gaffes a cottage industry. Regardless of your political persuasion you have to admit that they can make any person look terrible and have done so repeatedly. Just remember, if you judge others without mercy you also will be judged without mercy. Biden has slurred his speech, well, that happens to all of us. Trump has said things that require you deconstruct and interpret what he meant, otherwise taken in a short clip it sounds horrendous. Bush, Clinton, Gore all have their famous gaffes and quotes.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

This is why freedom of speech is a such a huge freedom for the US and the first thing that totalitarian regimes try to gain control of. It seems that they have put a bit into the mouth of the mainstream media and as a result the mainstream media has to obey them and gets turned whatever way they wish to go.

4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

This is so amazing that the same wind and yet the ship can go in virtually any direction. Over the last six months we have witnessed BLM protests that turned into riots, yet the commentary on the news is that "riots are the language of the unheard". In other words, the rioters aren't at fault, you are because you didn't listen to them. Then when a riot breaks out at this protest this week in Washington DC it is very similar to BLM riots where they burned down a police station, etc. But this time they are involved in insurrection. This is why totalitarian regimes want to control the press. If you control the press you control the narrative.

5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

More than anything we will be judged by the words we speak. It used to be that people would say something and then a week later others would quote them and they would dispute it: "that is not what I said". But you can't do that anymore with Youtube and Facebook. What you said can be replayed over and over. Twitter is another great example of this. Yes, Hitler inflamed the people and set the world on fire with his tongue. Yes the antichrist and false prophet will do the same during the great tribulation. Based on my study of the word I suspect that the great tribulation will start shortly. So this word is very relevant.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

China more than any other country has gone to great lengths to try and tame the tongue. The Middle East also has draconian laws in an attempt to tame the tongue. Various countries outlaw the preaching of the gospel. There are many current and past examples of these failed attempts.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

This is the best thing about James, you can apply his teachings to world leaders, and all kinds of historical and Biblical events, but you can never ignore the fact that you need to apply his teachings to yourself, your judgement, and your mouth.

11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

This is very simple, if someone is claiming to be an olive tree but they are bearing figs then you know they are not an olive tree and that is a lie. If someone is claiming to be walking according to the royal law and doing what is right, loving their neighbor and being merciful. Yet this same person is breathing out threatenings to kill and destroy you know that they are not for peace but rather for war. You cannot speak life some of the time and death some of the time.

 

[ZNP]

Two kinds of wisdom​

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Wisdom and understanding is expressed by a good life and deeds done in humility. There are those who want to claim wisdom and boast of their wisdom. The point here is if you really do have wisdom and understanding we'll see it expressed in your life and deeds.

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

"Do not boast about it or deny the truth". So what does that mean? I heard that once President Bush became president he would tell people "if you're so smart why aren't you president", that is an example of boasting about it. Then there are others like Joe Biden who when confronted with the things he has said and done denies it even though we have him on videotape saying and doing exactly that.

17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

True wisdom is pure, no mixture, and no compromise. We speak the truth in love (not harshly, not inconsiderately) but we speak the truth and we don't compromise with the truth. We judge with both righteous judgement and with mercy. We don't compromise with righteousness. For example, the lord judged sin on the cross in righteousness, there was no compromise. However, He paid the price for us since we couldn't pay, that was mercy. So first, it is pure, then peace loving. We love peace, we are not choosing war, we only fight if there is no other way to be pure. Your stand with righteousness and truth is first, then as much as is possible you are at peace with all men. How can you be at peace with all men? Be considerate, many flare ups are not over the truth, not over righteousness but simply because you were perceived as inconsiderate. Be submissive, if someone feels you are threatening their position or authority that will cause conflict. Then be full of mercy, many times we will catch someone else clearly in the wrong. Can you extend them mercy, do it. Have good fruit. Perhaps the conflict is over what you are producing at work. If you are producing good fruit it will avoid those conflicts. For example I was having conflicts with my boss, I think she viewed me as not being submissive enough to her authority. I realized she was not aware of how effective our department was so I created a spreadsheet where I went through all the schools in NYC and compared every department in our school with the rest of the city. Once she saw that our department was producing good fruit it improved that relationship dramatically. Be impartial. Why is it so difficult to talk about religion or politics with anyone? No one is impartial. When people tell me about Trump being a horrible person I can completely agree with their perspective because I am impartial. When others do the same about Biden I can agree with them as well. I am not agreeing with the judgement but rather that the evidence is in fact true. I don't see any need to be an apologist for either side. I ask people why they are passionate for Trump and they tell me the things he has done and I can fully understand. They are clearly voting for issues that are important to them. When I ask people about why they are voting for Biden it is generally some form of "anyone but Trump" and again, I can understand their perspective. No one wants war, we want peace. There comes a time when peace is no longer an option. Trump and his supporters feel that this time has already come, those who are "anyone but Trump" do not see that it is time for war. If I understand people I can be impartial and also sincere. Our speaking is our sowing, there is no point in sowing in contention. Once you do that it shuts off most people's ability to receive. So you should speak, sow, in peace. If you do that you give those words the greatest chance to grow and reap a harvest in righteousness.

