|
|
Three Cord Ministries© The Christian Relationship Ministry of Ian and Marg Ridpath |
The Letter of James
James 1
1This letter is from James, a slave of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations.
Greetings!
2Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it
be an opportunity for joy. 3For when your faith is tested, your
endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your
endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for
anything.
5If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to
do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6But
when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful
mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the
wind. 7People like that should not expect to receive anything from
the Lord. 8They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth
in everything they do.
9Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has
honoured them. 10And those who are rich should be glad, for God has
humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. 11The
hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades
away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements.
12God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward
they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love
him. 13And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say,
"God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never
tempts anyone else either. 14Temptation comes from the lure of our
own evil desires. 15These evil desires lead to evil actions, and
evil actions lead to death. 16So don't be misled, my dear brothers
and sisters.
17Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who
created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting
shadows. 18In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by
giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice
possession.
19My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak,
and slow to get angry. 20Your anger can never make things right in
God's sight. 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong
enough to save your souls. 22And remember, it is a message to obey,
not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.
23For
if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but
doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24You see yourself, walk
away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you keep looking
steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what
it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you
are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27Pure
and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for
orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (NLT)
(Courtesy
of the Bible Gateway.com)