JAMESCHAPTER 1

WHO ARE WEWHO GOD IS

2Count it all joy, my brothers,[b]when you meet trialsof various kinds,[We will face trials]

4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may beperfect and complete, lacking in nothing.[We are a Work-in-progress]

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,10andthe rich in his humiliation, becauselike a flower of the grass[c]he will pass away[Upside down view: We are to be glad that we are made low like Christ and be humbled by the riches that may keep us from His kingdom]

13Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.[We blame]

14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.[We have a deceitful heart containing wicked evil desires]

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.[We are easily deceived, we are beloved family members of each other.]

18Of his own will hebrought us forth by the word of truth,that we should be a kind offirstfruits of his creatures.[We are the firstfruits of his creatures- We are from Him and we belong to Him. Psalm 100:3]

19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every personbe quick to hear,slow to speak,slow to anger;20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.[We have a tendency to speak before listening, and to anger quickly]

21Thereforeput away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive withmeekness the implanted word,which is able to save your souls.[We are filthy and rampantly wicked, only Gods Word can convert us]

22But bedoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.26If anyone thinks he is religiousand does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person'sreligion is worthless.[We deceive ourselves][We are enabled to DO the word]

23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.25But the one who looks into the perfect law,the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts,he will be blessed in his doing.[We are forgetful and (related to quick to speak) would talk about it without doing something about it][We are enabled to DO the word]If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask God,who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.[God is wise and gives generously, lovingly]

12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receivethe crown of life,which God has promised to those who love him.[God is testing us out of love and will reward us]

17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down fromthe Father of lightswith whom there is no variation or shadow due to change[God gives good and perfect gifts, and this part of Him will never change]

27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:to visitorphans and widows in their affliction, andto keep oneselfunstained from the world.[God call us to love others and to love Him by reflecting Christ, which involves disciplining ourselves (refer to Proverbs 1- 10) to keep His Word that we remain unstained from the world]

CHAPTER 2

WHO ARE WEWHO IS GOD

My brothers,[a]show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,the Lord of glory. 2For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,3and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place,while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet,4have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and becomejudges with evil thoughts?[We are prone to play Gods role of Judge. We do so when we show partiality]

8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.[We are called to live an imbalance life- not to love as much as we receive, but to love as we love ourselves.]

9But if youshow partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one pointhas become accountable for all of it.11For he who said,Do not commit adultery, also said,Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.[We are guilty of being transgressors all of the law.] 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged underthe law of liberty.13Forjudgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.[We should judge as we desire to-be judged, moreover, we should not judge but show mercy as we have received mercy.]

14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faithbut does not have works? Can that faith save him?[We deceive ourselves thinking we can simply have faith. True faith possessed will lead us to act and behave in faith]

5Listen, my beloved brothers,has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to berich in faith and heirs ofthe kingdom,which he has promised to those who love him?6But youhave dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones whodrag youinto court?7Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorablename by which you were called?

[God loves the poor in spirit and hates oppressors who are generally marked by poverty and wealth respectively]

22You see thatfaith was active along with his works, and faith was completedby his works;23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says,Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousnessand he was called afriend of God.[God calls His faithful ones, friend]

CHAPTER 3

WHO ARE WEWHO IS GOD

2Forwe all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says,he is a perfect man,able also to bridle his whole body.[We will find the greatest challenge to perfection within ourselves- our tongue]

6Andthe tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members,staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a]and set on fire by hell.[b][We are unrighteous and we can see it just by observing our tongue! We are capable of destroying people- their physical and spiritual lives with our words.]

7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,full of deadly poison.9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse peoplewho are made in the likeness of God.[We are worse than animals- for we cant be tamed to obedience and right ways][We are hypocrites and deceive ourselves- we do not truly love God for it we did, we would not curse people who are made in the likeness of God.]

10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c]these things ought not to be so.11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.[We will be exposed by our own words]

13Who is wise and understanding among you?By his good conduct let him show his worksin the meekness of wisdom.14But if you have bitterjealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.15This is notthe wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual,demonic.[We are called to let our actions speak for us, and to examine our hearts carefully]

CHAPTER 4

WHO ARE WEWHO IS GOD

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a]areat war within you?[b]2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.[We have a deceitful heart containing wicked evil desires]

4You adulterous people![c]Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.[We do not realize that our deceitful desires are sinful- its adultery, and worldly][We are either friend of God or enemy of God]

7Submit yourselves therefore to God.Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands, you sinners, andpurify your hearts,you double-minded. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.[Upside down: Resist, not fight, causes the devil flee; and humbling ourselves exalts us.][When we draw near to God, He is drawing near to us.] 11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.[d]The one who speaks against a brother orjudges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.12There is onlyone lawgiver andjudge, he who is able to save andto destroy. Butwho are you to judge your neighbor?[We are prone to play Gods role of Judge. We do so when we speak evil against one another.]

13Come now, you who say,Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? Foryou are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.15Instead you ought to say,If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.16As it is, you boast in your arrogance.All such boasting is evil.17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.[We are arrogant and proud of it, when its evil.][We condemn ourselves. We do so when we boast about the life weve yet to live]5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, He yearns jealously over the spiritthat he has made to dwell in us?6Buthe gives more grace. Therefore it says,God opposes the proud, butgives grace to the humble.[God yearns jealously yet remains gracious and patient- we who are called to be like Him must do so as well]

CHAPTER 5

WHO ARE WEWHO IS GOD

Come now,you rich, weep and howl for themiseries that are coming upon you.2Your riches have rotted andyour garments are moth-eaten.3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.You have laid up treasurein the last days.4Behold,the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, andthe cries of the harvesters have reached the ears ofthe Lord of hosts.5You have lived on the earth in luxury andin self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts ina day of slaughter.6You have condemned andmurderedthe righteous person. He does not resist you.[Upside down: the rich are the ones who should be in misery.][We live lives that are storing treasures- we need to store treasures in the last day][We can trust in God to avenge us in the face of injustice]

7Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a]until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receivesthe early and the late rains.8You also, be patient.Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lordis at hand.10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard ofthe steadfastness of Job, and you have seenthe purpose of the Lord, howthe Lord is compassionate and merciful.[We will suffer, but its worth it, for we are waiting for an assured coming]

9Do not grumble against one another, brothers,so that you may not be judged; behold,the Judge is standingat the door.[We are prone to play Gods role of Judge. We do so when we grumble.]

12But above all, my brothers,do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.[We put ourselves under condemnation. We do so when we swear.]

13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. Andif he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b]17Elijah was a manwith a nature like ours, andhe prayed fervently that it might not rain, and forthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth.18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.[We have prayer on our side. Prayer is POWERFUL.]

19My brothers,if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wanderingwill save his soul from death andwill cover a multitude of sins.[We are called to redeem/ pursue as we have been redeemed by God.]

4Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, andthe cries of the harvesters have reached the ears ofthe Lord of hosts.[God sees the unseen and hears the unheard injustice against the righteous.]