From Pastor Perry

James 1:19–21 (ESV)

Hearing and Doing the Word (Part 1)

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

In the Lutheran Church, our banner is that we are saved by grace.  Sometimes we let this have a negative impact on us to the point we avoid good works for fear of giving a wrong impression.  Faith and works do go hand in hand, but we must realize that we are not saved by works, but by faith.  Works are proof of our faith… a by-product.  Lutherans are quick to claim Ephesians 2:8-9 and often forget verse 10.  The Word of God brings changes to us… a new life.  We are a new creation… and we are shaped by God’s will.  James brings this point out about hearing and doing.

I pray: O Lord, help me to not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk as well.  Help me to live according to your will.  Amen.

James 1:16–18 (ESV)

Testing of Your Faith

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.

Verse 17 speaks volumes: 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.  Here is what Lutheran Study Bible says about these last few sessions. James writes to struggling Christians who are facing many trials and temptations. Those who face such challenges may be tossed about (vv 5–8) and eventually destroyed by sin (v 15). Those who seek God’s wisdom endure trials (vv 2–4) and become stronger. In Baptism, God gives His struggling children the crown of life not because of their strength but because of His grace. In that grace, we can follow Him and live confidently in this world of struggles and uncertainty.

I pray:  O Lord, deliver me from my struggles, and grant me the gifts that come from You alone. Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who has given me new life. Lead me in Your wisdom until I am raised to receive the crown of life. Amen.^[1]

James 1:12–15 (ESV)

Testing of Your Faith

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.

Temptations and trials are actually good for our faith.  Yet we should not say “I am being tempted by God.”  Don’t let temptations lead you away from God, but to God.

I pray: O Lord, help me to remain steadfast under trials.  Amen.

James 1:9–11 (ESV)

Testing of Your Faith

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.

Let us worship the God, not the god of wealth and money.  You cannot buy your way into heaven, only believe your way there.  Let us be humble in our lives and focus on Christ.

I pray:  O Lord, you are my God!  Amen.

James 1:5–8 (ESV)

Testing of Your Faith

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.

Notice that in asking God, we ask without doubting.  But there is another verse that plays into this equation… and that is praying according to God’s will.  We must remember that in the Lord’s prayer, we pray “Thy will be done”… not My will be done.  In 1 John 5:14–15: The Bible states ¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

I pray: O Lord, help me to always trust and to always believe.  Help me to seek your will, not mine.  Amen.