Passage
The man who endures the path through trials is blessed,
because while becoming genuine through the trials he will receive the crown of
life that was promised to the ones who love Him. While passing through trials, let nobody say
that the path through trials is from God.
For God is unable to be put on the path through trials of evil and He
causes nobody to be on the path of trials.
But each one is being put on the path through trials by their own
intense desire while being lured and enticed away. Then, the intense desire that conceives gives
birth to sin. And the sin that is
brought to completion gives birth to death.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
James speaks about the one who endures through the
temptations in life. James calls such a
person “blessed.” Please note. It is not the one who undergoes trial that is
blessed. It is the one who remains
faithful while undergoing trials that is blessed. After all, when we remain faithful while
undergoing the trials of the world we are demonstrating God’s Spirit within
us. When we draw close to God’s Spirit
and follow Him, we are demonstrating our reception of the crown of life that He
promises to those who love Him. We
endure through the strength of God. We
will pass into eternal life by the strength of God as well.
Have you ever heard anyone tell someone who is being tempted
that they should feel blessed? Why is it
important to remember that it is actually faithfulness under temptation – and not
the temptation itself – that brings about the blessing?
Second Thought:
James is quick to say that
temptation does not come from God. This
doesn’t mean that all trials do not come from God. Certainly when we sin and are in need of
consequences in our life these can feel like trials and these can certainly
come from God. However, that is not what
James is talking about here. James is
talking about the temptations that pull us away from God. James is talking about the temptations that
fill our life so full that we have nothing left over for God. These never come from God. After all, why would God fill our life with
anything that would pull us away from Him?
How easy is it to blame God in the
midst of temptation? Why is it easy to
blame someone who is all-powerful for what really is the weakness of our own
hearts?
Third Thought:
This leads us to our third point. Temptation comes from within. What is interesting is that when James speaks
of that which brings about sin he uses a singular word. James doesn’t say our “intense desires.” Rather, James says that it is our “intense
desire” that conceives sin. It is our
human character. It is our state of
original sin. It is that part of us that
is separated from God that conceives sin.
It is that part of us that is separate from God that leads to death when
sin is conceived and brought to its completion in action.
Do you enjoy the realization that the temptations you feel
in your life are based on your own choices and of your own doing? How powerful or powerless are you in the face
of your propensity to sin?
Passage for Tomorrow: James 1:16-18
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