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- Feb 19, 2020
- 3 min
Rich Man, Poor Man
Today’s Verse Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. ~James 5:1 Is it wrong or a sin to be rich? Does God despise rich people? When we read James’ epistle, we see that he had to address many things that were wrong about those who were rich. These rich people were being warned so that they would repent of their behavior. James gave them a stern warning about coming judgment if they did not repent. In effect, he told them that they wou
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- Feb 3, 2020
- 3 min
He Giveth More Grace
Today’s Verse But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ~James 4:6 The Book of James teaches us about the gifts of God. God’s gifts are good, perfect, heavenly, and Father-sent. In our devotion this morning, James encourages us about the gift of grace. We typically think of grace as it relates to salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, l
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- Feb 1, 2020
- 3 min
Just Ask
Today’s Verse: Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. ~James 4:2 Yesterday, we considered one of the greatest commands given for us to pray. God wants us to pray to Him. He commands us to pray to Him. However, perhaps the greatest sin of every Christian is the sin of prayerlessness. Tell me about your prayer life and praying, and I will tell you what kind of Christian you are. In the early
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- Jan 30, 2020
- 3 min
Perfect Wisdom
Today’s Verse: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ~James 3:17 Of the many virtues one should have in his possession, wisdom would most likely rank near the top. Wisdom is more than just education and knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to discern, prepare, and decide. Wisdom is to be loved (Proverbs 8:17). Wisdom is a gift from God (James 1:5)
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- Jan 26, 2020
- 3 min
As Thyself
Today’s Verse: If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: ~James 2:8 What does it mean to love thy neighbor as thyself? We live in an age when people have the extreme of being narcissistic or having very low self-esteem. Our culture is strongly characterized by apathy and indifference to the needs of others. I think of the indifference Christians have to surrendering their lives for the proclamation of the gosp
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- Jan 20, 2020
- 3 min
Pure Religion
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 1:27 The word “religion” has the connotation of worship and the practice of a belief. This word is used to describe all belief systems. Biblically, it is used to describe the worship and service of God by those who have a personal and saving faith in Christ. I prefer to use the word “spiritua
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- Jan 17, 2020
- 3 min
Slow Down
Today’s Verse: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: ~James 1:19 A lady once came to Billy Sunday and attempted to rationalize her angry outbursts. She said, “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper. I blow up, and then it’s all over.” Mr. Sunday replied, “So does a shotgun, and look at the damage it leaves behind!” (Source: Soul Prescription, Bill Bright and Henry Brandt) This morning, let us see the strong admoniti
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- Jan 8, 2020
- 2 min
The Crown of Life
Today’s Verse: Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. ~James 1:12 The Olympic Games were one of the big events in Roman society. Athletes trained to win and receive the stephanos crown. This was a garland wreath made out of leaves that was placed on the head of the victor. It was recognition that this athlete competed among the best athletes in his event and was
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- Jan 4, 2020
- 3 min
Just Ask
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 1:5 As we start a New Year, I think we all feel like we could use more wisdom for the challenges and opportunities that are before us. Wisdom is seeing a situation and making a sound decision. It is the ability to foresee the evil and hide oneself. It is being circumspect in our behavior and not being foolish. Our devotion this
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- Jan 1, 2020
- 3 min
Counting Our Troubles
Today’s Verse: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; ~James 1:2 One of the basics of daily living is counting. We count our minutes. We count our money. We count our blessings. James starts his practical epistle by telling us to “count it all joy.” The word “count” means to esteem. It is also the word translated into “governor” and “chief.” It has the idea of giving top priority and eminence. As we start a New Year, let us see the priority of cou
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- Oct 12, 2019
- 3 min
The Friend of God
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 2:23 Of the many wonderful things to describe a man’s relationship to God, being called the Friend of God in Scripture ranks as one of them. This morning, we want to examine why Abraham stands out as a man who is called the Friend of God. There is the necessity. To not be a friend of God is to be at enmity
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- Oct 8, 2019
- 3 min
When Double is Trouble
Today’s Verse: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. ~James 1:8 Are you someone who has a hard time making decisions? Do you find yourself in turmoil because you have divided interests? James said that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” The idea of being double-minded means to be “two-souled.” Let us see the importance of being able to make solid decisions and being concretely stable about our belief. There is the characteristic of a double-minded
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- Jul 11, 2019
- 3 min
Patience Makes Perfect!
Today’s Verse: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ~2 Corinthians 3:17 Are you a patient person? Are you someone that has to be told, “Hold your horses”? All of us are born with a very low amount of patience. We are not patient when it comes to lines, traffic, getting our food at a restaurant, and, mostly, other people. We tend to rush, become irritable, and get very annoyed because of our lack of patience. However, patience is
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- Oct 15, 2018
- 3 min
Wise Up!
Today’s Verse: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ~James 3:17 Of the many virtues one should possess, wisdom should rank near the top. Wisdom is more than just education and knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to discern, prepare, and decide. Wisdom is to be loved (Prov. 8:17). Wisdom is a gift from God (James 1:5) Wisdom is acquired by follow
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- Oct 13, 2018
- 3 min
Playing Favorites
Today’s Verse: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. ~James 2:9 As a child growing up, my favorite part of the school day was right after we finished eating lunch. The boys would play basketball. Two of the boys would be opposing “captains” and take turns choosing from the rest of us players for their respective teams. The selection process was always based on who was the “favored” player. Being chosen early meant you
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- Oct 9, 2018
- 2 min
Can We Be Friends?
Today’s Verse: 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. ~Exodus 18:14 Many years ago, Dale Carnegie wrote a bestselling book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People. It is a very helpful book on making and keeping friends. However, the best book on the subject of friendship is the Bible. The Bible contains many valuable principles and practices on this subjec
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- Sep 28, 2018
- 3 min
The Mirror Image
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 1:25 One of the most important articles we cannot do without is a mirror. Long before the mirror was invented, people would look at a clear body of water to see their faces. A mirror helps us to determine how we look and the image we are giving to people about our face. James uses the m
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- Aug 17, 2018
- 3 min
Pure Religion
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 1:27 Some questionnaires we might be asked to complete will have the question, “What religion or religious faith are you?” The word “religion” has been accepted as meaning, “What is your faith persuasion? What do you practice? What is it that you believe in?” However, as we will see this morn
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- Jul 19, 2018
- 3 min
Wise Up
Today’s Verse: 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. ~James 1:5 Are you a wise person? Being wise is one of the highest pursuits of life. Being wise is the ability to make sound decisions. Being wise is learning from your mistakes, and not making the same mistake twice. Being wise is listening to the counsel of older and wiser people. Being wise is being a problem-solver. In our devotion
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