James 5: Are You Righteous?
Verse of the Day: (V16) “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
1. Riches (V1-6)
V1 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”
There is nothing wrong to be rich and wealthy, but when we cheat or deceive others to get riches, then it is absolutely wrong in God’s eyes. Indeed, only by grace and through faith in God, and not riches and wealth, can we have true happiness and salvation in God.
V4 “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”
2. Righteous (V7-16)
V7 “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”
What God truly desires from His people is not so much of our riches and wealth, but the fruit of His Spirit such as patience, faith and righteousness. We may be very rich, wealthy and famous, but without God and the fruit of His Spirit, we are never truly joyful, contented and satisfied with our lives. In fact, God only answers our prayers, and show us great and mighty things that we don’t even expect, when we have the fruit of His Spirit.
V15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
3. Rain (V17-20)
V17 “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”
One of the great examples of a man of the fruit of the Spirit of patience, faith and righteousness was none other than Elias. When Elias prayed, God answered him, and there was no rain on earth for three and the half years! Elias was just like you and me, sinners saved by grace, yet when he had righteousness in God, God answered him!
V18 “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be righteous in You so that my prayers are answered.
James 4: What Is Life?
Verse of the Day: (V14) “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
1. Lusts (V1-10)
V3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
Why God does not answer our prayers? It is because we pray and ask God according to our lusts or selfish desires. We do not humble ourselves before God, and repent of our sins and turn to Him, but instead, we treat God as though He is obliged to answer all our prayers and desires. We fail to fully understand that our God is not only loving, but He is also holy, and therefore we must draw near to Him in humility and holiness, and then He shall draw near to us, and answer all our prayers and desires according to His perfect will.
V8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
2. Law (V11-12)
V11 “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”
Why do we judge others? We judge others because we think we are more superior and righteous than others. However, God rebukes and disciplines us when we judge others, because only He is the Lawgiver, and only He has the right to judge. Indeed only God is able to save our souls from condemnation in fiery hell, and promote us to glorious heaven.
V12 “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
3. Life (V13-17)
V15 “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
Let us not boast of our achievements and successes, because our lives are from God, and He miraculously pumps our hearts for us to breathe and live. Our lives are like vapours that can vanish any time, and let us acknowledge God as our Creator and Saviour. Indeed, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and whoever believes in Him shall never perish, but have everlasting lives with Him in heaven. Let us therefore do good by sharing to all that Jesus truly saves so that all may come to His saving grace.
V17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are my life, and I live for You and You alone.
James 3: How Is Your Tongue?
Verse of the Day: (V8) “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
1. Tongue (V1-11)
V2 “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”
Our tongue is a small and boneless part of our body yet we find great difficulty in taming it as we speak without thinking and reflecting, and have hurt and harm many people including our loved ones. Our tongue is like a fire, when it is wrongly used, it can really destroy souls and even send many to fiery hell. Indeed, only God can truly tame our tongue because He is our Creator. Let us commit our tongue to God, and let Him use them to encourage and edify others, and to teach and preach His holy Word that all may come to His saving grace. Let us strive to be God’s perfect man by controlling our tongue!
V5 “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”
2. Tree (V12-13)
V12 “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”
Since the beginning of Adam and Eve, there are many who call themselves God’s people, yet time again, they do evil and do not reflect God’s likeness. Let us who call ourselves Christians truly reflect the likeness of Christ by having the fruit of His Spirit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance in our lives, just like the fig tree that only bear figs, and the salt fountain that only yield salt water!
V13 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”
3. Truth (V14-18)
V14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”
Let us examine our hearts to prove that we are truly God’s people because only God’s people will strive to be pure, peaceful, gentle, loving, merciful, truthful and sincere, while the people of the world are full of evil, anger, hatred, violence, pretence and hypocrisy.
V17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to use my tongue to teach and preach Your holy Word.
James 2: Are You The Friend Of God?
Verse of the Day: (V23) “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”
1. Footstool (V1-13)
V1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, rebuked the church for favouring the rich and despising the poor, as the rich had seats in the church while the poor had to stand or sit on footstools. Let us who are Christians, saved by God’s grace, love and treat everyone the same, as Jesus loved and died for the sins of all, regardless of their wealth, that whoever believes in Him shall never perish in hell, but have everlasting life with Him in heaven.
