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Clark's Reflections / James 4:6-7

« Last post by clark thompson on September 09, 2017, 04:01:16 pm »

James 4:6-7 King James Version (KJV)
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:6-7 New Life Version (NLV)

6 But He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, “God works against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride.” 7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil and he will run away from you.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

6 God will provide all the grace we need and while we shouldn’t openly choose sin but try to walk away from sin when we do sin we have God’s grace. God’s grace isn’t an excuse for sin but the hope for sin, a hope that never runs out. We have to just come to Him for grace, we have to admit we need His grace; many will face hell because they were too prideful to admit they needed Jesus.

7 We are to give our all to Jesus knowing He wants fellowship with us but we are the ones who need Him. It is only thru the power of the Lord that we can stand against sin and the devil. The devil will flee us if we seek Christ, we also can fight our own flesh if we desire Jesus.

Clark's Reflections / Jonah 3:3-4

« Last post by clark thompson on September 07, 2017, 04:55:47 am »

Jonah 3:3-4 King James Version (KJV)
3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.
4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Jonah 3:3-4 New Life Version (NLV)

3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, as the Lord had told him. Now Nineveh was a very large city. It took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started into the city, for a day’s walk, and he cried out, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

3 Three days to walk thru the city, this would make it very large. Jonah finally did what he should have from the start, sometimes God bring us back to where we need to be so like Jonah we can make the right decision, it is His mercy on us.

4 Jonah’s message, it was simple and he was just called to shout it from the streets, this is what he didn’t want to do, he wanted them to be destroyed but God warns people before they are judged so they can change and become right with Him, being right with Him leads to grace and not judgment.

Clark's Reflections / James 4:4-5

« Last post by clark thompson on August 28, 2017, 05:03:59 am »

James 4:4-5 King James Version (KJV)
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

James 4:4-5 New Life Version (NLV)

4 You are as wives and husbands who are not faithful in marriage and do sex sins. Do you not know that to love the sinful things of the world and to be a friend to them is to be against God? Yes, I say it again, if you are a friend of the world, you are against God. 5 Do you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, “The Holy Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be faithful to Him”?

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

4 We have to loyal to God. We can’t love this world and love God. While we may love the blessings of this world that God may give us we can’t love anything more then God or long to be blessed here more then eternity. We our foreigners here, we are meant to be in heaven because we have that as believers, we shouldn’t want the world but want more fellowship with the Lord and to please Him, this will cause division with us and the world.

5 We have the Holy Spirit in us, we are to strive daily to be more and more like God. Earthly blessings are not in them self is sinful but never should they become idols that hinder our walk with the Lord. We are to live for God and everything He wants of us.

Clark's Reflections / Jonah 3:1-2

« Last post by clark thompson on August 21, 2017, 04:44:42 am »

Jonah 3:1-2 King James Version (KJV)
3 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Jonah 3:1-2 New Life Version (NLV)
Jonah Obeys the Lord

3 The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up and go to the large city of Nineveh, and tell the people there the news which I am going to tell you.”

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

1 God still spoke to Jonah and wanted to use Him even after He ran from Him, thankfully we often have God react to us in the same way, it’s a blessing we get second chances.

2 Jonah had the second chance to do what was right to serve God in the way he was called to. We are to keep serving the Lord in ways that He wants us to.

Clark's Reflections / James 4:1-3

« Last post by clark thompson on August 14, 2017, 04:51:05 am »

James 4:1-3 King James Version (KJV)
4 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

James 4:1-3 New Life Version (NLV)

4 What starts wars and fights among you? Is it not because you want many things and are fighting to have them? 2 You want something you do not have, so you kill. You want something but cannot get it, so you fight for it. You do not get things because you do not ask for them. 3 Or if you do ask, you do not receive because your reasons for asking are wrong. You want these things only to please yourselves.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

1 These fights are from our flesh and while Satan wants us to fall to our flesh and may throw temptation in our way, we fight because we value our opinion or want our way. We should instead fight for His will and not our, we need to know the difference because while fighting for God’s will may cause division it’s a what we are to do but division because of us doing things our way can cause division also but without being in the Lord’s will and being in sin which requires repentance.

2 Sometimes its just a matter of going to God with what we want but often times we don’t go to Him because we don’t want Him to say no but no asking Him is as bad if He said no and we did it any way. Nobody wants things to be other than what they want but His will is a much more joyful place then us having our way. We think often only about ourselves but He think about everyone, God’s will is not centered on us, we are apart of it though.

3 Sometimes we don’t go to God because we want the pleasures of the flesh. If we don’t want to go to God because He may say no then maybe its something we shouldn’t be doing in the first place.

