Jesus is continually revealing himself ~ Jon Courson

Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Revelation 1:2

Revelation was entrusted to John because he bore record of the testimony of Jesus and of all the things he saw.

People who say, ‘I just don’t seem to be getting any revelation from the Lord; I don’t seem to be growing,’ must understand that when it comes to revelation, information, or inspiration, the Lord has a very definite prerequisite:

Are we going to personally receive it in our heart and freely release it to others?

After visiting with Abraham, the Lord said to His angels, ‘I’m going to tell Abraham what is going to come down in Sodom because I know he will receive and share it’ (Genesis 18:17-19).

Jesus put it this way: take heed how you hear, for the one who has shall be given more (Mark 4:24-25).

In other words, if you come to Bible study or your morning devotions saying, ‘Entertain me,’ or, ‘I’m just kind of curious about prophecy,’ you won’t receive.

But if you are hearing, studying, learning, praying, and reading for the purpose of embracing it personally and sharing it with others, then the Lord will give you continual revelation, continual inspiration.

Keep yourselves in the love of God..~ Jon Courson

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 21 

The foundational theme of this wonderful epistle, as found in verse 21, is an exhortation to keep ourselves in the love of God. Underline this phrase because it is the hinge upon which the Book of Jude swings.


 Jude’s heart is, ‘Yes, there are heretics and deceivers, but you, beloved, keep yourselves in the love of God.’

Keeping yourself in the love of God does not mean earning God’s love by being a ‘good little boy or girl’. God’s love is unconditional — so much so that in Romans 5:8, Paul declares that God demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When did God demonstrate His love for you and me? Not when we were trying to be good Christians, but when we were pagans, heathens, and rebels. When you couldn’t have cared less about Him, God looked at you and said, ‘I love you deeply.’

Never buy into the thinking that you earn God’s love by being good.

Many Christians look at God as being like Santa: He’s making a list, checking it twice, and He’s gonna find out who’s naughty and who’s nice. If you’ve been good, you’ll get gifts; if not, you’ll be lucky to get a lump of coal.

But nothing could be further from the nature of our Father.

Making a list? Checking it twice?

Paul says that the list of our failings was blotted out by blood of Christ (Colossians 2:14). The list of my sins was pinned to the Cross of Calvary and cleansed so thoroughly by the blood of the Lamb that the writing became completely illegible.

God’s love for us is not based upon anything we do or don’t do - His love is unconditional.

What, then, does it mean to keep yourself in the love of God? It simply means to keep yourself in the place where you can receive His blessings.

In other words, God is constantly showering us with blessings, love, and grace. He’s not saying, ‘Hmm, you’ve been bad today, so I’m turning off the spigot.’ No, God’s blessings are always coming down (Lamentations 3:23).

‘Then why am I not being blessed?’ you ask. 

The answer is easy:

 you’re not under the spout where the blessings come out. 

You have wandered away. 

God didn’t close the spigot — because even when we are faithless, He is faithful still 

(2 Timothy 2:13).

God doesn’t monitor the flow of blessings depending on how we’re doing. No, the spigot is on full blast all the time. 


Therefore, the only thing we have to do is to make sure we’re in the place where we enjoy God’s blessings — that we’re standing under the spout where the blessings come out.

God will do what He promised. ~ Jon Courson

For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. 

3 John 3-7 

In the days before Motel 6, Gaius would not only house itinerant preachers, apostles, and prophets, but would provide for them financially so that, as they journeyed, they wouldn’t have to take anything from the Gentiles. So too, for us to walk in truth and love means we assist people on their journey towards heaven by reminding them of God’s faithfulness and heaven’s nearness.

It is our privilege and our responsibility to say to people, 

‘God will do what He promised. 

He will never leave you. 

He will see you through here on earth.’ 

And it is also our privilege and responsibility to direct their eyes to heaven. It was by immediately directing their hearts to heaven that Jesus could calm the disciples’ troubled hearts on earth (John 14:1-2). 

If one takes heaven out of the equation, he’s left with desperate, disturbed, depressed people. Heaven in the equation changes everything.

God have mercy on us. ~Jon Courson

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

1 John 1:5

People who are depressed in their spiritual lives because they think being a Christian is so hard don’t match up with true Biblical Christianity because John says there’s no dark side to God; there’s nothing negative about Him; there’s not a mean bone in His body. 

