A Greeting from James (Jude 1:1–2)
1 UST I, James, serve God and the Lord Jesus the Messiah. I am writing this letter to you who believe in Jesus and are living in various parts of the Roman Empire. I greet you all. BSB BSB: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.
Rejoicing in Trials (Philippians 1:12–20)
2 UST My fellow believers, consider it something to rejoice over greatly when you experience various kinds of hardships. BSB BSB: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
3 UST Understand that as you trust God in hardships, this helps you to become a stronger person. BSB BSB: because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 UST Endure hardships to their very end, so that you may follow the Messiah in every way. Then you will not fail to do well. BSB BSB: Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
6 UST But when you pray to God, you must trust him to answer you. Do not doubt that he will answer and help you. People who doubt God first decide to do one thing, but then they want to do something else. They never settle on a single course of action. BSB BSB: But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 UST Indeed, people who doubt should not think that God the Lord will give them what they ask for{ so uncertainly}. BSB BSB: That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 UST People like this can never decide what to do. They make a plan, but then they do not follow it. BSB BSB: He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 UST Believers who do not have much money should be glad, because God has honored them. BSB BSB: The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position.
10 UST But believers who have a lot of money should be glad that God has humbled them{ by showing them that their wealth does not make them better than other people}. After all, like wildflowers{ that bloom for only a short time and then wither}, rich believers will die{ like anyone else}. BSB BSB: But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
11 UST A wildflower only lasts a short time because when the sun rises, its scorching heat dries out the plants so that their flowers fall off. They are no longer beautiful. Like the flower that dies, rich people will die while they are trying to make money. BSB BSB: For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 UST God honors those who remain faithful to him in difficult circumstances. Indeed, God will reward them by having them live forever. That is what God has promised to do for all who love him. BSB BSB: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
Good and Perfect Gifts 14 UST But people want to do evil because of their own desires. When they do, it is just as if they had fallen into a trap. BSB BSB: But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
15 UST Then, because they have desired to do evil things, they begin to do them, and eventually they do them habitually.{ If they do not turn away from their sinful behavior,} they will be separated from God forever. BSB BSB: Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 UST My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves. BSB BSB: Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
17 UST Every truly good and perfect gift comes from God the Father, who is in heaven. He created the sun, moon, and stars. But God does not change the way shadows change, appearing and disappearing. God never changes. He is always good! BSB BSB: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
18 UST God became our spiritual father when we trusted in his true message. That was what he wanted to do. So now believers in Jesus have become the first people to experience the kind of relationship with God that many more people will have in the future. BSB BSB: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
Hearing and Doing 19 UST My fellow believers whom I love, I want you to know that every one of you should listen patiently{ to what others have to say}. You should speak{ your own thoughts} carefully. You should control your anger, BSB BSB: My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
20 UST because when we get angry, we cannot do the good things that God wants us to do. BSB BSB: for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.
21 UST So stop doing all kinds of evil. Without resisting proudly, do what God has told you to do. God will help you to remember and understand it. This will show that you belong to God. BSB BSB: Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
22 UST It is important to what God commands, do not just listen to it. People who only listen to it and do not obey it are fooling themselves{ into thinking that this will save them}. BSB BSB: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
23 UST Now some people hear God’ s message, but they do not do what it says. Those people are like someone who looks at his face in a mirror. BSB BSB: For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
24 UST Although he looks at himself, he goes away{ from the mirror} and immediately forgets what he looks like. BSB BSB: and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25 UST But other people consider God’ s message carefully. It is perfect and it enables people to do voluntarily{ what God wants them to do}. If these people remember what they have heard and continue to do what God tells them to do, then God will bless them because of what they do. BSB BSB: But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
26 UST Some people think that they worship God properly, but they say bad things. Those people are wrong in what they are thinking. God is not impressed with our worship activities if we continually say bad things. BSB BSB: If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.
27 UST { One of the things that God has told us to do is} to take care of orphans and widows who suffer hardship. People who do that truly worship God, who is our Father. People are also truly worshiping God if they do not think or act immorally like others who do not obey God. God approves of people who do these things. BSB BSB: Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.