 

[ZNP]

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

So is this what caused the riot at the capital this week? It is clearly a fight and a quarrel among us. There are desires that are battling within us. Everyone is concerned about pollution and the best way to deal with that, everyone is concerned about healthcare and the battle is over the best way to provide that. People protest, they want their way, they can't get it, and ultimately get frustrated enough to kill. If you want to do a perfect work it must be a work that comes out of prayer. You and I need to ask God. If we pray and we don't receive the first thing we need to do is check our motives. Are you really praying for what is best or is this simply what is best for you?

4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

To be at peace with everyone does not mean you are a friend of the world. When the church becomes friends with the world there is a compromise. The world is satanic. There is no compromise with Satan. Those that make this compromise always think they are wiser than the rest, that those who tell them they can't compromise with the world are naive. But in their "great wisdom" they chose to be an enemy of God! How foolish is that!

5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?

Zechariah says that it is not by power or by might but by His Spirit. At the end of this age we will see the Lord's army rise up and it will not be because of some mighty country or some rich billionaire, but it will be the Lord's Spirit moving that does this. This kind of movement will make all the world leaders jealous. No one cares about them, they couldn't get ten people to show up if they asked, and yet here the Lord speaks and great is the company that rises up and responds.

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”[c]

Be careful, you don't want to be on the wrong side of a battle with the Lord. You don't want to be an enemy of God. He'll sucker you. You'll be proud, you'll think God's side has no chance at all. But your side is a friend of the world. The world has already been condemned and we have been warned to get out while we can.

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So then, number one submit yourself to God. Thy will be done. Pray according to God's will. Pray God's word. Second, resist the devil. The devil will threaten and entice. Whatever the approach whether carrot or stick resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Come near to God in prayer. Begin by cleansing your hands, take the Lord's blood and ask that your work is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. Then you need to purify your hearts. We are all double minded, we pray "thy kingdom come" but at the same time we don't want our job to be affected. We are concerned with the cost, the risks, etc. The word of God will wash our hearts with pure water and purify our hearts so that we could be fully aligned with God's will. Then we will grieve, mourn and wail because the situation is evil and satanic. There is a mixture. Believers are blind and have become friends of the world. They are rejoicing in apparent victories of the world and of Satan. They are not mourning for the horrors that are being perpetrated, they have no cloud of gloom over the plans to destroy God's people. Purifying your heart includes taking the beam out of your eye so you can see clearly. Then you will see that you are nobody and nothing and only the Lord can save and deliver. At that point you have set the stage for the Lord to answer your prayer and lift you up.

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

I used to think this was easy. But recently it has become harder and harder to understand the actions of many people. I don't want to slander them, I don't want to pretend I understand their motives, I am not the judge and will not usurp the Lord Jesus. That said, I am glad I am not the judge because someone will have to straighten out this mess and it is a tangled web that they have weaved.

 

[ZNP]

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I started this discussion of James prior to the pandemic and my focus was on the work I was doing in the school as a teacher. But then we had the pandemic and the world got turned upside down. It became very clear to me by the end of March that the Lord's will was the current conflict. There were arrogant schemes, evil works that became manifested. This is a time for all believers to stand up and speak the truth, shine the light, be the salt. If you know that this is what you are supposed to do and don't do it, then for you it is sin. There may be people who are blind and don't know what to do, that is between them and the Lord. But there are many saints who do know the Lord, do know His will and for whatever reason are not standing up? I hope it is not because they have become a friend of the world. That would be a terrible sin at this time with the day approaching to be found as an enemy of God.

