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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!

James 1:5-6

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Personal Challenge

Yesterday, I wrote about the difficulties of trials and tribulations and how they lead us to gain patience. Today, James reminds us that it takes Godly wisdom to make it through these trials and tribulations and how we can get that wisdom. Unfortunately, we so very often act as if we do not need God’s wisdom. We go through life with our own concepts of wisdom or what we gain by our own means and then wonder why things are not going well. We must first acknowledge that our wisdom and the wisdom of man is not enough to deal with the spiritual warfare that will come our way. We must ask God fervently, in faith, with no doubting, in order to receive His wisdom to apply to the trials and tribulations in our lives. It is not about us, who we are, what we have done or know, that matters. It is all about God and what He liberally wants to give to those who seek Him. Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Personal Challenge

None of us like trials and tribulations. It is apparent throughout the scriptures that if we desire to follow in the footsteps o Christ that we must be ready for those trials and tribulations that attempt to thwart us. How are we expected to react to these trials and tribulations? With joy. It is in this joy that we realize this promise of patience from God, which has its perfect work completed within us. Glory be to God!

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Personal challenge

There is that difficult and challenging word again, “submission”. We have all been created in the image of God. However, due to the sin in the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were not willing to submit to the will of God we all now have the challenge of submitting to others. Here we are reminded that by submitting to those who rule over us, it will be profitable for us. It is never easy to submit to another. And sometimes the expectation of submission is wrong. In all cases we must submit to our Lord and follow His guidance to show us the right things to do. Glory be to God!

Hebrews 13:15-16

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Personal Challenge

What is our sacrifice of praise to God? It is the fruit of our lips. What we are saying to God as praise and giving thanks. What we are saying to others who were created in the image of God as we love our neighbor. It is the good works that we are to do at all times in His name and for the building up of His kingdom. It is the content of our hearts that need to be praising Him at all times. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Hebrews 12:28

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Encouraging Words

God, in His immense Love and grace is giving us a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It is an eternal kingdom filled with His presence. Our response to this great gift should be our lives full of grace and love for those around us. This is how we show our appreciation for His great love for us. Glory be to God!