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There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

1 Corinthians 15:41

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

1 Corinthians 12:22

Spiritually, Christians and Holy Angels are stars, shining the light of Jesus Christ. In the natural, stars are heavenly bodies that shine from the fuel they’ve been given. They don’t selfishly hoard their fuel, but they let it be consumed so that all may benefit from their light. So it is spiritually. The Word of God is the fuel. We kindle the fire by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us how to die to self. As we follow Christ’s example of death, spiritual life is shining in and through our lives. In the natural, the stars have helium and hydrogen. That is the fuel. A nuclear reaction takes place which is akin to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. A natural star will eventually burn up its fuel and die. Yet spiritually, we are to let our lights shine, knowing that the fuel of the Word of God and the kindling power of the Holy Spirit will never be exhausted. Just like Jesus fed the 5,000 natural food which was spiritually multiplied into as much as was needed, so it is with our lives. We will never run out of God’s Word and the Spirit of God. God will enable us to shine forevermore, hallelujah.

Just as Christians are spiritual stars, so sinners and Satan and demons are spiritual black holes. It is interesting in the natural that black holes form from large stars that have run out of fuel and have collapsed on themselves. This represents the spiritual transformation from love to selfishness. Stars live to give light. Black holes don’t really live. They just exist but are spiritually dead. A black hole selfishly sucks up everything that surrounds it, even light. This is akin to lust. People no longer die to self but seek to use others for selfish gain, making merchandise of them. This is what Satan does and his demons and his sinners follow him in the way of lust and selfishness. It is also interesting that black holes form from what used to be bright stars. This is true of Satan and his demons. They used to be lights but now they have become counterfeit lights, pretending to be something they used to actually be. So it is with many religious sinners. They used to be light bearers but now are just selfishly going through religious motions. They live to consume rather than to bless and give. Black holes are safe to observe, but only from a distance. If you get close to a natural black hole, it will suck you in. This is what happens if a Christian gets spiritually close to a sinner. He will become a sinner himself if he does what sinners do. Bad manners corrupt good morals, says the Scripture. The parable of the sower shows us that Satan can steal light and the Word of God out of people’s hearts, just like a black hole steals light naturally.

Notice that one star differs from another star in glory. Stars come in different sizes and differ in the amount of fuel that they have available to shine with. This is spiritual reality as well. Each Christian has a finite amount of the Word of God in his or her heart. With the understanding we have, we shine forth as lights in a dark world. Christ is the light of the world and so are His body, shining the same spiritual illumination and understanding that love is the highest way to live and in truth is the only way to really live. Dying to self is like a star using its fuel to bring light to others. We are willing to sacrifice our lives and die to self in order to demonstrate the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

While the stars differ in glory, they are not envious of each other. They are happy that there are others who are shining the light of Christ. It is not a competition but rather a mutual building up of each other in the Truth by the Spirit. There is one sky but many stars. There is one body but many members. The weak members of the body of Christ are like the stars that don’t shine as brightly as others. Yet, they are still shining. Their lamps have not gone out, and in that we rejoice. It is like the parable of the talents. The one with 5 talents is doing work that others aren’t doing. So it is with the one that has 2 talents. He is doing his own unique and essential work. They are not competing against each other but instead helping each other to shine in their own special way with the talents and giftings that God has bestowed upon them. It is alright to have differing functions and callings, as long as the Spirit behind it all is the love of Christ.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Daniel 12:3

We are light bearers in that we lead others to the same truth of Christ that we are living. This is how we shine, by providing a living example of who Christ is and how Christ lives in love through self sacrifice. We pick up our crosses daily and follow Christ. Nothing is more powerful than an object lesson. Our lives should be the study of everyone who desires to live a holy life that pleases God. Just as natural astronomers study stars and keep track of their properties, so the world should become astronomers, gazing lovingly at the stars God has created for His glory. They should be measuring their lives against ours and asking themselves: “what’s missing in my life? What do they have that I don’t have?”

