Author: David Short

James 2:14-16

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Personal Challenge

A big difference in Eastern Christianity and Western Reformed Christianity is how faith and works are dealt with. In both faith practices it is agreed to that all are saved through the work that Jesus did and our faith in Him. Eastern Christianity goes on to express that our salvation gets worked out, or grows, within us by our desire and willingness to do the good works of our Lord. We must be doing His good works. We do not stop with a profession of faith but follow it with actions. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

James 2:1-4

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Personal Challenge

In the Old Testament we have the story of Samuel, the prophet, who was asked by God to seek out the king of Israel that would be replacing Saul. Samuel, like so many of us today, looked at the stature and outward appearances of the sons of Jesse to determine who he thought God had chosen. Then God told him that none of his choices were correct because He had already chosen David, not for his looks, but for the state of his heart. How often do we treat those who appear to be more important in our lives, especially our churches, with higher esteem than those whose appearances offend us? Are we not sinning in this behavior? God demands that we treat the lowly, the dirty, the poor, the sinner, the alien amongst us, the scared pregnant girl, the uneducated, etc., with the love of Christ. We are to set them above the glamorous, the wealthy, the prestigious, if we are to be honoring God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Personal Challenge

It is not hard work to be a hearer of God’s word. Carve out a few hours per week to go to church, sit in your designated seat, and listen up. This is important for all of us to be a part of a community. Where the real challenge comes in, the hard work, is to put what we have heard into action. Are we lovingly reaching out to those who we are worshiping with and encouraging them to also be doers? Are we reaching out to those who are missing and checking in to see if they are okay? How about when we leave that couple of hours of listening behind us and we go into the world? Are we showing the love of God to our neighbor, to those in need, to those who are different than us? Are we giving of our resources, our time, our dollars, our love to those around us? If we are not living this way then we are deceiving ourselves. Lord, have mercy!

James 1:19-20

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to jump straight to being upset about something without taking the time to fully understand the situation. James reminds us to move quickly to the position listening to the other person in order to hear what is going on in the situation. We add to that listening a delay in speaking so that we can hear the full story. And then we should still move to the stage of wrath or upset, very slowly, if at all. This advise works in all aspects of life and will eliminate so many upsets and arguments. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

FROM ABOVE

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Encouraging Words

Everything that is good and perfect in our lives are truly gifts from our Father in heaven. Whether we follow Him or not, He still pours out His blessings and gifts on His creation, His beloved. He is constant in this, always has been, and always will be. If we open the eyes of our bodies, our minds, and our hearts, we will see just how much He is willing to pour into us in hope that we will turn to Him. He is the prodigal son’s father and we are the prodigal sons and daughters. Glory be to God!

James 1:14-15

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Personal Challenge

Our sin is what keeps us from being close to God. It becomes a wedge in our relationship with Him which can only be removed by Him. Sir is a result of our own desires that well up within us and that we do not deal with immediately by giving them to Christ and letting them be squashed. As we hold onto these desires they grow and ultimately result in sin. We are fortunate that we can seek God’s forgiveness and be washed clean of our sins, but how much better it is to avoid the sin altogether by dealing with the desire properly when it first arises. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

James 1:13

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to blame God for the temptations that surface in our lives. God does not tempt us. He uses all situations in our lives to show His love for us and to teach us to be like His Son. Often times our enemy, Satan, will tempt us, but usually it is our own actions, desires, and passions that lead us into Temptations. It is like the man who has determined to go on a diet to lose weight. He loves donuts. Every morning He goes to the donut store to get his cup of coffee and wonders why he ends up eating that special donut of the day. He made the choice to step into a tempting situation, Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Personal Challenge

All of us have within us a desire to be blessed and receive approval for doing the right thing. We can accomplish this by enduring temptations that come our way. We must always be prepared for the fact that the more temptations that we are victors over, the greater the next round of temptations will be. We also need to be ready for when we do fail and give into a temptation, that we must return to our Lord quickly, seeking forgiveness, and get back on track. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!