Posts with the tag “james”

Daily Devotional from James 5--Verse 16aTherefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.Confession of sin is an important part of walking with the Spirit. We don’t confess our sins to God only, it is equally important to confess to each other. When we confess our sins to each other, walls of tension, division, and strife melt away. Confession of sin ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from James 4--Verse 17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.Christians know that God hates sin, and as believers we are to do our best to live a  sinless life - to live in a manner worthy of our calling as children of God.Living a sin-free life seems like monumental task, and it gets worse as we learn there are two types of sin, known as sins...  Read More

Daily Devotional from James 3--Verse 5How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!In the fall of 2017, a 15-year-old boy was lighting some firecrackers and accidentally sparked a wildfire that destroyed 50,000 acres along the Columbia River Gorge. It burned for more than 3 months before it was fully contained. And, more than 6 months later, the fires were still found to be smoldering. Su...  Read More

Daily Devotional from James 2--Verse 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.Faith is empty if it doesn’t truly impact our actions. James was deeply concerned about believers having compassion for others because of their faith in Jesus Christ. This whole passage, he talks about treating the poor and the rich equally as well as caring for those in nee...  Read More

Daily Devotional from James 1--Verses 19-20Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.We should always endeavor to let grace precede our criticism. It is important that we listen to one another even if we have different opinions and that we respond in love and kindness to one anoth...  Read More

James 5:16Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. We are not naturally inclined to do anything of the sort. If we listen to our flesh, we’ll duck and weave. If we abide by our instinct, we’ll run and hide. It’s just the way we are. To reveal our faults to one another? No thank you. But to become a true community, this is a glitch we’ll need to overcome. N...  Read More

James 4:15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will love and do this or that.” Sometimes people can boast about their good intentions. “Nothing can tear me from this job.”“I will always be a part of this church.”“I will never…”“I will always…”“Yada, yada, yada” Wouldn’t it be better to preface such comments with “If the Lord wills”? And if it happens, then it happens. But why do we fee...  Read More

James 3:5How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! In the fall of 2017, a 15-year-old boy was lighting some firecrackers and accidently sparked a wildfire that destroyed 50,000 acres along the Columbia River Gorge. It burned for more than three months before it was fully contained. And, more than six months later, the fires were still found to be smoldering. Such a small cause produce...  Read More

James 2:5Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? A few years ago, I was able to take a short-term mission trip to the nation of Haiti, one of the poorest countries of the world. But I’ll tell ya right now, they are some of the richest people of faith. I arrived thinking I was there to help. But I ...  Read More

James 1:5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. No reproach. No condescension. Generosity in the extreme. That’s what it’s like doing business with God. You need the goods? He will deliver. Free of charge. Pallets upon pallets of wisdom dropped in your front yard. Do you need more? He’s got another shipping container. He...  Read More