1James 1

1From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.Select James 1:1

Faith and Wisdom

2My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way,Select James 1:2

3for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.Select James 1:3

4Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.Select James 1:4

5But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.Select James 1:5

6But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind.Select James 1:6

8If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.Select James 1:8

Poverty and Riches

9Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up,Select James 1:9

10and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.Select James 1:10

11The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.Select James 1:11

Testing and Tempting

12Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.Select James 1:12

13If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.Select James 1:13

14But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.Select James 1:14

15Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.Select James 1:15

16Do not be deceived, my dear friends!Select James 1:16

17Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning.Select James 1:17

18By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.Select James 1:18

Hearing and Doing

19Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.Select James 1:19

20Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.Select James 1:20

21So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.Select James 1:21

22Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.Select James 1:22

23If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are.Select James 1:23

24They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.Select James 1:24

25But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.Select James 1:25

26Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself.Select James 1:26

27What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.Select James 1:27