Greeting
1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Hearing and Doing the Word
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)
Ahhh, James, the earliest written book of the new testament. This is definitely a great book for us to be diving into right before Revival, as James definitely expresses the serious need to have godly behavior to back up your faith (no compromises anyone?). James isn’t afraid to get up in people’s grills and tell them that their sinful actions can be dangerous and they need to be living out their faith by their actions, not just their knowledge. I’m pumped to dive into this book together because James challenges us to examine how much we are living out our faith by our actions with no compromises on a daily basis!!!
✞ 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. ✞
Being “doers” of the Word!! Well, that’s what the term the NASB Bible uses and I love the quote from John MacArthur in his study Bible. It says, “The fact that James calls professing believers to be ‘doers,’ rather than simply to do, emphasizes that their entire personality should be characterized in this way.” What a powerful statement! This verse is loaded with power that forces people to really examine where they are at spiritually. James is telling us that our lives should be categorized by our “doing” of the Word. Listening is not enough people. Knowing is not enough. We have to go out and make our behavior a priority too. How much are you applying the Word to your life rather than just reading it?
What’s cool is that when we do choose to be “doers” of the Word, God promises to bless us in what we do (v. 25). Isn’t that awesome?!?! Not only does God love us beyond measure, but he pours out His favor upon us when we choose to obey Him by acting out our faith in our actions. If that isn’t incentive, what is? Let’s go out and show people what real Christianity (uncompromising repentance and faith) is all about by being “doers” of the Word!!!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
This is a great passage on how we are to view trials in our lives. The world tells us that when we go through tough times we can complain, be depressed and feel anxious. The Bible is clear that our response to trials must be the exact opposite…JOY! That might seem strange, but it is true. We can be joyful as we go through trials because we know that they are testing our faith and developing perseverance within us. When we have persevered in our faith despite difficult circumstances we know that our faith is legit! So often people who claim to be Christians only keep the faith when things are going well for them. They buy into the lie of the prosperity gospel that says you will be happy, healthy and wealthy once you are saved. True faith lasts a lifetime and is deepened during trials. I am grateful for the tough times in my life because they drew me to the Lord and helped me get serious about my serious disciplines. Let’s be committed to responding to trials in a way that shows we are aliens and strangers in this world. No complaining, depression, or anxiety…let’s joyfully accept God’s ordained circumstances and realize that they are there to strengthen our faith and grow our character to be more like Christ’s.
Excellent posts Matt and Beth!
Joy in trial, strength to complete any and every task from the God who made the universe and everything in it! And a command to do what He says as well as resisting evil at the very beginning of our thoughts! Power packed chapter!
How can this change your life before Revival – when you have all the freedom of summer? Start out with the word, get rid of all the filth our society says is ok, and share the gospel with someone today! Don’t be religious but turn to Christ and treat people like He does because He alone saves! And see how that changes your life!
1: 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
This chapter is a good friendly reminder for us all to have ‘mirror time’ today in God’s word! Let’s not forget what we have read and have heard at church but preach to ourselves daily!
25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
The phrase, AND CONTINUES TO DO THIS, struck me today. The person who remembers God’s commands, and has it on their mind so they can put them into practice, is the one who is immersed into the Word on a continual basis. I think this means not only being in the Word everday, but being in the Word throughout the day. As forgetful creatures we need to constantly remind ourselves of God’s commands. A practical way to do this is to memorize Scripture so that you can think and meditate on it all day long. We can talk about what we learned on SOTD with a friend or ask them what they learned. We could roll up our sleeves and pick a book of the Bible to do a serious Bible study on using the TAN method. Come to think of it, I think we all need to take a week and study God’s Word, spend some serious time memorizing Scripture, and discuss it with each other. Oh yeah, that’s what REVIVAL 09 is all about!
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
We need to be like the poor man who believes in God and gives his life to him. And we need to help the people around us that are like the rich man who doesn’t want God in there life because there life is great as it is and he will not go to Heaven. The only way is Jesus We have to give our lives to him and show we belong to Him.
God help me to learn everything I can at revival and put it to work.
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Its pretty simple: God gives us His guidance through laws and rules and commands. There are for our protection. To keeps us safe, mature us, make us complete and to show the world that followers of Christ are diferent.
My prayer is for God to give me “His” desires. Not my fleshly desires. A “desire” comes even before a thought!!. Thoughts are those things that we allow to camp out in our heads which rapidly leads to sinful actions
This is such a powerful and practical chapter. God speaking through James is very clear: Be “doers” of Gods Word! If you DO then yes it will be hard but your trials will develop perseverance, which produces maturity which the James states will make you complete not lacking in anything! How awesome is that!?!