He that wins souls is wise. When our lives speak the truth of the gospel, it shows the world that it is possible to live an overcoming life. No longer does sin rule over us, but we exercise power and dominion over sin and temptation. Life takes on new meaning and we shine like never before. Our spiritual shining and illumination should lead to others catching on fire for the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes a sold out life to shine. We can’t play with sin and expect to be an example for others to follow. For God’s sake and the sake of others, we need to let God sanctify us wholly. Sin should be the exception in a Christian’s life, not a rule they live by each day.

So what it the conclusion? We are created by God to be light bearers of Christ. All the hidden wisdom in the universe is found in Jesus. Live life fully with the understanding that only Christ can bring. Die to yourself daily so that others can see the light of the world, the morning star, Jesus Christ Himself. Spend much time in prayer and in the Word daily so that you may have the spiritual fuel needed to shine. Don’t be a selfish spiritual black hole that uses others, but rather give yourself away freely as a love sacrifice for Jesus and others. God will richly reward all those who empty themselves of self and live a sacrificial life of love, as long as it is IN CHRIST. Amen.

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:21

We are continuing in James on the theme of FAITH. Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. That is where the implanted or engrafted Word comes from. First we must hear and then secondly we must choose to receive the Word of God into the good ground of our hearts. As we plant the seed in our hearts, or rather allow God to plant His seed in our hearts, it begins to grow as it is nurtured and watered by God with our assistance. We must be willing before there can be growth of FAITH in our hearts. The work of faith begins with God, who gives a Word that is worthy of Faith because His Word is Truth. This trustworthy Word inspires us to put faith in what God has said. God is not a man that He should lie. Satan is the father of lies, not God. So we trust God as innocently as a young child believes every word that his father says. Unless we receive the kingdom of God as little children, we shall not enter therein. Children trust. We are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

To be implanted in us, the Word of God must take deep root so that we can grow into mighty trees that bear much fruit. It is the mature trees that bear fruit. The novice trees have no fruit to speak of. It takes time for the Word of God to grow in our lives. There is no shortcut to this. Keep on sowing the Word of God into your heart. Keep watering it with the Spirit of God. Cooperate with God as the wise master farmer that He is. He is confident in His Seed, the Word and in us as His fertile field. He knows the harvest is coming where there will be multiplied fruit for the church and the world to enjoy.

The seed of God’s Word produces trees which bear fruit at maturity. This fruit is of the Holy Spirit. This fruit is meant to reproduce more trees and more fruit, for the SEED of the fruit is present in the fruit. When people see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, it helps to plant the seed of God’s Word into their hearts, which will then multiply into more trees bearing more fruit, which will in turn inspire faith in more people! How quickly the engrafted Word can do its work if we will be but willing vessels. It is critical that we allow the seed to grow and not to uproot it through choosing to willfully sin against God. Sin plants a different kind of tree that bears BAD FRUIT. We want the good fruit of God’s Word, so stay far away from the bad influence of sin through doing good in Jesus Christ’s name!

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22

Faith works by love, according to God. Faith produces works of love. Love does all it can to promote the highest good of God and people. It will stop at nothing until love is realized. This is why faith cannot just say “I believe” and then do nothing. No, we prove our faith is genuine by doing works of faith which are works of love. This is not the works of obligation that the law produces. These are works of love, which Christ produces. Christ’s example of self sacrifice motivates us to follow Him and imitate His good works. Truly faith is allowing God to move in us and through us by His Spirit. It is love for God and others that encourages us to have more FAITH that we might in turn have more LOVE and so forth. As love increases, so does faith increase. As love increases, so does works of faith increase. Our stars shine brighter and brighter as faith and love accomplish the works of God in our hearts. This is the fruit that God is after: good works motivated by love.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

James 1:25

Faith requires us to look very carefully and cautiously into the Word of God. It is as if we are gazing into a mirror, which reveals every detail of our spiritual being. The Word of God is perfect and it reveals every blemish in our hearts and minds. It takes much thought and meditation in the Word of God for the blemishes and imperfections to rise to the surface where they can be seen. Cooperate with God and His Holy Spirit as you allow the work of God to continually wash you and separate you from all manner of sin. Yes, even the deep sin. All sin must go if we are to be worthy of Jesus Christ in the day of judgment.

