Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Are you in a Christian Community?  There is no such thing as Christianity without community.Are you in a Community of AFFECTION? Your community should be characterized by warmth and affection as you regularly check in with each other from the battle that is the Christian Life.Are you praying for the GIANTS and the not-so Giants of the faith?  Who of us does not need it? Who of us isn't occasionally weary or faint-hearted?Does your life reflect a PRIORITY of exposure to the Word? There is always a correlation of spiritual growth with regular, ongoing, exposure to His Word.  Join me tomorrow as we conclude 1 Thess and then begin our wondering about 2 Thess. Please listen to the podcast.  You'll find it wherever you like to listen.  Encourage others to consider walking 2 Thess with me. bewithme.us  bewithme.us@gmail.com apple, google, spotify, podcaster, deezer podcasts.

Paul leaves his first letter to the citizens of Thessalonia with a blessing.  It is a prayer, it is a plea, it is a charge and it is based on the character of God.  I have stolen this prayer for you.  In it, we find a God who has come down to make a peace that otherwise would be impossible;  we find God Himself personally  acting on our behalf; we find a finished, completed work; we find an ongoing work; we find our spirits and our often forgotten bodies included under favor; we find this blessing going on until the "period" at then end of the sentence of world history; and we find all of this true because of the reliability of His character and characteristics. This is the blessing I will pray for you at the end of 7 minutes.  Please listen and then subscribe and share. Bewithme.us or write at bewithme.us@gmail.com

Imagine if we had some sort of a warning system that gave us a heads-up about incoming EVIL.  We'd be all primed and ready for the sneaky threats of evil so we'd be ready to respond right and immediately.  This is what Paul is calling for as he concludes his letter to the Thessalonians. We are to flee evil and not fool with it.  If you knew I had a vial of poison, would you open it and roll it around in your hands?The faces of evil are disguised and not so disguised.  May we be more sensitive to it.  May we be more intolerant of it.  May we be quicker to see and respond to the evil within and the evil without.  Please share and send and subscribe.  bewithme.us  podcast addict, pandora, amazon echo, apple podcasts are some of our podcast directories.

To HOLD ON to something good means first to LET GO of the bad. That is the discernment process. It sometimes can be exhausting.  We are to test and discard all the bad stuff.  He's made most of it plain. Claiming ignorance doesn't go far.There is so much that we already know is GOOD.  God has gone to great lengths in creation, common graces, implanting consciences, His history on earth with His chosen people, and then of course Him coming down personally to reveal Himself.  We might want to review all of that.  The charge today is to HOLD ON to all the goodness that He's painstakingly given us.  We HAVE goodness.  HOLD ON to it, my brothers and sisters.  bewithme.us to subscribe.

Be careful here.  We can, just like in 50AD, DESPISE what God says.  The mechanisms of the revelations to us might be a little different, but the principle of our despising can be the same.  We both can say, "I don't know it. I don't want to know it. It cannot be known. Or, I am waiting for a new word, a new revelation."  This is all to say, "I just don't want to obey or follow anything or anybody. Nobody can tell me what to do. I don't like a God like that ." The Old Testament refers to that posture as being stiff necked.There is enough spiritual meat to chew on in the book of 1st Thessalonians ALONE to keep us busy for a lifetime.  We don't need any new revelations, we need to obey and treasure the ones we already have. Let's not DESPISE the smorgasbord of revelation that we already have.  Join me for 7 minutes to treasure the Word we have before us today.  Then subscribe on bewithme.us or on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts. 

Rather than walking with...I choose to go ALONERather than keeping in step with...I choose to find my own wayRather than teaching...I choose ignoranceRather than hearing...I choose silenceRather than growth...I choose immaturityRather than advantage...I choose to DISADVANTAGE myselfSuch is QUENCHING the Spirit.  Please listen for 7 minutes as we consider shooting ourselves in the foot spiritually.  Please share subscribe and come back tomorrow. bewithme.us

The bar for Christian gratefulness is set very high. Grateful people are no accident. We are charged to push out stuff that isn't grateful, and to push in gratefulness to our hearts and then to our lips toward our God.Here's the new part: in ALL circumstances. God is at work in moving the stubborn, sinful, hearts of men and women towards holiness. He wants us to be thankful in prosperity, sure. But the real test is being grateful when we are convicted, in hunger, in sickness, in correction, in seasons of endurance and long-suffering, when we are under His disciplining hand and when life, people and even church is difficult.  These are often the situations of the critical interior work of the Spirit. We will make particular effort today to be grateful for these.Join me in 7 minutes of thankfulness today.  Subscribe and send and share and support in some way.  I'll be grateful, as long as it is hard. ;-) 

