Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. –James 1:17 Perhaps it’s because I’ve been hurt so many times that I question the motives of others. I certainly don’t want to be a cynic, but there are moments when it’s hard not to be cynical. When ... [Continue Reading]
My Secret Obsession with Coke
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. –James 1:15 It’s true: my name is Seth, and I am obsessed with Coke. I really love getting a Diet Coke from Q’doba where I can fill it 9/10 of the way and then top it off with Vanilla Coke. Who would have thought that so much joy could be ... [Continue Reading]
Hooked
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. –James 1:14 About a year and a half ago I went fly fishing with my brother, Jonathan. For him, fishing is much more than a hobby or a sport; it’s a skill. He spends hours designing flies that he thinks the fish will bite, and he spends days building rods that can be cast in a ... [Continue Reading]
Trials and Temptations
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. –James 1:13 There is a difference between trials and temptations. Trials are meant to build our faithfulness, but temptations tear us away from God. Trials come from God for our own good, but temptations are far from His ... [Continue Reading]
There is an End
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. –James 1:12 Several years back Kari took me on a surprise trip to the French Lick Railroad in Indiana. It is an historic railroad, and we took a several mile trip in the restored cars. ... [Continue Reading]
A Fruitless Pursuit
For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. –James 1:11 Some things last forever, and other things aren’t quite so fortunate. It’s interesting to consider the material goods for which we pine away and to realize that they ... [Continue Reading]
Angus, the Double-Minded Dog
For that person [who doubts] must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. –James 1:7-8 Growing up my family had a Scottish Terrier named Angus. I’ve heard that the terrier breeds as a whole have obedience problems, and Angus wasn’t exempt from the issues. He was often overcome with ... [Continue Reading]
Don’t Get Seasick
But let him ask [for wisdom] in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. –James 1:6 My family used to vacation in Maine when I was growing up, and one summer we took a whale-watching expedition. There’s not a lot that I remember about the expedition except that we didn’t see any whales ... [Continue Reading]
The Humility of Wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. –James 1:5 There’s a certain humility involved when you ask for wisdom because it requires that you admit that you don’t know everything that there is to know. Perhaps that’s what impressed God so much about Solomon when he became a king as ... [Continue Reading]
No Quitters Allowed
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. –James 1:4 Richard Nixon once said, “Defeat doesn’t finish a man – quitting does. A man is not finished when he’s defeated. He’s finished when he quits.” In the life of the follower of Christ, there is no room for quitting. After ... [Continue Reading]
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