V3 “And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:”
2. Faith (V14-20)
V18 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
One of the greatest sins is to be professing Christians who continue in sins and never truly repent of their sins. This was why James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, warned the people that they must show their true faith in Christ by demonstrating their works and lives of holiness and godliness. A Christian is like a sheep that when he falls into the mud of sins he will try as far as possible to get out of it, and never like a pig which will wallow and enjoy it. Let us be warned that even the devil and his demons believe in God, but they never truly repent of their sins, and eventually they shall be condemned to hell!
V19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
3. Friend (V21-26)
V21 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?”
Abraham was an example of a man who truly had faith in God because he demonstrated his faith by his works when he willingly obeyed God, and offered his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. However, God eventually provided a ram as a substitute of Isaac.
V24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that You are my Friend as I prove it by my faith and works.
James 1: Do You Have Wisdom?
Verse of the Day: (V5) “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.”
1. Wisdom (V1-16)
V2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”
James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, encourages all Christians to ask God for wisdom and endurance as we face temptations so that we could overcome them and emerge victoriously for His glory. It is not easy when we are going through temptations yet God encourages us to ask Him for wisdom and endurance so that we can overcome them. In fact, we should count it all joy and be happy when we are going through temptations as they increase our faith in God, and love for Him, and draw us closer to Him, and one day He shall reward us with a crown of life in glorious heaven. Indeed, let us rejoice in the Lord always knowing that He is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake.
V12 “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.”
2. Wrath (V17-20)
V19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”
When we have God’s wisdom and righteousness, we shall be swift to hear God’s Word and do what He commands us, and be slow to speak as we think of words that will please and honour Him, and edify and encourage others, and be slow to anger in the midst of pressure and provocation as we know that He is in control of all our storms and struggles.
V20 “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
3. Word (V21-27)
V22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Indeed, to have God’s richest blessings upon us, and to prove that we are truly God’s people, is not just about reading His holy Word, the Bible, and hearing the teaching and preaching of His Word in church every Sunday, but actually doing and practising what we read and hear of His Word. Let us be true to God and ourselves by really obeying His Word and mindful of our speech, so that we can be a real blessing to others that they may one day come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, because of our love, words and works.
V26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please grant me wisdom to obey Your Word and do Your works.
Hebrews 13: Do You Know Jesus Christ?
Verse of the Day: (V8) “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
1. Judge (V1-7)
V4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Since the beginning of Adam and Eve, and until today, God through all His prophets and preachers have warned the world of His judgment on their sins, in particular, immorality, which has caused many divorces including Christian marriages that have resulted in much pain and sorrow and even deadly diseases. Let us stay faithful to our spouse, and be contended with life, and have the blessed assurance that God is with us now and forever.
V5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
2. Jesus (V8-16)
V9 “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
Man may change in their belief and value system, but God never changes as He is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is why we must trust God and His Word, and believe in His Son, Jesus, and repent of our sins, and Jesus shall save our souls by His precious blood through God’s amazing grace. Let us never put our confidence in man and his so-called religions which are man-made that shall never ever save our souls from hell.
V12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
3. Joy (V17-25)
V17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”
Let us submit to our pastor who watches our souls because they are accountable to God to teach and equip us through His Word to love and serve Him. It is indeed a real joy for the pastor to see his people loving and serving God and in pursuit of perfection and holiness.
V21 “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I know Your Son, Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord.
Hebrews 12: Are You Running The Race With Patience?
Verse of the Day: (V1) “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
1. Patience (V1-11)
V2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Let us run our Christian race on this earth with patience and endurance looking to Jesus as the Author and Finisher of our faith. We may fail and falter during our race but we must endure and finish it because Jesus is our best and perfect example who endured the cross and died for our sins, and is now at the right hand of God’s throne interceding for our sins. Indeed, God shall chasten and discipline us during our race when we stray and sin against Him, because He loves us and desires that we complete the race by His grace.
V6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
2. Peace (V12-17)
V14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
God desires us to keep following peace with all men, letting go of all our bitterness, and pursuing holiness by His grace, so that we shall one day see Him in glorious heaven.
