HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1494
J A MES 3
“Abraham believed God, and God counted him
as righteous because of his faith.”* He was even
called the friend of God.* 24 So you see, we are
shown to be right with God by what we do, not
by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example.
She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent
them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as
the body is dead without breath,* so also faith
is dead without good works.
Controlling the Tongue
Dear brothers and sisters,* not many
of you should become teachers in the
church, for we who teach will be judged more
strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes.
For if we could control our tongues, we would
be perfect and could also control ourselves in
every other way.
3 We can make a large horse go wherever we
want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And
a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever
the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds
are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a
small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on
fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the
tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of
wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can
set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by
hell itself.*
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds,
reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the
tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly
poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have
been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same
page 1124
mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is
not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out
with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a
fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce
figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a
salty spring.*
— promises —
from God
So humble
yourselves before God.
Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you.
3
• Pretending
JAME S 3 :1 7
No matter how much we testify to the
Good News about Jesus, it rings hollow unless we demonstrate that it has
changed our lives. Unless our thoughts
and actions are in harmony with our
words, our speech will be meaningless
to those who hear it. Anyone can talk
about truth, but only people who are truly
redeemed can walk in truth. Our witness
is incomplete if it is only expressed by our
walk or our talk; both need to be present and need to confirm each other. In
what ways can your lifestyle more effectively demonstrate what you believe
about God?
JA M E S 4:7
True Wisdom Comes from God
13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways,
prove it by living an honorable life, doing good
works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there
is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up
the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy
and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom.
Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and
selfish ambition, there you will find disorder
and evil of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all
pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times,
and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy
and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 18 And those who are
peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap
a harvest of righteousness.*
Drawing Close to God
What is causing the quarrels and fights
among you? Don’t they come from the evil
desires at war within you? 2 You want what you
don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You
are jealous of what others have, but you can’t
get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away
from them. Yet you don’t have what you want
because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even
when you ask, you don’t get it because your
motives are all wrong—you want only what will
give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers!* Don’t you realize that
friendship with the world makes you an enemy
of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend
of the world, you make yourself an enemy of
God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no
meaning? They say that God is passionate that
4
2:23a Gen 15:6. 2:23b See Isa 41:8. 2:26 Or without spirit.
3:1 Greek brothers; also in 3:10. 3:6 Or for it will burn in hell
(Greek Gehenna). 3:12 Greek from salt. 3:18 Or of good
things, or of justice. 4:4 Greek You adulteresses!