Today's Reading

James 1-3

James Chapter 1
1 - James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 - My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 - Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 - But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 - But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 - For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 - A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 - Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 - But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 - For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 - Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 - But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 - Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 - Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18 - Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 - For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 - Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 - But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 - For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 - For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 - But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 - If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James Chapter 2
1 - My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 - For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 - And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 - Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 - Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 - But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 - Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 - If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 - But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 - For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 - For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 - So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 - For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14 - What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 - If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 - And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 - Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 - Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 - But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 - Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 - And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 - Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 - For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James Chapter 3
1 - My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 - For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 - Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 - Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 - Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 - And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 - For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 - But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 - Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 - Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 - Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 - Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
13 - Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 - But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 - This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 - For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 - But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 - And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.