Day 12 - James 5:13-20

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.


Terrie's Comments:

I guess when all is said and done James is a great place for us to start a praise list on youtube.  Praising God is always an appropriate response no matter what the situation.  

The instructions in this passage are often quoted but so often we fall short of following their direction in our lives.  

Suffering hardships?     - talk to God about it (not to everyone else first)  He will most likely bring peace before you even leave His presence which will alleviate the need to talk to others about it at all.

If you are happy?      - sing praises to God...celebrate with Him, thanking Him for the blessings.

If you are sick?      - call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of Jesus.  Such a prayer offered in faith (being sure of what we Hope for and certain of what we do not see) WILL heal the sick, the Lord WILL make you well.  This leaves no question as to if it is God's will to heal or not... the question is are we praying with faith in what God says or is our faith in what we see in the natural?  All too often our speech gives us away and it is clear that we do not have confidence in God's word no matter what we see in the natural.  We give up and say it must not be God's will to heal in this situation because the natural is not lining up.  Where is our Faith?  If you don't have confidence in God's word and you are still wavering between the faith in God's word or faith in the flesh it is time to spend some unhurried time in God's word.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God.  You can't have faith if you don't have the word in you to stand on.  Here just like when Jesus was walking on the earth, sin is linked to healing.  Jesus healed and forgave at the same time :-)

Just because we do not see something does not mean it is not true.  If that was the case then how could we stand and say that we are looking forward to entering God's heavenly kingdom?  We are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us... the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead!  We serve a living and active God! When Jesus walked on earth he didn't once say no to someone who came to him for healing.  Jesus is the great physician!  We can trust Him to heal.  

Do we believe that God sees us as righteous?  Do we believe that God hears our prayers?  Do we believe that God wants to heal us?  Do we believe that God will heal us?  What is our real view of the God we serve?  Does our view of God line up with the scriptures and what he says about himself?  Do we alter what scriptures really say to line up with what we have experienced or what others have experienced in the natural?  These are grounding questions but can also be glaring questions as to what we actually believe... Do we actually believe that God is who He says He is?  Do we trust in Jesus and what He accomplished at Calvary?  Do our actions and words line up with what we think we believe?  

Elijah was a MAN LIKE WE ARE... he prayed earnestly and his prayers were answered.  The prayers of a righteous man has great power and produces wonderful results.  The Bible is filled with testimonies of regular people that God used to do His will, not because they were special people but because He can use everyone to do His will.

Tori's Comments:

I find it interesting that he offers different, although similar, solutions for different situations. He doesn't say to praise when we are suffering, but to pray. To trust. And when we are happy, to praise God for it. Same with sickness. 


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 11 - James 5:1-12

5 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.

7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!

10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.


Tori's Comments:

"Don't grumble about each other" I think this goes along with nit-picking. We seem to forget how much God overlooks in us, and just judge each over from our self-built pedestals.

Verse 12 is another thing I have recently been struggling with. I realize just how much I want people to value my word, and I also realize it is far from that ideal.

Terrie's Comments:

Be patient as we wait for the Lords return.  I have said it many times, our time here on earth is so short.  We only have a possible 120 years.  In light of eternity that is just a small drop... in the word time is compared with eternity at one point and if we use that scale and we actually live to be 120 years old then we really only have the equivalent of 3.5 hours tops on God's clock here on earth.  What are we doing with it?... or perhaps the question we should ask is what am I letting God do with it?

If we were all honest with ourselves we are as patient many days as the Israelite's were...

Lord help us to keep an eternal perspective!

This is a short video clip called 

"Your Plan B Can Become God's Plan A | Don Moen Devotionals"

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 10 - James 4:11-17

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.


Terrie's Comments:

Verse 17 is a great concise definition of sin... when we are being led by the Holy Spirit this is our guide... "it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it"  

The Holy Spirit leads us, teaches us, comforts us, guides us.  He is that inner voice, that unction that we get inside, an overwhelming peace.  He causes scriptures to come alive and embeds them into our hearts and lives.  He brings others to help us when we cannot help ourselves.  God is not silent in the lives of His children.  If you cannot hear the Holy Spirit's voice get still with Him.  Take time to listen for Him.  Relationships don't often happen by accident they take time and priority.  Intimacy with God is no different.  He is ready to engage wholeheartedly whenever you make time for Him.  HE LOVES YOU!