On the other hand…. If you DONT DO these things that God commands: you get DEATH. And it all starts with a simple little “desire”. If we give in to the desire, sin grows like wildfire and we end up on a bullet train to destruction.
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
This is very true. I we say we are Christians then go and gossip, complain, curse or use profanity, we are disproving our religion. We are setting a horrible example for other Christians and non-Christians. We are polluting the image of Christ. We need to make sure our actions and words live up to our claims of salvation. I know I have a bad complaining and I need to work on just showing a cheerful attitude and trying to be helpful.
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
This verse reminded me of a song Ty Sager wrote a while back titled All My Heart. It talked about how if we sing like an angel, but do not have love, we are just making noise. Or if we know the whole Bible, but do not know God, then there is no joy. If our faith can move mountains, but we are unmoved, then nothing has changed.
The same thing goes here in this verse. I we have doubt, then we are just like a random wave, blown about by the power of the sea and wind with no direction or purpose.
Lets not be that useless wave! Instead we need to believe without doubt in our Lord and everything he is capable of doing!!!
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
Quick to listen & slow to speak is hard enough, but slow to become angry is way difficult. I’m constantly bombarded with students who are angry @ parents, coaches, friends, etc… with absolutely no consideration from another’s perspective. Anger abounds in us because we are self-centered, & if someone dares to offend us–intentional or not–we immediately feel affronted. This often boils down to self control, a fruit of the Spirit, which is directly opposed to our sinful nature, screaming at us to do & get what we want when we want it, at all costs.
Keep in mind that it is MAN’s anger that is condemned here, not Godly anger that arises from sin unchecked. Christ’s anger at sin & it’s consequences was displayed often during his life on earth, and it is THIS kind of anger we should have over sin…not self-serving anger that only tries to justify & protect our own egos.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
These are such great verses because it tells us how important our difficulties in life are. If we went through life without ever going through any hardships, we would probably grow to think that we dont really need God, and that we would be fine on our own. But through trials we draw close to God and realize that He is our strength in difficult times. God tests those He loves.
Oh how I love the book of James, it is such a great book for the believer!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Like Beth said, this passage is how we should view trials in our lives. Let’s face it, they are going to come, some of us will have more than others, and each of us will endure different hardships, but we all have the same promise…our sanctification. God is refining us into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the things in our lives that cause us temporal pain…in fact He is ordaining those very things! I find comfort in knowing that God is sovereign, in control, of all of life’s situations and not surprised by anything that comes my way. Romans 8:28 promises us that He is working ALL things together for our good and in Philippians 4:13 we have the promise that we can do ALL things through HIM who strengthens us!
What the world so often looks at as tragedy, God looks at as glory and triumph for His name! Looking back in my own life I have seen time and time again how the trials in my life were the most refining periods, the times when I realized my utter dependency upon Christ to the fullest degree, and His love for me. I am thankful for trials, really I am, even though it hurts for a moment, the benefits you reap are so worth it! And as the comment above says, “God tests those he loves!”
Beth your comment was very encouraging!
10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
Like Matt, I also have a NASB MacArthur Study Bible and I found the NASB translation and his comentary on this verse really helped me understand what it means. The NASB reads “and the rich man is to gloy in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.” John MacArthur says that this reffers to rich believers being humbled by trials and that they should rejoice in them; this is because through trials they learn that “genuine happiness and contentment depend on the true riches of God’s grace, not earthly wealth.” So as rich and wealthy believers who live in Orange County, we need to realize that true happiness comes from a relationship with Christ and not in our possesions or earthly status. Only Christ brings true satisfaction and fullfilment! (Psalm 23:1)
This chapter gives a radically different perspective on trials than we are used to!
Our standard procedure is to try and avoid trials, and we usually complain about them. Instead of shunning trials, we are meant to embrace them because they have a great purpose. Ultimately (through building our perseverance and maturity) they make us more like Christ.
Another interesting thing about this chapter is that the Greek word for “trial” and “temptation” is the same, so these terms are very closely related. And on a personal level, we can all relate to how temptations and trials go hand in hand.
I need to expect to be tried and tested and to pursue the Lord through all those circumstances.
Revival 09 is almost here!
20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
21 Therefore, … humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Man’s anger leads to nothing but sin. When we get angry, we lose our sense of self-control or rational thought and are driven by emotions, revenge, or the desire to have your opinion seen as right. The remedy for this, according to verse 21, is humility. When we are offended, it is our pride that drives us to get back at whoever ‘wronged’ us. But we need to rid ourselves of such thinking and desires, and humbly come to the Lord, trusting Him to work things out and committing to live according to His plan, as revealed through His Word.
WOW! isn’t the book of Jamese just an awesome book to read? I would comment on every verse, but that would be a lot! Like Pastor Bobby’s past sermons he has been giving us we need to look at James 1:22 for we need to LISTEN!
