James 3 NLT

Outline

I.                  Greetings (1:1)

                               II.         Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)

A.    The Testing of Faith (1:2-12)

B.    The Source of Temptation (1:13-18)

                                               III.         Listening and Doing (1:19-27)

                             IV.         Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)

                              V.         Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)

                             VI.         Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)

                           VII.         Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)

                          VIII.         Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)

 .      Quarrelsomeness (4:1-3)

A.    Spiritual Unfaithfulness (4:4)

B.    Pride (4:5-10)

C.    Slander (4:11-12)

D.    Boasting (4:13-17)

IX.         Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)

                              X.         Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)

 .      Concerning Patience in Suffering (5:7-11)

A.    Concerning Oaths (5:12)

B.    Concerning the Prayer of Faith (5:13-18)

C.    Concerning Those Who Wander from the Truth (5:19-20)

James 3 NLT

1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 

2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 

4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 

5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 

6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 

8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 

9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 

10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 

11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 

12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. 

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 

14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 

15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 

16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. 

18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Proverbs 30 NLT

1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. 

2 I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense. 

3 I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. 

4Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know! 

5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 

6 Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. 

7 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 

8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 

9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD ?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. 

10 Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it. 

11 Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. 

12 They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. 

13 They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. 

14 They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity. 

15 The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”: 

16 the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire. 

17The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures. 

18 There are three things that amaze me— no, four things that I don’t understand: 

19 how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman. 

20 An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?” 

21 There are three things that make the earth tremble— no, four it cannot endure: 

22 a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers, 

23 a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress. 

24 There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: 

25 Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. 

26 Hyraxes —they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. 

27Locusts—they have no king, but they march in formation. 

28Lizards—they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces. 

29 There are three things that walk with stately stride— no, four that strut about: 

30 the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything, 

31 the strutting rooster, the male goat, a king as he leads his army. 

32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, cover your mouth in shame.

33 As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.

James 2 NLT

Outline

I.                  Greetings (1:1)

                               II.         Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)

A.    The Testing of Faith (1:2-12)

B.    The Source of Temptation (1:13-18)

                                               III.         Listening and Doing (1:19-27)

                             IV.         Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)

                              V.         Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)

                             VI.         Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)

                           VII.         Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)

                          VIII.         Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)

 .      Quarrelsomeness (4:1-3)

A.    Spiritual Unfaithfulness (4:4)

B.    Pride (4:5-10)

C.    Slander (4:11-12)

D.    Boasting (4:13-17)

IX.         Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)

                              X.         Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)

 .      Concerning Patience in Suffering (5:7-11)

A.    Concerning Oaths (5:12)

B.    Concerning the Prayer of Faith (5:13-18)

C.    Concerning Those Who Wander from the Truth (5:19-20)

James 2 NLT

1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? 

2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 

3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 

4doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? 

5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 

6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 

7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? 

8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. 

10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 

11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. 

12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 

13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. 

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 

16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 

20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? 

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 

22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 

23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 

24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 

26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Proverbs 29 NLT

1 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. 

2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. 

3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. 

4 A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. 

5 To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet. 

6 Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy. 

7 The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all. 

8 Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger. 

9 If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction. 

10 The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them. 

11 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. 

12 If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked. 

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common— the LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. 

14 If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever. 

15 To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

16 When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall. 

17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad. 

18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. 

19 Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded. 

20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. 

21 A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel. 

22 An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. 

23 Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

24 If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify. 

25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. 

26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice comes from the LORD . 

27The righteous despise the unjust; the wicked despise the godly.