Therefore, a sour, dour, dark, and discouraged Christian is an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms.


‘Wait a minute,’ you say. ‘Wasn’t Jesus the Man of Sorrows?’ (Isaiah 53:3).


Yes. Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). When Jesus wept, however, it was always for others.

What about when He wept in the Garden of Gethsemane?

The night before He would go to the Cross, Jesus sweat blood because He was terrified not by the pain of the Cross, the spittle that would run down His face, or the flagellum that would rip into His back. 

Jesus was almost literally scared to death by the thought of being temporarily separated from His Father when He would be made sin on our behalf.

‘What if I can’t pay the bills?’ we wonder. ‘What if the car doesn’t work?’ ‘What if I lose a loved one?’ ‘What’s next?’ ‘Who else?’ These are the things which frighten us. 

But separation from the Father? We don’t even give it a second thought. 

God have mercy on us. 

We’re terrified of all the wrong things.

"The one who looks for the Lord’s coming" ~ Jon Courson

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
	2 Peter 3:12
Are you tired of death, disease and depression? Have you had your fill of sadness and sickness and sin? If so, there are two ways you can hurry the day when righteousness will rule the earth. First, the day of God is hastened by our prayer. In teaching us to pray, Jesus taught us to ask that His Kingdom come (Matthew 6:10). This is precisely what one who heard Him teach that prayer did. At the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus said, ‘Behold, I come quickly’ — to which John responded in prayer, ‘Even so, Lord, come quickly.’ The same is still true. Prayer influences the timing of God — including the coming of the Kingdom. Secondly, the day of God is hastened as we share. According to Acts 2:47, the Lord adds daily to the Church such as should be saved. Thus, there is someone who is the last one to be added to the Church to complete the Bride of Christ. And when that last one gets saved, the Body of Christ will be complete, and we’ll go up. Consequently, as we witness, share, and invite people to be a part of the family and make a decision for Jesus Christ — we actually bring closer the day of His return. But the benefits of hastening the day are not limited to future times. Rather, this kind of living and thinking has benefits now, as it produces within us three important qualities ... Purity. I John 3:3 tells us that he who looks for Jesus’ coming purifies himself. It’s amazing how careful a person drives when he looks in his wallet and realizes his license has expired. So too, it’s amazing how purity will characterize the life of one who believes this could be the day, this could be the hour of Christ’s return. Peace. The one who looks for the Lord’s coming takes a whole lot more things a whole lot less seriously. In other words, the one who looks for the Lord’s coming is not uptight about the scratch in his car, the bruise to his ego, or the slight at the office because he sees the bigger picture of eternity. Purpose. The life of the one who looks for the Lord’s coming, who is involved in the work of the Kingdom, is neither boring, predictable, nor routine. If you feel that your life is simply going in circles, it could be because you’ve lost sight of your purpose. Hasten the day, gang, by your prayer and as you share. Live for eternity, and you’ll find unparalleled purity, purpose, and peace.

Saturated soil ~ Jon Courson

Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. - 2 Peter 1:12-13

Very likely in prison, even as he writes this letter, Peter knows he’s about to die. And he uses whatever life he has left to say, ‘I know you know this stuff. But I will not be negligent to put you in remembrance of it until you are established in it.’

If you are a Sunday school teacher, parent, elder, or anyone else who wants to be used in service, this is a huge point, for the key to ministry is putting people in remembrance of things they already know. You see, because our minds have been affected by sin, we forget the things we should remember and remember the things we should forget. Therefore, your job as a dad, my job as a pastor is to say the same things over and over and over until those in our charge are established in them.

It’s not how much you know that counts, gang. It’s how well you know what you know. What matters is how well you understand the basic truths and how deep they sink into the soil of your soul.

Mercy and Truth are met together....~ Jon Courson

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ... 2 Peter 1:2


The more knowledge you have of Jesus Christ, the greater understanding you’ll have that our God is truly a God of grace.