And in James 1:2-3 it talksabout trails we faec and how we will gin perserverence n ou faith wiht our LORD. My life verse is Philippians 4:13 and I agree with Vanessa in that the LORD wil strengthen us in all things but we need to ask.
BUT! If you read verse 7:
7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
WHen we ask the LORD to do things in our lives He will give us 1 of 3 answers:
YES, NO, or WAIT. So we should NEVER expect to get our way, but always expect God’s way is the only way.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
I also like this verse because it reminds me that I can perservere and when we love the LORD(as our 1st love) we will recive the kingdom of heaven. BUT we needto keep our eyes focused on GOD and 1st we need to give our lives to Christ and repent of our sins. :]
***GET READY FOR A REVIVAL!!!!!***
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
The Bible wasn’t written for people to look at and let them think that it is soom pretty cool writing. It was written to change lives! It was written so that other people would read what it says and then carry on into action in response to what they have read. Many people will read the Bible or listen to a sermon and just think “that’s cool for you but not for me.” The Bible is for everyone to obey! Others may listen or read and then not really take time to actually ponder what it says. But what is reading the words worth without actually appyling them to your life??? I need to not read the Bible or listen to pastors speaking and kinda let that go in one ear and out the other. I need to grab ahold of what I am learning and examine my own life to see where I am with that. And since I am not perfect, I can always step it up at whatever it is! I need to not be lazy but instead take action in applying the truth that comes from the Word!
9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.
10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
We should be like the person that humbles himself in this passage and not like the rich man. Just because we are rich in our eyes doesn’t mean we are in a high position, like the rich person. Jesus says in Luke 18:14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” In God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, but whether you have faith. Like said in this passage (James 1) we should not be exalting ourselves because we have more things or money than others, but we should be humbling ourselves because of our faith in God.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
When a sin tempts us, then we should overcome it! It is bad to let it discourage us and bring us down in our faith Perseverance keeps us growing as a Christian and we get it by overcoming trials.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
This is such a great chapter. Anger is something that we need to watch out for because it can take over us. I love how this verse tells us what to do to stop becoming angry by being quick to listen,slow to speak and slow to anger. If we start to do that we will start to change.
Can’t Wait Until Revival!!!!! YAY!!!!!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
All the little things in life that make us irritated or fustrated are trials that we need to work through wether it is fighting with our parents or trying to do homework. All of these are ways that we can Glorify God by working through them the way the Bible says. When we have trials we need to be joyful because if we don’t have trials maybe we are not doing what we are suppose to be doing as Christians.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Wow!!! So, the Bible says we are to consider it pure joy to face trials! What a concept that the world would think is completely wrong. Like Beth said, the world says we are supposed to be anxious and worried and stressed when it comes to facing trials or hard things in our lives, but the Bible, the Word of God, commands us to have joy!! These trials, as verse 3 says, test our faith and make us stronger and give us perseverance. It is so hard to have a response of joy, but we are commanded to do so. Also, like Ben said trial and temptation are closely related in this passage and it reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” What an awesome promise that God will always provide a way out! We need to have joy as we face any trials, but we can’t just read this and say we are going to do so, but we need to be doers and apply this to our lives!!!
I may not be on here the next few days if there is no internet service in Mexico, but hopefully I will be able to post!
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Its important to remind ourselves that God does not want us to sin. It seems pretty simple, but whenever we do sin, its tempting to just get angry at God for ‘letting us sin’. Here, we see that God created sin, but he is not the one who tempts us with it; Satan does. We also see that though Satan tempts, humans are the ones who ultimately make the decision to sin or not. Our evil desires cause us to be dragged away, sin, and therefore earn death. Thankfully, God provided a savior to break us out of this predicament we put ourselves into. God is good, he created everything, including sin, to bring more glory to Christ. I guess Christ must be a pretty big deal! He deserves our praise, so let’s live life never ceasing to praise Him! 5 more days till Revival 09!!
hii i hope everyone is doing well today, boddys message this past sunday really effected me… this passage opened up my ears completly and i am going to write what each of these verses say to me….
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
- If i find myself not reading my bible (which is the most important thing to do because its the closes thing to hear from God) then i need to pray way more and ask God to give me the wisdom to understand, because the bible is amazing but sometimes its hard to understand to me… but God is the one who gives you the knowledge.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
- I go through trials evey single day! I am sitting in class right now as i am typeing this, and this guy was so rude to me… People make fun of me daliy… I have a list of people who dont like me because of my “faith.” I have so many rumors always going on about me, but its okay. Why? because God is standing right beside me. At the end of the day when NO ONE is there for me, i know my Lord is still there to comfort me in aay situation.
