Chapter 1
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 – Passages like these comfort me because it reminds me of the truths about my struggles. It’s reminds me that even though my enemy is telling me there is no other way and no chance of me not falling into his way, there actually is another way to go so I don’t have to follow after the path of my enemy. It reminds me that God is about blessing our faithful walk. It also reminds me that I’m not some broken Christian because I’m facing struggles. That it’s not like I’m a failure at being a Christian because struggles are coming up. Be reminded today that within your walk with God struggles and temptations will arise, there is a different path to go than following the enemy again, and God blesses us when we are faithful. I’m praying this helped your walk today somehow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 736
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:22-25 – Was yesterday a “doing” day? Often when I read passages like this I like to check it with my immediate past. Was what was said true of me yesterday or did I live differently than I should have yesterday? I’m being called to not just learn and hear the words of God but be doing it and living out what I hear taught. I’m supposed to, as the next verses say, be visiting orphans and widows and keeping myself from the sinfulness of the world. And this isn’t the first time in my life I have heard these words and likely not the first time for you either. That’s said let’s go back to our first question…was yesterday a “doing” day? Or was it simply a hearing day? Did we faithfully do what God is telling us to do or was it a day fully knowing what we’re to do and just simply not doing it? If there is a level of conviction with answering those questions, don’t let shame or guilt weigh you down. Let that conviction be the push you need today to make today different than yesterday. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2128
Chapter 2
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:1-4 – All this is being said because you can never tell what the heart looks like simply by a quick glance of the outside. Whatever your reasoning for treating some people better than others, God is checking our hearts with this passage. Just remember the person you cast aside as not worth your time may be the broken person God planned to use you in their healing. We have to keep in mind that God’s love is for all people and that when we have the temptations to look down on others and push some aside as not worthy of our attention we forget just how messed up we were without God but He took the time to show us love and it changed us. Everyone needs God’s love and His change in their life, that includes the rich, poor, and you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 737
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 – It can be easy to get lost in the words of this chapter if there isn’t a full understanding of what’s going on and what other scriptures say. Know this passage isn’t teaching us that our works have some sort of part in our saving process. That when we do good works that it adds to our salvation or makes us “more saved” or giving us a better chance at being saved. Our full salvation comes through Jesus alone. Meaning we could never, ever do a good work and still find complete salvation through Jesus. What we do see in this passage is a deep truth about our good works. That if one truly has been saved by Jesus, their life will be doing good works. Not out of some reason to buy their salvation, but in response to already having it. Those that truly understand the depth of the gift of salvation and the cost it took to provide us it can’t help but want to follow Jesus with their life doing the good works He commands us to do. So works don’t buy your salvation, but they are a clear sign salvation has happened in your story. Which is why it’s so confusing when you have a Christian, someone who has been saved, living as the world does rather than how Jesus calls them to. It really brings up the question if they truly understand the depth of the gift they’ve been given or if they are just taking it for granted. Today if you have been saved, let that truth be seen today by the way you live and work for Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2129
Chapter 3
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. James 3:16-17 – This passage just affirms what I’m seeing first hand in my life, that selfishness brings only pain and brokenness. This pursuit of only you and thinking only of you brings nothing good to your relationships or your witness. God though is seeking things like peace and mercy being created from your life, not disorder and every vile practice. So check yourself today and ask, “Where have I been selfish in my life lately?” Simple question, but if answered and dealt with properly maybe some of the disorder and vile things you’re experiencing will move away. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 738
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. James 3:9-10 – Our passage is speaking of the tongue and the words that come out of our mouths. We’re faced with an odd, but true situation. A part of us, our words, have the ability to be deeply praising God or deeply tearing down His creations giving our God a horrible name. Knowing then this is a reality for everyone, which side are you allowing to be seen most of your tongue? With your spouse is your language honoring or dishonoring to your God? With your kids, friends, and authority figures, is the way you speak a way that uplifts Jesus’ name or does it trash it? While scripture is true that the tongue cannot be completely tamed, that doesn’t mean God’s followers can allow their tongue to behave however it wants to. Your words have power to either point people to the glory and love of Jesus or point them away from it. Which path is your words pointing people down? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2130
Chapter 4
You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 – This verse I believe helps with the confusion some people have about this message to be in the world but not of it. We are to build relationships with the people in the world, but an intimacy with the ways of the world can’t be a part of a follower of Jesus’ life. So going out partying and getting drunk on the weekend and saying it’s a “mission field” for you really doesn’t cut it. Or staying in a wrong relationship to “win them over to Jesus” because you like what you do in that relationship doesn’t cut it either. Yes, strive for closeness with the people in the world, but you don’t have to be the world to build relationships with the people in the world. In truth, they have enough people in their life that are consumed with the world, they need something different in their story. Be that something different. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 739
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 – This passage follows verses describing how we have no clue what tomorrow actually will hold. We have know clue even if we will be alive tomorrow. Our life is but a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes. So, if the Lord is blessing us with a today, what is the right thing for us to do today? For we don’t know if we’ll be blessed with a tomorrow, what then is the right, holy thing for us to be doing today? We are to be telling people about Jesus and showing His love to them. We then, who know this truth, but decide to put it off till tomorrow, are in sin. Each follower of Jesus has been directed by God to each and every day to be somehow pointing people to the love of Jesus. So if our heart says, “I’ll just get on that tomorrow,” when opportunities to do it today are in front of us, this is a sinful choice for us. Let’s then not find ourselves in sin today. We know what we’ve been called to do today, so let’s lean into that calling today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2131
Chapter 5
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20 – How amazing is this that we can have a part in the rescue of someone’s soul! Now remember, Jesus is the one saving, but we can be used in the process of their saving. Like if you threw a life preserver to someone drowning, you played a role in their saving, but the preserver was the thing that saved them. However we choose to explain it, God is offering us a chance to be in the story of someone following Jesus. If you saw someone drowning, wouldn’t you want to help? God’s reminding us that there are people drowning spiritually all around us today, make sure you’re doing your part in getting the life saving message of Jesus to them. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 740
As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James5:10 – I love how we just did our devotions over the minor prophets before stepping into James and now we have a passage directing us to dwell on the example of such prophets. They suffered so much grief, pushback, ridicule, and humiliation for their steadfastness of telling the people what God told them to say. They sat and waited patiently for God to move and bring about the promises. Some never even got to see with their own eyes the fulfillment of their words. We then are called to look at their example. Speak of Jesus even when the result may be ridicule. Say what God directs us to say even when pushback is likely to follow. Wait for the Lord, acknowledging that the fulfillment may not even come on this side of Heaven. This isn’t going to be a life everyone will fully step into, yet it is a life every believer is called to live. Will you be patient in suffering continuing to live as God directs even when the outcome is worldly loss? Trust then the outcome of a life lived for Jesus like this will see it’s fruits in Heaven one day. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2132
Daily DEVO 