V15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”
3. Perfect (V18-29)
V23 “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”
When Jesus came and died for the sins of the whole world, He became the Mediator between God and man, and there is now no need for the priests or the sacrifices that Abel first offered the animal sacrifice for his sins, which was also a prophecy that Jesus, the Son of God, shall come and be the ultimate sacrifice of the sins of the world. Indeed, whosoever believes in Jesus is now made perfect because of His death and resurrection.
V24 “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to run my Christian race with patience and endurance.
Hebrews 11: Do You Have Faith In God?
Verse of the Day: (V6) “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
1. What Is Faith? (V1-3)
V1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith in God is not something vague, but it is a substance, which we truly hope in God. Though we cannot see God, yet we can see His awesome creation of nature just by His words – the deep blue sky and seas, the snow-capped mountains and beautiful valleys and flowers, as well as experience His abundant love, amazing grace and everlasting mercy.
V3 “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
2. Why Have Faith (V4-6)
V4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”
Faith is the key to open God’s kingdom, and without it, we can never please Him. Let us have faith in God, just like many of the saints of the Old Testament, who diligently sought God, and though they suffered on earth, yet God eventually rewarded them with His home in glory. In fact, Enoch did not even taste death, but went straight to heaven!
V5 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
3. Who Have Faith? (V7-40)
V37 “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;”
Since the day of Adam and until today, all who come to God must have faith in Him. During the Old Testament, they had faith in God when they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God, who shall die for the sins of the world. Today, we have faith in God when we believe that Jesus already came and died for us, and is now at the right hand of the throne of God interceding for us that we should all be perfect in Him.
V40 “God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to have faith in You, and be perfect as You are perfect.
Hebrews 10: Will You Exhort Others?
Verse of the Day: (V25) “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
1. Enter (V1-22)
V19 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,”
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, we, Christians, today, can enter into God’s presence through Jesus’ blood. During the Old Testament time, only the high priest could enter God’s presence or the holiest of the temple, but when Jesus died, He shed His precious blood for the sins of the whole world, for you and me, and whoever believes and receives Him with a true heart by faith, shall have everlasting life with Him in glorious heaven.
V22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
2. Exhort (V23-25)
V23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Since we are saved by faith through the grace of God, let us truly love and exhort one another in preaching the gospel, and helping the poor and weak, as we look forward to the glorious return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who never fails us, not even once.
V24 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”
3. Endure (V26-39)
V29 “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under the foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, and unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Today, as in the days of the apostles’ time, the Christians suffered much afflictions and persecution in the midst of evil and wickedness in this present world. However, God has promised that those who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord, and who truly endure afflictions and persecution shall one day be blessed and rewarded in glorious heaven. At the same time, God also warns that those who reject Jesus Christ and God’s grace shall one day be condemned and cast into fiery hell forever.
V32 “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to exhort others as we prepare for Your return.
Hebrews 9: Are You Without Sins?
Verse of the Day: (V28) “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
1. Service (V1-10)
V6 “Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.”
True worship of God leads to true service to God. Many Christians are serving the Lord but it may not be true service as they serve out of obligation or convenience. True worship leads to true service as we realise that everything we have belongs to God. This was why during the Old Testament time, the high priest had to enter the second tabernacle yearly offering sacrifices to confess not only his sins, but the sins of the people.
V7 “But into the second went the high priest alone once every high year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:”
2. Shedding (V11-22)
V11 “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;”
When Jesus died and shed His blood, the veil of the temple was divided signifying that He became the ultimate High Priest and Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Indeed, no yearly sacrifices was necessary after Jesus’ death, as He had paid it with His blood. Today, we, the Christians, are God’s temples because the Holy Spirit indwells in us, and as we confess and repent our sins, Jesus shall forgive our sins and receive us to Himself.
V22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
3. Sins (V23-28)
V26 “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
The second time that Jesus come, He shall not be born in a manger, but He shall come as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, to judge the world. Those who believe in Jesus shall be with Him in heaven, while those who reject Him shall be cast into hell because of their sins. Everyone will die as God has appointed us to meet Him. Where will you go when you die? Will you believe in Jesus, and be with Him in heaven - the choice is yours!
V27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I am without sins, because You died for my sins.