At the outset of his ministry, Billy Graham was referred to as ‘God’s Machine Gun’. But as he went on in his knowledge of the Lord, he found himself becoming more and more oriented towards grace — so much so that many Christians today scratch their heads and wonder how he can be open to so many. ‘That denomination can’t be Christian,’ they scoff. Or, ‘Surely, those people can’t be saved.’ But Billy has a way of being incredibly embracive without compromising. And in his own writings, he explains that as he grows older in the Lord, he’s more and more amazed by the grace of the Lord.


The older you grow in the Lord, the more grace-oriented you’ll be as you realize the Christian life is all about Jesus and the undeserved, unearned favor He lavishes upon us so freely due to the finished work of Calvary.

The result? Unmistakable, undeniable, unshakable peace — for truly grace and peace walk hand in hand.

Pressure Points ~ Jon Courson

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7

‘Epirrhipto’, the Greek word translated ‘cast’, is interesting because it means to roll something which will most likely roll back upon you. Have you found that after casting your care on the Lord, you feel OK for a day or two, but then the burden rolls right back on you once again? If so, know that’s the way of the Lord. Why? Because He wants us to stay in close touch with Him, and if we cast our care upon Him never to feel the pressure, the anxiety, the tension, or the worry again, we would not be people who pray.

You see, the Father wants to do something bigger than merely taking our burdens from us so we can go on our merry way down the road of life without thinking about things of eternity. He wants to develop a relationship with us.

Thus, the burdens and struggles which repeatedly roll upon us cause us to become linked to Him in continual prayer. And that’s infinitely more important than the solution to the burden for which we were praying in the first place.

So cast your care upon Him — and keep doing it over and over and over again knowing how deeply He cares for you.

The sweetness of adversity ~ Jon Courson

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. - 1 Peter 3:12

As one who knew the Word, Peter continues quoting another who experienced brutal days ...

What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Psalm 34:12-16

With Saul out to kill him, David found himself seeking refuge in the Philistine city of Gath. But when he realized that he was recognized in the city as the one who had slain Goliath, David knew he was again in danger. So in order to make it out of Gath alive, he clawed at the gates of the city, ranting and raving like a lunatic as he feigned insanity. When the king heard there was a crazy man within his gates, David was allowed to go his way.

Psalm 34 was written while David was in Gath, running for his life, and yet what does he say? The Psalm begins, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth, for I have tasted and seen in the midst of this difficulty that the Lord is good.’

Who will love life and see good days? Society says it’s the one who can make his life problem-free, who insulates himself from difficulty, who escapes adversity. But David says just the opposite. He says it’s when you’re wondering how the next bill will be paid, or if the marriage will work out that the Lord makes Himself most real to you. He says it’s when you’re trapped in Gath that suddenly you see God.

Now, if we really embraced what Peter is saying, what David is declaring and what James is saying when he declares, ‘Count it all joy when you fall into various trials' (James 1:2), we would not try to make our life easier. Instead, we would be those who say, ‘It’s in the day of difficulty, in the years that are hard for me that I’m going to have the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good.’

We all know people who are insulated from problems, who don’t have challenges and who have succeeded in making their lives as easy as they possibly can. But the easier it gets for them, the less joy there is within them.

Peter says something which is absolutely shocking — at least in the ears of our culture — when he says, ‘In the midst of sufferings, difficulties and challenges, don’t seek to fix the problems. Don’t seek to make it easier. Choose instead to do good and to seek peace. Don’t murmur, don’t complain — and you’ll find that you love life because God will meet you in the midst of your difficulties.’

His power within us ~ Jon Courson

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. - 1 Peter 2:21-24

Facing persecution, the early believers were not left on their own without a Model to follow, for ‘Christ also suffered for us, leaving an example, that we should follow in his steps.’

When Peter John was about three years old, we were playing in the snow, and I said, ‘Come on, PJ, follow in my footprints if you can.’ But he couldn’t. My stride was too big.

Folks, to be frank, I look at a verse like this and read that when He was being wrongly, cruelly, terribly treated, Jesus didn’t answer back — and that I am to follow His steps. Yet I know I can’t do this because I want to fight back; I want to let my opinion be known; I want to make sure I’m heard. But here’s the good news: Jesus not only is our Example, but He is our Enabler, not only the Lamb, but also the Shepherd of our souls.

