Day 355 of 364

^1:1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings. ^1:2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, ^1:3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ^1:4Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ^1:5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ^1:6But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ^1:7For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. ^1:8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. ^1:9Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position; ^1:10and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away. ^1:11For the sun arises with the scorching wind and withers the grass; and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his pursuits. ^1:12Blessed is a person who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him. ^1:13Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ^1:14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. ^1:15Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death. ^1:16Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. ^1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow. ^1:18Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. ^1:19So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; ^1:20for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. ^1:21Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ^1:22But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. ^1:23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; ^1:24for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ^1:25But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. ^1:26If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ^1:27Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ^2:1My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. ^2:2For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, ^2:3and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool” ^2:4haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ^2:5Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him? ^2:6But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and personally drag you before the courts? ^2:7Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? ^2:8However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. ^2:9But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. ^2:10For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ^2:11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ^2:12So speak and so do as men who are to be judged by the law of freedom. ^2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. ^2:14What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? ^2:15And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, ^2:16and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? ^2:17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. ^2:18Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ^2:19You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder. ^2:20But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? ^2:21Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ^2:22You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected. ^2:23So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. ^2:24You see then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. ^2:25In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? ^2:26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. ^3:1Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. ^3:2For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. ^3:3Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. ^3:4Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. ^3:5So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! ^3:6And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna. ^3:7For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind; ^3:8but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ^3:9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God. ^3:10Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ^3:11Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? ^3:12Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water. ^3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. ^3:14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. ^3:15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. ^3:16For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. ^3:17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ^3:18Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.