1 J ames, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad: Greetings ( rejoice)!

This letter is from James. I am a servant owned by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I greet the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation living in many parts of the world. Take Hope When Tests Come

2 C onsider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.

My Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests.

3 B e assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

You know these prove your faith. It helps you not to give up.

4 B ut let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfectly and fully developed, lacking in nothing.

Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.

5 I f any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking.

6 O nly it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.

You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea.

7 F or truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything from the Lord,

Such a man will get nothing from the Lord.

8 a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything.

The man who has two ways of thinking changes in everything he does.

9 L et the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation,

A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God.

10 A nd the rich in being humbled, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

But a rich man should be happy even if he loses everything. He is like a flower that will die.

11 F or the sun comes up with a scorching heat and parches the grass; its flower falls off and its beauty fades away. Even so will the rich man wither and die in the midst of his pursuits.

The sun comes up with burning heat. The grass dries up and the flower falls off. It is no longer beautiful. The rich man will die also and all his riches will be gone.

12 B lessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.

The man who does not give up when tests come is happy. After the test is over, he will receive the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him. God Does Not Tempt Us

13 L et no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and He Himself tempts no one.

When you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone.

14 B ut every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).

A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do.

15 T hen the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.

When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.

16 D o not be misled, my beloved brethren.

My Christian brothers, do not be fooled about this.

17 E very good gift and every perfect ( free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all light, in Whom there can be no variation or shadow cast by His turning.

Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning.

18 A nd it was of His own will that He gave us birth by Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.

19 U nderstand, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.

My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.

20 F or man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God.

A man’s anger does not allow him to be right with God.

21 S o get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted contains the power to save your souls.

Put out of your life all that is unclean and wrong. Receive with a gentle spirit the Word that was taught. It has the power to save your souls from the punishment of sin.

22 B ut be doers of the Word, and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves.

Obey the Word of God. If you hear only and do not act, you are only fooling yourself.

23 F or if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his natural face in a mirror;

Anyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror.

24 F or he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like.

25 B ut he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer, he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).

But the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free.

26 I f anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren).

If a person thinks he is religious, but does not keep his tongue from speaking bad things, he is fooling himself. His religion is worth nothing.

27 E xternal religious worship '> religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.

Religion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world.