SWIFT TO HEAR
James 1:19-20
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Personal Challenge
It is so easy to jump straight to being upset about something without taking the time to fully understand the situation. James reminds us to move quickly to the position listening to the other person in order to hear what is going on in the situation. We add to that listening a delay in speaking so that we can hear the full story. And then we should still move to the stage of wrath or upset, very slowly, if at all. This advise works in all aspects of life and will eliminate so many upsets and arguments. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
FROM ABOVE
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Encouraging Words
Everything that is good and perfect in our lives are truly gifts from our Father in heaven. Whether we follow Him or not, He still pours out His blessings and gifts on His creation, His beloved. He is constant in this, always has been, and always will be. If we open the eyes of our bodies, our minds, and our hearts, we will see just how much He is willing to pour into us in hope that we will turn to Him. He is the prodigal son's father and we are the prodigal sons and daughters. Glory be to God!
Saint of the Week
St. Basil the Great
OUR OWN DESIRES
James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Personal Challenge
Our sin is what keeps us from being close to God. It becomes a wedge in our relationship with Him which can only be removed by Him. Sir is a result of our own desires that well up within us and that we do not deal with immediately by giving them to Christ and letting them be squashed. As we hold onto these desires they grow and ultimately result in sin. We are fortunate that we can seek God's forgiveness and be washed clean of our sins, but how much better it is to avoid the sin altogether by dealing with the desire properly when it first arises. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
WHO IS TEMPTING WHO?
James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
Personal Challenge
It is so easy to blame God for the temptations that surface in our lives. God does not tempt us. He uses all situations in our lives to show His love for us and to teach us to be like His Son. Often times our enemy, Satan, will tempt us, but usually it is our own actions, desires, and passions that lead us into Temptations. It is like the man who has determined to go on a diet to lose weight. He loves donuts. Every morning He goes to the donut store to get his cup of coffee and wonders why he ends up eating that special donut of the day. He made the choice to step into a tempting situation, Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
BEING APPROVED
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Personal Challenge
All of us have within us a desire to be blessed and receive approval for doing the right thing. We can accomplish this by enduring temptations that come our way. We must always be prepared for the fact that the more temptations that we are victors over, the greater the next round of temptations will be. We also need to be ready for when we do fail and give into a temptation, that we must return to our Lord quickly, seeking forgiveness, and get back on track. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
ASKING FOR WISDOM
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Personal Challenge
Yesterday, I wrote about the difficulties of trials and tribulations and how they lead us to gain patience. Today, James reminds us that it takes Godly wisdom to make it through these trials and tribulations and how we can get that wisdom. Unfortunately, we so very often act as if we do not need God's wisdom. We go through life with our own concepts of wisdom or what we gain by our own means and then wonder why things are not going well. We must first acknowledge that our wisdom and the wisdom of man is not enough to deal with the spiritual warfare that will come our way. We must ask God fervently, in faith, with no doubting, in order to receive His wisdom to apply to the trials and tribulations in our lives. It is not about us, who we are, what we have done or know, that matters. It is all about God and what He liberally wants to give to those who seek Him. Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