This might be a little heretical, but I think it is helpful to think about LOWERING the bar for prayer. We get our undies in a crumple about composing complex prayers overing confusing situations, and might tend to just not do it.  1 Thess encourages us to JUST DO IT.  Specifically, "I mention you before God...", or "I remember you before God..."  He'll figure out the rest.  I think God would rather have us mentioning everybody and everything before Him vs. waiting til I have time to compose a masterpiece of prayer before Him.  Let's just take a spiritual chill-pill and just start MENTIONING before Him the people and situations that are on our hearts. "I will pray for you" = "I will mention you before God".  "I am praying for you" = "I remember you before God."Also, let's fight for joy.  The Thessalonians have a lot to NOT be joyful about.  Circumstances for them are bad.  Maybe yours are too.  Take heart! The answer is not to WAIT until the circumstances are better, but to rejoice anyway. Rejoice now. Rejoice always.Listen 7 minutes. Come back tomorrow. Make this meditation a regular part of your day if you would. bewithme.us. Subscribe on your favorite podcast provider.

You will probably encounter EVIL today.You won't be inclined to leave this evil for the ultimate justice of GodYour inclination will be to REPAY that evil for your evil thereby making the situation doubly evil.You will have a hard time assessing your evil accuratelyYou have a way out of this situation before it startsYou can change your inclination to let God do the repaying if necessaryYou can change your inclination to repay the evil you face not with evil, but with good.It will be the hardest thing you do today. Listen 7 minutes for a little help.Bewithme.us bewithme.us@gmail.com Apple Podcasts, google, Spotify, Audible, PocketCasts

How might the church respond to the fainthearted and weak?  The old joke is that the church is the only place where we shoot our wounded.  This is exactly NOT what Paul is saying. Fainthearted people are those who are losing heart, and running on empty.  It may be from sickness, problems, consequences of sin, age, grief or conflict.  Our response is to ENCOURAGE.Weak people just plain lack the capacity in relation to the task. For those who have a piano to move, literally or figuratively, the charge is to HELP.Your life should be FULL of people like this.  If you can't name 5 people who are fainthearted or weak right this second, then you need to get into FELLOWSHIP.  Someday you too will be fainthearted and you are going to need those five people you helped and encouraged today.  Share with the most fainthearted person you know.  bewithme.us 

Everybody in the church has a job.  Everybody in the church has a hard job.  The Thessalonian church is just a few months old and apparently they needed to be reminded of the duties that a brother has to his leaders.  Brothers should be IN FELLOWSHIP, at peace with their people, be respectful an esteeming highly their leaders. None of these things are easy. It is no fun to be admonished.Leaders should be in fellowship, be doing their job of oversight and ruling, be laboring, be working and be admonishing. None of these things are easy. People can be prickly.Let's give grace and honor and all the duties owed to others in the church who are trying to do their jobs well.  bewithme.us.  Listen 7 minutes a day on your favorite podcast provider like deezer or apple podcasts.

So a big day is coming up and we are supposed to be ready for it.  It is the Day of the Lord.We are to BE SURE we are on the right team.  We are to BE DRESSED like our Daddy. He's dressed as a warrior on that day and we should be too.  Our battle is a bit different than His.  He's got His battle taken care of against Sin, Death and Evil.  We need to be ready for our battle.We are dressed with faith that He's got those big battles taken care of; Hope in the assurance that it is going to work out perfectly; and Love in the meantime for Him and His people.We are to BE TOGETHER. As always, in the fellowship of believersWe are to BE ENCOURAGING one another; having enough courage to spill over to those people standing nearbyWe are to BE BUILDing.  He's reminding us to Love More and More; to grow in it.Subscribe, like, re-tweet, re-link, share, comment and come back tomorrow bewithme.us

There is a day of judgment and justice coming.  For some it will be an unwelcome surprise, but it really shouldn't be.  He's told us all about it first.For some it will be a welcome joy: It is the day to wake up, rise up, meet up and be with the Lord.  There is, however, this pesky issue of JUSTICE, judgment, and punishment.  The summary word for all that is WRATH. The big question is how do believers avoid all the wrath-ful parts of that day and have it be a happy day? Only by being found IN Him, found UNDER His favor, found UNDER HIS WING and found under the "blood" or activity of Jesus for us.  On that day, no one will stand without His help.  We are able to take refuge in Him on THAT day by taking refuge in Him on THIS day.Be found in Him today.  Subscribe if you haven't.  Listen tomorrow too if that day doesn't come tonight! bewithme.us

Don't be uninformed about the following: Everybody dies. Everybody wakes up from that "asleepness".  For believers, this is such an encouragement because we awaken to being gathered to be with the Lord, meeting Him and other believers, and then NEVER leaving His side.  Believers may die, but then they awaken to be with the Lord always.  With this news, we should be encouraged if we believe.  With this news, we should be compelled if we don't yet believe.  "Tell me more. What else should I know? How do I believe? Who is this God?" If that is you, thanks for listening for 7 minutes.  Come back tomorrow for another 7 minutes. bewithme.us. Subscribe, comment, share, like, etc.

