James 1 NLT
1 This letter is from James, a slave of
God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish
believers scattered abroad. Greetings!
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when
troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great
joy.
3 For you know that when your faith is
tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow, for when your
endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous
God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
6 But when you ask him, be sure that
your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is
as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
7 Such people should not expect to
receive anything from the Lord.
8 Their loyalty is divided between God
and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
9 Believers who are poor have something
to boast about, for God has honored them.
10 And those who are rich should boast
that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the
field.
11 The hot sun rises and the grass
withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the
same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
12 God blesses those who patiently
endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love him.
13 And remember, when you are being
tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong,
and he never tempts anyone else.
14 Temptation comes from our own
desires, which entice us and drag us away.
15 These desires give birth to sinful
actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers
and sisters.
17 Whatever is good and perfect is a
gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the
heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
18 He chose to give birth to us by
giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized
possession.
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and
sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get
angry.
20 Human anger does not produce the
righteousness God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil
in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for
it has the power to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word.
You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23For if you listen to the word and don’t
obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and
forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the
perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget
what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but
don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is
worthless.
27 Pure and genuine
religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in
their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
