James 4:2 "You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask."
Following verse 1 of James 4, verse 2 gives us some insight to what happens when our passions, our fleshly desires go against our spirit. Our spirit wants what is right and good. Pretty much any thing we hold as criminal or wrong stems from this. We fight, we steal, because we do not have what we covet and we covet because we do not have. Ex. We kill because someone stole our pride, or maybe not even kill them but we fight them. We steal money because we see others with lots of money and see what they do with it. we want what we do not have.
Why do we not have? Because we do not ask. Jesus in Matthew 7:7-11 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" So, why are we stealing and coveting when our Father in heaven, who knows how to give good things, can give us what we need if we ask him?
When our flesh wars aginst our spirit, why do we rely on ourselves? We can ask our Father in heaven for help. When we go through hard times we can ask God for strength when we want to give in, for will when it seem to tough to go on. We, as Gods children can do that.
Showing posts with label pleasure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pleasure. Show all posts
3/8/07
2/28/07
Pt. 1 pain and pleasure
James 4:1 "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?"
This verse can apply to the church community and to the individual as well. Someone does something another doesnt think is right, whatever its, and conflict starts and churches split and people leave the church......extreme cases, none the less a quarrel starts. Whatever the application whithin the community this verse is true.
I want to focus on the this verse in concern with the individual. I want to stress this study concerns the christian but everyone is urged to respond with what they think, but the application of this study is for believers.
Our pleasure is what causes the source of our quarrels within our body. 1Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." Peter here states this differently and also says to stay away form "fleshly lusts" or pleasures, because it wages war with the soul/spirit. Our members are are the parts of our body : arm, hands, mind, and so on. The desires of our mind and body to have sex, drink, use tobaco, lie, cheat and whatever else goes aginst our spirit.
In my ethics class, i have learned that sometims doing the right thing feels wrong (continent). such things as not having sex when someone of the other sex is urging you to do it and you don't. Sometims it will feel wrong to live right, causing a war of flesh aginst soul/spirit.
1Peter 3: 17 "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." When our flesh goes aginst our spirit, we feel bad a suffer for doing what is right rather than for what is wrong. 1Peter 4:1 "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin"
This verse can apply to the church community and to the individual as well. Someone does something another doesnt think is right, whatever its, and conflict starts and churches split and people leave the church......extreme cases, none the less a quarrel starts. Whatever the application whithin the community this verse is true.
I want to focus on the this verse in concern with the individual. I want to stress this study concerns the christian but everyone is urged to respond with what they think, but the application of this study is for believers.
Our pleasure is what causes the source of our quarrels within our body. 1Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." Peter here states this differently and also says to stay away form "fleshly lusts" or pleasures, because it wages war with the soul/spirit. Our members are are the parts of our body : arm, hands, mind, and so on. The desires of our mind and body to have sex, drink, use tobaco, lie, cheat and whatever else goes aginst our spirit.
In my ethics class, i have learned that sometims doing the right thing feels wrong (continent). such things as not having sex when someone of the other sex is urging you to do it and you don't. Sometims it will feel wrong to live right, causing a war of flesh aginst soul/spirit.
1Peter 3: 17 "For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." When our flesh goes aginst our spirit, we feel bad a suffer for doing what is right rather than for what is wrong. 1Peter 4:1 "Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin"
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