drawing near

James 4 

7 So humble yourselves before God. 

Resist the devil, 

and he will flee from you. 

8 Come close to God, 

and God will come close to you. 

Wash your hands, you sinners; 

purify your hearts, 

for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 

9 Let there be tears for what you have done. 

Let there be sorrow and deep grief. 

Let there be sadness instead of laughter, 

and gloom instead of joy. 

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, 

and he will lift you up in honor.

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. 

If you criticize and judge each other, 

then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. 

But your job is to obey the law, 

not to judge whether it applies to you. 

12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. 

He alone has the power to save or to destroy. 

So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

13 Look here, you who say, 

“Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. 

We will do business there and make a profit.” 

14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? 

Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 

15 What you ought to say is, 

“If the Lord wants us to, 

we will live and do this or that.” 

16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, 

and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

sowing

 I've heard this passage used to brow beat pe0ple into becoming missionaries.

I've always wondered if it is simply Jesus telling us what kind of reception ALL OF US who follow Him will receive if we try to tell people around us the Good News...

Matthew 13 

1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
    They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
    you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
    you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

prejudice

James 2 

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, 4 doesn’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.

faith, endurance, listening, doing

James 1 

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. 

23 For 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.

closing Hebrews

Hebrews 13 

1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 

2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, 

for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 

3 Remember those in prison, 

as if you were there yourself. 

Remember also those being mistreated, 

as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

4 Give honor to marriage, 

and remain faithful to one another in marriage. 

God will surely judge people who are immoral 

and those who commit adultery.

5 Don’t love money; 

be satisfied with what you have. 

For God has said,

“I will never fail you.
    I will never abandon you.”

6 So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,
    so I will have no fear.
    What can mere people do to me?”

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

scum

Matthew 9 

9 As Jesus was walking along, 

he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. 

“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 

So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

moja

Psalm 1

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

4 But not the wicked!
    They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
    Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
    but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.