Refined by fire

1 Peter: 1-12

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.


3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you,

5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,

11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Thank you Lord for loving me so much and for your daily presence in my life here on this earth.



Wellness - Enjoy Spring

Prayer offered in faith

James 5: 13-20

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,

20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

What wonderful verses to read this morning. God wants to hear from us no matter what. Being able to tell God what is on our hearts when we are troubled or sing praises when we are happy makes for the kind of relationship God wants.



Several times during my childhood my mother, brother and I would come to live next door to my grandmother while my father continued his career with the army. During those times I learned how to be a southern lady and do all the things southern ladies do. Oh do I ever have stories to tell about those days, but today I want to show you my grandmother's wooden flour bowl. I'm so honored to have it and do keep it as one of my special treasures filling it with different things as the days go by. I've even used it to hold my flour while I made biscuits but not three times a day like my grandmother did. :)

Hope you have an awesome praise God day today!

Perseverance

James 5: 7-12

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

I like analogies. They help me relate to other things I might not understand or maybe just give me a fast track to connecting related thoughts. The same is true here with these verses. On the surface they seem disjointed but actually they are all about God, and following his instructions until the harvest.

While we wait we must obey God and continue to stand firm with the lessons we have learned just like others who have come before us. It's by doing this we realize God's compassion and mercy because we have persevered as Christians. Those that do not put their complete trust in Him, will be condemned.





Anna Claire looking for ants.

Material Wealth

James 5

1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.

3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

Reading this morning and thinking on this passage in James 5, it's once again clear that those that have monetary wealth have to be very careful to use and treat that wealth for God and how He would have money used. It's not the actual money or the treasures that are the problem. The problem lies in making money or treasures into gods. Each time I read this passage I begin to think of Truett Cathy who is the owner of Chick-fil-a. Cathy certainly is a good present day role model on how to have material wealth and still be faithful to God.

Still, reminders are always good. I'm thankful that I can read God's word this morning and be aware of using money the right way and while enjoying my earthly treasures, never putting them before God.

Making plans

James 4: 13-17

13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."

14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Well, it's for sure we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow! Most of the time, even when I try to plan things, it doesn't work out the way I planned it. :)

At first glance these verses read like we shouldn't plan for tomorrow, but not planning wouldn't be a good thing either. It's not the planning that gets us into trouble, but planning without thinking to ask God what we should do. I'm guilty of this in small and big ways. We should place our future in the hands of God in humble reliance on Him because it is from God we receive everything.

This morning I am praising God and thanking Him for my life. I'm thanking Him that even when I make plans without asking Him, He still loves me and corrects me, setting me back on the right path. I'm thanking Him also for forgiving me when I don't do the things I know I should do and then do the things I shouldn't.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Shrimp Fried Rice



Fried rice is an extremely versatile dish that can be made with all kinds of meat, seafood, and vegetables. In this and other fried-rice recipes, the cooked rice must be chilled to prevent its grains from sticking.


To chill, spread the cooked rice on a jelly-roll pan; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
5 cups cooked Long-Grain Rice, chilled
1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed


Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs; stir-fry 30 seconds or until soft-scrambled. Add onions and ginger; stir-fry 1 minute. Add rice, shrimp, and peas; stir-fry 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add broth mixture; toss gently to coat.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 380(19% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.5g,poly 3.1g); PROTEIN 20.8g; CHOLESTEROL 184mg; CALCIUM 83mg; SODIUM 527mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 4.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 53.3g



Nina Simonds , Cooking Light, JANUARY 2001

Check your motives

James 4: 1-12

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Watching Carley Ann and Anna Claire learn the ways of life is going to be fun, but I'm sure a bumpy ride too. We all go through stages in our lives where we fight for this or that all the while thinking more about ourselves than anything else. Mothers are a little different because of our natural love to protect and nurture our children, but still even as mothers we sometimes struggle with the other areas of our lives.

There was a time in my life I would pray and pray for five minutes in the bathroom by myself without little hands tapping on the door or calling for Mommy. I also remember all the times that I did what Tom, my husband, wanted us to do but actually, in my heart, resented it. Sometimes our life mistakes are just mistakes and we can correct ourselves, but other times one small mistake becomes a stepping stone for bigger and bigger mistakes and before we know it, that mistake becomes our way of life.

James once again charges us to examine what our true motives are with the actions we take. Most of the time when we check our motives, we find out that we have left God out of the equation. We, as Christians, know that once we do that, none of our earthly problems can be solved. As long as we keep Christ at the center of who we are we will be humble before the Lord and He will lift us up.

I have to confess that verse nine troubled me a bit, because I don't think God wants us to be gloomy. But then I realized I was looking at the verse out of context. This entire chapter is a portrait of repentance. We know that repentance is an act of humble submission to God which includes our choice to resist the devil and to draw near to God. Repentance is also a commitment to moral purity both externally and internally, and a genuine remorse for our sins, so James is charging us to be really, really, serious about our actions and not just brush our misdeeds off with laughter.