Faith requires continuance. Jesus Christ said “if you continue in my Word, then are you my disciples indeed”. Because faith is a growth process, it is implicit that it takes time and continual effort for the fruit to be manifest in our lives. Faith is like a tree growing or running a race. Both require time and effort to produce the rewards of heavenly fruit or a heavenly crown. We must overcome sin and temptation to sin. We must resist unto blood, striving against sin. Keep yourself pure from other men’s sins, says the Word. Run the race with patience and endurance. This implies a learning process. We don’t instantly have victory over sin in every area of our lives. It takes time to learn how to say no to temptation in every area. God, being the master builder, understands this and so longsuffers with us until we become what we are created to be: spiritually perfect and mature in love. Love is a learning process which takes years to gain traction in, to grow into a deep love and not just a superficial one. We need to be patient with ourselves and love ourselves. We don’t excuse sin, but IF WE SIN, we confess it and repent and move on in holiness. Don’t let one sin derail your whole life. Learn how to cast down every thought that competes with Christ for your heart. We are continually being transformed into the holy image of Christ. Keep working at it, my brothers and sisters, for it is God at work inside of you by His Son and by His Spirit that will produce the mature fruit God is looking for.

Faith produces liberty or freedom. Faith produces holiness. Holiness is freedom from all sin. Jesus Christ said, “he that commits sin is the servant of sin”. Sin is bondage but love and obedience is freedom. Which one are you walking in today? You can sin and be in bondage and then repent and be in love, but you can’t choose two masters at the same time. When we sin, satan is our father. When we love, God is our Father. Now is the appointed time to come out of the world, be separate, and minister love to God and others. You can do it! It is possible when you give your whole heart to God! Let no temporary sin stop you from an eternal inheritance of love in Christ Jesus! This liberty is called glorious! All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If sin be the opposite of glory, then faith and love must manifest the glory of God in your life! We can walk as Christ walked, hallelujah.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:27

Pure religion is pure faith. Pure religion comes out of a pure faith which comes from a pure Word. It is the implanted Word of God that bears pure fruit in our lives. It is that pure water of the Word, that nourishes every part of the tree with what the tree needs to bear fruit. What a mystery this is! If a natural tree growing and bearing fruit is a mystery, how much more the spiritual trees and the spiritual fruit. This pure faith of Christ in our lives helps us to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith in Christ!

There is much to be learned from the books of the Bible as we study them by topic and by subject rather than just reading them as statements in a letter. A letter is a cohesive whole and it is fully possible that what I say in chapter one may later be commented on in chapter 5 with more detail. As I recently read the book of James, I saw these themes emerge. I now present the themes of the book of James for your edification in love.

Faith

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James 1:3

Our faith is to be tested by the circumstances we face in life. Sometimes it is God that arranges life so that He can test our hearts and our faith. Sometimes it is the Devil who is allowed to tempt and to test us. This is what we see in the garden of Eden. God made a tree as a test. He said, “Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest you die”. Love has to test the objects of its love, in order to know if they love Him back. God also allowed Satan to test Adam and Eve, with the same test that God Himself had tested them with. Only this time, Satan introduced a lie, saying “you shall not surely die”. Of course, Satan is the father of lies and will always try to twist what God has said in His Word.

Whether the test comes from God or from Satan, you can be sure that God is allowing it all, to bring forth the glory of Jesus Christ in our lives. Jesus Christ was tested and tempted in all manner as we were, yet without sin. God has great expectations for the tests and trials that we face. God believes in us, that we can pass every test, the way that Jesus did, by strict reliance on the Word of God. Jesus said, “It is written”. He relied on the written Word of God and it gave Him the victory over the tests He faced.

