James

Agreeing with God

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 James 1

Greetings

¹I so appreciate James, a servant of both You, O God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am also appreciative of his greetings and letter to the twelve tribes which were in the Dispersion.

Joy

²I choose to count it all joy, Father, when I fall into various temptations. ³I agree that the testing of my faith produces endurance. ⁴I choose to let endurance have its perfect work, that I may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Wisdom

⁵I agree that if I lack wisdom, I may ask it of You. I agree that You give to all liberally and without reproach. I agree that it will be given to me. ⁶I also agree that I must ask in faith, without any doubting, for if I doubt I am like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷For I agree that if I think that way, I will not receive anything from You, Lord. ⁸I would then be a double-minded person, unstable in all my ways.

Rich & Poor

⁹But I agree that the person in humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So I understand also that the rich man will fade away in his pursuits.

Temptation

¹²I agree that I am blessed when I endure temptation, for when I have been approved, I will receive the crown of life, which You, Lord, promised to those who love You.

¹³I agree to not say when I am tempted, “I am tempted by You, my God,” for You can not be tempted by evil, and You Yourself tempt no one. ¹⁴But I am tempted, when I  am drawn away by my own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵I agree that my lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.

Good Gifts

¹⁶I choose to not be deceived, Father. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights, with Whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. ¹⁸Of Your own will You brought me forth by Your word of truth, that I should be a kind of first fruits of Your creatures.

Doer of Your Word

¹⁹So then, Father, I choose to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to get mad; ²⁰for my anger does not produce Your righteousness. ²¹Therefore, I agree to put away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, and receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save my soul.

²²I agree to be a doer of Your word, and not only a hearer, deluding my own self. ²³For if I am a hearer of Your word and not a doer, I am like a person looking at my natural face in a mirror; ²⁴for I see myself, and go away, and immediately forget what kind of person I am. ²⁵But I agree that anyone who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, that person will be blessed in what he does.

Pure Religion

²⁶I agree that if I think myself to be religious while I do not bridle my tongue, but deceive my heart, my religion is worthless. ²⁷I agree that pure religion and undefiled before You, our God and Father, is this: for me to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep myself unstained by the world.

 

James 2

Rich & Poor

¹Father, I agree to not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. ²For if a person with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into our church, and a poor person in filthy clothing also comes in; ³I choose to not pay special attention to the person who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and I tell the poor person, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool.” ⁴I choose to not show partiality and become a judge with evil thoughts.

⁵Listen, Father. I agree that You chose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of Your Kingdom which You promised to those who love You.

⁶But I choose to not dishonor the poor person. I agree that the rich oppress me, and personally drag me before the courts. ⁷I agree that they blaspheme the honorable name by which I am called. ⁸However, I agree that if I fulfill the royal law, according to Your Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” I do well. ⁹But I also agree that if I

show partiality, I commit sin, being convicted by the law as a transgressor.

The Law

¹⁰For I agree that if I keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, I have become guilty of all. ¹¹For You Who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if I do not commit adultery, but murder, I have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²I choose to so speak, and to so do, as a person who is to be judged by a law of freedom. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to a person who has shown no mercy. I agree that mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith & Works

¹⁴What good is it, Father, if I say that I have faith, but have no works? Can faith save me? ¹⁵And if a brother or sister of mine is naked and in lack of daily food, ¹⁶and I tell them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet I do not give them the things the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ I agree that faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. ¹⁸Yes, a person will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” But I say, “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

¹⁹I believe that You, my God, are one. I do well. However, I agree that the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰I do know, Father, that faith apart from works is dead.

²¹I agree that Abraham our father was justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. ²²I see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected; ²³and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed You, and it was accounted to him as righteousness;” and he was called Your friend, O God. ²⁴I see then that by works, a person is justified, and not only by faith.

²⁵In the same way, I agree that Rahab the prostitute was also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way. ²⁶For I agree with You, Father, that as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

 

James 3

¹I agree that not many of us should be teachers, Father, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

The Tongue

²I agree that in many things I stumble as does everyone. If anyone does not stumble in word, the same is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. ³Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. ⁴I behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. ⁵So I understand that the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. I see how a small fire can spread to a large forest! ⁶And I agree that the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among my members is my tongue, which defiles my whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

⁷For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and thing in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸But I agree that nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it I bless You, my God and Father, and with it I curse men, who are made in Your image.

