The Great Escape

You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong. Proverbs 17:9 (CEV)  The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam, so stop it before it bursts. Proverbs 17:14 (MSG)  Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief. Proverbs 21:23 (MSG)   Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)   The more words you speak, the less they mean. Ecclesiastes 6:11A (NLT)    You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say. Proverbs 18:20  (GNT)   The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words. Proverbs 18:21 GWT   “As I live,” says the LORD, “just as I’ve heard you say, so I’ll do to you. Numbers 14:28 CEB   Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can he...

The Speech of Elihu 32  So the three men stopped answering Job, because he thought he was right.  Lord, give me wisdom to reach the unreachable.  Make me teachable. 2  But Elihu the Buzite was very angry with Job. That’s  because  Job said he himself was right instead of God.   Lord, reveal my arrogance and remove it  from me.  Elihu was the son of Barakel. He was from the family of Ram.  Lord, help me control my anger unless it's for the right reasons. May I never think myself wiser than you.  You are right and I am not.  No matter what my situation tells me.        3  Elihu was also very angry with Job’s three friends.  They hadn’t found any way to prove that Job was wrong. But they still said he was guilty.   4  Elihu had waited before he spoke to Job.  That’s because the others were older than he was.   5...

3  My brothers and sisters,  most of you shouldn’t become teachers.  Apparently, most of James's readers were wanting to teach others (the Bible); however, James was warning them not to do so. That’s because you know that those of us who teach will be held more accountable.  Teachers are held to a higher standard by God  because they can impact a greater audience  positively (or negatively).  2  All of us get tripped up in many ways.  A person who is truly following the Lord can mess up occasionally.  Suppose someone is never wrong in what they say.  The major area of offense is what we say.   Then they are perfect (Mature).  The sign of spiritual maturity is managing our mouths. They are able to keep their whole body under control. If we can manage our months, then we can manage all our private and public behavior. 3  We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse t...

1 I, James, am writing this letter.  I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We all serve someone or something.  We can serve people and things that drain the life out of us,  or Christ who loves and gave Himself for us.  I am sending this letter to you, the 12 tribes scattered among the nations. The Jewish believers in Jesus were persecuted after the murder of Stephen for his faith(Acts 8),  and they fled throughout the ancient world to save their lives.  At the time of this letter, this was before the none Jewish people had been told about Jesus. Therefore, there were only Jewish Christians at this time.   Hence, James called them the 12 tribes (of Israel).   Greetings. 2 My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble.  When you do, think of it as pure joy.  These Jewish believers left their families, friends, and homes behind to follow Christ. We are not promised...