Join us for 7 minutes as we look for some good examples.  We'll hear from Teddy Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington and my mother Corinne.  All have something to reinforce from Paul's charge to the Thessalonians about working hard, minding your own affairs, and living a quiet life.  All of these areas affect the view that outsiders have of us. This perspective is not unimportant.  In fact, it is the most loving thing I can do.  No work = No witness.  No good walk = No good witness.  Yes, Paul tells us we should care about what others think, at least a little.  Listen 7 minutes (exactly) today. You'll hear from some very wise people.  Paul, Teddy, Booker and my mother. Please join us tomorrow by subscribing at bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com or on your favorite Podcast directory like Apple Podcasts

How's your love life?  Paul addresses the topic with the new church at Thessalonia.  He notes that it is to be characterized by GROWTH.How's your love life? Is it characterized by withdrawal, not engaging, not risking, not serving, weariness, disappointment, abandonment, holding at arms length, and perhaps a bit of decay? Paul encourages here; admonishes a bit.Love for the brotherhood and sisterhood is to be marked by growth.  That is, we should be having or finding a people to love. Our posture should be to lean into these people more and more.  Who are the people, not at arms length, but within my arms? A good question today: More and more love or less and less?  Let's enact a more and more policy starting today. Join me tomorrow on your favorite podcast provider by signing up at Apple podcasts, google, Spotify, Deezer etc. bewithme.us

I was encouraged this morning reading about how God cares deeply about our sex lives.  I am reminded that He invented it, that He is good, and wants what is truly good for us.  We might be a bit confused about what is truly good, so He reminds us here.  He's interested in our thriving in our sex life.  To wonder what that means, let's go back to our designer and creator to hear the boundaries and purposes and warnings.The big thought today is that regarding what is often a battle for us, our sexual agency, is that GOD IS IN IT.  He is IN this area.  He cares. He helps. He instructs.  So, we'd best avail ourselves of the Words.  That is what these 7 minutes are to do.  Please listen.  Subscribe for tomorrow at bewithme.us

God is thrilled with sex.  He invented it and has a great plan for it.  There is a right way and a wrong way to enjoy this amazing creation. Of concern, is that there are expectations He has for us.  Of concern is the agency and the accountability He has blessed us with.The first key to good sex is to avoid BAD SEX, that is sexual immorality.The second key to good sex is to keep your eye on yourself: using your sexual agency for your holiness and sanctification.The third key to good sex is use your theology, your view of God, to make a difference in your thoughts and behaviors here.The fourth key to good sex is to keep an eye out for OTHERS. This is an area because it takes two to tango, that we can easily step on another's toes.  We can set our minds, souls, and body to help them hold themselves in honor, holiness and self-control.The fifth key to good sex is to know this part of your life can please the Lord, that you can walk in His will, that it can help your brothers and sisters.Our problem is not that Christianity and God Himself has a low view of sex. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Our problem is that our view of sex is not high enough. Listen 7 minutes and let's raise our view of sex by looking at the keys to good sex.  bewithme.us

Get ready for a whole list of encouragement from Paul. In every way possible, he articulates with his hopes, prayers, mouth and actions his passion for the people of Thessalonia.  He is shooting for the goal of an established and holy people who abound for love for 1 another.Join me for a seven minute blast of encouragement to an afflicted people.  If you might feel a bit afflicted today, then hop on the encouragement field of fire from Paul.Subscribe to make it easier tomorrow to hear the 7 minute podcast, if God gives us another day.  bewithme.us or write bewithme.us@gmail.com

We thought yesterday that fellowship was so important that even Satan understands it and tries to thwart it. Today we see Paul voluntarily giving up his fellowship with his A-team missionaries, Tim and Silas, so as to see the Thessalonians walk in a manner worthy.Paul describes the leaving of Timothy as an AFFLICTION.  That's right, the affliction of aloneness.  And this is from a guy that was stoned to death and beaten with rods, etc. If there is another group of people that Paul feels so impassioned towards, I'd like to know about it.  Paul is beautifully obsessed the Christ be formed in this young, even INFANT church. His heart for them is, "You are my joy".  His reality for himself is, "I am willing to undergo the affliction of fellowshiplessness for you by sending my #1 guy Timothy."Listen 7 minutes and share with your #1 guy, and with the guy furthest away.  Subscribe to make tomorrow's listen easy at bewithme.us or on a podcast directory of your choice.  