¹⁰Out of my same mouth can come forth blessing and cursing. Father, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹I agree that a spring does not send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water. ¹²I agree that a fig tree can not, Father, yield olives, or a vine figs. Thus I know that no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

Wisdom

¹³I choose to be wise and understanding. I choose to show by my good conduct that my deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴But I agree that if I have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in my heart, I must not boast nor lie against the truth. ¹⁵I agree that this wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, I agree that there is confusion and every evil deed.

¹⁷But I also agree that the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸Now I realize that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 

James 4

Wars

¹Where do wars and fightings among us come from? I agree that they come from my pleasures that war in my members. ²I lust, and do not have. I kill, covet, and cannot obtain. I fight and make war. I do not have, because I do not ask. ³I ask, and do not receive, because I ask with wrong motives, so that I may spend it for my pleasures.

Friendship With the World

⁴I agree that adulterers and adulteresses should know that friendship with the world is enmity with You, O God. Whenever, therefore, I want to be a friend of the world, I agree that I make myself Your enemy.

⁵I agree that the Scripture does not says in vain, “The Spirit Who lives in us is very jealous”.

Grace

⁶But I also agree that You give more grace. Therefore, it says, “You resist the proud, but give grace to the humble.” ⁷I choose to be subject, therefore, to You. I choose to resist the devil, and I agree that he will flee from me. ⁸I choose to draw near to You, O God, and I know that You will draw near to me.

I choose to cleanse my hands, Father; and purify my heart. I choose to not be doubleminded ⁹ and have to lament, mourn, and weep. I do not want my laughter to be turned to mourning, and my joy to gloom. ¹⁰I choose to humble myself in Your sight, Lord, and You will exalt me.

Slander

¹¹I agree to not speak against other Christians, Father. If I would speak against a Christian sibling and judge him, I would be speaking against the law and judging the law. But I agree that if I judge the law, I am not a doer of the law, but a judge. ¹²I confirm that You are the one and only lawgiver, Who is able to save and to destroy. But who am I to judge others?

The Future

¹³Now, I do not want to say, “Today or tomorrow let us go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.” ¹⁴Whereas, I do not know what my life will be like tomorrow. For what is my life? I agree that I am a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

¹⁵For I agree that I ought to say, “If You, Lord, will, I will both live, and do this or that.” ¹⁶But now, I choose to not glory in my boasting because such boasting is evil. ¹⁷I agree, therefore, that when I know to do good, and do not do it, to me it is sin.

 

James 5

Rich & Poor

¹Now, Father, I do not want to be among the rich, who need to weep and howl for their miseries that are coming on them. ²I agree that riches are corrupted and garments are moth-eaten. ³I agree that gold and silver can be corroded, and their corrosion can be for a testimony against me, and can eat my flesh like fire.

I do not want to lay up my treasure in the last days. ⁴Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed my fields, I agree to not keep back those wages by fraud so that they cry out. I agree that the cries of those who have been treated unfairly have entered into Your ears, O Lord of Armies.

⁵I choose to not be among those who have lived delicately on the earth, and have taken their pleasure. I do not want to have nourished my heart as in a day of slaughter. ⁶I choose to not be among those who have condemned and have murdered the righteous one as he does not resist them.

Patience

⁷I agree to be patient, therefore, Father, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. ⁸I choose also to be patient and establish my heart, for the coming of the Lord, Your Son, is at hand.

⁹I agree to not grumble, Father, against others, so that I will not be judged. Behold, I realize that the judge stands at the door. ¹⁰I take, Father, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spoke in Your name. ¹¹Behold, I call them blessed who endured.

I have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen You, Lord, in the outcome, and how You are full of compassion and mercy.

Yes & No

¹²But above all things, Father, I agree to not swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath; but I choose to let my” yes” be “yes,” and my “no,” be “no;” so that I do not fall into hypocrisy.

Healing

¹³Is any among us suffering? I choose to pray. Is any cheerful? I choose to sing praises. ¹⁴Is any among us sick? I agree that that person should call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in Your name, O Lord. ¹⁵and I agree that the prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and You, Lord, will raise him up. If he has committed sins, I believe that they will be forgiven.

¹⁶I agree to confess my offenses to other Christian siblings, and for us to pray for each another, that we may be healed. I believe that the insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

¹⁷I understand how that Elijah was a man with a nature like mine, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

¹⁹Father, if any among us wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰let that person know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.