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ACTIVE FAITH IN TIMES OF TRIALS

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: TUESDAY, 13TH JUNE, 2023 

TOPIC: ACTIVE FAITH IN TIMES OF TRIALS 

TEXT: JAMES 1:1-27

1. James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.
2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3. knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8.  [he is] a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9.  Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10.  but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
11.  For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12.  Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13.  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16.  Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
19.  So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20.  for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21.  Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22.  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24.  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues [in it,] and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26.  If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion [is] useless.
27.  Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, [and] to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

MESSAGE: 
James, in this letter, deals with how Christians should behave in the church and in society. In this first chapter, he emphasises that Christian faith will be tested, and when such testing arises, we should rejoice and be steadfast (v.12). As far as Apostle James is concerned, faith is a practical matter that expresses itself in daily life, and especially in how we respond to trials. Living the Christian life in the face of temptations demands wisdom(v.5). That is, the ability to distinguish good from evil, and truth from falsehood. Active faith is also a necessity if God must hear our prayers and enable us to face all challenges of life.
Christian living is a daily battle against temptations and one cannot WIN without faith and putting God's word into practice. James encourages Christians to be doers of the word and not just hearers. This is the only way to resist the devil and stand high above trials that may want to steal our joy.


PRAYER: 
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of faith, help me to remain steadfast in trials in order to receive the crown of life. Amen.

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