May You Will Be Done Daily Devotions

THURSDAY, 15 JUNE 2023

TEXT: James 1:19-27

19. Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.

20. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger.

21. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

22. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!

23. Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror,

24. walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

25. But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God – the free life! – even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

26. Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air.

27. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

(The Message Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: THE COUNSEL OF JAMES

Many brothers and sisters belong to the fellowship but their lives are ruled by impatience, unguarded speech, anger, pride, disobedience and religion.

James counsels us here to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. We must not allow any filth or evil into our lives. It is one thing to go to church but it is another to obey the word of God.

We must not deceive ourselves by thinking that religion will take us to heaven. Pure religion has to do with complete obedience to Christ and touching the lives of the less-privileged among us.

James’ counsel remains paramount if we must move with Christ.

QUESTION: Is your life ruled by impatience, unguarded speech, anger, pride and religion?

PRAYER: Father, I surrender my life to You. Please take absolute control of it. Amen.