Peter John did indeed follow in my steps that day — as I lifted him into the air and back down again and again so that he could put his feet in each one. He followed in my footsteps because I not only gave him steps to follow, but I enabled him to do so by lifting him up.

That’s what our Lord does. He’s the One Who hoists me up and allows me, if I’ll let Him, to follow in His footsteps when I never could in my own ability. And He’ll do the same for you.

Living stones ~ Jon Courson

Ye also, as lively stones are built up a spiritual house …
1 Peter 2:5

That we are living stones who are being built up, or fit together, as a spiritual house brings to mind a most interesting Scripture ...

And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building (1 Kings 6:7).

When Solomon’s Temple was being constructed, all of the chiseling, hammering, cutting, and chipping was done underneath the old city of Jerusalem so that when the stones were taken to the Temple Mount, they could be fit together in silence.

We’re living stones being fit together for an eternal temple in heaven. This life is the quarry — which explains why we always feel like we’re being chipped and chiseled. ‘Why am I next to this blockhead?’ you ask or ‘Why are they part of the family?’

Because as living stones, we constantly rub against each other, knocking rough edges off each other in the process. You see, God puts us right next to the very people He knows will smooth us down so He can build us up into a temple for His glory.

The problem is I try to get away from the blockhead I’m rubbing up against. But because God puts us in fixes to fix us, He puts us with people and in situations He knows will shape us most effectively. So if I try to fix the fix God put me in, He will be faithful to put me in another fix to fix the fix He wanted to fix in the first place!

If we don’t learn this, we’ll go from fix to fix until finally we say, ‘OK, Lord. I’m not going to try to fix this or wiggle out of that, but I’m going to embrace and accept where You have me because I know You’re doing a work on me, shaping me for eternity.’

God’s plan is being unfolded ~ Jon Courson

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
	1 Peter 1:9-11
‘What you’re experiencing,’ Peter says, ‘is something which the prophets were intrigued by, interested in, but couldn’t get a handle on.’ You see, the prophets wrote about things they just couldn’t figure out, for they saw the glory of Psalm 2; but they also saw the suffering of Isaiah 53. They saw the triumph on the Mount of Olives where the returning Messiah will stand; but they also saw the blood on Mt. Calvary upon which Messiah died. ‘How can it be,’ they must have wondered, ‘that He will be despised and rejected, smitten and suffering, yet also ruling and reigning? This doesn’t make sense.’ They saw Mt. Calvary. They saw the Mount of Olives. But what they didn’t see was the valley between the two — a valley of about 2,000 years. They didn’t understand that they were writing of two comings — that Messiah would come as a Suffering Savior before returning as a Conquering King. So too, some today might say, ‘I hear all of the promises — but I don’t see any glory.’ That’s because there’s a valley between them which might last a week, a month, a decade, a lifetime. But God’s plan is being unfolded nonetheless, for glory always follows suffering. Always.

Where are You, God? ~ Jon Courson

… Through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
	1 Peter 1:5
A young man who was being hazed by a college fraternity was taken to a secluded spot where he was told to hold on to a knot at the end of a greased rope as his fraternity brothers lowered him into a dark well. Thinking they would pull him up after a few minutes, he was terrified to see them tie their end of the rope to the bar across the top of the well, leaving him suspended in mid-air.  ‘This can’t be!’ he thought as he called for help. But none came.  As he approached the 15-minute mark, his arms aching unbelievably and his shoulders feeling as though they were on fire, he started to cry.  Finally, after about 25 tortuous minutes, able to hang on no longer, he let go — and fell 2 inches — just as his fraternity brothers had calculated.  Isn’t that just like us? ‘Where are You, God? I don’t know if I’m going to make it, we cry. We fret and blubber and scream until finally we let go. And guess what we find? We discover that our Solid Rock, Jesus Christ, was there all along.  A bunch of us have burning shoulders and aching arms for absolutely no reason. We’re trying to hang on through our own efforts, by our own spirituality. We get disgusted with ourselves and worried we’re not going to make it. But if we would just let go of the rope and rest in what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary, we would realize it’s not our puny efforts which will see us through, but the power of God. This is what Peter is telling the believers who no doubt were wondering whether, when the temperature rose and persecution came down, they would be able to hang in there.  ‘I want you to know something,’ Peter said. ‘You have an inheritance waiting for you which can’t be taken from you. You are kept by the power of God who is committed to see you through. And all that remains for you to do is believe.’

