12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when desire has conceived, it engenders sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
Prayer Focus: As this Fall we continue to draw upon texts suggested by the Revised Common Lectionary, this week we turn to the opening chapter of the Letter of James. Many Protestants are skeptical of this letter, remembering how the reformer Martin Luther declared it to be “an epistle of straw” because it tells us “nothing of Jesus.” And yet modern interpreters have rediscovered this letter and its vision of what it means to do the will of God. We begin with these verses which describe appropriate responses to temptation. All will face temptation and these verses indicate that we are tempted by our own desire. Consider your own desires today. How are they similar or different from what God desires for you? Pray that you might endure temptation and withstand the test today.
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