James1: 2-4. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I must admit that I hate test. Growing up I did not like to study, especially spelling. Spelling words were difficult for me to learn. Long list of useless words, which filled the pages of our worksheets, bombarded my mind each and every Friday. Testing day was always on Friday and we would have a week to learn the new words. I confess that I waited until the last moment to study and I have a suspicion that this had something to do with my lack of testing well.

Test in life are inevitable, it’s a reality of life that each of us will face difficult times, yet it is in the midst of such testing or trials, that we discover who we are and how much we need the provision of our heavenly Father.

Struggle as much as I did in elementary school, the lesions I learned have guided me into my adulthood and have produced in me the qualities that I now process. Look at how this works which is lined out for us in scripture.

Trails produce faith, faith develops perseverance, perseverance finishes work, and this produces Christian maturity.

So Lord, bring on the test, I am ready to discover more of who you are and more of how much I need you in my life. And you said something about having pure joy? I want that as well. Amen.

James 4: 7 -10 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

What does this say about us? I find it rather convicting that James is reminding church people that this life is lived best when we lose control, or more correctly when we give control to God. I have taught over the years that living life is a series of choices. Every choice has a consequence and reaction. Therefore it is important that we make right choices, choices the reflect God in our lives.

James gives us some important instructions for making this right choice. Let me highlight these words for you. I have added my insight for clarification.

Submit yourselves
Surrendering my desires to God so that He is in control

Resist the devil
Walking away from evil

Come to God
Trusting in His power and grace

Wash your hands
An image of being cleansed by the blood of Jesus

Change
An act of choice to follow after God

Humble yourselves
Realizing that we are not God

There is a promise contained in this passage. The promise is that when we live under God's control; one day, He will lift us up. I look forward to that day. Amen.

JAMES 1:5-8
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

“If any of you lacks wisdom.” I can’t tell you how many times I have found myself in this dilemma. More times than I care to count I have come to the realization I don’t know what to do next. If you look closely at this passage, you will see that it relates to verses 1- 4 that deal with facing difficult times in our lives. The promise is that God will be with us to give us all the things we need.

Here is the key: the first thing to do is ASK. Ask God to help you, to bring to remembrance the things you know to do and the strength to do them. Asking for wisdom is asking God to use that which I already know to fulfill God’s purpose in my life. The second thing to do is TRUST. How can we receive from God or anyone else for that matter if we don’t trust them to provide the answer? Trust God to provide the things He wants to give to you freely.

Prayer: Father, thank you for daily wisdom for the living of my life. Amen.

James 3:5b-12 See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

Words that harm and words that heal. We have the ability to do both, you know. With a word we can cause a child to soar in belief that all things are possible, and with a different word said at the wrong time we can crush the creativity and destroy the soul. I wish I could take it back, that word or action or that negative feeling directed toward another person. The problem we face, however, is that once said or acted upon there is no taking back the consequences of our actions.

I was entering the seventh grade when I remember my first real negative words of despair. My seventh grade basketball coach said to me, “Jenkins, you will never amount to anything; in fact, you won’t even graduate out of high school.” I was devastated to say the least. I lost hope and actually believed him for a while.

It was words of hope, however, that brought me out of that slump, words that said I believe in you. Those words still ring true in my life. Every time I listen to the words of despair, I am reminded that God loves me and believes in me. His words do not lie.

Think about it, you have the power to heal and the power to harm. Which words will we choose?

Prayer: Father, teach me to control my tongue.