A Greeting From James

On Sunday afternoon, around 2:30 or so, we had a Bible study. I love doing Bible studies. I get something new from a passage, even if I have already read it. It’s refreshing to get someone else’s point of view on something rather than just your own. Well, Dad chose to read James 1. While he read and talked about various things, I was taking a couple of notes. So read on if you’d like o know my opinion about the first chapter of James.

1:13-14 – 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Dad wanted to tell us that it’s not God who tempts us; it’s satan, it’s the world which satan controls. God does let satan tempts us to see if we will stand faithful to Him. We live in a fallen world, that is corrupted with sin. We are all tempted because of our own sins and lusts, and we do fall. I fall. When I want to be angry, it’s not that hard to get angry. When I want a piece of chocolate, I want one. I try to control my lusts for things that aren’t good for me (including sins), but it’s hard. Even Jesus tempted with doing something sinful. He used the most powerful weapon against satan – the Scriptures. When a lust is in your mind, and you let it grow into a seedling, it becomes a sinful thing. And what is the result of sin? Death is, as it says in Romans 6:23,

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The next thing Dad talked about was the 19th verse, James bids us -

19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

If you read on a little more to verse 20, it tells what a wrathful man does -

20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Be slow to anger, and slow to speak, but be quick to hear. I a lot of times am guilty of becoming mad easily, and am too quick to speak, and not quick to hear what I am being told. You can’t be a doer of the Word if you are always angry. It’s sinful to be angry. It does not show Christian character at all, only that you are an angry, easily irritated, and mean person.

Also, in verse 26, it talks about bridling your tongue, and about just appearing to be religious when you are not -

26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

That man’s religion is in vain, because he is not a doer of the Word. He is deceiving himself in thinking he is doing good when he is not. We must be mindful of this. Sometimes we get to thinking we are better because we follow certain things the Bible tells us to follow, when really, we are just building ourselves up in pride. We get the whole “holier-than-thou” mindset. It’s wrong to think that way. it will ruin your thinking, and your spirit feeling this way. If your religion is vain, it means nothing before God.

In verse 27 it tells us what to do with our faith -

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

If someone has lost a father, or is a widow, you should comfort them in any way you can, try to bear their trials with them. The afflictions of the widows and the fatherless are many, whether it be in a spiritual way or in an earthly way, we should always try to help them.

In the second part of the verse, it talks about keeping unspotted from the world, which means to be clean, and not follow the dirty filthiness of the world. You cannot do this by yourself; you must have some help with it. I sometimes get caught up in worldly things, like blogging, and don’t do what I am supposed to. That is where we are tempted. Satan will use those things to manipulate us into thinking it’s ok when it’s not.

Let us not forget my friends, that James walked with Jesus and talked with Him. He taught him what he taught his disciples. We just need to open our ears, and not our mouths, and listen to what he says. Because you know, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, and for correction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work.” (by the way, that’s 2 Timothy 3:16&17. Look it up.)

To read the entire chapter of James 1, follow this link – James 1. It’s on my favourite site to get Bible verses and link to. It’s a great source of Bibles, in almost every kind you can find, and in 50 different languages.

Readin’ On,