James 1:13 – God and the Blame Game
James Series | Writings

James 1:13 – God and the Blame Game

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. James 1:13 While in Bible College, I spent a couple semesters as the president of the Student Missions Fellowship. Among my responsibilities was the scheduling of speakers for our…

James 1:12 – Here’s Your Crown
James Series | Writings

James 1:12 – Here’s Your Crown

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. If you were to visit my office, you would see several essentially worthless pieces of paper prominently displayed. As I am typing this, I can…

James 1:6 – Too Many Options
James Series | Writings

James 1:6 – Too Many Options

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. One of my absolute favorite aspects of Brazilian culture is the rodízio. For the uninitiated, a rodízio is a steakhouse where various cuts of meat are brought to your…

James 1:4 – Good Trade
James Series | Writings

James 1:4 – Good Trade

James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. In my ever-so-humble opinion, one of the most underrated films of recent days was Disney’s reboot of The Lone Ranger. One of the “running gags” of the movie involves Tonto, hilariously interpreted by Johnny Depp, making dubious…

James 1:3 – Authentication and Endurance
James Series | Writings

James 1:3 – Authentication and Endurance

…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. In last week’s installment of our verse-by-verse examination of the book of James, we noted that the author gives us a somewhat counter-intuitive instruction. In the face of trials, we are to “consider it joy”. Consider is a mind word, not a emotion word. James is…

James 1:1 – The Rejoicing Slave
James Series | Writings

James 1:1 – The Rejoicing Slave

The following is the first in a series of devotionals I have given at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on Wednesday evenings. I will be posting new installments every Monday. Introduction In order to fully understand a book, it helps to know at least a little about the author. What James tells us about himself in…