Looking at James 1:13 – 15 today:
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Life Application Study Bible Notes on James 1:13-15:
“People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations.
Does God tempt them?
God tests people, but he does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin.
God allows Satan to tempt people, however, in order to refine their faith and to help them grow in their dependence on Christ.
We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey his Word.”
“It is easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions.
Excuses include
(1) it’s the other person’s fault;
(2) I couldn’t help it;
(3) everybody’s doing it;
(4) it was just a mistake;
(5) nobody’s perfect;
(6) the devil made me do it;
(7) I was pressured into it;
(8) I didn’t know it was wrong;
(9) God is tempting me.
A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself or herself to something or someone else.
A Christian, on the other hand, accepts responsibility for his or her wrongs, confesses them, and asks God for forgiveness.”
BarbTalk:
The minute that I think I have a good handle on things, I have lost the battle. Self-reliance is the opposite of God-reliance.
All that I do to make myself look good, be good, do good and act appropriately usually has the wrong motive: to aggrandize myself. Over and over we hear, it’s not about you. Why isn’t it all about me? Because no one benefits from me and my meager provisions. What do people benefit from?
As I ponder this, I think about Jesus’ words recorded in John chapter 15, verse 16: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.”
This scripture reminded me of Jesus’ words when He spoke about Eternal Life, so I looked up that phrase in the Book of John:
John 17:3
"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."
John 3:15
"that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.”
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:36
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."
John 4:14
"but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:36
"Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together."
John 5:24
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."
John 5:39
"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me,"
John 6:27
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
John 6:40
"For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:47
"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life."
John 6:54
"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."
John 6:68
"Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 10:28
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand."
John 12:25
"Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
John 12:50
"I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say.”
John 17:2
"For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him."
John 17:3
"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."
That is just from the book of John. Jesus said many more things about this which are recorded in other books of the bible. It appears that of primary importance is our belief in Jesus and in what He has said to us. What we do creates a vacuum, but what we believe changes everything. More on this later.
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
Life Application Study Bible Notes on James 1:13-15:
“People who live for God often wonder why they still have temptations.
Does God tempt them?
God tests people, but he does not tempt them by trying to seduce them into sin.
God allows Satan to tempt people, however, in order to refine their faith and to help them grow in their dependence on Christ.
We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey his Word.”
“It is easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions.
Excuses include
(1) it’s the other person’s fault;
(2) I couldn’t help it;
(3) everybody’s doing it;
(4) it was just a mistake;
(5) nobody’s perfect;
(6) the devil made me do it;
(7) I was pressured into it;
(8) I didn’t know it was wrong;
(9) God is tempting me.
A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself or herself to something or someone else.
A Christian, on the other hand, accepts responsibility for his or her wrongs, confesses them, and asks God for forgiveness.”
BarbTalk:
The minute that I think I have a good handle on things, I have lost the battle. Self-reliance is the opposite of God-reliance.
All that I do to make myself look good, be good, do good and act appropriately usually has the wrong motive: to aggrandize myself. Over and over we hear, it’s not about you. Why isn’t it all about me? Because no one benefits from me and my meager provisions. What do people benefit from?
As I ponder this, I think about Jesus’ words recorded in John chapter 15, verse 16: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.”
This scripture reminded me of Jesus’ words when He spoke about Eternal Life, so I looked up that phrase in the Book of John:
John 17:3
"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."
John 3:15
"that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.”
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:36
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."
John 4:14
"but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:36
"Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together."
John 5:24
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."
John 5:39
"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me,"
John 6:27
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
John 6:40
"For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:47
"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life."
John 6:54
"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."
John 6:68
"Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 10:28
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand."
John 12:25
"Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
John 12:50
"I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say.”
John 17:2
"For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him."
John 17:3
"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."
That is just from the book of John. Jesus said many more things about this which are recorded in other books of the bible. It appears that of primary importance is our belief in Jesus and in what He has said to us. What we do creates a vacuum, but what we believe changes everything. More on this later.
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