What if the content of this encouragement are completely understood by Satan? What if he has send an intergalactic evil force to thwart you in it? What if powers from another world are here to hinder you in our topic today?All those things are true. Therefore, our topic of FELLOWSHIP must be pretty important. Or more: even CRITICAL to the Christian walk.  Just ask Satan, he knows.We live a a lonely time of isolation and separation.  There is no argument here.Here is the goal:  to have a group of people that at the end, you can say, "You are my PRIZE. You are my CROWN. You are my GLORY. You are my JOY."  If you have those people, then you are absolved from listening for 7 minutes.  If you DON'T have those who you'd describe like that, then you MUST LISTEN.  There is a solution within... Subscribe at bewithme.us and comment, share, like, write and if our Lord gives us another day, LISTEN TOMORROW too.

Everybody has a job.  The preacher is to SPEAK the Word.The Lord is CALLING into His Kingdom; Revealing Himself; Making the Word Reachable and HELPING on the difficulty day of Salvation.The listener is to HEAR, BELIEVE, ACCEPT and be SAVED.This is the Word at Work in Believers and at the time of belief.Join me for 7 minutes in a little mini-gospel in the book of 1st Thessalonians.  You will hear the Word at WORK in all three categories.  Then mosey on over to bewithme.us and subscribe or at your favorite Podcast provider/host like Apple or Google Podcasts.  They will be happy to sign you up for a reminder of tomorrow's arrival of another episode if the Lord gives us another day.

The big call is to walk in a manner worthy of God.  Paul first qualifies himself by describing the heart of a pastor: I Have a gentle heart like that of a nursing mother (yesterday's podcast). I have the right motivation (being affectionately desirous of you); I have the right hands (ones that labor and toil because no work=no witness, or at least not a very good one); I have the right behavior (blameless conduct); I have the right heart (that of a FATHER with his children).So this sets up the call to walk in a manner worthy of God.  It is requested by exhortation, encouragement and a charge--a little kick in the butt.All this results in God being pleased. Likely, our good Lord has a call to you right now that would please Him if you answered it.  Listen 7 minutes and let's figure it out.  Then subscribe at bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com

Men in our passage today describe themselves as WOMEN. Exposed women. Nursing mothers. Gentle with their months-old infants.  No better picture illustrates love, dedication, intimacy, immediacy, need and sacrifice.This is exactly how the men want us to know what LEADERSHIP for the new Thessalonian church is like.  Leadership is like being a nursing mother to the infant church.  It is tender, it is committed, and it is exhausting. What is being a leader to the church like?  It is like a nursing mother caring for her infant.It is a "mother in full."  "I am exactly what you need. I was made exactly for this. I am equipped exactly for this.  I am gifted exactly for this. I am exactly who you need."  Let us honor today all women who have participated in this miracle.  Let us honor today all the MEN who SEE THEMSELVES in this way toward the church.  We need more men like this. bewithme.us Subscribe as a podcast at Apple, podcast addict, Spotify, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Google podcasts, iHeart Radio, Chromechasts or even audible.  

Other than being hunted by a Mob, Paul has a lot of good things to say about the people of Thessalonia:they are in the right place: they are loved and chosen by God Himselfthey have chosen the right examples: Paul, Timothy and Sivanusthey have started well: believe, listening, receiving and starting to changethey have the right circumstances: AFFLICTIONthey have the right attitude: joythey have the right reproduction: now they are examples to those around themthey have the right report: now others are reporting how they have turned to God and have been changed.If you have some relational, financial, situational, or physical AFFLICTION, this encouragment is for you.  Listen 7 minutes, subscribe, like, and savor. Bewithme.us. bewithme.us@gmail.com

You are at a great place to start listening to this podcast.  It is day #1 in the book of 1st Thessalonians.  We are following the early church.  Paul is on his second missionary journey having just visited the city of Thessalonica.  Unfortunately, there was a riot there and a mob compelled his departure.But he saw that God was at work in his 3 weeks there.  So, from Corinth, he first sends the young Timothy to go back the 350 miles and check on them.  His return is the impetus to the letter.  They are doing well.  They are still on Paul's heart.  They are, more importantly, still on God's heart!  So the first few verses we find Paul remembering them before God.  God has not forgotten them.Please listen 7 minutes each day as we march through God's wonderful revelation of Himself to the Thessalonians, and now to us.  Please subscribe at bewithme.us or write to bewithme.us@gmail.com.  Subscribe on your favorite Podcast portal like apple, google, Spotify...