Testing and tempting is nothing more than pressure applied to our lives and our circumstances. Pressure is good for gemstones like diamonds. It helps them develop and form completely into solid, beautiful stones that everyone can appreciate and enjoy and be edified by. Testing is also like heat being applied to gold. When gold is heated to a high temperature, the impurities of it start rising to the top, where they can be removed. Let us say with Job, “when I am tried, I shall come forth as gold”! No trial seems pleasant at the moment but AFTERWARDS they yield fruit in our lives. Fruit for the healing of the nations. Fruit that can bless and build up the fellow members in the body of Christ. So don’t be afraid of the testing, but rather, embrace it and know that you can either pass the test or fail. If you pass, it will develop your character. If you fail you can then repent to God of that failure and learn to overcome when faced with the same trial. Trials will most likely be repeated until we pass the test. Then new trials will emerge. This is the pattern of our lives from the cradle to the grave. Learn to love the tests. It is revealing who truly belongs to God and who doesn’t. It’s a shaking that must take place, so that those who are founded on the rock of the Word of God will be on display for all to see.

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.

James 1:6

If we expect to pass the tests of life, we must set our faces like flint, as did Isaiah the prophet. When we find a promise in the Word of God, we must consider it and believe on it and embrace it and hold fast to it. God designed His Word to be embraced and believed on by all people. It is a sad commentary that so few will take God at His Word. Even out of all the people that read the Word of God, very few will apply that Word without reservation to their lives. It is much easier to doubt what God has said than to believe Him. But why? Is God not faithful? Is He not trustworthy? Hasn’t He performed His Word in the past? Doesn’t He change not? Doesn’t He have a perfect heart of love as revealed by His name Abba, Father? Oh, we have been lied to by the world. We have been told that we need to trust in ourselves, in money, in lies, in doctors, in men and in anything BUT the pure, unadulterated Word of God that is forever settled in heaven.

God says, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips”. Jesus Christ is that covenant, issued in love, issued in blood. Without faithfulness to His Word, the whole Godhead collapses. God’s Word is His bond. He lets His yes be yes and His no be no. God’s Word was such a strong foundation that it allowed the heavens and the earth to be formed in the beginning. It was strong enough to create the angels and all of mankind. It was worthy enough to create the animals and birds that we see in the earth up to today. Oh, the Word of God is worthy of our trust! Those that have trusted the Word of God with their WHOLE HEARTS have not been ashamed, have not been confounded, have not made haste. There are testimonies, oh yes, there are testimonies to God’s faithfulness to His Word.

Jesus said to Peter “Oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?”. We have to be willing to trust the Word of God over everything else, including that which we see and feel and understand with our natural understanding. The Word of God is deep. Deeper than what we feel and deeper than what we understand. We must allow the Spirit of God to convince us of the truth of God’s Word. The church and the Holy Spirit are the two witnesses of God in the earth. What the church and the Holy Spirit have in common is that they rely on the Word of God, they rely on Jesus Christ Himself. He is the ROCK. He is the sure foundation. All other words and ideas are sinking sand. Only the eternal Word of God is a sure foundation. Has not Christ proven that one can live a life trusting in only what GOD HAS SAID? Yes, Christ has proven that. He trusted in the Father up to and including the cross. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”. That’s our Jesus. Faithful to the Word of God and the Father that spoke it, even unto death. Oh, it takes humility in order to walk this faith walk! We must trust in the Word of God above what we think. This is the only way to life.

We have the mind of Christ, if we so choose. The mind of Christ is a continual decision to ALWAYS DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER. Always. We must continually continue in the Word of God. Just because we’ve been faithful in the past is no guarantee that we will be faithful in the future. We must cultivate the mind of Christ as our mind. The mind of Christ is unshakable. It is not moved by what the world says, by what the enemy says. It only moves to more perfectly and more intensely embrace WHAT GOD SAYS. It continually meditates in what God says. The mind of Christ DOES NOT GIVE UP WHEN OPPOSITION ARISES! Opposition is normal! The world does not live by the Word of God. Satan does not live by the Word of God! The world and Satan hate God and His Word and also all those that live by the Word of God. Know ye not that the Word says that all that live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution? There is a violent shaking going on in the world today! Do you not feel it? Do you not sense it by the Spirit of God? Love God and keep His commandments. Keep His Word in your heart. Trust Him with EVERYTHING, even unto DEATH. That is the life and mind of Christ. We can do it, if we so choose. Commit your ways unto the Lord and your thoughts will be established.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12