 

[ZNP]

5 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

The day of the Lord is upon us. It is going to hit in an hour, in a single hour there will be a collapse in the US that is apocalyptic. People have been using terms like "biblical" and "apocalyptic" repeatedly this year. 2020 was called "a year like no other". But what is about to take place will make 2020 look like the "good old days". You will have no excuse, you refused to listen to the cries of those who had appealed to you. They cried concerning unrighteousness. These were your harvesters, the ones who have caused you to be rich and fat and live in luxury. You thought that having a big fat bank account would protect you in the day of the Lord's coming. You were blind, you didn't realize that you were like a hog being fattened for the slaughter. But then you added to all of your sins and you added this to it, you condemned and murdered the innocent one. They weren't opposing you, they were appealing to you. But you chose to lie about them, set a trap to condemn them and then murder them. What you have done is to seal your judgement.

 

[ZNP]

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

The Lord's coming is when it is time to reap the valuable crop. The man child is caught up to God and will rule and reign with Christ. When a crop is ripe you can see the fruit or the grain is ripe and ready. You will see a field as far as the eye can see ripe and responding to the Lord.

8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

The Lord's coming is near. Atheists claim that since this was written two thousand years ago we can ignore this warning. Many other things were written two thousand years ago as well. Jesus said His coming would be as the days of Noah. Right before a worldwide extinction event that Noah was warning about no one paid any attention. In the 70s Time magazine said the Earth was their "man of the year" because we were entering the sixth great extinction event. The Lord also said that when the fig tree buds you know that the Lord is at the door, and that this generation shall in no ways die before all things would be accomplished. On January 23rd, 1950 Israel declared that Jerusalem was their capital. In Daniel there was a prophecy about Jerusalem that said after 70 years were completed the great tribulation would come, or January 24th 2021. So yes, this word was written two thousand years ago and many other prophecies were as well. bottom line, the Lord's coming is near.

9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged.

Grumble sounds so trivial. Let's focus on what is important and avoid trivial little complaints.

The Judge is standing at the door!

How could the Lord, the judge, be standing at the door for two thousand years? To the Lord a thousand years is as one day. From God's perspective the judge has been preparing for two days for this judgement. If you have a very big case this is not an unusual amount of time for a judge to prepare.

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

How often we forget this. What really makes the story epic is when we talk about people who persevered. There is a football player who mangled his pinky during a game. They said he'd have to go to the hospital and would miss the second half. He asked what if they cut off the pinky? They admitted that if they cut it off they could bandage up his hand and he could play. He chose to cut his pinky off so he could play. This guy is in the hall of fame and no doubt that story is one of the reasons why.

12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

This is so true. Right now with cancel culture and black lists and censorship and threats this is as important as ever. Be careful what you speak. Say nothing that you will be condemned for. We speak the truth, we don't compromise on that, we do it in love, but it is still pure truth. We stand for righteousness, we don't compromise on that, but we are full of mercy. But we don't intentionally say provocative things that would cause you to be condemned. If you warn someone and they reject the warning you have fulfilled your obligation. If you continue to badger them you are opening yourself to be condemned.

 

[ZNP]

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The Lord will get all the glory. He wants to heal, He wants to forgive, He wants to deliver, and He wants to be revealed in His body.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

I think many of us would think of Elijah when he called down fire and the 400 prophets of Baal were killed. Surely that is the example of powerful and prevailing prayer. But instead James tells us about this, you need to put yourself in Elijah's shoes. He prays that it doesn't rain and it doesn't rain that day. So what. He prays all week and it doesn't rain that week. So what. It takes months before you would even notice the lack of rain, maybe after a year the whole country realizes they are in a drought. But then the attitude towards Elijah will take a 180, instead of "so what" he will be viewed as evil. The whole country is praying for rain and he is praying that it doesn't rain. He would be hated, vilified. All the other prophets would be talking about blessing and God will answer their prayers with rain while Elijah continues to pray for no rain. After two years the king would take notice. It is as though Elijah is standing against the entire country. The country under Jezebel was inhabited by evil crooked people. They would want to kill Elijah because he is ruining everything for them. But then after three and a half years of no rain Elijah has to do a 180 and pray for rain so that God gets all the glory. That prayer was powerful, it was effective, it was according to God's will and not according to his personal desires.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

It's not too late. Turn to the Lord, repent, the day of the Lord is near.