James 1:9  [9] “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:” James is encouraging these Jewish believers to look beyond their earthly standing and focus on their eternal standing. Persecution had driven many of them from their wealth and security. They had lost their jobs, their possessions, and their homes. They had become “brothers of low degree”. They were people of humble circumstances. The word “low” means “low estate”. Poverty was the common denominator among most of them, but they had riches that money could not buy. They had treasures unseen!  Though their earthly treasures were …

James 1:8  [8] “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” The word for “double minded” literally means “doubled soul”. It describes a man who is divided in his loyalty. In fact, the Hebrew idiom is literally, “a heart and a heart”. This is an individual who cannot make up his mind about where he stands, or what he believes. He struggles in his prayer life, therefore he has issues in every other aspect of life. He is a man who is unstable in all of his ways.  The word “unstable” means “to be restless”. If an individual …

James 1:7  [7] “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” I have often said, “The Lord does not answer prayer based on merit, but on mercy.” God is a merciful Father who loves us, and invites us into his presence. He desires to fellowship with us, and hear what is on our hearts.  He knows our weakness and our frame. He knows we are the dust of this earth. He knows that we need a daily cleansing in his Word. He knows that we will stumble along the way, and that we …

James 1:6  [6] “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” It can be so easy to develop the mindset, “just go with the flow”. This seems to describe the world we are living in today. People are driven and tossed like a wave of the sea. They easily waver when it comes to culture, convictions and even Christianity. As the old saying goes, “they do not want to rock the boat.” Why is it like this today? What is the underlying problem with society? …

James 1:5 [5] “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Just because we develop into a more mature Christian, does not mean that we have all the answers. A mature Christian is not marked by how much they speak, but by how much they are able to control their speech. A child may say anything, at any time, to anyone. So it is with less mature saints. The more we learn, the more we realize how little we know.  James tells …

James 1:4  [4[ “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” God’s goal for our life is simple. He wants to make us complete in Him. He accomplishes this goal through His son, Jesus Christ. Christ works for us in Salvation. He then works in us by sanctification. Finally, He works through us in service. This is a process for the believer. A process that takes both time and patience.  Our verse teaches us to let patience have her perfect work. The word “perfect” indicates that the work has reached its end. It means it has been fully …

James 1:3 [3[ “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” If we are honest, there are some things we would rather not know about in life. There are even some people we would rather not have known in life. We cannot help but feel that life would be easier, less complicated, or less stressful if we could avoid certain issues, or certain people all together. Our flesh says that, sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.  If patience were a person, I think I would avoid her altogether. She would slow me down in my daily schedule. She would …

James 1:2  [2] “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” Life does not always go our way. There are mountain tops to enjoy, and valleys to walk through, as we journey along. James understands that his brethren are not only scattered throughout the region, but that they are facing difficult times. They are going through times of testing.  In our verse he uses the phrase, “divers temptations”. The word “divers” means “various”, and the word “temptations” refers to trials, or testings. We know that trials come in various forms and fashions. Each trial is unique …

James 1:1 [1] “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” The first word of this epistle gives us the identity of the author. His name is James. He was the son of Mary, the brother of the Lord Jesus, and the head of the church in Jerusalem. These are remarkable positions, but James mentions none of them. The title he chooses is, “James, a servant”.  The word servant is the Greek word “doulos”. This is someone who is considered to be a bondservant. It means they were …