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
- No one is perfect… I have made some of the worst choices any person could make. Sometimes i mess up, everyone messes me. The point about making a mistake is not to repeat it, but to learn from in and move on. REPENT, and stay(ing) STRONG.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
- This passage gave me the chillss, just thinking about how people take one worldly thing they cant stop and it becomes their life. Evenually, there faith is destroyed and they go straight to hell.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
- This is something i need to work on. I become so angry easily, i get mad on the fact that many people dont have a reason not to like me. I am always so nice to everyone!! People take advantage of me daily, but its okay “if people slap me on one check, i need to turn the other” If non christains always see me angry how am i representing jesus?…. a sunject for everyone to think about.
21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
- Sometimes turning from a sin is very hard, but if you dont…… you will just get deeper and deeper into that BLACK HOLE. What is better… eternity in hell or heaven? Sometimes to be honest i wonder is people understand the word eternity in true north. I am at church and i hear our “christain” girls gossiping about one another, and it makes me sick to my stomach. It is better to talk things out, then to hold a grudge on your sister or brother. That action is NOT reflecting christ at all and we are suppose to be setting examples for the new people who try out our chruch.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
- When i hear any scripture i try to understand what it means, if i am not doing what it is saying… i think harder. DO WHAT IS SAYS is what most people have a hard time with, even ME! but again we are not reflecting God’s love is we dont obey him…
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
- Worthless is the word that stuck out to me, many times have i thought my faith was “worthless” Repenting and not making the same mistake over and over and over and over and over again is key point. Its hard but it shows that you have real love for christ and your not fake.
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
- being polluted by the earth is such an easy thing these days. I have learned recently that if you dont surround yourself with other christains, you will fall. Everywhere you go, is just satin trying to hurt you. everyone needs a christain friend… like pastor bobby said this weekend……….
admit your sins to another christain, and trust me it works.
11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
I’M LOVIN’ THE METAPHOR IT IS SOOO AMAZING!!!! On a more serious note, I like how James related a dying plant to a rich man. The rich man only desires material possessions and cannot see the necessity of relying on God for everything. His treasures will not last, but treasures in heaven will last forever!! I’m going to store up treasures in heaven by joyfully serve the Lord today at church, instead of serving men!! :D
ELLO… I read
I like verse 12,”Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
I like this verse because it tells us that GOD does not just let you pass unrewarded. If we do something we can expect a consequence good or bad it all depends on the action. If we do bad then we should be punished and if we do good we don’t really deserve a reward but since GOD is generous and just HE gives us a reward that is undeserved. In all trials stand firm and trust GOD that if you fail then HE will punish you and HE does this so that you will not fail again. But if you pass without sin then HE will reward you which is to make you want to stay away from sin more.
CYA
Countdown to Revival!!! 5 DAYS!!
I read. . .
22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
This reminded me that we can not just LISTEN to a sermon, or just READ the Bible, we have to UNDERSTAND and DO!! I have forgotten that in the past couple of days and I ask God for forgiveness and the strength to DO and not just read. Praise to Jesus Christ!!
20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
This verse is very convicting! Most of us do have anger in some way, and that is part of our sinful human nature. But, if we call ourselves Christians, and we have anger, then we need to do something about it. As followers of Christ, we are taught to be patient, kind and loving. If we have anger, and we are Christians, we are not glorifying God, and not making Him look pleasing, which is not good! So, no matter how hard it may be, we should all do the best we can possibly do, and represent Christ, by not getting angry!
heellooo
21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.—Pastor Bobby’s sermon this weekend really motivated me to get rid of everything that can block from doing what God wants me to do and it has made me preach to myself! I am excited to strive to be an effectual doer and to show people how we should be living.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.—I remember at my old school I was decieved for so long by people who would tell me they were Christians when I wasn’t and they never gave me the right example of what a Christian is. This reason was because they never really took into action what the Bible says and I realized that after I became a Christian. I plan on put into action what the Bible says each day and not just listen so I won’t be decieving myself.
wow REVIVAL 09 is in 4 days!!! ahhh :D
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Wow! I can say that these past weeks I have faced many trials, and it is soo tempting to just be “mad at God” or ask “why me?”. This verse is really convicting to me because I know I haven’t had the right attitude.. instead of being mad at God and complaining I should have a joy in my heart because through those trials I will develop perseverance!
“Revival ’09″ ‘No Compromise’: 4 DAYS TILL WE DRIVE TO NEW MEXICO . . . =D
I read . . .
James 1 . . .
As many other people on S.O.T.D, every single verse was very VERY GOOD.
“3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
“4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
“5. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
These verses are saying, if you let God test you and know that He wants to see how far your faith will go, you will soon develop perseverance. We will be determined to complete and finish the “Race.” We will no longer be as scared as we were before if we let God test out faith.