Keeping with my promise to show photographs of far away places on Friday's, I'd like to take you to another blog. I can't read Spanish, but I can use the on-line translators, so that helps a bit. The name and introduction to this blog says, "ANOTHER DAILY GLANCE ---Are occasions in which the word does not reach, but histories continue, stun to us, graze to us, illuminate to us, shake to us, approach to us, makes us include/understand, damage to us, cure to us, help us to grow. And where the word does not arrive, the gesture eclipsa, nourishes, prunes, mima and asi in each snapshot is lived, dreamed, denied, opened histories for whoever and can contemplate them." The on-line translation might not be totally right. This blog makes me want to learn Spanish. Enjoy.

http://miradadiaria.blogspot.com/

Wisdom is as wisdom does

James 3:13-18

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Today I am thankful for the wisdom found in God's word and for time to let His words soak into my heart. Wisdom is as wisdom does.

Callaway Gardens April 2007

Speaking of tongues

James 3: 1-12

1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.

4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.

5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,

8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

I can hear my grandmother out in the yard, "Oh Lard," she would say time and time again. Mind you, when she said "Oh Lard," she meant no disrespect but was in fact calling out to the Lord for help. This to me is the proper way to use a Southern tongue and of course, one that will stay in my mind forever. We all have role models and as children we think they can do no wrong. As adults we find out that they are just as flawed as we are, but still what they do and say tends to be a big influence on what and who we become.

This morning I again get cut to my very core with words from James. The man just doesn't know how to walk and talk softly. He tells it like it is, or rather how it is supposed to be and even uses earthly examples to help us better understand.

As I go about my day today I pray that I will be able to be mindful of my tongue and what a big influence, good and bad, it can have on others .... and me too. After all, I get crazy sometimes and talk to myself or Cocoa Puff. Talking to yourself only proves that what's on your mind comes out, so filling our minds with the right stuff is just as important as what we put in our stomachs. That's my wellness tip for today. :)








Peach Orchard just outside Woodbury, Georgia on Jones Mill Road.

Enjoy... this was yesterday coming back from Pine Mountain, Georgia. I loved finding a peach orchard with the mountains in the background. This would be a great spot to paint outside and I am sure the owners would give permission. Want to join me? I'm totally inspired! Thank you Lard!

Deeds

James 2: 14-25

14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

I only have one brother and no sisters. I'm four years older than my brother and by the time he came along I was already going to kindercare in Germany and to be honest, pictures and examples that my mother has told me about tell me that I quickly established myself as little mother and set myself up to be the boss of Billy. He is a most kind and humble man and while flawed as we all are, I admire him in so many ways. However, I tell him all the time I made him what he is today since I played little mother to him for many years. My brother and I are so different, yet we have so many of the same traits, values, hopes and desires. We share a common bond built on our heritage, culture and love for each other as siblings.

When I think about Jesus and his brothers and sisters, I wonder about what their relationship might have been. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote the book of James and I am sure that he too shared a common bond built on their heritage, culture and love for each other as siblings. At the same time, James gives us direct, strong and no beating around the bush instructions on how to live as a Christians, unlike Jesus who teaches us with parables and tender words of comfort, hope and joy so many times. Of course, these words are just my thoughts on how I think these two men might have been different personality wise. I'm also aware that different religions believe different things about Jesus and his earthly family. I tend to think of our differences on terms like the man who had one natural son and one adopted. In an interview he said, "Of my two sons, I can't remember which one is adopted and which one is natural born." Thank God that when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, we become children of God and are adopted into His family, warts and all.

In these verses this morning I'm reminded that it is not enough to have faith, but we must diligently also show our faith by the deeds we do. Matthew Henry says it this way, "The works James requires are not done apart from faith but done in faith, not done instead of faith but done because of faith. Faith is the underlying stance of Christian life; deeds are the way of life; becoming mature and complete is the goal of Christian life."

The book of James wasn't written for those that had not yet accepted Jesus as their personal savior. The book of James was written for those of us that have accepted Jesus as our personal savior to charge us to act on our faith and understand it's importance. By acting on our faith, others will see Jesus in us and also want to follow Him...which is the commandment we have been given to go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded as it says in Matthew 28: 19.

Today's verses also cut to my very core. James has a way of doing that, pushing me act more on my faith so my prayer today will be that I will find ways to use my resources, time and talents to show my faith by the deeds I do.

In the spirit of doing a good deed, come let me pour you some tea from a tea set given to me by my Aunt Julia. She gave me the teapot and I've searched antique shops to find cups and saucers that match. The teapot is about the size of a small apple and the cup holds about two tablespoons of liquid. I love them and always think about her when I hold them in my hands. Enjoy the tea and enjoy your day!

Idenity matters

James 2: 1-13

1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.

2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.

3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"

4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?

7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"you are doing right.

