Some of you ought to sit down, if you’re standing up, to hear this: My friend, you cannot live the Christian life. Somebody says, You don’t mean that? I do mean thatand I challenge you to show me a verse or any Scripture where God has asked you to live the Christian life. He hasn’t done that at all. I’ve got an old nature, and that old nature’s going to be with me. Now, the only way in the world that you’re going to live the Christian life is by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the fact that you’re kept by the power of God, my friend, right on through till the day that you’re delivered to Him.

God doesn’t ever change His mind. God is immutable. God never changes. But when a sinner repents and turns to God, God has said to him, I’m going to judge you. God says, Now you’ve turned to me, I won’t judge you. Why? Because He’s gracious and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness and He repenteth of the evil. He’s always good and He’s always gracious; He’s always merciful. He’s always slow to anger. He always exhibits great kindness. And friends, you can depend on God. I don’t know how this world has treated you. I don’t think the world outside is very kind, very graciousbut God is.

Oh, my friend today, only the Spirit of God can control our tongues. And when we indulge in gossip, when we say malicious, gossipy things about others, James is very real. James says that a fountain cannot give forth both sweet and bitter water; and if you’re giving forth bitter water, then evidently the sweet water you give is just a profession. Oh, friend today, make it real with Him. Deal with Him in reality. Bring to Him today your heart and your tongue. He wants to give you a new tongue.

Oh, the brevity of human life down here. And many of us really never learn to live down here upon the earth. And because of that, you and I today ought not to spend our time in strife and envy and jealousy. It spoils our life, you see. Oh, to come to Christ, and put your life down before Him and really start living, friends. That’s what a great many of us, He says, I am come that ye might have life; that you might have it more abundantly. He wants to give you life that is life indeed. By the way, are you living that life today?

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but He giveth grace unto the humble. Now we’ve said this again and again. God is overloaded with grace. You and I just don’t know how gracious He is. And He has abundance of grace. Grace means unmerited favor, but I call it love in action. God couldn’t save us by love; He gave His Son and now by grace, and He’s got so much of it. Somebody says, Oh, I’m so wrong on the inside. Go and tell Him you’re wrong on the inside and ask Him for grace to overcome it. He’ll give you grace. He’s the living Christ up there for you.

Be ye doers of the word . Now God is talking to His children, and He is saying that if you’re just a hearer of the Word, you’re only deceiving your own selves. And we need to recognize that He is making it very clear that hearing leads to doingnot to ritual and that which is habitual. Not that which is drab or monotonous, not that which is routine. And the word for doers here, actually, it has to do with exciting living, thrilling experience, creative action, doing something for God, motivated by an inner desire.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Swift to hear what? Well, the Word of God, of course. Now you, a child of God, indwelt by the Spirit of God who wants to be your teacher, you have the Word of God. The Creator of this universe, and the Redeemer of lost sinners, He wants to talk to you, He wants to say something to you. And the point is: Be quick. Be alert. Get a little movement, a little alertness there. Oh, how today we need to be alert. Be quick, he says, swift to hear.

God doesn’t ever test you with evil. Every good gift comes from Him. If you got a good gift, it came from Him. Count your many blessings todaythe sunshine, the rain, the cloudy day, the bright day, the green grass, the water you drink, the air you breathe. God didn’t bring smog; He gave clear air. He gave clean water. It’s man that’s fouled the thing up. God gives good gifts, my friend. God’s good. And if you and I knew how good He was, I tell you it would break our own heart today.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptations, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. This is God’s method of developing you and me in the Christian faith. This is the way that He’s going to enable us to grow. And He wants to produce patience in our lives. But He has something for the future. When faith is tested and surrounded by darkness and the waves are rolling high and all seems lost, the child of God knows that this is not the end. It may be gloom now, but glory later on. The Psalmist says, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. Maybe today you may say, Well, I’m just a poor individual. I don’t have very much. I don’t have any wealth. My friend, you’ve got a lot of wealthand believe me, friendyou have a whole lot of treasure. You’ve got treasure in heaven. And have you ever stopped to think what all you’ve got down here? What you have in Christ? Why we have everything. I don’t care if the humblest saint, whoever is listening to me that might be the poorest person on the earth. My friend, you are rich in Christ today. And you’ve got something to rejoice over.