Whenever we persevere in something, we begin to feel and become more mature. We don’t feel like we still need to do something, because we’ll have already completed the “Race.” With God on our side, NOTHING’S IMPOSSIBLE.
I remember Pastor Lucas used to talk about this all the time, PRAY TO GOD & ASK FOR WISDOM. If there was one thing you could ask for from God, what would you choose? The next iPhone? A new pair of True Religions? Or would you think and ask Him for WISDOM? So that you may have good outcomes on whatever questions are set before you. Or whatever trials are set before you. I know I need to ask for wisdom way more often that way I’ll be smart and confident in everything and anything I do.
“15. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
If we don’t take care of one little white lie we might have told, then it will get bigger and bigger. Pretty soon that one little sin, that we thought was little, will lead to DEATH. We should want to solve and fix our sin with God, so it doesn’t grow bigger & bigger.
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~M.A.R.A.N.A.T.H.A~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
=) ~ Ariana Mishreki ~ =)
P.S. God bless everybody.
P.S.S. Francesca, I’LL BE PRAYING FOR YOUR DAD. Please tell him that I hope his surgery will go according to plan and that he’ll heal well also. =)
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
I think I’ve heard this before. Yeah, I believe it was only a few days ago at Pastor Bobby’s sermon (ya! I haven’t forgot). The deadly sin of not just High School, but every other period of life is being a listener and not a doer. Realize listening is only half the battle, Keep preaching to yourself to keep it fresh in your mind, and Show what you’re working with! (by the way those were the three sermon points). Oh that reminds me we need to keep giving others a friendly reminder (fr) so that they will join us in reading James, which is, according to Matt one of the greatest books to read before Revival 09.
In short, lets not deceive ourselves (that would be dumb) lets actually be doers of the Word. Thats awesome, its that simple! In the words of Nike: “Just Do IT!”
Wow, this whole passage is awesome! I love James!
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
I think it is amazing how God has blessed us with the Bible and how we can live according to him and his will! God’s word is the truth and the way we need to follow in order for us to grow in our relationship with him! I am so motivated and pumped to want to grow more than ever this summer and to seek as much wisdom as I can! God should be and needs to be number one in life, and I want him to be my first love and nothing less!
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
This verse stood out to me and applies to my attitude at times. I need to think before I speak, because most of the time my thoughts don’t process through my brain BEFORE I say them! And that can definitely be a problem! Also, I need to approach situations with love and gentleness and not with anger at that specific time. I am encouraged so much by this verse, and I know many ways in which I can apply it! Being quick to listen is very important as well, because its important to attain knowledge from people who are wise and care for you. When someone is speaking, you should want to be attentive right away!
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says
This chapter is so awesome because there are so many great verses in here! I remember that this was our theme verse in 8th grade at Sb, but back then i didn’t care…so this is a lot cooler now. Okay, so the reason why this is so important is because the Bible says that faith without deeds is worthless (the next chaper).
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
God does not tempt us (verse 13), we tempt ourselves (verse 14) by our evil desires, our sinful flesh! We all take a look at the sin, and it looks good because it decieves us and we decieve ourselves and we sin! We need to repent right away because if we let that sin “grow” then it’s going to be harder to repent!
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Would you look at that, a verse from last weekend’s sermon! We need to listen to the Bible and apply it in our lives! We just can’t listen and not do what it says, otherwise we decieve ourselves!
This passage is Bobby’s message from Sunday.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry
We need to be eager to hear God’s word and make an effort to put ourselves in places where we can hear God’s word.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
After we hear and listen then we need to do! There is a difference between hearing what someone says and listening to what someone says. If we hear only it doesn’t make a difference in our life. If we listen then we do what we are told. It is so important to do what God commands…NOT because we are earning our salvation! but because we love God and we WANT to obey.
14 “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
If we want to fight temptation and sin, it helps to know how it works against us. Where the sin starts is in our minds, when we entertain a desire that we probably know is not good. This is where we have to fight it! We have to stop even thinking about what we want to do, because if we don’t, it will just get worse and worse. And suddenly, before we realize what’s happened, we’ll be in the sin.
Let’s treat temptation and sin like the spiritual battle that it is! We have to fight it!
22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
25 “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
Listening is only half the battle! We need to be following the example of this second man: looking *intently* into the Word, continuing to look, not forgetting it, but putting it into practice. Then we will be true doers of the Word!
ABSOLUTELY PSYCHED OUT OF MY MIND FOR REVIVAL ’09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Everything truly good is from God above. This doesnt necesarily mean everything that is good in our eyes because we are sinners and that nature of our being clouds our vision of what is TRULY good. I pray that God makes everything good clear and wonderful in our eyes.