Clark's Reflections / Jonah 2:8-10

« Last post by clark thompson on August 07, 2017, 05:04:34 am »

Jonah 2:8-10 King James Version (KJV)
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah 2:8-10 New Life Version (NLV)

8 Those who worship false gods have given up their faith in You. 9 But I will give gifts in worship to You with a thankful voice. I will give You what I have promised. The Lord is the One Who saves.”
10 Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spit Jonah out onto the dry land.
New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

8 False gods is anything people serve before God, anything people make an idol. We need to make sure God is first in our life. Jonah idol had become his own will because he wasn’t following God’s will. Jonah is referring the Jews who would fall into captivity because of them worshiping idols later.

9 Jonah is trying to remind God who he is, God knew who Jonah was that is why he chose to call him. We also need to know that God knows us as well. Jesus came so we may be saved. God keeps His promises.

10 Jonah was no longer in the fish, it likely the fish spit Jonah on the shore to go to Nineveh.

Clark's Reflections / James 3:17-18

« Last post by clark thompson on July 31, 2017, 04:56:56 am »

James 3:17-18 King James Version (KJV)
17 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.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

James 3:17-18 New Life Version (NLV)

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not. 18 Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

17 Godly wisdom only comes thru first receiving Him then thru seeking Him. His given wisdom is without sinful thinking, although we have sinful thinking being in the flesh but the wisdom we have from Him wont have any of the flesh thinking we have. It was also give us a peace even if its something hard and it will allow us to best represent Christ to others.

18 We can only work for peace by working for the Lord because without Him there is no complete peace. There is no better right living then to be right with the Lord.

Clark's Reflections / Jonah 2:6-7

« Last post by clark thompson on July 24, 2017, 04:58:30 am »

Jonah 2:6-7 King James Version (KJV)
6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Jonah 2:6-7 New Life Version (NLV)

6 I went down to the roots of the mountains. The walls of the earth were around me forever. But You have brought me up from the grave, O Lord my God. 7 While I was losing all my strength, I remembered the Lord. And my prayer came to You, into Your holy house.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

6 Jonah could have easily died in the sea and was on his way to death until God sent the fish to sallow him up. This verse mentions mountains in the ocean. Jonah is starting to be humbled. To fully serve the Lord the way we should we need to be humble.

7 Jonah was losing strength, truth is anytime we run from God we lose strength. Jonah didn’t realize his strength started to go as he got on the boat instead of when he fell into the ocean. Jonah only remembered God because he had no other choice at this point. We shouldn’t let it come to near death experiences to be right with the Lord. Just Jonah’s prayer was heard, God hears our prayers today.

Clark's Reflections / James 3:15-16

« Last post by clark thompson on July 17, 2017, 04:52:23 am »

James 3:15-16 King James Version (KJV)
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James 3:15-16 New Life Version (NLV)

15 This is not the kind of wisdom that comes from God. But this wisdom comes from the world and from that which is not Christian and from the devil. 16 Wherever you find jealousy and fighting, there will be trouble and every other kind of wrong-doing.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

15 The world does have something but without the Lord being in something it’s corrupted. Without God everything is tainted. We want wisdom that comes from God. True wisdom leads us further to God and is in submission to Him. The devil is sly and a tricker many think they are following God but aren’t wise enough to see the devil leading them.

16 Jealousy and selfishness to evil of this world both of these are internal sins but they come out thru more sin. The devil wants to confuse people about what sin is. Man’s views of what sin is has changed but we should hold to God’s standard because His standards are true and never changing.

Clark's Reflections / Jonah 2:4-5

« Last post by clark thompson on July 10, 2017, 11:11:35 am »

Jonah 2:4-5 King James Version (KJV)
4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Jonah 2:4-5 New Life Version (NLV)

4 Then I said, ‘I have been sent away from Your eyes. But I will look again toward Your holy house.’ 5 Waters closed in over me. The sea was all around me. Weeds were around my head.

New Life Version (NLV) Copyright © 1969 by Christian Literature International

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

4 Jonah knew that what he had done was against what God wanted but also knew that God didn’t let him die because he still wanted him to go to preach. We cant ever be in this life outside of God’s sight the only place this happens is hell. Jonah was not in hell but in the belly of a fish. Thru Christ we gain excess to Him and He abides in us thru the Holy Spirit and one day because we received Christ as Lord we will gain excess to His home in heaven.

5 Jonah is speaking about him falling into the water. Jonah had time to think as he fell into the depths of the sea before the fish came to him, the fish swallowed him because God saw that he needed more time to think so that he would follow God’s will. Sometimes we are blessed with extra time to think of what God wants rather then for us to make huge mistake by falling away into sin and run from Jesus sometimes we don’t get this chance but as long as we are alive we can turn back to the Lord. Jonah had to go the Lord’s way because his way leads him into this fish. We have to go God’s way because our way will lead us to hell.