When we boldly choose to have faith in God, it is not a one time decision. It is a decision to run the race of faith with ENDURANCE. Wars and rumors of wars will come, but will we be found faithful to the Word of God? If you fail God by believing a lie over His Word, don’t give up! Get back up again! Repent and continue running the race, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith! That’s right, we are called to walk in the faith of Jesus Christ. Not our own faith. Christ has laid the foundation that trust in God unto death is possible and overcoming and triumphant! Very few that start the race will faithfully finish it. When tribulation arises BECAUSE OF THE WORD, many faint. Many are choked by the cares of the world. I tell you this, though a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, it shall be well for him or her that ENDURES WITH GOD TO THE END.

We can help our brothers and sisters to endure, but we can’t run the race for them. Each man or woman will stand or fall based on his or her OWN FAITH. The best thing we can do to encourage our brothers and sisters is to run the race of faith faithfully ourselves and testify to what we are doing by actions and words. Show forth the fruit of God in your lives. Surely there is true fruit to share, to encourage the body of Christ and to encourage those in the world to come out of her and BE SEPARATE. Be separate by the mind of Christ and the faith of Christ. Trust in God with your WHOLE HEART and lean not on your own understanding. Our lives are living letters, known and read of all men. If we fail, it is known. If we are victorious, it is known. God knows. The holy angels know. The world knows. Satan and his demons know. We are a theater show for the world to see. Let’s give them something worth seeing, yes, let’s show them the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, enduring to the END and receiving that crown of life. The promise of eternal life is to the overcomers, not those who give up.

In the last day, will we be able to say to Christ: “Jesus, I walked in YOUR FAITH with all my heart and I did it unto the death. I did not faint or give up when I was tested, but I endured by not loving my life unto death. I proved that your Word is true by walking in faith, all the days of my life”?

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

James 2:5

The Word of God is clear. It is those that are RICH IN FAITH. These are the people that love God. Faith in what God has said proves that we love God. Jesus said, “if you love me, keep my commandments”. His commandment is that we would walk by faith and not by sight. His commandment is that we would walk in love for God and others.

The Word of God declares that without faith it is impossible to please God. We must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM. Faith is known by diligently seeking God. We must have a solid foundation in Christ and then continue to stabilize our lives in Christ by GOING YET DEEPER IN HIM. Increasing in the knowledge of Christ. It is not once saved, always saved. It is not once faith always faith. It is “endure to the end and you shall be saved”.

When Paul’s faith was tested, he had this testimony: “I believe God that it shall be even as it was spoken to me”. Paul was rich in faith. Paul loved God. Without faith, it is impossible to prove that we love God. No faith, no love. Much faith, much love. When we believe what someone is saying, it shows that we respect them. All we can do is give God OUR WHOLE HEARTS. Believing His Word, living His Word, dying for the sake of HIS WORD. Our first parents failed God and died spiritually, all because they took the word of the fallen angel Lucifer above that which God has said. They gave in to temptation rather than have faith in God. We don’t have to continue in that error! The Bible says all have sinned, not that all will continue to sin! Choose you this day who you will serve! Our choices determine our destiny, so choose wisely! Choose life that you may live!

In the last day, will we be able to say to Christ: “I believed the Father’s Word, even unto death!”? We are so privileged to be alive on this earth. Now is the appointed time, Now is the day of salvation. That salvation comes by His Word. When God wanted to save the world from trusting in themselves, He sent His Word, His Son Jesus Christ, who showed us how to love the Father by believing the Father. By putting faith in God and what He says. This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. Faith is His commandment to us this day and every day. When trials come, believe God’s Word. When obstacles come, believe God’s Word. When lies come, believe God’s Word. When sickness and disease come, believe God’s Word. This is our opportunity to shine! This is our opportunity to prove that we love God. We can’t love God without loving His Word. His Word and Himself are inseparable. Love God by loving His Son. Love the Son by following His example of self sacrificial love, even unto death. Especially unto death. Deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow Christ. This is how we love the Father, when we love Him by loving His Son and following His Son. This is the testimony of God about His Son Christ: “HEAR HIM!”.