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
this verse is particularly humbling, which is a good thing. here James, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us that EVERY good and perfect gift is from above, especially the gift of salvation. this is important because the chapter after James talks about faith and works and how they go together, which does get confusing. but the Lord has chosen to save us and gives us grace and our faith. there is no room to boast, because our salvation is not by any merit of our own. lets give all the glory to God for the best gift of all: salvation
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
This verse can be hard to follow sometimes. For me I mostly struggle with the first two. I have a hard time listening and often blurt things out that I regret later. I need to concentrate on listening to other people and think before I speak.
Boo Ya, beginnin chapter James :)….
4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
I must always be a servant for God as well as all of God’s children. I absolutely love verse 19 because it is so true. I must be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…Love It! I always like to think “learn to Listen and Listen to Learn.” However, there is more to just listening and learning because Knowing is only half the Battle……
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
What an amazing promise God is giving us here! He knows that it is going to be hard for us but if we perservere he says we will recieve the crown of life. Life may be hard but we can always look to God and always focus on the prize at the end of the tunnel!! Keep your eyes on the prize!
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
This verse is a problem for many fake Christians out there today. They say anything they thnik even if it is not pleasing to the Lord. As this verse says, if we do not keep a reign over what comes out of our mouth, our religion is worthless.
I need to watch what i say so that it may not make my relgion a pointless one.
Hey everyone!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance”
We will face hard times in our lives. If we stand up for what we believe in, we will be made fun of. When we face those hard things, we should stand firm because we know that it will make our faith stronger. We should not wonder why God is letting this happen to us because we should know that it is to develop our perseverance. It is always going to be hard to do this but we just need to remember that we are doing for the LORD.
My dad’s surgery is tomorrow! Thank you so much for your prayers.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
Sin leads nowhere. It may seem like a good idea at the time (when you are tempted), but it only leads to destruction. I can say this as a witness. The Bible speaks the Truth, so when it says that sin gives birth to death we should probabally think it through the next time we are tempted.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Great reminder of what Bobby preached this weekend! Listening is half the battle, but the other half is to actually carry out what we are told to do. God expects the most of us- we better give serving him everything we have!
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
I like this verse because it is saying like, every A+, every newborn baby, every promotion and every best friend is a gift from God.
I am going to apply this to my life by thanking God for every little thing i get. And appreciate things more.
REVIVAL 09 is HERE!!!!!!!!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Nice 47 posts so far. That’s so cool. This verse is telling us that trials are all for the sanctification of us as Christians. Every struggle we go through is really to make us better and stronger. Every one. I know that that is very encouraging to me. Also please pray for me, when I’m at revival I’ll be missing a few days of summer water polo practice, and pray that I’ll be able to make it all up. Thank you.
16Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Verse 17 stuck out to me, but i also think verse 16 is important as well. Verse 16 says for us not to be decieved, because, in verse 17 it says every good thing is from God. The reason it stuck out to me is because sometimes i am decieved. I’ll admit it, sometimes i take things for granted. We all do some times, we’re all decieved. But what we have to remember is that all good thing or gift ever is from God. So EVERYTHING that is good is from God. So that means we need to thank Him for them! But instead we just act like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. But we need to change that! We need to give God the rightful praise He deserves! Look at your life. We all have many many many good things. We are all very blessed. And yet how many times do we thank God for all that we have? Not enough times is the answer. Like i said, we need to change that! God has given us so much, the LEAST we can do is thank Him for all of it!
Matt R. that is exactly what I was going to say! I love his comment on those verses about being a doer. :)
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
This verse has been repeating in my mind for months. Listening is what Bobby just went over too, the number one killer of the Israelites and even us today. and then the second part struck me too. I know that I get angry quickly sometimes and don’t even think out exactly why. I definitely will memorize this and work on it. And then there was verse 26….again that follows 19 and 20 perfectly. by becoming slow to speak, we’re keeping a tight reign on our tongues which leads to a righteous life that God desires. :)
I really like this pasage and I like how it tells us how to deal with surtain situations.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Listening is only half the battle! Show what you’re working with! This verse served as my “friendly reminder” to not only read God’s word, but to carry out the message daily. I pray that this week my light will shine as a reflection of Him.
4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
if you do what this verse tells us …. we will benefit from it and out relationships with others will flourish
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
I need to work on this. whenever I face trials, I don’t really consider it joyful or anything but the other part of the verse says that it develops perseverance and tests our faith so next time when I’m faced with a trial, I’m going to remember this verse to remind myself.
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
We should look after God’s children and the people who are the most vulnerable and keep praying and helping them. I like how it says to keep being polluted by the world because that is struggle for a lot of us because we’re constantly tempted by the world and their standards.
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
God is the giver of all good gifts! I know that I have a tendency to take these blessings for granted, but I’m convicted in this verse to remember who is my great provider. We spend much of our time asking God for things, but spend very little actually thanking Him for what he has graciously given us. Praise the Lord for His blessings!