9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"also said, "Do not murder."If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,

13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

As I sat this morning and read the first part of James 2, I remembered a conversation I had with someone I think happened back in the 80's. The conversation topic was about signing up for a bible study on the book of James. I declined then simply because I knew James would cut me to my very core and I just didn't want to go there. To be honest, I think since the very first time I REALLY READ the book of James and took it into my heart, I've avoided reading it just because there is so much in the words that I know I still need to work out in my own heart.

I've lived on both sides of poor and rich, beautiful and not so beautiful, good and evil, so I can never say that I don't know what it feels like to be judged by outward appearance rather than inward. "Pretty is as pretty does" comes to mind, as my Aunt would say.

Learning to judge people begins small and very early like planting and growing tiny mustard seeds. When I was a child I played what I thought was a fine joke on my brother. I told him that the little black mole he had on his knee would actually begin to get bigger and bigger and one morning he would wake up and he would be all black. Months went by and I would catch him with a ruler checking to see if the mole had grown bigger. I would laugh and laugh.

My brother and I laugh about this from time to time but both of us realize jokes like this are part of our culture we are not proud of. Living and growing up as little segregated white children in the South found us learning discrimination by osmosis, judging people by their color rather than what their true identity in Christ was. It was confusing to go to church and sing "Jesus loves all the children of the world" and then come back home to reality where all the little children of the world went to separate schools, drank out of different water fountains, and went to different bathrooms.

There is so much on my heart this morning. I know through the day I'll be thinking on the verses from James I read today. This is a good thing. Today I pray that when I look at the outward appearance of others I will see beyond into their very souls and realize that it's not how they look or what they have or their status in the community but rather their position or identity in Christ that matters. At the same time I think of others, I'll be thinking of my own identity in Christ and pray that God will continue to show me ways to grow and forgive my sins when I fall short doing the things He would have me do.

Thank God that His mercy triumphs over judgment! Without that, I’d be up the creek without a paddle!



Anna Claire and Mother riding the tram at the Butterfly Center of Callaway Gardens yesterday.

Commissioned

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."

15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.


16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

A Jesus Rock

He is not here, but is risen (Luke 24:6)

This morning and again this afternoon my eyes just filled with tears thinking about the words that came out of Carley Ann's mouth as we were reading one of her little books about bunnies. She said, "Look Memama, that looks like a Jesus rock." When I questioned her she couldn't exactly tell me what she meant, but she said, "You know, when He was in the cave and then He woke up." Now, mind you, she is just 3.3 years old but it blessed my heart to know that she is learning the the true meaning of Easter just like she did with the true meaning of Christmas. I am so thankful for the daycare she attends and her SS class teachers. They really do such a wonderful job with the children. Both of the girls truly amaze me.

So, we talked about Jesus and how He died and how we wear our best clothes to church in His honor and we have Easter baskets of colorul eggs that help us remember the new life Jesus made possible for all of us. Of course she got really excited about the Easter basket part, so after it warmed up a bit we went outside and hid eggs and took pictures with pretty dress on.

We had such a good time and tomorrow we will celebrate Easter. What a joyous time for all of us to hold dear to our hearts, old and young.



Carley Ann getting dressed up to hunt Easter eggs.


Anna Claire used a little blush.


Well, Crocks go with everything!

Listening and doing

James 1: 19-27

KJV

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

NIV

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror

24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Conclusion

Matthew Henry

In this first chapter of the biblical text we have found the thrust of James's entire letter: calling upon Christians to live with moral urgency, serious holiness and unconditional obedience to the word of God. By putting the two halves of the chapter together we also establish the context for the moral earnestness of the entire letter: complete confidence in and reliance upon the grace of God. James is so earnest for moral purity in 1:19-27 because of the theology he has taught in 1:1-18. It is the thorough purity of God (never tempted, never tempting, never changing) that calls us to holiness; it is the generous giving of God (giving wisdom without finding fault, giving the crown of life, giving every good and perfect gift, giving us birth) that moves us to holiness. Furthermore, going back to the very beginning of James's message, this pursuit of holiness is not an oppressive burden but a task of joy, because of the great worth of the goal that God's grace has made possible. God has called Christians to become mature and complete, as firstfruits of all he created. This is so high a calling and so valuable an attainment that we may consider even trials along the way pure joy!

The crown of life

James 1: 12-18 NIV

12 Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard. After he has come through them, he will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. God has promised it to those who love him.

13 When you are tempted, you shouldn't say, "God is tempting me." God can't be tempted by evil. And he doesn't tempt anyone.

14 But your own evil longings tempt you. They lead you on and drag you away.

15 When they are allowed to grow, they give birth to sin. When sin has grown up, it gives birth to death.

16 My dear brothers and sisters, don't let anyone fool you.

17 Every good and perfect gift is from God. It comes down from the Father. He created the heavenly lights. He does not change like shadows that move.

18 God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first and best of everything he created.

KJV

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.