I heard someone say, “Everything you do bears children.” Sometimes I believe we don’t fully recognize the impact of what we say and do.
Do you know how wrote the book of James? This was the brother of Jesus... yeah... wow! Why do I say that? John wrote in his letter, “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” (John 7:5). James went from not believing in Jesus as the Messiah to writing a letter about belief and faith.
James says things like faith is strengthened in trials, ask and don’t doubt, listen first and speak last, be a doer of the Word, take care of widows and steer clear of worldly things. All this is in the first 27 verses of chapter 1 (and I didn’t even include everything).
Why the dramatic change? He recognized the resurrected Jesus, that’s why... and that truth transformed how he did life. How about you, “Has the truth about the resurrected Jesus transformed the way you live?”
James says, “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.” James 1:14-15
Sin gives birth to death, but righteousness gives birth to life. Come on... give birth to joy, to love, to kindness, to compassion... to new life! Being born again means you have the Holy Spirit living in you, now go give life to those around you. Bear children, that bear children, that bear children of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
- To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.