PERSEVERANCE UNDER TRIAL JAMES 1:12-18

PERSEVERANCE UNDER TRIAL
JAMES 1: 12-18

   Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

   When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me."  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

   Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.  James 1:12-18

 MY THOUGHTS ON THESE VERSES

      I started to add verse twelve to verses 9-11, which I probably should have done.  It is just as true with verses 12-18 as with 9-11.  Our reward as born again Christians for living as a reflection of God is the crown of life.

   However, we are all tempted.  Whether we see Satan tempting us as Satan did to Jesus when He was fasting in the dessert, or if we see Satan tempting us as a television show, or as a friend trying to get us to do wrong, or as our own thoughts because we are in a place where we know we should not be, we are all tempted.

   One of the biggest no-no's I have seen that we don't seem to identify is that "thou shalt not covet".  We all know not to lie, murder, commit adultery, but most of us don't give a second thought to coveting.  Television and radio commercials have a knack of telling us that we "deserve" this or that.  Well, we don't deserve ANYTHING.  God has given us life, mercy, and grace.  We don't deserve it.  We deserve death, as we were born into sin due to our ancestry of Adam and Eve.
   Let me say it another way:  we are born black, in the flesh, if our ancestors are black; we are born oriental, in the flesh, if our ancestors are oriental.  We are born sinners, in the spirit, since our ancestors are sinners.  People are both flesh and spirit.

BIBLE COMMENTARY

   "Temptation comes from evil desires inside us, not from God." (The spirit inside the flesh.)  "It begins with an evil thought and becomes sin when we dwell on the thought and allow it to become an action.  Like a snowball rolling downhill, sin grows more destructive the more we let it have its way.  The best time to stop a temptation is before it is too strong or moving too fast to control.
   People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations.  Does God tempt them?  God tests people, but He does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin.  God allows Satan to tempt people, however, in order to refine their faith and to help them grow in their dependence of Christ.  We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey His Word.

   Do you know Jesus, The only Way to salvation?  Click here for more information:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

If this post has been a blessing to you, please pray that God uses our efforts to reach those who are seeking to know Him better, to grow their relationship with Him.  You are encouraged to leave us a comment to let us know how we are doing.  We love to hear from you.

Also, if this post is a blessing to you, you are invited to share it with your friends on your favorite social media.  Thank you and God bless you.

You can also follow me on http://omaslife.blogspot.com/.