Devos 365

James 1:16-18 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James writes at a time when the world worshipped a pantheon of gods. They were very “human” in their character traits but endowed with the powers that made them gods. Of course they were human in their thinking – they were created by humans! They were also capricious and extremely unpredictable. They could be manipulated and caused to change their minds or actions through bribery and flattery. They also warred regularly with one another and mankind usually suffered the fallout from such battles. The gods of Greeks and Romans were tough to get along with. In just a few short verses, James describes a God who is the polar opposite o

James 1:12-15 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James speaks to two different sources of trial for us. Back in verse 2 he points to those trials that come from without; those events that happen to us unexpectedly and without our input. Now in verse 12 James speaks of those trials we subject ourselves to because the desires of our sinful flesh always have an idea. Have you ever worked with (or raised as a parent, like I did) a person who always has a plan? They are the idea people. They come up with a pr

James 1:9-11 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. My Dad always used to joke that “money can’t buy you happiness . . . but I’d be willing to give it a whirl.” And then we would all laugh because we knew that none of us would ever have massive wealth. Did you know that the Bible has more to say about wealth than it does about salvation? I think that’s because salvation is a much simpler concept. Dealing with wealth – that’s a tough one! James takes a couple of sentences here in the midst of his discussion of trials, faith, and doubt to level the playing field. Throughout history the wealthy have received all the attention, the accolades, and the power. Nothing has changed. We live

James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The discussion of the wisdom half of this equation is simple. Wisdom is good. Wisdom is desirable. Wisdom is ours for the asking! But James, as he wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, ties wisdom with its opposite – doubt. Doubt isn’t as much fun to talk about; in fact it can be painful for we are all intimately aware of our own doubts. The question always arises, which way will you allow your doubts to take you? Will they draw you closer to God and His wisdom, or will they carry you into unbelief? Doubts are not necessarily sin, but they can become a probl

James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Wisdom and doubt; two huge topics when thinking about our faith. Both have been the subject of much study and scholarship and yet James mentions them almost in the same breath as he begins his instruction about living out our lives with Jesus Christ. There has never been a time in my life when I did not attend church and Sunday School. Somewhere along the way, one of my pastors or teachers taught me that if you ask for wisdom, God’s answer is always “yes”. Apparently the lesson was on James 1:5 that day, for indeed that is what the passage says. Ask for wis