Well, good morning. It is December the 12th, 2024, and welcome once again to our daily Bible reading. Today we are going to continue pressing on through our chronological reading, picking up in the book of James. We are going to read probably about half that book. We're going to pick up in James chapter 1 and read to chapter 3, verse 18. So let's get into the Word today. James chapter 1. There's a little notation in our Bible. It reads, James, the brother of the Lord, could have written his letter as early as the late 40s and as late as shortly before his death around 62 AD. Greetings from James, James 1, 1. James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting faith and patience, James 1, 2 to 18. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all of his ways. but the lowly brother, glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass, its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes, so the rich man will fade away in his pursuits. Thus it is the man who endures temptation. For when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. And then, when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will, He brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that He might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." Listening and doing, James 1 and 19 to 27. So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. And therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is useless. A pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. a warning against prejudice James 2 1 to 13. My brother and do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory with partiality. For if there come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel and there also come in a poor man in filthy clothes then you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him you sit here in a good place and then say to the poor man you stand there or sit here at my footstool. Have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts. Listen, my beloved brother, and has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme the noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well, but if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as a transgressor. For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, do not commit adultery, also said, do not murder. now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder you've become a transgressor of the law and so speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy mercy triumphs over judgment faith without works is dead james 2 14 to 26 what does it profit my brethren if someone says that he has faith but does not have works can faith save him If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? And thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, you have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, oh foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac, his son, on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works and by works faith was made perfect? The scripture was fulfilled which says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messenger and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. controlling the tongue, James 3, 1 to 12. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things, and if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, also able to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horse's mouth, and they may obey us, and we turn their whole body, and look also at ships, although they are so large and are driven by fierce wind, they are turned by very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. And see how great a forest a little fire kindles, and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird of reptile and creature of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, and with it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God, and out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? And thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. True wisdom comes from God, James 3, 13-18. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. for where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." And that was our reading today for December the 12th, 2024. Thank you all so much for joining me. Be sure to leave a comment or a reaction to this video, and I'll be sure to mark that down. Thanks again for joining me. Let's start our day with a word of prayer. Father in heaven, thank you so much for your goodness to us. Lots we can glean from the book of James and Lord, so much there. Lord, I pray that we would ultimately be doers of the word and not hearers only, God. Lord, we read this Bible every day, Lord, I just pray that you would help us to do what the word says. Lord, there's areas in our lives where we need conviction, where we need to change. Lord, perhaps we're prioritizing things over you, prioritizing, Lord, maybe even good things over us. your church, Lord, over the things that you command us to do. Lord, help us to make those changes today. Lord, I pray, convict us and help us to grow, Lord, I ask. Help us to be doers of the word and not hearers only, Lord. I pray that for myself. I pray that for each of my brothers and sisters. Now, in Jesus' name, amen. Bye, everybody.