Day 6 - James 2:20-26

20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.


Terrie's Comments:

Abraham and Rahab were both saved through their faith (they believed that God would do what he said he would do).  Their faith was proved by their actions.  If they had not acted on that belief it would have meant nothing.  Anyone can speak faith but it is when action is required that we prove our allegiance to God and where are loyalties really lie.

Tori's Comments:

I think this is legalism's downfall. There are times when, according to the law, people are commended for things we consider bad.

Rahab lied, and was saved because of it.

Abraham almost KILLED his son. Never heard anyone share that particular good deed in church. 

But it's all about the heart. And walking with the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Golly! He lives inside of us. He's not even a breath away. Isn't that just fantastic? We just follow where we're led, and listen closely, and then we will never have to worry about a single thing.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 5 - James 2:12-19

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.


Tori's Comments:

I think this passage is really insightful when it comes to sorting out how we're saved. It seems kind of like he's saying our actions are what save us, but we know elsewhere that it's our faith in Jesus Christ, who died for us. But if you really believe in God... really believe him when he says:
-you are free
-you are healed
-you are loved
-you are mine
If you really believe those things, how could you possibly keep sinning? If people realized just how much God loved them, fully realized it, then the idols we make of the world would be like "menstrual rags" (Isaiah 30:22- a good find yesterday). I mean, who cares about money when the Creator of the world calls me his "prized possession"?!
Of course, we're human, and we forget. But realizing it, I feel, is the start of a whole journey towards learning to fix our eyes completely on Christ, and life becomes more of a race where all you can see is the finish line with Jesus's arms wide open.

Terrie's Comments:

Saying we believe is not enough.  We are transformed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to live lives that overflow with the fruit of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control).  We are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to use to spread God's good news and live out what He has called us to.

When we confess Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives we will be changed and it will overflow into our actions and our words naturally by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us!  We are new creatures in Christ!  The old has gone and the new has come.

I thought of this song because it talks about walking by faith and not by sight.  Walking is an adjective.  It is not a passive thing.  I love the image in this song in the part where it talks about it is easy to talk about walking by faith and not by sight when all is well... what about when your personal world crashes?  Are you still willing to walk with God step by step out onto the water?  This is when faith gets real.  The times in our lives when we have no idea what is going to happen but we have chosen to live trusting God no matter what... the question is not will God rescue me it is rather a question of how will God rescue me... will he call me to walk on water or split the water so I can walk on dry ground?  Both have happened :-) 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 4 - James 2:1-11

1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.


Terrie's Comments:

This passage talks so much about our motives and speaks to very real struggles that many of us have internally.  The drive to please those around us instead of the drive to please God with pure motives out of His love.  We are called to see everyone through God's eyes, a precious child of God.  No matter what we see on the outside or what is coming from the inside of a person, All of our sins were nailed to the cross.

Tori's Comments:

As much as I would like to say it sin't true, favoritism is such a big thing in the world that it's hard to keep from seeping into my own life. But I realize that we are all one in Christ, united, regardless of age, gender, and amount of money.




Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 3 - James 1:19-27

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.


Tori's Comments:


"slow to speak" That may take some work from me around certain people. I can get caught up in talking about myself, and I forget that going on and on isn't love. But listening often is.

And just like in the past few verses, often when I talk, I do so without thinking. Words are SO powerful.

                                  

Terrie's Comments:

The idea of listening more and choosing to speak words of life are both things that God has been pointing out a lot lately in my life.  The word says life and death are in the power of the tongue.  We have also heard plenty lately about not getting into useless discussions, debates and arguments.  The world was created with words... they do have power!

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Some Technical Issues... We hope we have found the answer :-)

You may have noticed that our banners have been delayed in being changed and some other update aspects have been delayed.  We have had to change the software that we use to create our banners and headers and other images on our website and blog.  We have found a new program that we are trying out so hopefully tomorrow we will be up and fully functioning again :-)  Thank you so much for your patience during the time of transition.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 2 - James 1:9-18

9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Terrie's Comments:
Our first song of today "Words" by Third Day was picked because it talks about everything being temporary except God's word.  Verses 9-11 talk about how temporary our lives are.  

I picked out the second song "Good Good Father" because of verse 17 - reminding us that we do have a good Father and everything that is good and perfect comes from Him.  

I LOVE that we are his prized possession.... OUT OF ALL CREATION he chose us to be his prize!


Tori's Comments:

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 1 - Jammin' Out With James - James 1:1-8

We decided to call this challenge "Jammin' Out With James"  We will be adding music videos on each day of songs that are brought to mind or we may throw in something random.  ENJOY!


1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.

Greetings!

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.


Tori's Comments:

Just super excited to jam, y'all.

This is fantastic timing, by the way. I have to memorize the book of James for a class I have in two weeks. So I will be reading it on here with similar timing to how I'm memorizing it. I love it!

"Their loyalty is divided between God and the world" (1:8). I know I have to choose, and it almost feels like something I need to constantly be renewing as I get distracted by the shiny things the world has to offer ALL THE TIME. Who am I going to choose to be my all in all? My everything?


Terrie's Comments:

When you ask for wisdom, be sure that your faith is in GOD ALONE.  Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world... this makes them unstable in everything they do.  

Oh Lord please help me to have a pure loyalty and devotion to you and your kingdom alone!  I feel the instability and unsettled feelings of wavering.  Please help me to not waiver and stabilize my every step as I walk with you.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!