James 2:1

Title:  Partiality

When we expect or demand recognition and the best seat in an assembly, are we not distinguishing ourselves as a class above the rest?

Although at the receiving end of the distinction and the attention, we still stand guilty of favoritism because we have encouraged and allowed it to be bestowed on us.

What separates us from other believers?  Nothing!  We know almost nothing about God; even the corporate understanding of the church about God is of no consequence compared to what has not been revealed by his mercy.

Only God has the right to recognition and the best seat in our midst.

Philippians 1:21

Title:  To die is gain

Death is best for the Christian considering the utmost joy and blessedness of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus, if not for the propagation of the gospel and the edification of the church for the glory of God.

Simply put, the Christian is alive to be like the Lord Jesus, and this is manifested by a life dedicated to the announcement of the gospel and the nurture of believers.  There is no other meaning to life that would identify a believer with this earth which is perishing; we are no longer of this world.

Life goes on for the gospel, the spiritual growth of the brethren, to the praise of God.  Once the task appointed to us by the Father has been completed, it would be time to leave, and with much rejoicing.

James 5:14

Title:  Anoint him with oil

A Christian who is sick should call the elders of his congregation for prayer, and he must also visit a physician.

Oil here is considered for its therapeutic properties and translates to modern/herbal medicines and medical procedures.

With much powerful and effective prayer, medication should be administered in the name of the Lord Jesus because physical treatment even calls for the cleansing of the soul from every transgression, in order to receive complete healing, God willing.

Matthew 6:10

Title:  Your will be done

In prayer we cannot force God to give us what we want and when we want it.

Prayer is for the glory of God, whether it is an entreaty for a need or healing or simply a quiet communion with the Father.

God is sovereign in prayer.  Before his awesome presence, in petitions that cannot be uttered with words, we seek to know his will for our lives that he may be praised in the testimony of our deeds and words in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Revelation 2:10

Title:  Be faithful

We have always understood faithfulness as regular attendance of worship services and consistent giving of offerings, mostly revolving around congregational activities, but the truth is it goes beyond the four corners of a place of worship; faithfulness, in its purest sense, demands the sacrifice of our lives, and merely for being identified as a Christian.

A Christian is willing and ready, by the grace of God, to die for his faith.  A commitment that falls short of putting our lives on the line for the testimony of our belief in the truthfulness of God’s promises is not faithfulness.

It is not even Christianity, for the Scriptures bear witness that a Christian will stand firm to the end.

Matthew 6:10

Title:  Your will be done

God is sovereign: we cannot order him around and tell him what to do and when to do it.

If prayer is anything, it is an acknowledgment that the will of God is everything, and we come to him with all humility and brokenness and dependence because the Lord alone knows what is good for us, to prepare us for his eternal rule and in view also of his righteousness which is the basis of his plan for our lives.

Matthew 24:25

Title:  I have told you ahead of time

Do not fight against a Christian, he will always win!

A child of God is like a man playing the lottery, knowing what combination of numbers will land the jackpot prize.

A Christian knows what will transpire into the future, where this material universe is headed, not to mention the circumstances of life and death, and by this knowledge so orders his life as to have the advantage of organizing his affairs in view of the culmination of human history, when the day finally arrives when the Lord will devastate and lay waste the earth, ruin its face, and scatter its inhabitants, and very few will be left alive.

What an advantage, but, sad to say, we have become like the world in scandalous unbelief.  Our lives no longer reflect the urgency of the times.  We have squandered a knowledge the majority of the population would die for had they the opportunity.