Best of. Conclusions. Summary. Highlights.  What a blast. Join me for 7 minutes of ALL of the book of James.  Look for a Highlight/heartlight.  Yes I made that up.Have a trial? Then James is for you. Expect it. Welcome it. He says to trial, "You complete me."What is that pesky thing between my KNOWLEDGE and my ACTION? That is, when I know something, do I actually do something about it?  Sometimes, NO. What is lacking is the INTENTION.  I don't have the mind set towards action or change.  Stuck in the mud? Jame is for you.Tongue gotten you into trouble?  James is for you.Need a push towards humility and meekness? James is for you.Don't know what meekness is? James is for you.Would love to have powers of healing/saving/and being raised evident? James is for you.All this in 7 minute bites. Summarized in one 7 minute bite: this one! bewithme.us

You have spiritual problems.  Everybody does.  You'd love to access the POWER to fix them. (The prayer of a righteous person has GREAT POWER as it is working!)That is exactly what today's passage talks about.But hold on just a second. Before we get to the power, let's see the context of its' distribution. It is administered in a particular PLACE: the church. It is administered by particular PEOPLE: a community that you are amongst. It is administered under a particular PROTECTION: elders, organization, authority.  It is administered amidst certain PRACTICES: people you know and trust so much you can confess your sins to them.  Finally, it is administered in amazing-land of the PARACLETE. The Holy Spirit has gifted certain people in the church to help those who humbly request, and faithfully walk in community.We all want this overflowing atonement that the prayers of others can give us.  If so, then get to the right community, in the right church, under the right authority, and with the right attitude of humility.  THEN, great power is going to be working.  Please listen tomorrow too.  Write and I will put you on the list. bewithme.us@gmail.com

We should have an inclination to prayer. Everybody. The sick, the suffering, the cheerful, the leaders, the followers, the sinner, the prophet, those who are out of gas, and those who have some gas in the tank.What struck me today was the sense of community that this prayer is born out of. There is a community that is engaging in the ONE ANOTHER's of scripture.  There are about 60 of them in the New Testament, but two are mentioned here. Both are high, high, high calls: to pray for one another and to confess our sins to one another. Here is the Lord's genius in helping the wanderer, the sick, the mature, the one bearing authority, the sufferer, the sinner, ie: everybody.  Put them in community to help one another.  This is where prayer makes the most sense.  I thank you for being in this little podcast community.  Please share to make it bigger and stronger.  subscribe bewithme.us

But what KIND of patience does James call us to? A passive, weak patience? Nope.He turns to the farmer first. Farmers work hard, have spiritual-callouses, know the principle that what happens in August depends on what happens in April.  They know that August is WORTH it and is precious. There is patience in every day, a lot of "not yet today" in farming.And look to the prophets.  They are marked by faithfulness to the end, and suffering in the meantime.  We want a patience that finishes well.Listen patiently to 7 minutes of James making an argument and explanation of what spiritual patience is all about.  Please comment and review and write bewithme.us  or bewithme.us@gmail.com

Welcome to a real day coming when money talks, riches rot, garments are eaten, inert metals corrode and there is flesh-eating-treasure.  It the dystopian, upside-down, Alice-in-Wonderland day that all of us will actually see. It is the ARMIES-OUT day of the Lord's judgment.If your money could talk, what would it say about you?  In our passage it says the temporary owner committed fraud, injustice, inconsideration, self-indulgence, mis-treasuring and murder. All money talks.  It gives evidence on the outside of what is on the inside. Let's get the insides right.  Listen 7 minutes and let's get started. If today is not yet the day of Judgment, please like, share, retweet, and subscribe at bewithme.us for another daily blast.  If it is a LORD-OF-HOSTS kind of day, you won't need to bother...

Every person you see today is an eternal creature. But, as far as the here and now is concerned, they are MISTS.  Frankly, they just may not be here in the morning.  We MUST view ourselves as MISTS.  It helps us with a humble posture towards God regarding TIME.So SHOULD a mist be making plans?  Sure, but with a humility of vision towards time.  Should a mist be planning travel and engaging in business to bring home the bacon?  Yes, with an attitude of humility toward the one who invented time. It is not that God doesn't like planning, travel and the provision of services.  What He doesn't like is arrogance, boasting, and the stinking thinking about time that will harm me.Please share with someone you know to be a mist on Facebook, retweet on twitter, link up with LinkedIn, and subscribe with bewithme.us.

If you have every had the joy of playing "Hide and Seek" with a child, there is a point to the game:  it is not TO BE HIDDEN, but rather TO BE FOUND.  The joy is to be found. The joy is to find.  Similarly, with God, we "draw near to God, and He will draw near to us." Or, "go find God and He'll go find us." Or, to our Hide and Seek picture, "Go find Him and He'll go find us."God wants us to find Him. He wants us to engage in the delight of drawing near to find Him.  He wants us to be found by Him too.  God wants to draw near. May He find us humble and willing.  God is in the "be found" business. We are in the business of the joy of finding Him.  It is not Hide and Seek, but BE FOUND! bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com please subscribe and mostly just listen and consider these 7 minutes.