Tori's Comments:

I have never thought about it that way, but I realize I can tend to brag about my future plans without realizing that it all depends on whether God carries them through or not. I can be down here scheduling in vain, for all I know!




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 9 - James 4:1-10

 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud
    but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.


Tori's Comments:

We must choose between God and the world. What will we go to to find our identity? Where do we choose to seek love and joy from

Where one is dependent on the ever-changing culture, the other is steadfast and full of love for us, enough to send His son to die on a cross. 

It's no contest, really. But why can't we tell the difference?

By the way, this song's not the only thing that's applicable. I love the music video, too: 

Terrie's Comments:

Friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God.  That is a pretty bold statement to make but it is true.  We are the bride of Christ.  So when we are chasing after the things of this world and acting like God's Holy scriptures are not true we are committing adultery.  

"resist the devil and he will flee from you" is quoted but how often is it quoted in context?

When we are friends with God without divided loyalties and we go to God with a pure heart and pure motives we also place ourselves in a position where we can resist the devil and he has to flee from us.  It is a heart that is in the position of complete submission to God's word and willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit is leading us to do.  

Being humble simply means not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.  It means realizing that God is God and we are not.  But also realizing that God sent His own son Jesus to die for us so we could be righteous before His throne.  Realizing that we have the same power inside of us as Jesus did.  Walking in the knowledge that all that we do and all that we say is through the power of the Holy Spirit given to us by God.  We can hold our heads up high knowing who we are in Christ and knowing that we have our awesome God working in us and through us.  


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 8 - James 3:13-18

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.


Terrie's Comments:
Today the part that is catching my eye is beginning in verse 14.  "if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart" 15 "jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom.  Such things are earthly, unspiritual and demonic" 16 "there you will find disorder and evil of every kind"

I am not sure about you but whenever something that is so common in our world as jealousy and selfishness are linked with the demonic and evil it causes my heart to stop for a second!  How often common things that are accepted as just a part of our lives here on earth are actually devices that the enemy uses to keep us in bondage to him?  I am not comfortable with the thought that my life could be used by the enemy for evil.  God please help me to flee from jealousy and selfishness like the plague that it is!!

There is a way to be free from our jealousy and selfishness... fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit who is alive in us will give us all that we need to walk in heavenly wisdom.  When we walk in heavenly wisdom in accordance with God's word we will be peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.  We will be full of mercy and we won't show favoritism, we will always be sincere.  We will be peacemakers and will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of rightousness.

Tori's Comments:

So I am still not complete sure what wisdom really is. But I do understand that it is something we use to follow God step by step in my life, walking with Him wholly.


Heavenly wisdom simply put is not only understanding the word of God but also being able to apply God's word in our lives.  

The wise man built his house on the rock.  He was wise because he not only knew that building a house on a firm foundation was a good thing to do in theory but he actually did it.  If he had just made plans to build his house on the rock but did not do it, he may have been a man with plenty of knowledge but not wise enough to apply that knowledge, therefore it would not have benefited his life at all.


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 7 - James 3:1-12

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.


Tori's Comments:

The tongue is SO powerful. I've seen my words break other people down and have had them break me as well. They've been used to cause fear, stir up hate, and have started wars. Words have divided people, churches, and nations.

You know what else words can do?

They can spread hope. And love. And joy and kindness and faith. And that's what we're called to do. To turn the tide.

Terrie's Comments:

Our mouths and the words we speak are so powerful.  I know that we are taught this as children... "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all".  I feel like our culture oozes with sarcasm and cutting remarks... could it be that this is another way that the enemy is attacking our world... could it be that our own mouths are being used as a tool of Satan to steal, kill and destroy God's creation?  

The Bible talks so much about the power of our words to bring life, to provide healing, to encourage, to build each other up.  It also has some very clear warnings about how we speak to each other.  Who are we letting control our tongues?  Are our words being used to bring glory to our savior and our king or are they being used to assist Satan in bringing destruction of various kinds?  Something to think about.

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 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!

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.

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