James 1:2-12

What is life with God all about?  I will be using the above scripture to illustrate that life with God is the best life to live. 
I always stress that God loves you no matter what you do.  If you had to do something to gain God�s love you would always fail.  The fact that God gives it freely proves that it is genuine. 
Before I get to James, I want to share another scripture with you.  It is out of Psalms chapter 37, verse 4.  It states, �Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart.�
I have shared with you that God wants to bless you and give abundantly unto you; and that it requires faith to receive from God.  But how do we know what God wants from us and for us?  Let me call your attention to the first and last verse of the above scripture.  James says to count it a blessing to fall into temptation and blessed is the man who endures it.  However, if God is who he says he is then why do we have to endure temptation?  The good news is that we don�t have to struggle with temptation.
Lets go to verses 5 and 6 to explore this.  �If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all liberally, and unbraid not (doubt not); and it will be given to him.�  God only requires us to ask for wisdom and doubt not and he will freely give it to us.  Then the wisdom of God will lead us in the right direction.  Then verse six says we must not waver on our faith but stand firm on it.  God will strengthen your faith through his word and cast out the doubt (Romans 10:17).  Basically your faith will work better if you spend time with God and study his word. 
The good side to spending time in God�s word is not only that you know him better but also you get more out of knowing him better.  There in lies the best message of the gospel, that knowing God gets you stuff.  That is what human nature craves the most so why not use it to your advantage.  Don�t get me wrong I don�t think that we should be greedy about anything cause God wants to give his blessings to all.  If greed were part of it God would tell us not to share the goodness of his word.  In the next few verses God tells us that the ways of the rich man will �pass away.�  This means that the things of this world will not last but that God will give us what will last.
Having said all this, what can you expect from God?  Psalms gives us that answer.  By delighting ourselves in the Lord and getting strong in faith and knowing Gods ways through the study of his word he will place his desires in our hearts.  These desires will lead you to true life and happiness.  If God puts his desires in your heart then temptation is no longer a problem because it is no longer a desire. This can only come through not just spending quality time but quantity time in fellowship and communion with God. 
I wish to encourage you in your faith and give you blessings from out Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray that you receive wisdom in the truth of God�s word so that you may receive life, health, wealth and happiness.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways

-James 1:11
Life
and
Temptation
Picture by Nathan Finsel
Picture by Nathan Finsel
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