Jesus, our Living Hope! ~ Jon Courson

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away ...
1 Peter 1:3-4

To these who are feeling discouraged, displaced, depressed, or in danger, Peter addresses the issue right away, saying, ‘We have a living hope based upon the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.’

Unlike living hope, human hope tends to get weaker and dimmer and finally dies altogether the further one goes down the road of life ...

I was an awesome pitcher. As I stood in the street and pitched a tennis ball against my garage door, you wouldn’t believe my split finger fastball, my curve, my sinker. I knew even Hank Aaron would strike out if he ever faced me at the plate. Oh, I might go to the full count, but I would always come through — every single time. In my imagination, I pitched perfect game after perfect game as a nine-year-old. But it finally hit me about two years ago that, in reality, I’ll never pitch for the San Francisco Giants. Even if I practice really hard, I now know it’s just not going to happen. My hope that once shone so brightly is now gone altogether.

The same is true for all of us, for as we go down the road of life, we check off more and more things we thought we would one day do or be. Regarding spiritual life, however, the opposite is true — for the further down the road we walk with Jesus, the more we realize our hope doesn’t lie in this earth, but in heaven. We don’t need to be a people who wrestle with mid-life crises because our hope is not to make the San Francisco Giants or to make ten million bucks. Our hope is in heaven. And heaven’s getting closer every day.

Turn dial for a clear frequency ~ Jon Courson

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:8-10

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. When? When you’re serious about seeking Him. The idea is to be serious about it, to turn off the TV, to take some time and make an effort. Why? Not because God is saying, ‘Only when you mourn and are afflicted will I speak to you.’ That’s not it at all. The purpose of mourning and cleansing is not so that God will speak — but to get me tuned into the right frequency so I can hear Him already speaking. Think of it this way ...

Right now, Channel 10 is broadcasting all sorts of words and images. But we aren’t tuned into the frequency. To get the picture, we’d have to take some time, bring in a TV, and put up the antenna. Would we do that to impress Channel 10 to send pictures our way? No. They’re already doing that constantly. We’d have to bring in a TV and put up an antenna simply to get us in the position to receive what’s already being broadcast from Channel 10 continually.

If people don’t read this passage right, they begin to say, ‘If we afflict ourselves like the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, if we slash our bodies and dance in a frenzy, God will speak,’ (I Kings 18). That’s not the heart of the Father. That’s the heart of a false god.

The purpose of washing your hands and humbling your heart implies quitting your normal activities and taking some time to get tuned into the proper frequency. Go to the park. Get away. Do whatever it takes to change your setting and say, ‘Lord, I’ve been tuned into work. I’ve been dialed into parenting. I’ve been positioned to pursue my hobbies. But now I’m taking time to hear from You because I know You’re broadcasting 24 hours a day, and I want to hear what You say.’

The surety of His presence ~ Jon Courson

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. - James 4:8

One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible: Draw nigh to God, and He might draw nigh to you. No. Draw nigh to God, and He will sometimes draw nigh to you. No. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. That’s a promise! Don’t let anyone cast aspersions on God’s goodness or nature by saying, ‘I tried to get close to the Lord, but He is just so far from me.’

The Bible says He will draw nigh — always.

People say to me, ‘I’ve tried, but I can’t seem to connect with God.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ I lovingly answer, ‘because God’s Word says He will always draw near to us if we draw near to Him, and I have found this promise to be true. Without fail, every time I have been serious about seeking God, He has made Himself known to me through a Scripture, in my heart, or through the Body.’

Sometimes, gang, we need to lovingly say to those who whine about feeling far from God even though they claim they have tried to draw near to Him, ‘You’re deceiving yourself, or you’re trying to deceive me because God’s Word says that if you take the time and expend the energy to draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

He gives His best ~ Jon Courson

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

James 4:3 ‘I do pray,’ you may say. ‘But I don’t get what I ask for.’

That’s because you’re asking amiss. Prayer is not giving orders. It’s reporting for duty. And once a person finally understands that prayer is not man saying, ‘Bless the business; bring in the money; solve the problem’ and God saying, ‘Aye, aye, captain’, his prayer life will be revolutionized.

