James 1, Just Do It

 

James 1, Just Do It.

The brother of Jesus wrote this letter to explain that “faith without works is dead.” This makes it clear that people will never really know what Christians believe until they see the manner in which they live.

Imagine what it would be like to have an older sibling that was perfect. Jesus apparently had several brothers, none of them believed in Him until near the end of His ministry here on earth. James was the one brother that visited Jesus after His resurrection. Jesus had a special task for James and that was to lead the newborn Christians in Jerusalem. James became a pillar of that fellowship along with Peter and John. James advised the believers to be joyful during trials and troubles. Everyone faces trials in one form or another. We cannot control what we will encounter, but we can control the stress level the situations cause. Instead of being stressed, we can try being joyful. This is not a natural reaction, but one that the Holy Spirit can provide. It means choosing an attitude that looks expectantly to the lessons God will teach and the wisdom He will provide.

James tells us that if we “lack wisdom, let him ask God.. and it will be given to him.” Wisdom begins with God, who is the source. The first step to being wise is to have reverence for God, and then trust Him with our life. We become wiser as we become more like Christ. God’s wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, and full of mercy without partiality and hypocrisy.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation. Temptation comes from evil desires inside us. It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we act on it. God does not tempt His people, but He will allow Satan to tempt us for us to refine our faith and grow in our dependence on God. He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear. We can resist it by counting the cost and turning to God, asking Him for help and choosing to obey Him.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. We show others respect when we listen intently and speak carefully. When we listen to God we should not only hear but do what He says to do.

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. Through the Bible by J. Vernon McGee.