The Most Difficult Task

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Some people have difficult things to do.  Digging ditches with a shovel is quite laborious.  I've done a little of it.

They do it differently now, but when riveters were riveting steel ships together, that was very hard work, and rather dangerous handling those very hot rivets.

Being a cook is not thought of as hard manual labor, but they often work in hot kitchens.

It can be very hard to breathe if you're climbing Mt. Everest.

But the hardest thing to do is control the tongue.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

Notice verse 2 above, those who can control their tongues, can control their whole bodies.  The only possible way to be perfect at controlling the tongue is by praying for, and receiving God's help to do so.

A prayer that David prayed is, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips." (Psa 141:3)

"When you pray, believe that you receive the things you ask for, and you shall have them." (Mark 11:24)

Winston Churchill was thought of as a great public speaker, and led Great Britain as Prime Minister during World War 2.  But I've heard that in private, he could use some nasty words, especially if he had been using alcohol.

Proverbs 23:33 says you'll utter perverse things if you get too much wine in you.

My Dad had a high I.Q., and could speak intelligently about many subjects.  But when he chose to, he could also be very foul-mouthed, depending on his mood.

Some people have foul mouths because they have demons in them.  I'm sure my Dad had some demons.  He professed to be an Atheist, and now, sadly, he resides in hell.

In Acts chapter 19, the seven sons of Sceva tried to cast out a demon.  Starting with verse number

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, decided to call over those who had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

14 And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did that.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"

16 And the man that had the evil spirit jumped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

The sons of Sceva were unsuccessful at casting out the demon because they were not Christians, so they had no authority to use Jesus' name to cast out the demon.  They were not only unsuccessful, they got beaten up.

The demon in the man used the man's voice to answer the seven sons of Sceva.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon told his wise men, "Either you tell me the dream that I forgot and its interpretation, or you'll be executed."

Surely he meant it, and I'm sure his orders to execute would have been carried out.

On that occasion though, Daniel told him the dream and the interpretation of it.  Thank God for prophets like Daniel. (Dan chapter 2)

The Apostle Paul opened his mouth and pled his case before Governor Felix in Acts chapter 24.  I'm sure the Lord helped him with what words to use.

When Porcius Festus replaced Governor Felix, Paul again pled his case before the new Governor.

Words are the difference between life and death.

Charles Capps has taught that our words can defeat us, or give us victory.  ("God's Creative Power Will Work for You," by Charles Capps)

God's words in the Bible tell us how to go to heaven, and also tell us why men go to hell.

The greatest teacher there ever was, Jesus, told us that in hell there's crying and gnashing of teeth, where their worms don't die, and where the fire is not quenched.

Jesus taught that all of us will go either to a beautiful heaven or to a nasty hell.

Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John chapter 3)

The Apostle Paul gives us more detailed instructions in Romans 10:9,10:

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you're saved.

For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made for salvation."

You pray a simple prayer asking Jesus to save you, confess Jesus as Lord, and believe God raised him from the dead.  Easy to do.

Chapter 2

A profession where there's a lot of temptation to say something that shouldn't be said is the profession of Salesman.

Salesmen are often tempted to make promises that they are not in a position to keep.

I think I'd rather be someone who works with his hands than be a salesman, unless I'm selling products I know to be top quality.  I had a career as an Electronics Technician, Electrician, Computer Programmer, and TV station Engineer, before retiring.

People should ask God's advice about choosing a profession so that they don't get a profession that will hurt them.

At a place I lived in Illinois, down the street was a ballet academy.  Parents would take their daughters there for ballet instruction.

I was standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles behind a man.  He was getting divorced.  He was there because his lawyer advised him to sell his truck.  He said, "Don't ever marry a ballerina, they live in their own little world."

I think that statement is probably correct.  Young girls learn ballet, and after a while, ballet is their whole world.

I've heard, too, that there is a lot of sexual perversion in the vocation of ballet.

In 1 John chapter 2,

15 Don't love the world, nor the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passes away and its lust, but he that does the will of God lives forever.

Show biz is a profession that has a tendency to require all of one's time.  If your profession requires all of your time, how will you have time left for Jesus?

And God says that he's a jealous God.  He wants to be number one in our lives. (Matt 10:37)

King Solomon had a reputation for being the wisest king.  But he let his many unbelieving wives lead him astray.  So much so that God had to split the nation of Israel into two kingdoms:  Israel and Judah.

King David did a rather good job for the Lord, and was known as an important General of the Army.  But he fell into the trap of adultery, and then arranged for the woman's husband to be killed.

So God brought much evil against David.  His own son, Absalom rose up against David, and tried to become king.

Jonah was a man God sent to preach to Nineveh.  But Jonah was concerned that after he warned Nineveh that God would destroy it, God might change his mind.

So Jonah didn't go to Nineveh.  He got on a ship.  Out in the ocean, the sea was very tempestuous.  The sailors found out Jonah was rebelling against God, and threw him overboard.

God had prepared a whale that swallowed Jonah.  In the book of Jonah in the Bible, Jonah described it as "The belly of hell."

After the whale spat out Jonah, he still had to go preach at Nineveh.

A better plan then for Jonah--when God says go preach, just do it, and skip the part about the inside of a whale.

But Jonah did a good job preaching at Nineveh, and the city repented.  I'm looking forward to seeing Jonah in heaven.

The Apostle Paul was first an enemy of Christians, and persecuted them.  He thought it was false religion.  On his way to persecute Christians at Damascus, the Lord confronted him, and asked him why he was persecuting Him. (Acts chapter 9)

Paul said, "Who are you, Lord?"  The Lord answered, "I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting."

Paul made the wise decision to become a Christian instead of persecuting them.  The Lord made Paul an Apostle, and he wrote about half of the number of the books in the New Testament.

Scriptures quoted are from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version and the New Testament, Hoehn Version, both available as ebooks for the Kindle readers from Amazon.com.

The Lord bless you.  Frederick Hoehn

www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.