[NIV] 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trialbecause, having stood the test, that person will receivethe crown of life that the Lord has promised to thosewho love him.
[NLT] 12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterwardthey will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. - P28
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it givesbirth to death. - P28
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Every-one should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow tobecome angry, 20 because human angerdoes not pro-duce the righteousness that God desires.
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slowto speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousnessGod desires. - P28
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceiveyourselves. Do what it says.
22 But don‘t just listen to God‘s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you areonly fooling yourselves. - P29
Those who endure through trials will receive the crown of life. God does nottempt anyone; people are dragged away and deceived by their own evil desires. - P29
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. InGod‘s eyes, pure religion is caring for the vulnerable and keeping oneself holy. - P29
Wrongful desires harbored in the mind do not remain dormant andinactive; rather, they conceive and give birth to sinful action. - P30
When sinis fully grown, it leads to death. - P30
James makes it clear that sinful desiresare like seeds that will grow into something deadly if not dealt with. - P30
Sinis to be taken seriously, but we are not powerless against its pull. Godhas given us everything we need to persevere through trials. - P30
We are nolonger slaves to our sinful desires because God has made us into newcreatures through the gospel:His Word of truth. - P30
Let us, therefore, uproot sin and claim
victory over the enemy as we pursue the crown oflife that the Lord has promised those who love Him.
- P30
James‘s frustration with hypocrisy within the church comes throughin his blunt pronouncement: religion that does not live out what iswritten in God‘s Word is utterly worthless. - P30
He provides some examplesof what it looks like to follow the Word that are just as relevant todayas they were in his time: being slow to anger, keeping a tight rein on
one‘s tongue, taking care of the most
vulnerable in society, and keepingoneself from being corrupted by the moral filth of the world. - P30
If wepractice our faith in this way, God the Father will accept our religion aspure and faultless. - P30
We will be blessed in what we do and experience thefreedom of living in accordance with God‘s perfect law. - P30
Dealing with this roach crisis, I realized that sin has a lot in common with these nasty insects. - P31
Sin is not a mere visitor that enters inthe night and scurries out the next morning. It attempts to make itsresidence in our hearts and minds then hides from view so it maymultiply in secret. - P31
Therefore, when we see a hint of sin in our lives,we must not rest until we root it out. If we ignore it, or pass it off as
"no big deal," we might one day wake up to find that it has taken overour lives. - P31
Let us be on constant alert in our fight against sin, doingwhatever it takes to rid our lives from it. - P31
Lord, help me never to make light of my sin. Let me be wary of the damage itbrings and the dishonor it does to Your name. - P31
May the words of my mouth andthe meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P31
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