The source of all strife and unrest, whether in the home, at the shop or office, or among nations, is brought about by the selfish and undisciplined hearts of men. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" This is the unsaved heart before the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has been applied to it. Its master is the devil who is continually doing his utmost stir up strife and confusion among the peoples of the earth. God created men upright, but they have sought out many inventions, and these inventions are the results of men serving the devil instead of God. It is almost unbelievable that the great majority of our people choose to serve the devil, the enemy of their souls, who has but one thought in mind and that is the damning of their souls in hell, instead of their best friend and Savior., the almighty God, it is no wonder that God said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. How can anyone have the least bit of real wisdom who would choose to serve the devil rather than God? The devil is a very cunning and crafty foe and so much more powerful than most people imagine. In fact, most people do not even know that he exist. They have willingly done his bidding so long that their hearts have become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

There is but one way out of the mess that the world finds itself in today, and that is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us His holy Word to live by. His word is life and truth, and to live by it brings peace and happiness in our life here on earth and everlasting life in heaven in the life beyond the grave.

It does seem that our rulers, men of intelligence would realize that if they could get people to accept the gospel and live it that lasting peace would be assured. We are spending billions of dollars doe implements of war for the destruction of human life in direct violation of God's holy Word. If this money were spent trying to convert the world instead of trying to be able to destroy it, God would bless our efforts, and lasting peace would reward our efforts.

Let Us Bridle Our Tongues

James 3:4-5---In these two verses James illustrates the great power that can be exercised by little instruments. Take the largest ships that sail the ocean, and they can be guided and turned about by the helm, which is indeed a very small instrument in comparison to the ship. Just so, the tongue of man, though it is very small member, can be a very powerful instrument in the hands of God for the preaching of the gospel. On the day of Pentecost the preaching of Peter brought salvation to three thousand precious souls. Let us be swift to hear and slow to speak, for we shall give an account of every idle word we speak. On the other hand, the tongue in the hands of our enemy, the devil, can do great damage. It can become a world of iniquity and spread false doctrine that will damn many precious souls in hell. Let us remember that words once spoken cannot be recalled and that their influence for good or evil will live on.

Beware of Covetousness

James 4:1---Whence come war and fightings among you--- James does not mean actual warfare, but he has reference to the strife and bickering among the people themselves. Their desire were after the things of the world. They were covetous and jealous of one another. They were not living according to the teaching of Jesus and needed strong reproof to bring them in line.

Verse 2---Ye lust and have not---Ye are covetous and still remain poor. It takes more than just wishing for things to have them. Some will go so far as to kill to obtain their desires, as did David and Ahab.

Verse 3---Ye ask and receive not---Your prayers are not heard because you are asking for the things to satisfy the desire of the flesh. In order to have our prayers answered we must be right with God and then ask according to His will. The word says, "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth His will, him he heareth."

Verse 4---The friendship of the world is enmity with God---The true Christian is not of the world, and his affections are set upon the things of God. To have a hankering after the material things of the world displeases God and will cause us to lose our salvation. We cannot be a friend of the world and then expect the blessings of God to abide with us.

Beware of Pride

James 4:5---Do you think that the scripture saith in vain---He is here warning us not to take the scripture lightly, for they do mean exactly what they say, and it is by them that we are going to be judged. If the spirit of God dwells in us, we will not be envious or covetous, but we will be able to rejoice at the good fortune of others.

Verse 6---God resisteth the proud---It is the meek and humble soul that finds favor with God. The proud and haughty are on the road to destruction Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Take God's Way

James 4:7---Submit yourselves therefore to God---God has the answer to every one of our problems, and if we will steadfastly resist the devil, God will see to it that he does not tempt us above that we are able to stand still in the Christian race, but we must earnestly desire to grow in grace and inn the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us lay aside all filthiness and naughtiness and receive with meekness the Word of God which is able to save our soul.

Verse 9---Be afflicted, and mourn and weep---Those who are trying to hold on to the world with one hand and on to God with the other need to weep and mourn over their condition until they can absolutely and unreservedly put God first in all things. Then they experience the peace that passeth all understanding and the joy unspeakable and full of glory that Peter tells us about. O how trivial will the joy of the world seem then!

Verse 10---Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord---When we think of the almighty God, of His love and mercy, of His greatness and power and of our littleness and unworthiness, shouldn't we humble ourselves and thank and praise Him for His goodness unto us? If we will keep meek and humble before Him, He will exalt us in due time: but if not, let us be content to ever remain meek and lowly before Him.

Verse 11---Speak not evil one of another---We are to love the brethren with a pure heart fervently; and if we do this, we are not going to speak evil of them. The love of God in our hearts just will not permit us to do it. When the sinner speaks evil of the Christian, he is criticising the law of god, which is a very serious matter.

Verse 12---There is one lawgiver---And that is God, who is able to save those who keep His commandments and to destroy in hell those who refuse to heed the teachings of His precious Word.---Who art thou that judgest another---Let us always bear in mind that we do not have to answer for what others do, and make sure that our own lives are measuring to God's Word so that we may stand blameless before Him on that last great day.

The Bible is a blueprint that God has given us to live by, and it is only by living by it that the world can be freed from all fear and unrest that is besetting it today. Before it is possible for human beings to live in peace with one another, the spirit of God must be permitted to come and direct their activities. Then, and then only, can there be peace among men of the earth. We are God's creation, and He knows just what it takes to give us the grace to live peaceable together, and that is the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.