Captain's Log:
Today was another long Wednesday. I had to drive to Orlando again for class, but thankfully I do not have to go next week. That will be nice.
Cars came out yesterday, and it is a great movie. I laughed quite a lot. Good movie.
Not much has been happening since I last wrote. Lost will not be having any new episodes until February 7, 2007. That is unfortunate.
Christy and I began a study of the book of James. We started with the first eight verses of chapter one. I am going to record many of my thoughts here, but I am thinking about starting yet another blog to record a study of James. We will see. For now, I will just write them in here. Today I am only going to record the first three verses and my notes.
James 1:1-3
1:1 - James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
I do not have many notes on this verse, because it is the introduction verse and has only a few things to glean.
a. James, being a stellar Christian, considered himself a servant to the man who was not only his Savior, but also his older half-brother. James knew where his loyalties belonged and begins his book by reverencing Jesus first of all.
b. His book was written to the Jews which had been scattered around Israel. These Jews had become Christians, and because of this, they were persecuted by not only Romans, but also other Jews for preaching that Jesus was the Son of God. These Jewish Christians were scattered all over and had to meet discretely in many places so as not to attract the attention of the religious leaders of the day.
1:2 - My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
a. "Divers" is a word which here means, "something quite different from undersea explorers."
b. A Christian must remember that falling into temptation and falling into sin are two different things. One can fall into temptation, and be delivered by God for His glory. Falling into sin is a choice we make when we think it is either to hard or when we just do not want to be rescued from the sin in question. As to the former, God tells us that through Christ all things are possible (Philippians 4:13), and as to the latter, God also says, "Should we sin more that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1).
c. Falling into temptation is something that God can use for His glory if we let him. Satan and his hellish imps from the fiery abyss hurl temptation at us everyday, but with God's help and wisdom, we can overcome anything.
d. Therefore, we are to rejoice when we are caught up in temptation, because we know that God can help us and can use it to further his cause here on earth.
1:3 - Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
a. The trying of our faith is the temptations that we face. God works through those to increase our patience and our dependence on him. Without Him we will fall into sin every time. He is there to try us and refine us to make us better witnesses for him.
b. Our patience is enhanced when we persevere though the storms of life. This verse is used to expound upon why one should rejoice in temptation.
c. "Trying of your faith" is a phrase which here means, "the multiple, and possibly deadly, encounters with a tuning fork, a wooden chopstick, and an uncommon plague..."
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That is all for today. I should have some more very soon. I have finished commenting on the first eight verses, so hopefully I can get those posted soon.
Later,
Lorimer
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