PART
THREE For verse 5,
I always suggest that people pray for wisdom and understanding before reading
or studying God’s word as He promises to do that. That does not mean that you
can’t be in error in your interpretation but you will be amazed at how God
applies His word to your life and even to your immediate circumstances if you
care to hear from Him through your spirit from His Spirit.
James goes
on to say to have confidence in the knowledge that God gives you and don’t fail
to believe because a person of two minds who is never sure can’t expect to
receive anything from God. Having humility in what you think God has given you
and being uncertain and constantly wavering are two different things. The latter person is inconstant in their ways
and not knowing God’s word is unsure if what they feel that God has given them,
that spiritual wisdom and understanding, is true or a figment of their own
imagination.
Matthew
7:7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?
John
14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will
do it.
Let the
poor man rejoice when he is lifted up and let the rich man rejoice when he is
brought low as our physical bodies are all events in space-time and like the
grass we wither away.
To
reinforce a doctrine, again, temptations have been mentioned on many occasions.
The word temptations
here is not a reference to our modern notion of being tempted by something
like gazing at the air-brushed images on the magazine rack in the grocery store
or gossiping. This, in context, is about the traps that are out there that
encourage us, attempt to trick us even, to defile our worship of God. A temptation urges us to worship it rather
than God. It is also a trial, suffering, and grief that causes us to doubt our
faith. In fact, it is anything that damages our faith and trust in God.
A personal disaster and grief, persecution for one’s faith,
elevating something like sex, education, employment, or material possessions
above God, and sin itself are temptations to turn away from the faith. But Paul
comforted us with this in reference to worshipping idols but, I think,
applicable to all temptations.
Again; 1Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it. 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved,
flee from idolatry.
The crown
of life mentioned here is one of several crowns mentioned in the New
Testament. Modern fundamentalists often refer to these as physical crowns the
believers receive while older commentators like John Gill insist that these are
symbolic of eternal life and eternal happiness in Christ’s presence, not
physical headpieces.
1Corinthians
9:25 And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible.
John
writes about crowns.
Revelation
3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that
fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Paul,
James, and Peter talk about crowns.
Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and
longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
1Thessalonians
2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or
crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
his coming?
2Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
1Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Are
these crowns figurative, metaphors for the glory we await or are they literal
crowns that can be removed as in the following verse?
Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne…
Or is it
just these elders who have physical crowns of authority and rule?
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