James 2:10-26
ATTENTION SUNCOAST TEENAGERS! WE ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME IN JACKSONVILLE! YOU CAN GO ONLINE TO WWW.TBC.ORG AND WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO FEED TONIGHT AT 7:30 PM. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE YOUTH CONFERENCE SERVICE WITH THE REST OF US.
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
What a powerful punch of a passage! This passage has quite a bit of information but the key idea is that If I trust in Christ then my faith will automatically have works. Remember how we always talk about it in youth group? I think we say: "If you believe something then your ACTIONS will prove it. " Remember the $20.00 Bill illustration?
This passage makes it clear that Faith without works is dead.
This idea is kind of controversial because many people including me believe that faith is the only requirement for salvation. However, several people try to justify their sin by saying that "Salvation is by faith, not by works."
YEs, it is, but Salvation will ALWAYS bring good works. If we are saved then we WILL see a difference in our life. Is there a difference in yours?
THURSDAY, April 3rd, 2008
James 2:1-9
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
This passage makes it clear we are not to treat one person better or worse because of the money they have, or because of the way they dress, or anything like that. We must understand that God looks at man from the heart. That is how we should choose our friends. If we choose people who have a pure heart, then we become more like God, because God does not choose the rich, for their money, God chooses the poor. I was lost and poor in sin, but Jesus came and rescued me! This passage ends by making it clear that we are not to repspect certain people over the rest, but we should honor all man for the glory of God. If you pick and choose to respect certain people with "partiality" then you sin. Lets love and respect all!
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
This passage makes it clear we are not to treat one person better or worse because of the money they have, or because of the way they dress, or anything like that. We must understand that God looks at man from the heart. That is how we should choose our friends. If we choose people who have a pure heart, then we become more like God, because God does not choose the rich, for their money, God chooses the poor. I was lost and poor in sin, but Jesus came and rescued me! This passage ends by making it clear that we are not to repspect certain people over the rest, but we should honor all man for the glory of God. If you pick and choose to respect certain people with "partiality" then you sin. Lets love and respect all!
WEDNESDAY, April 2nd, 2008
James 1:19-27
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
There is so much amazing content in this passage! Let me start at the beginning! It is easy for me to justify my frustration or anger when I am upset about something. However the next verse makes it clear that when I have wrath or "anger" then I do not have righteousness, or "Godliness". When I get angry, I need to lay apart, or separate myself from any kind of filthiness, or ungondliness. Then the passage begins to talk about being do'ers and not just hearers. That is what I am working on, I must not be just a hearer, but I must do what God works in my heart to do. The only thing that will help me do those things is what verse 25 talks about. It says that If I am going to grow in the Lord, then I need to open His Word and look into it, as if it were a mirror to compare my actions to the Word of God. Then I will see what I need to fix. By you doing your devotions tonight, you understand how important it is to get in the word. So, STAY FAITHFUL!! Do it every day. Look in the spiritual mirror to see what you need to fix today. (and tomorrow and the next day)
Be Faithful in His Word!
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
There is so much amazing content in this passage! Let me start at the beginning! It is easy for me to justify my frustration or anger when I am upset about something. However the next verse makes it clear that when I have wrath or "anger" then I do not have righteousness, or "Godliness". When I get angry, I need to lay apart, or separate myself from any kind of filthiness, or ungondliness. Then the passage begins to talk about being do'ers and not just hearers. That is what I am working on, I must not be just a hearer, but I must do what God works in my heart to do. The only thing that will help me do those things is what verse 25 talks about. It says that If I am going to grow in the Lord, then I need to open His Word and look into it, as if it were a mirror to compare my actions to the Word of God. Then I will see what I need to fix. By you doing your devotions tonight, you understand how important it is to get in the word. So, STAY FAITHFUL!! Do it every day. Look in the spiritual mirror to see what you need to fix today. (and tomorrow and the next day)
Be Faithful in His Word!
TUESDAY, April 1st, 2008
No Devotions Today!!
APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!
Ha! I Crack Myself Up!
James 1:9-18
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Often times, I hear people say: "Why would God tempt us, if He knows we are going to sin?" And that sounds like a valid question doesnt it? This passage answers it. God does not tempt us! We are tempted when we take our eyes off of God and focus on our own lusts. Then our lust leads to sinful actions and our sinful actions leads to a life of destruction. It is not Gods fault it is ours. We will face much less temptation, and overcome what we do face much easier if we simply keep our focus on our Savior.
James also tells us DO NOT BE DECEIVED! It is so easy to be tricked into thinking that sin will be worth it, but the fact is, sin will only be worth death.
This passage is full of so much. What else did you get from it?
APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!
Ha! I Crack Myself Up!
James 1:9-18
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Often times, I hear people say: "Why would God tempt us, if He knows we are going to sin?" And that sounds like a valid question doesnt it? This passage answers it. God does not tempt us! We are tempted when we take our eyes off of God and focus on our own lusts. Then our lust leads to sinful actions and our sinful actions leads to a life of destruction. It is not Gods fault it is ours. We will face much less temptation, and overcome what we do face much easier if we simply keep our focus on our Savior.
James also tells us DO NOT BE DECEIVED! It is so easy to be tricked into thinking that sin will be worth it, but the fact is, sin will only be worth death.
This passage is full of so much. What else did you get from it?
MONDAY, March 31st, 2008
James 1:1-7
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
This passage is the beginning of the book of James and what an interesting passage it is! James introduces himself in the first verse and then he gives the theme of this passage in verse 2. He says, be happy when you face trials... If you are like me, you may be thinking... WHAT?!?!
Be happy when I am facing a trial in life? And God says, YES! Be happy, because the testing of your faith makes you better and stronger. Then God adds on a bonus by telling us, If we are concerned about failing this trial, then we simply need to ask God for the wisdom we need to get through it. God says that if we ask in faith. Then we will get the wosdom we ask for. But we recive nothing if there is no faith.
I want to ask God for wisdom all the time, so that when I face different issues in life, I will have the wisdom necessary to glorify God.
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
This passage is the beginning of the book of James and what an interesting passage it is! James introduces himself in the first verse and then he gives the theme of this passage in verse 2. He says, be happy when you face trials... If you are like me, you may be thinking... WHAT?!?!
Be happy when I am facing a trial in life? And God says, YES! Be happy, because the testing of your faith makes you better and stronger. Then God adds on a bonus by telling us, If we are concerned about failing this trial, then we simply need to ask God for the wisdom we need to get through it. God says that if we ask in faith. Then we will get the wosdom we ask for. But we recive nothing if there is no faith.
I want to ask God for wisdom all the time, so that when I face different issues in life, I will have the wisdom necessary to glorify God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