God could not be sweeter in our passage today.  Please listen.  You will hear the heart of God in His relationship to a people who are not the shiniest. Here is the prize: He gives grace and then MORE grace (especially to the humble)He will exalt (though we have no business participating in this)He opposes pride (of course He does, it gets in the way of everything spiritual and good)He draws near (this killed me today.  Why does He bother? This is the bomb drop of the Old and New Testaments.  Who are we? What about my laughable 'drawing near to Him?')Here is the path: Humility, subjection of ourselves, mourn, weep, wretchedness, repentance.Come with me today.  Maybe you will see God.  I certainly caught a glimpse. bewithme.us

In a marriage relationship, both parties are to be fighting for the relationship; each giving all they've got and making the whole a priority.  Violating that commitment is known as adultery.Similarly, we find that we are already "in a relationship" with God.  He's already started the marriage by indwelling His Spirit. And, He says that He continues to fight for our relationship.  Unfortunately, we are characterized poorly: adulterers; Violating the relationship in the most fundamental way. We are fighting for the wrong person.  Instead of fighting and acting and letting our words (prayers) reflect our pursuit of HIM, we are all about ME. We quarrel and fight, and become angry, and passionate for mostly just ME.  The most encouraging part of all this is to know the passion, the jealously, that He fights for me.  Join me for 7 minutes to consider this. Write at bewithme.us and subscribe to this podcast.

James is all about wisdom. It doesn't get to us by magic.  We must make a space for it.  We make mental and spiritual 'room' for it.  We must give preference to it.  This is the meekness of wisdom.  Into this same space will charge jealousy and selfish-ambition.  We get to lean on either wisdom or jealousy.  We give preference to wisdom or ambition.The consequences are definitive.  One results in vile practice, disorder and bad behavior.  The other results in peace, gentleness, mercy, non-partiality and reason.Sounds like a big fight to me.  Likely there will be a bit of a battle as we make space for wisdom from above; as we give PREFERENCE to wisdom in our hearts.  bewithme.us.  

Your tongue is supposed to be used to speak blessing upon the Lord (worship) and to speak blessing upon His people (encouragement). It is small part of the body, but it packs a big punch.  In fact, it is the biggest punch of all.  This little rudder controls a whole lot of ship.  If you think about why people have crashed their ship-of-life, you can be SURE that at least a part of it has been because they have not controlled their tongue. Their tongue has been unbridled and now they are reaping the consequences of this lack of oral control.So who of us can demonstrate our correct view of people, and our correct view of God by the production of our mouths? This is a high calling.  It is my encouragement to you. Of course we will need help, but that is what walking with the Spirit means. The tongue can destroy the whole world in an out of control fire, or it can bless the Creator and His creatures.  Bewithme.us.

Thank you for making this podcast a 7 minute part of your day.  I hope you are blessed today, and that you'll come back for all the tomorrows that the Lord may give.There is an appropriate, sobering warning given that NOT MANY OF YOU SHOULD BECOME TEACHERS. But, if teaching God's Word is an honored position and profession, why the caution?We are asking teachers to do one of the hardest things in life. Can you bridle your anger? Can you put your finances under control? How about your zipper-life? Perhaps the hardest of all is YOUR TONGUE.  And here, we are asking a few, not many, to regularly use this dangerous instrument as their part of ministry.  At any moment, not only your ignorance can be betrayed, but so can your character.  What if your words do not equal your walk? No wonder God has a stricter judgment for teachers.  I'm just glad this doesn't apply to podcasters!  Subscribe share, like, re-tweet, re-post, re-Linked In. bewithme.us

Salvation is not the result of works, but works are the result of salvation.Salvation is not a result of work, but works are the result of faith.Salvation is not the result of works, but works accompany faith.James goes so far as to rock the 5 solas by saying: "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is DEAD.  That is, it does not exist.  There is no such thing.Because it is my podcast, I get to make up words. Here it is.  James is calling for In-ACTIONED faith.  He wants faith on the insides to come to the outsides.  Please listen and then make faith outside.  Thanks for a 7 minute listen.  bewithme.us

Today we move from talking a good game to living a good game.  Faith is expensive, inconvenient, challenging, demonstrable, external, exposing, definable, quantifiable, and we best be ready for it.Faith alone does not exist says James. He'd want to put a small footnote on the  5 solas of the reformation: By grace alone, for the glory of God alone, by Scripture alone, in Christ alone BY FAITH ALONE.  That is actually not what James says.  He says that faith by itself, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, is dead.  Faith demonstrates itself externally.Join for just 7 minutes while we throw some politicians under the bus.  We'll be looking hard at a practical faith. James tells us there is NO OTHER KIND.  bewithme.us to subscribe and tomorrows podcast will magically come to you.

