05 June 2022
Two-Minute Features | 12 June 2022

Introduction to The Book of James, Part 1 (TMF:1870)

Friday, June 10, 2022
Peace to Live By: Introduction to The Book of James, Part 1 (TMF:1870) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, the Book of James was written by a man named James (for the title, then, follows the author of the book). The author bearing the name James was actually Jesus’ half-brother, in my position. The author isn’t the brother of John (the one whom Jesus loved, who wrote the Gospel of John) as that James died a martyrs death early on in the beginnings of the Gospel being proclaimed (see Acts 12). Therefore, that’s why we don’t call him the Apostle James because he was not of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. The date for the writing seems to be in the mid-to-late 40s in the first century, so some fifteen to twenty years after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. Like Thomas is so famously recorded for, James here, who like I said was Jesus’ half-brother (having been a son of Joseph and Mary; remember, Jesus’ real father was God himself), he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah that was to come to Israel, God’s original chosen people. Recall, John recorded for us in John 7:5: “For not even his brothers believed in him” (ESV).

God Forgives Sins Through Jesus Christ (TMF:1869)

Thursday, June 09, 2022
Peace to Live By: God Forgives Sins Through Jesus Christ (TMF:1869) - Daniel Litton
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       Let’s consider a few verses from the Apostle John about this same subject of faith: “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us” (1 John 3:21-23, ESV). No matter who you are today, anyone can come into person relationship with Jesus Christ. Anyone can believe in him. God forgives sins through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. If you’re a person who is insecure, you may need to come before God and deal with this issue today. God gives us our security, our worth, our value. Jesus can make you righteous before God. Go to God today in prayer and tell him you desire to have a relationship with him, and that you want to start the transformation process by which you become more happy yourself, and make him happy in the process.

We Can't Make Everyone Happy (TMF:1868)

Wednesday, June 08, 2022
Peace to Live By: We Can't Make Everyone Happy (TMF:1868) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, all this being said, we realize that we cannot keep all the people happy all the time. Surely, for a few, they are going to get offended by most things, for they are very weak brothers and sisters. There are whole churches who will get offended by lots of things. For anyone who is insecure, they can tend to point fingers at people too much and desire everyone else to abide by all their rules. But we cannot give up too much liberty. We cannot give up all our freedom for the sake of someone who is really weak. If a person is offended by most things, they have a serious issue that they have to deal with. Some people feel bad about themselves and wish for everyone to cater to what they want. They are needy people, and they want everyone to show them attention. But, these people have to come to recognize that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They have to learn to care about what people feel and want, and learn to see themselves appropriately, in light of others.

Being Fully Convinced in Our Freedom (TMF:1867)

Tuesday, June 07, 2022
Peace to Live By: Being Fully Convinced in Our Freedom (TMF:1867) - Daniel Litton
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       Verse 23: “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Whatever it is that we have decided to do, we are to be fully convinced in our own minds that what we are doing is not sin. In doubting, we show we have a lack of faith, and it also shows that we better stay away from whatever it is that we are doubting about. People have different levels of faith. The point is that if we are doing something publicly and we know that others are likely going to see it as sin, we’d better keep that thing to ourselves. We should not press people into doing anything they really don’t want to do. That causes the person to sin, and surely, that’s not something that anybody wants. Now, all this being said, we realize that we cannot keep all the people happy all the time. Surely, for a few, they are going to get offended by most things, for they are very weak brothers and sisters. There are whole churches who will get offended by lots of things.

Living in Our Own Freedom Privately (TMF:1866)

Monday, June 06, 2022
Peace to Live By: Living in Our Own Freedom Privately (TMF:1866) - Daniel Litton
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       Notice, Paul said, “The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.” Guess what? This means we are going to approve of things in our lives that we don’t tell people about—or at least—that we don’t tell weaker Christians about. Yes, you have that right. You may like to drink a glass of wine with dinner when you’re at home. That’s fine, but don’t go flaunting that before people who will get offended by it. That’s unwise. That may work just cause quarreling and negativity to develop. They’re may be movies you like to watch that others would fine too offensive. Well, that’s okay, but don’t run and tell everyone about your freedom. Husbands and wives may do things that others would find offensive. Get the drift? The reality is, is that we cannot meet everyone’s freedom criteria. The good news, though, is that anyone can grow in faith. We can say to God, as the disciples did, “Increase our faith.”