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James 3:17 The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. When it comes to wisdom, I have two desires in conflict with each other. I truly want to have the wisdom that James describes but I also want to be known…
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James 3:6,8   The tongue is a fire… setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell… no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. If you would have asked me two weeks ago if this was one of my defects, I think…
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James 3:2   We all stumble in many ways. When my life defects erupted in spectacular fashion, I felt like I was the worst person in the world. I felt like I was alone at the bottom. I eventually sought out a refuge where I could meet with others who had similar struggles. I found comfort…
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James 2:14,17   What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? …Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. I grew up knowing that I am saved, not by what I do, but rather by my faith (Galatians 2:16).…
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James 2:1,13 My brothers, show no partiality… For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. In this passage James makes the powerful case that favoritism towards the rich, beautiful and successful at the expense the unfortunate (in our eyes) is equivalent to judging and in judging, we…
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James 1:27   Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. I said previously that James was my favorite book. I am thinking of rescinding that statement. James is a mirror painfully reflecting the truth that…
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James 1:26  If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. I’ve had a few people ask if a certain day’s blog is specifically about them. It never is. I am self-absorbed enough to always write about me. I would however, like to…
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James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. I have heard a few thousand sermons in my life. I have forgotten most of them, not because they were unworthy of memory but because I have just been a hearer (and forgetter). James said however, that I am not to be…
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James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. When I was a kid, I drank strawberry shampoo because it smelled so good. In my memory, I got a couple gulps down before I appreciated the horrible taste. I was…
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James 1:19,20 Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. I generally don’t think of anger as one of my primary defects, which may be why I act so badly when it does surface. When I do get…
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