James 1: 1-18:
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:Greetings.
Trials and Temptations
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 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 will fade away even while they go about their business.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Greetings.
In verse one, we learn who James is- a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We also learn who he is speaking to: the twelve tribes-the Jewish people .
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Wow- does that verse hit y'all (OK, the Texas is all over this sentence :-)) like it does me? Have you faced trials in your life? I certainly have on numerous occasions. It brings me comfort to know that these trials are worth something. That is a balm to my wounds. It encourages me to "take them like a man"- without so much complaining and "woe as me" mentality. These trials will develop in me perseverance because they make me rely on faith alone. It requires me to press on until the end of the trial- until I am "mature and complete"- or perfect. I also noticed in this passage that it says "trials"- not "a trial"- meaning there will be more than one in my life. It is refreshing to my soul to know that whichever trial I do face, God is molding me through my perseverance alone to perfect me. I just need to keep calm and carry on...
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
If everyone in the world knew that if they believed and asked God for wisdom they would receive it- what would our world be like? These verses make me think of Solomon- the wisest man in the Bible. In 1 Kings 3:12 God says to Solomon "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart..." Why is it so hard for us to accept a free gift? All we have to do is believe and ask...
Verse 6 through verse 8 make me think of the woman who just can't decide how she feels about something...she makes a decision and then she doubts, she has a double mind and her decision was not made on a firm foundation- it may waver with the company she keeps. How can we expect to receive the fullness that God has for us if we waver in our faith of Him? Ultimately, we have to pick a team and build a foundation upon it (preferably on the solid rock of Christ), or we will be living on shifting sand with nothing to keep us from falling under.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 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 will fade away even while they go about their business.
This reminds me of Matthew 19:24: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." We need to be reminded to have humility in all of our circumstances and that our life on Earth is temporary. Riches here on Earth mean nothing.- they will die as quickly as the flowers on my front porch. Verse 11 gives me a clear visual because of the Texas heat we are currently experiencing- "the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty destroyed." Each time I walk past my drought stricken plants, they will remind me of the rich man who faded away while being distracted by working to be rich and how as a Believer I should be honored that I keep company with Christ and do so with humility and a grateful heart.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
Has anyone ever said to you, "God will not give you more than you can handle."- Well, that comment most likely comes from 1 Corinthians 10:13. "13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." I love this verse. We must not give into to our sinful desires. Our culture often puts blame on circumstances, etc. when the root of our "death" as it is described verse 15 is our own sin. God is faithful and He will provide a way out so that you can endure your current trial. All we need to do is seek Him. - In persevering we will receive the "crown of life" or salvation.
I am sure like me, you have quoted or seen verse 17 many times. In its context I recognize that God does not tempt people, but He does offer good and perfect gifts. I love verse 18- that through His word, we will be like firstfruits of all creation- what does it mean to be His "firstfruits"?- Just as it is written in 1 Peter 1:23, "for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." Now that, salvation in Christ, is a good and perfect gift.
I was so challenged and encouraged by reading James Ch. 1: 1-18 this week. The book of James is definitely a call to action. It is a challenge to seek God first and press on! It is a reminder of just how much He loves us. Just as it is stated in John 14: 21: "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." By keeping His commands we are persevering through trials and through temptation. And our reward for doing so is growing closer to Him.
It is so amazing to see each time I open my Bible how God's Word is living and consistent. I hope that as you studied this text He brought to light some of the richness I took from the text and lots more. Feel free to post a comment if you would like to share what God revealed to you this week through these verses. Thank you for your obedience in seeking God and joining me on this journey. Looking forward to what God has in store for next week as we read Ch. 1, verses 19-27.
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