Prayer is saying, ‘Father, what do You want to do in my life? I want You to do what You see is best for me because I get mixed up so easily.’

I walked into his room during his nap to find one-year-old Peter John laying on his back, eagerly reaching for an object dangling just inches above his head. Living in a rustic cabin in the woods at that time, we were sometimes surprised by the visitors we would have. And this particular afternoon was no exception, for I was surprised indeed to see the object for which Peter was so intently reaching was a black widow spider.

We’re just like Peter John. We lay on our beds or kneel beside them and, through prayer, grab for things we think would be so wonderful, failing to realize they are nothing but black widows. Therefore, every bit as exciting to me as prayers God does answer are those He doesn’t answer because I know I’ll see that what I thought was so intriguing and tantalizing will prove to be poisonous and deadly. Oh, may we learn not to give orders or grab spiders but to do what Jesus did in the Garden: to submit to whatever the Father has for us.

Fountains of healing ~ Jon Courson

My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
James 3:10-12

‘We live in a pleasant area,’ said the men of Jericho to the newly-anointed prophet. ‘But our crops are dying because our water is poisoned.’

So what did Elisha do?

He poured salt into the water, and the water became sweet once again (2 Kings 2).

Salt into polluted water? Yes, because Paul tells us our speech is always to be seasoned with salt, that is grace (Colossians 4:6).

What does this mean? It means that in any given moment, I can bring healing to an otherwise poisonous situation by speaking grace. If I keep talking about how gracious God has been to me, and how gracious He’ll be towards others, the polluted puddles of put-downs and pettiness will become pools of purity and praise.

I want this in my life so badly I can taste it. Oh, I’m far from what I should be — but I see the wisdom of James, for I’ve known people who have refused to listen to gossip and who have instead learned to speak graciously. And there is a beauty about their lives and a refreshment from their lives I so desire. If you want to be the man or woman God uses, join me in praying that we will be those who add the salt of grace to everything we say.

The Rock of our Salvation! ~ Jon Courson

… With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
-James 1:17-18

Not only is God good in the gifts He gives, but in Who He is. In Him there is no variableness or shadow of turning. That is, He’s not moody. He doesn’t have bad days. He’s not generous with me one day, but grouchy the next — as I can so often be.

We’re variable. We go through ups and downs. God doesn’t. He can be nothing but good. He doesn’t react to me according to how I’m doing with Him. He is faithful when I am faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). He is good when I am grumpy. He doesn’t change. He’s locked into His nature.

That’s why I love the Lord so much. He’s solid as a Rock. And I can just enjoy Him without worrying about Him being ticked with me or tired of me. He gives nothing but good gifts, for He is a good God.

Crafted with care ~ Jon Courson

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. James 1:2

Newer translations render this verse, ‘Count it all joy when ye fall into various trials’. Why? Because the Greek word for both ‘trial’ and ‘temptation’ is one and the same.

You see, what God will send or allow as a trial to strengthen our faith, Satan will seek to exploit to get us to sin. Conversely, what Satan throws our way as a temptation, God allows to be a trial. Satan wants to use the event to tear us down and wipe us out; God wants to use the same event to show us how faithful He is and how real He can be.

Think of it this way: If Jerry, a master woodworker, invited me to sit in a chair he had made, I wouldn’t do so wondering if it would hold me up, but rather marveling at how well it was crafted. If, on the other hand, our youth director, Tad, invited me to sit in a chair, I would be leery, knowing it would probably either be pulled out from or collapse underneath me.

So too, the chair that Satan seeks to pull out from under us is the very one God uses to show just how strong He can be.

In the Book of Job, we see Satan trying to wipe Job out by afflicting him physically, causing him to lose his family, and ruining him financially. But God was proving something else. God was showing how faithful He would be. As a result, all of history would marvel in studying how, in the midst of what Satan meant for evil, God used for good as He sustained Job all the way through, and rewarded him ultimately.

When a trial comes your way, Satan will be there the same day to try and get you to do what Mrs. Job suggested her husband do — to curse God and die (Job 2:9). But God will be there as well, waiting to show you His strength in seeing you through.