1 J ames, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. Profiting from Trials

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 M y brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

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

3 k nowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

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

4 B ut let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

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

5 I f 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.

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 B ut let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven 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 let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

Such a man will get nothing from the Lord.

8 h e is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The Perspective of Rich and Poor

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

9 L et the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

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 b ut the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field 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 no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Loving God Under Trials

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 is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord 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 by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

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 each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

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, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, 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 deceived, my beloved brethren.

My Christian brothers, do not be fooled about this.

17 E very good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of 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 O f His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Qualities Needed in Trials

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 S o then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

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

20 f or the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Doers—Not Hearers Only

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

21 T herefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able 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 hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

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

23 F or if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing 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 observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

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

25 B ut he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

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 among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

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 P ure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted 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.