James couldn't be stronger in his condemnation  of treating people badly based on external factors.  He uses the shabbily dressed poor as an example. It could have been dishonoring them based on country of origin, age, smoking, vaccine status, or anything else that really doesn't matter. It demonstrates a wrong view of people;a wrong view of God's activity; and even a wrong view of the character of God.  He evokes the "royal law": Love your neighbor as yourself.  We all know we love ourselves plenty; even PREFERENTIALLY.  We show POSITIVE PREFERENCE to ourselves as an example.  We should be showing POSITIVE partiality to all those who are not-like-me. We should be treating the "not-MEs" as I treat ME.Please listen 7 minutes as as you PREFERENTIALLY discriminate towards those who are not-you. Please then subscribe at bewithme.us and download on apple podcasts etc. 

If you are like me, you don't even know what PARTIALITY is.  James couldn't be stronger in his alarm at its presence in the church.  He calls it EVIL.  It is a BIG DEAL, and we don't even know it. We'd best figure this out.Partiality, at its' presentation, is a negative discrimination based on some external, superficial and ultimately STUPID factors.  These could be previous religious status, zip code, country of origin, tenure in the church, age, job description or personal habits.  The one James choses to emphasize is difference in economic status.What the BAD BEHAVIOR of partiality BETRAYS is a wrong treatment of people based ona wrong view of people based ona wrong view of the ACTIVITIES of God based ona wrong view of the CHARACTER and PERSON of GodJames doesn't like the behavior that he sees.  But what he REALLY doesn't like is the mental processes that allow it.  He is going to strike at them both. Please listen in for 7 minutes and then like, share, re-tweet, reply and subscribe at bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com

Listen 7 minutes as a three year old gives us our lesson. It starts with the phrase, "POOPY-BUTT".  If you are three, you'll think this is a HILARIOUS term, and you will barely able to contain yourself.  The use and restraint of the use of this term is an important milestone of being three.  Words have POWER, especially POOPY- BUTT.Similarly, adults have the same lesson as we learn the power of the tongue.  It is a mighty power that best is under control of some bridle or restraint.  We can use this as a marker for Christian maturity. God asks us to look into the mirror, or in this case, "listen into the mirror" to see how we are doing in this area. Please share with your favorite adult, or 3 year old.  Subscribe at bewithme.us. 

Perhaps the culture of traffic cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya has something to teach us today. Nairobi is a city of 4.5 million people.  Everybody is going somewhere.  You'd think it would be "every man for himself" traffic-wise.  Surprise.  There is a posture there of cooperation, of kindness, of waving people in, of preference; in short, OF MEEKNESS.  It is a wonder.Similarly, James asks us to approach God the same way.  As the MIRROR of revelation shows us things about ourselves, we are to receive it with the same heart.  If the mirror show us toothpaste on our chin then we just have KNOWLEDGE. Meekness is the INTENT to do something about it.  The DOING is the wiping the toothpaste off our chin.  Meekness is the intent to turn knowledge into action.  God wants all three out of us. Otherwise, we'd all be walking around with toothpaste on our chin. Bewithme.us or bewithme.us@gmail.com to subscribe. Or any podcast provider.  Please LISTEN for 7 minutes. Attach the listening to a routing in your morning. See you tomorrow.

James turns our inclinations of being slow to hear and quick to speak upside down.He wants to change the set point we all have of LISTENING vs TALKING.  He wants us to move from being in a hurry to TALK(at least in our head if not with our tongue) to being in a hurry to LISTEN(at least with our ears if not with our heart).  Could anything be more practical? Could anything be more difficult?Have you ever been in a verbal fight where EVERYBODY is TALKING, and everybody is ANGRY and nobody is LISTENING? This is basically like us ALL THE TIME with God.  I know a guy...Meekness is  a wonderful, powerful, scriptural, out-of-this-world kind of word.  It means to be gentle, humble, courteous, "no YOU first", considerate word.  It gives preference to the other.  It is capturing of this set-point that moves from talking to being in a hurry to hear.  It means I shut-up and listen by restraining my normally speaking heart, mouth, thoughts, soul.  It means making ROOM for God. Listen just 7 minutes.  It will be brutal.  bewithme.us

