How to Save Souls (short)

The Beatles said it well,
We get by with a little help from our friends.

We all need help from time to time.
But are you prepared to help others... or even yourself?

Study the tiny book of James over six (6) days,
or just think about one (1) word each day...
and you will be.

This little book CLEARS the clutter of our lives:
the clutter of worried minds
the clutter of harmful words
the clutter of social divisions
the clutter of piles of inaction
the clutter of poor decisions
the clutter of obligations

In six little sandwich bites, the tiny book of James
teaches us how to save souls... ourselves and others.

The first and last verses of each section are the bread,
and you can study the meat and cheese each day...
if you want.

But I just repeat the first word to myself all day.

It CLEARS our lives in 6 easy steps.
Consider each challenge a joy (1:2-18)
Listen to others (1:19-27 )
Equalize relationships(2:1-13 )
Act on what you believe (2:14-26 )
Respect other opinions (3:1-17)
Save yourself and friends (3:18-5:20)

Day 1. CONSIDER
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever
you face trials of many kinds... He chose to give us birth
through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of
firstfruits of all he created.Consider your troubles a joy...

God is doing something new!
Growth always brings change and loss and pain. But grow!
Sheds your skin. Break out of the egg. Leave the cocoon and fly!

Day 2. LISTEN
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speakand slow to anger...
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to
keep oneself frombeing polluted by the world.

Pure religion, Jesus' brother says, is not telling others
how to live and what you think... it's visiting and listening.

You will never save people who are not first your friends.

Day 4. EQUALIZE
My brothers and sisters [we're all family], as believers in
our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism...
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone
who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Treating people with different incomes, jobs, backgrounds or
any of a million ways we people discriminate, is not God's way.

Treat all people as equally as Jesus died to save every soul.
Mercy trumps judgement!

Day 5. ACT
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith
but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?...
As the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without deeds is dead.

How many piles of To-Do lists clutter your day?
Do it or dump. Fish of cut bait. Then trust God to do the rest.

Day 6. RESPECT
Not many of you should presume to be teachers,
my brothers and sisters, because you know that we who
teach will be judged more strictly... But the wisdom that
comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere.

When we think we're the boss and rely on our understanding,
we often make bad choices and disasterous decisions.
Humility and respect for the wisdom of others
will save us a great deal of heartache.

This sandwich warns us not to 'teach' but 'submit' to others.
We best teach people to learn by showing we can learn.

And when dealing with people in trouble,
they are the best expert on themselves!

Listen! Know-it-all evangelism is not Jesus' way.
He always asked, 'What do you need from me!'

Arrogance is a big turn-off to hurting people,
and it blinds us to our own troubles.

Day 7. SAVE
Peacemakers who sow in peaceraise a harvest of righteousness...
Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error
of his waywill save him from death and
cover over a multitude of sins.

Even when imprisoned by our own troubles,
we can save up spiritual and financial treasures
that will prepare us to help people when a need arises.

This sandwich speaks a great deal about being available
to do what God wants when God wants you to go.

You tell what's important gy looking only at two things..
a person's bank statements and their calendars.

How we committ our time and treasure tells all.

James says... CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE AND YOUR DEBTS.
Don't lock yourself in saying, I'll go here a year and do this.
You don't know what God has in mind.

From Genesis 1 to the Ten Commandments, God says
DON'T OVERBOOK!

Set aside time to listen to yourself and to God. Relax!
Divert Daily.
Withdraw Weekly.
Move on Monthly.
Quit Quarterly.
Adventure Annually.

To be useful to God, we've got to regularly break out of
who we are and society's demands on us.
Who we are is not who we will be!

When we borrow money, we say we know our future
and promise to spend our time repaying that debt.

Don't steal from God! Take a break.
Our time is not ours to commit.

And it breaks my heart to see people wracked with guilt.
Don't steal from God! Jesus paid for ALL your sins.

Take time to rest and think and be open to life changes!