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so decieve yourselves . Do what it says.
This verse was great to remember from Pastor Bobby’s sermon on Sunday. We need to listen to what God is telling us to do and actually do it. Listening doesn’t help unless we actually do what we’re hearing from God through His word. We might be decieving others now but one day everyone will see who the true Christians are.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
These verses really hit me. They are so true. They talk about how we need to be joyful for the trials God puts in our lives because they develop perseverance. I know from the many trials that God has faced me with that I have gained a great deal of patience which is something I once lacked. God has set these trials in our lives to build us up, not take us down, so we need to rejoice for the trials we are so often faced with. Praise God for trials!!!
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
i am so very happy i remebered to read sotd right now! these two verse are exactly what i needed to hear! i have been asking God to help me with something for a very long time…but day after day i continue to struggle with it, now reading this verse i realize that this is because i am not completly giving it to Christ, i am doubting his authority and ability and trying to figure it out on my own! Thank you Christ for your helping hand! :)
Yes, James!
6.) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
This is one awesome promise! Can we really say that whenever we pray, we are expecting that the Lord will answer it? This should be something to keep in mind, we need to be, like Derek said, trusting in our Lord and everything that He can and will do!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…
A lot of the times when Christians are faced with difficult challenges, it is so easy to look to God and say “why”!!!! We think, “If he loves us so much, why would he bring this upon us.” The truth is, as it says another part in the Bible, God always has a purpose for struggles in our life, and we always will come out of it because God never gives us something we cannot handle!!! We need to be considering our trials as gifts from God that should help us, if we take it the right way, become a stronger Christian and ultimately grow closer to God!!!
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does
James is one of my favorite books and Chapter 1 is off the chain. Just incredible. So many good nuggets. This verse is one I go back to often, because I am doubter. It is one of my weaknesses. But every-time I read it I am struck by vs 7 A man who doubts should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. Doubting isn’t something to take lightly. If I truly have placed my trust in Jesus Christ no matter what the circumstance or situation then I will have a peace and understanding and will receive the blessings that come from the Lord. Vs 8 also says that is you are a doubter you are unstable. I know one thing I don’t want to be is unstable. For where is my foundation then. Doubting is a tactic of the devil to get us to question God. So lets remember that doubting leads us no where and as James vs 7 says we should not think we will receive anything from the Lord if we doubt.
I am so Excited for Revival !!! 4 days :]
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves
————————————————
That I should listen to everything and not get mad so easy and neither should I get mad at the littlest things.
That we either listen to the Word and not care for it and ignore everything you heard or you can listen to the word and go out and do what the Lord says.
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
Some times the world will say god isnt real and all sorts of things, but true believes shall not fall for these temptations and stay strong in the faith of the Lord
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
God has given us the same opportunity as Solomon. All we have to do is ask, and God will give us wisdom. We should all pray for wisdom so that we may better serve the Lord and bring the gospel message to others.
f any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him
The more I learn the more I learn how much I d still need to learn. Forgot how the saying goes but the point is we have Heavenly Father who tells us to ask for wisdom and he gives it to us generously. What an awesome promise. Please give me wisdom Lord so that I may bring glory to your name!!
Praying for Revival that hearts will be changed and connections from brain to heart will be established. We Implore you on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” In such an instructive book, we should have this especially in mind. But also, in everything that we read, listen to, and digest in the Bible, we should do it! (and have a desire to) As Revival is coming closer and closer we should be “quick to listen” but also quick to “show what you’re working with”! God help me to do what your Word says, and not just read through it and listen to it!
REVIVAL 09 IS COMING!
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
This is a great verse to remember. We know that God is good and that He doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We also know that all good comes from him. so we should be thankful and always be thinking about the fact that any good we do is because of him.
I read…
I liked verse 7… “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” I love it that we are now in James. It is packed full of verses to meditate on. I liked this particular verse because it gives us hope when we are going through tough times. We can look to the eternal rewards that we will receive during them. I pray that we would be ready everyday to have Christ’s hupomone because if we are Christians, the Devil will try everything to bring us down. Pray everyday that you would have the strength to resist temptation.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Anything can give birth to sin so you have to watch yourself. Desire = Envy, it’s a heck of a lot easier to sin than to walk with God so watch your heart.
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
I am reading a book right now called “Pursuit of Holiness”. And i just read a chapter that totally talked about this!! God is perfectly and completely Holy. There is no wrong in Him. Because God is completely Holy he can not sin nor even tempt us to sin!!!!
God hates sin!! He can not tolerate it at all. In the book it talks about becoming more Holy and it says this “the more we ourselves grow in holiness the more we hate sin” I think this is awsome to see! The more that we become Christ like we will come to hate and dispise sin like God does!!!
