Daily Bible Verses for 3/7/2017
Daily Verse(s)
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. 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. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Reading Notes
Though trials are caused by the fallen nature of the world we live in, God can allow trials to touch our lives because it’s one of the only means by which we can put our faith into practice. Through trials we see the true character and quality of our faith. We have to remember a Christian’s faith is not real faith until it has been proven by a trial. It’s only when we face a trial and come out the other side that we understand the quality and sincerity of our faith. Therefore, trials allow God to work in our lives. Trials allow us to take what we have learned from the Holy Spirit and from the study of God’s word and put it into action for God’s glory. So this means when we suffer loss because of a trial, the loss has occurred not because of God, but as a result of the fallen world we live in. This also includes the effects of sin and the spiritual warfare which is waged all around us. We have to remember because of the fall, sin and disharmony were ushered into our world.
Moreover, as a result of the fall humanity fell into complete disharmony. Disharmony with God, disharmony with ourselves and others as well as disharmony with creation. Sin and disharmony can be really difficult for us to understand, because we tend to compare ourselves to others, rather than comparing ourselves to God’s perfect standard. God’s Law is perfect, just and holy and it served to show us our need for a Savior. God’s law revealed our sin to us and without it we would not know the true nature of our sinful state. There are two types of sins in the life of every person. There are the sins of commission which are the things we knowingly do which violate God’s law. And there are the sins of omission, which are those good deeds we have it in our power to do, but we just do not think to do them. These are the sins we commit without realizing we commit them. Moreover, these two types of sins work in concert with the disharmony caused by the fall. And what James is reminding us in these passages, that it’s the desires of our sin nature which, when we’re tempted, then mature into thoughts or ideas, which then give birth to acts of sin. And it’s these acts of sin, which contribute to the losses we can suffer, or the loss our sins can cause in the lives of others.