Scripture: James 2:15-18 Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. Someone might claim, “You have faith and
Scripture: James 2:13 There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy overrules judgment. Thought for the Day: I love scripture, and I love how a phrase or verse has me asking, “Have I ever read that before?” In this passage which had me asking that very question, I love the language of mercy overruling judgment. Even more so, I love how it
Scripture: James 2:5-8 My dear brothers and sisters, listen! Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor by worldly standards to be rich in terms of faith? Hasn’t God chosen the poor as heirs of the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the wealthy make life difficult for you? Aren’t they the ones who drag you into court? Aren’t
Scripture: James 2:1-3 My brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has been resurrected in glory. Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. Then suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes, saying, “Here’s an
Scripture: James 1:22-24 You must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. Those who hear but don’t do the word are like those who look at their faces in a mirror. They look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were like. Thought for the Day: Protestant theology has often struggled with this idea as it wants to rely entirely upon
Scripture: James 1:19-21 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. This is because an angry person doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save you. Thought for the Day: I
Scripture: James 1:17 Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all. Thought for the Day: When I do a public prayer, I often use similar language to that of James – O God, giver of all that is good, beautiful and life-giving… Now a lot
Scripture: James 1:13-14 No one who is tested should say, “God is tempting me!” This is because God is not tempted by any form of evil, nor does he tempt anyone. Everyone is tempted by their own cravings; they are lured away and enticed by them. Thought for the Day: That is some really good theology! We try to blame anyone and everyone for our feelings of temptation
Scripture: James 1:2-4 My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. Thought for the Day: To be honest, I am not a big fan of these words…especially in light of the
Scripture: James 1:1 From James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes who are scattered outside the land of Israel. Greetings! Thought for the Day: For the next few days, I am going to spend a little time in the book of James. Though a very popular book for some Christians, it was Martin Luther – the 16th century reformer –