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Blessed means happy. We can be happy when we endure the trials in our lives by being obedient to God through them. This verse has been a huge lesson in my life because I memorized this chapter the summer before last and I think about this verse all the time since then. When situations are difficult and I don’t know why or what the outcome will be I try to remember this and just quickly thing what God wants me to do or how he would be pleased for me to respond so I can be sure to be obedient in that test. I’m so thankful for the reminder of this today, very timely.
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
this verse is convicting becasue i need to be quick to listne and slow to speak and become angry. the Lord tells us to obey his word and it clearly says in his word that that we need to be quick to listen and slow to speak and become angry. everytime i speak and get angry before i listen i am disobeying God’s word and i need to work on that. the Lord has convicted me a lot lately and i am trying hard to obey him and follow his word.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
listening is half the battle. this weekends sermon was really good because listening is only half the battle and it reminds me that im not just called to listen to the sermons and God’s word, i need to live it out! i need to do what it says. merely listening to the word is decieving yourself. everytime i just listened to a sermon or something God was telling me in his word i was decieving myself. i need to not only listen to God’s word when it tells me to be quick to listen and slow to speak and get angry, i need to do what is says. i need to live it out everyday!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
MMMMM This is something that is particularly hard for me, and is something that the Lord is trying to teach me right now. I am going to put my trust fully in the Lord, and in nothing else to get me through these hard times. And through it all, i will develop perseverance as God promises here! I am so ready to see what God has planned for me through all of this.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
This verse is so encouraging to me. The Lord is full of promises, ones that He WILL KEEP! That is so amazing to me. I know that the Lord is always there, and will never disappoint me. He is steadfast and a firm foundation. There is so much for me to learn here during this trial, and i am just hoping that i grasp everything the Lord is throwing at me! I don’t want to miss anything! (:
4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
this is an important part that goes with what bobby said about being doers and not just listeners of the word. it is important to not only follow through with what God commands us to do, but to also continue in it with perserverance. i want to take being a doer of the word one step further by continuing in perserverance
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
I liked how Bobby put this once when he was saying how it’s easy to think we are doing more for Christ than we really are. We might hang out with Christian friends and hear sermons on the weekends; we might even totally agree with what Bobby is saying in the sermons and might even think that’s how I should be living. But we are deceiving ourselves if we think we are then living for Christ if really we are just like the person in the next couple of verses who listens and agrees with the Word but then forgets it. I need to be examining the Word in such a way so that I will remember it, which means things like relistening to sermons and taking more time to meditate in my Bible reading. And then with God’s Word on my mind, I need to start actively doing good rather than fooling myself in thinking I am living more righteously than I actually am.
It is timely to read this chapter today after our last two sermons have come from these verses!
Also, it is encouraging to read so many comments about them!
My prayer is that we will be doers of the Word at True North! Not people who are deceived by the paralogizomai but those who have truly receive the logizomai of God considering us righteous through Christ!
I am off to New Mexico tomorrow and will miss you guys at Beach Night!
But I will get things ready for the week of our lives at Revival 09!
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
This is very hard for me. I find it very hard to celebrate when things get rough. Even though life can at times be very difficult, we need to trust that God is doing what is best. It helps to rember that there is a reward for every difficult thing that I go through, and that should help me to have a positive outlook on whatever happens in my life.
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
The next time we are tempted, we should remember this verse. It is a very realistic reminder of the sin’s horrible nature. This should deter us away from any sin that we are tempted to commit.
James 1”
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The word “religious” refers to external observances. The outward ritualistic practices which a person may think are commendable
This is a great follow up to Bobby’s message this past weekend on listening and doing. Verse 26 talks about someone who thinks they’re a Christian but are not doing what the Bible commands about self control over their filthy language or gossip. If we do not put into practice what we are learning and hearing than we are deceived and our faith is worthless. Let’s not forget that God cannot fellowship with people who are unclean and unholy.
Is our conduct and character pure and faultless? Or are we deceived by the world and its moral filth. Verse 27 makes it very clear that our Holy God only accepts those who are pure and faultless. We need to make sure that our lives are not being polluted by the world but that our lives are being sanctified thru the Holy Spirit.
James 1:21-22 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Revival 2009 “WHO WANTS IT MORE”
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
The poor man is blessed for he gave his life to God and lives his life for Him. We need to help the people who do not live for God and who beleive wealth is more important. The man who undergoes trails will recieve a crown of life in Heaven for He has repented and turned towards God. If you haven’t you should. Turn away from your sins and get a crown that will last forever.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
These are great verses because everyone goes through hardships and we all need to persevere through it because through it all we have our brothers and sister helpiing us get through it. One thing is for sure that God is always there for us in hard times even if we don’t feel it we need to have faith.