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The book of James is, in a sense, the Jeremiah 29 of the New Testament. In Jeremiah 29, the prophet Jeremiah penned a letter to the Jews in Babylon and instructed them to seek the peace and prosperity of their new home while in exile. In a similar way, the book of James is addressed to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations in the diaspora and instructs the Jews (and us) on how to follow Jesus despite financial struggles, cultural exile and general hardships.
Here are five lessons from James 1:18:
- Count Your Trials
- God’s Liberal Wisdom
- The Lawn Lesson
- The Temptation Equation
- Our Unchanging God
Kew Takeaways:
- I am not afraid of heights; I just don’t care for them. That is my distinction, and I am sticking to it! But my daughter still thinks I am a wimp when it comes to heights!
- A story from Corrie Ten Boom about finding joy in trials.
- Most of us are familiar with James 1:5 and the promise that God will give us wisdom if we ask for it. But, that verse (in context) is about a specific type of wisdom. Here’s what I mean.
- Why our culture gets the temptation equation backward.
- A story about John Jacob Astor, the Titanic, and the fleeting nature of wealth.
- We have eternal life through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9), but that saving faith should produce good works. Stated differently, we are not saved by works, but our faith should work.