SCRIPTURE; JAMES 1
INTRODUCTION:
The book of James may be the earliest of the New Testament letters written about A.D. 48. This letter was written by the half-brother of Jesus – James, who was one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. This letter was addressed to Christians everywhere to teach how to live a real Christian life. The central theme of James’ letter is about genuine faith that will inevitably produce good deeds.
MEMORY VERSES:
“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” (James 1:5)
“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.” (James 14:12)
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS (vs. 2-18)
Consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 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. 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. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in high high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For 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.
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. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Don ‘t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
LISTENING AND DOING (vs. 19-27)
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 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.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 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.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion and God our Father accepts as pure and faultless in this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the word!
THOUGHTS:
James gave illustrations by comparing it with nature:
- He compared doubt to the waves of the sea (v. 6)
- He compared riches to fading flowers (vs. 9-10)
- He compared evil desire to pregnancy (vs. 13-15)
- He compared listening to the word but not doing it to a vanish view (vs. 22-24)
James assumed that all of us will face many kinds of trials. And he advised us that when you face pain, you should have a positive outlook. He told you to turn our hardships into times of learning because tough times can teach you perseverance. Instead of complaining about your struggles, you should see them as opportunities for spiritual growth. Ask God to help you solve your your problems and give you the strength to endure them. Be patient because God will never leave you nor forsake you. Have faith in His promise to help you.
Wisdom means practical discernment. Whenever you need wisdom, you can pray to God and he will generously supply wisdom to guide your choices.
When you ask something from God, you must believe without doubting. Doubt leaves a person as unsettled as the restless waves. Expect that he will hear and answer your prayer by aligning your desires with his purpose. To stabilize your wavering or doubtful mind, commit yourself wholeheartedly to God.
Wealth, power and status mean nothing to God. All material possessions are temporary. We should find wealth by developing our spiritual life because what is lasting is our souls. What you have in your heart, not your bank account matters to God. And that is what will endure for eternity.
The crown of life is a reward God is giving to those who love him and remain faithful even under trials and pressure. It is an eternal reward when we go to heaven to live with God forever.
God tests people but he does not tempt them by trying to seduce them to sin. But God allows Satan to tempt people in order to refine their faith and help them grow spiritually. We can resist temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and obeying his Word.
A person who makes excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions is trying to shift the blame to someone else. A Christian must assume responsibility for his wrong doings, confess them and ask God for forgiveness.
James advised us to reverse the process of talking too much and listening too little. Put a mental stopwatch on your conversations and keep track of how much you talk and how much you listen. When people talk with you, do you listen to their viewpoints and consider their ideas valuable?
We should not be angry when our ego is bruised, when we lose an argument or when we feel offended or neglected. Those are selfish anger that we have to avoid. Instead, we should be angry when injustice and sin occur.
James advised us to get rid of all that is wrong and evil in our life and humbly accept the salvation message. After we have been saved, we have to listen to what God’s Word says, obey it and do it. We are mandated to give financial support to those orphans and widows who have no family members to care for them.
James said that a religious man must know how to tame his tongue and control his speech. Tongue is very tiny yet it is very powerful. The words we speak have both positive and negative effects. Positive words can uplift, inspire, build up and encourage people while negative words can depress, dishearten, tear down and discourage people.