God tells us about Himself in the book of James.  It is under this exposure, this revealing, that we should place the scope of our thinking about Him.  So far on the first page, we learn that His intentions are always Good; that evil is the farthest thing from Him; that He allows trials to make us better.For today, the big one: EVERY good gift is from Him.  We just must get our heads around this.  We are to think of Him as the giver of every good gift.  We enjoy the common graces to our world: children, families, mothers, spouses, marriage, photosynthesis, sound waves, light waves and eyes to receive them, food to sustain us, animals to help us, and minds to figure stuff out.  Thank you Lord for the sourcing of every good gift.Let's think correctly.  How should I think about God? A good place to start is that He is the giver of every good gift.  Please share with someone who is a gift to you. bewithme.us

The premise of the Terminator movies is a future battle to the death.  It is so far in the future that time travel is possible.  One of the sides gets a bright idea.  "Let's go back into the past, and kill the guy we are fighting right now.  In fact, let's prevent him from even being CONCEIVED. Let's go back and TERMINATE him when it is easier."  And as such, a franchise  is born...This is exactly what James tells his readers.  When is the easy time to conquer evil.  When it is just a fleeting idea? Or do we wait till we conceive the sin with our YES + the desire.  After conception, stuff happens fast.  Cells divide. Things grow. Birth happens, maturity and then DEATH.  Listen and lets TERMINATE the evil, BEFORE conception, when it is easier. Listen 7 minutes.

At this very moment, the lowly are being tested. Right now, the rich are in a big trial.  So says James as his first two examples.These are trials we could do wrongThese are trials we are supposed to WELCOME: Hello trouble!God wants trials WITH EFFECT: spiritual maturity, completeness.We'll need help in these trials, so ask for WISDOM (who has enough of that?)Rightly apply this knowledge to the reality of your trial of lowliness or richesAct with faith in the right thoughts about God's character, purposes, how He gets what He wants (trials), and what my job isWho gets to be tested? Everybody.  Let's start the book of James with the LOWLY and the RICH. The rich best boast in HUMILITY. The Lowly in EXHALATION in the family of God. BTW: be CAREFUL, for you can do this wrong.  Please like, subscribe and come back tomorrow.  Listen 7 minutes to the PODCAST if you are lowly or rich.

We all have something in our lives that is difficult. These trials can produce something good in our character, but that is after we do the right thing.So how can we do the right thing without KNOWING what the right thing is and applying it?WISDOM = KNOWledge rightly applied to REALITY.  That is your real trials.So what would you ask Dear Abby today?  This would identify your great trial today.  Then, we look at our foundations and resources to bring to bear upon our difficulty.  Likely, we'll come up a bit short.  So then, let us ASK FOR WISDOM.  But from who?????? From A God we affirm is good, who is generous, and who is a giver of exactly our most needful thing: wisdom.  Godly and godly wisdom.Reading this blurb as we ask for wisdom. Listen 7 minutes to ask for a bit more.  After you get it, share, re-tweet, like, or subscribe at bewithme.us if you wish.

Welcome to a new "season" of BeWithMe, that is a new book of the Bible. It is the book of James.  He is the actual brother or technically ½ brother of Jesus.  To his credit, James did not let it go to waste.James is highly regarded, and in these few pages, we will see WHY.  He turns out to be wise. He speaks with his heart in the right place with God, but his boots are on the ground.  He leads an important local church.  That is, a bunch of knuckleheads.  Just like all churches.Here is his open:  "Hello trouble! Nice to see you!" He knows that really really good things can come out of really really bad circumstances. We will need some help with this situation.  We will need wisdom.  Fortunately, we have a God who wants to hear from us; He has something to give; He has something He wants us to ask for:  W-I-S-D-O-M.  So the real world requires this critical skill: wisdom.  And in the book of James, we have a truly wise man to help us.  Please join us for 7 minutes a day in listening.  Today is an excellent day to start.  Tomorrow will be the 2nd best day to start.  We are on every podcast provider you can think of.  Or write and I'll send you something daily. BeWithMe.us. 

Here are some highlights of the book of Galatians:if the people in your church have disputes, then Galatians is the book for youGod is PLEASED to reveal HimselfFaith is DIRECTIONAL. Faith is important. The OBJECT of the faith is CRITICALPaul majors on two things that are NOT TRUE: that he(Paul) has been crucified and that he(Paul) is not alive. Abraham is a good example of faith and a bad example when he takes matters into his own pantsIt is ESSENTIAL that the cross be offensive.everybody wants the fruit of love, joy, peace patience, etc.there is no fruit without the FIGHT.  The fruit of the FIGHT is love, joy, etc.when things blow up, what do we do?  Elon Musk will tell us5 chapters: get rid of OLD LAW. 1 chapter: fulfill the "law of Christ" to love the brethren in some very specific, sacrificial, other-centered ways.Thank you for being here for one blurb. The main idea here is that you "be with me" as we "be with Him" on a daily basis. The meat of this is in the 7 minute PODCAST.  Listen in the shower or when you get in the car or with your Cheerios.