The Third chapter of the Letter of St James

 

The Letter of St. James

Chapter

 3

 

¹ Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

 

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verse 1)

 

Oh God, my beloved Father even though I am not a teacher but a social worker, I am aware of the responsibility that You have given me. If I were to break the law and appear before a judge, my condemnation would be greater, since I would be more responsible than others and my actions would be more willful and with intent. I pray that I am judged on earth more than in Heaven by You Amen, for since the moment I heard Your voice when You spoke to me I still feel the tremors. 


² For all of us make many mistakes.  Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verse 2)

 

Oh God, my beloved Father, how important it is to have control over what we speak, and decide not to speak if I know that I am going to do more harm than good if I do so. Amen 


³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. ⁴ Or look at ships though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verses 3 to 5)

 

Oh God, my Father, the tongue even though one of the smallest parts of our body, can either be used to utter words of healing, or it can be used as an instrument that harms, injury and even kills another person with. Throughout these 16 years of marriage, I have been subject to emotional abuse from both my Father and even my wife and daughter. I pray oh God that You protect me from such people, by giving me the correct words in every interaction I have with them. Moreover oh God my Father, I pray that You help me to stop and think before giving an answer and let You give me the appropriate words Amen.


⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity, it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verses 3 to 6)

 

Oh God, my beloved Father, the tongue has always gotten me into trouble, because I am an honest person. Many people have abused of what I say and use what I say against me. I pray oh God my Father that You help me to think before I say something so that what I say will not be used against me Amen.

⁷ For every species of beast, and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue- a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verses 7 to 8)

 

Oh God, my Father, I pray for control over this important but dangerous part of the body. Amen.


⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verse 9)

Oh God, my Father, I pray that You help me think before I speak, in order to avoid hurting others by what I say. I also pray that You take control over what I say Amen.


¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verses 10 to 12)

Oh God, my blessed Father, I pray that You purify my soul, my thoughts, and my behaviour, so that there will be no discrepancy in what I think to what I say and do. I confess to You that there are still people whom I still have doubts and negative thoughts about, of which I pray for healing so that I will be able to bear much good fruit Amen.


¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verse 13)

Oh God my blessed Father, the wisdom of the world is different from Your wisdom. That of the world is referred to by intelligence pride and many certificates, the wisdom given by You is manifested by a spirit of faith humility and kindness to others Amen.


¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verse 14)

Oh God my beloved Father I pray that You clothe me with humility, may You undress me of my natural ego and inclinations so that I may be more like You Amen.


¹⁵ Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

(The Letter of St James Chapter 3 verses 15 to 18)

Oh God my Father like a person who is thirsty for water, I am also thirsty for Your wisdom. My craving is so strong that the wisdom of the world can never replace Your wisdom Amen.


Oh God, my beloved Father, I would like to end the Third Chapter of the Letter of St. James with the following prayer.


Consecrate all the members of our body oh God my Father, especially our tongue for as much as it can do good it can also do a lot of harm. I also pray that You cleanse our minds and heart, for the evil one can mislead us by negative thoughts and feelings. I pray for Your blessings and renewal of spirit for I cannot live without You Amen.

 

 

 

 

The Second Chapter of the first Letter of st. James

The Letter of St. James 

Chapter 2

¹ My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 1)




Oh God my Father showing bias and partiality is never justified because this is a direct form of discrimination to one over the other. I pray oh God my Father that we always act according to a perspective of justice and be freed from the corruption of this world Amen. As You know my God and Father today I am contesting two fines for which I was unjustly ticketed, I pray that Your justice prevails over the injustice of this world and may Your will be done.




² For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in,  ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please." while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet.", ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 2 to 4)





Oh God my Father many times our personal bias, emotions and opinions are the cause of many injustices and abuse. Many have been denied their rights or even their needs because they are of a different race and colour or even social status. I pray that we become more sensitive to such people and their situations. Help us oh God my Father, to not only consider the upholding the law to safeguard the common good or national good but even for us to become sensitive to such discriminated others in their situations so that our attitude be more objective realistic, and down to earth, focussing not only on the person's financial state but also on the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the individual. Amen.




⁵ Listen my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 5)





Oh God my Father as You said there are those who benefit from the riches of this world and there are those who benefit from the riches of the kingdom of heaven. I pray to be worthy of benefitting from Your loving and divine presence my God and Father Amen.




⁶ But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not they who drag you into court? ⁷ Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)




Oh God my Father many times power breeds power and also many time power leads to the abuse of that same power. However even though many are aware of this risk of corruption there are many who still prefer to be rich and powerful than to depend on You and live a healthy and moderate life. To have an idea I invite you to click on the following link given to us by guru006



If I were a rich man 




 ⁸ You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 8) 





Oh God my Father, I have come to one of the most important decisions in my life as based on this royal law. Soon I will be moving out of my home. This will stimulate my wife to end her life of gaming online and face the reality of the world instead of the virtual reality of the internet. On the other hand, my daughter will see an image of a working mother, instead of a mother who has life easy doing the bare necessities in order to keep life moving and leaving the household to become an unhealthy environment Amen. Because I love my Family I had to take this stand for the good of all, I am sorry if You do not agree with me Amen. 




⁹ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 9)




Oh God my beloved Father, when I discriminate with one person in relation to another, even in my attitude, in the sense of being fair and nice with one, person and being rough and grumpy with others especially at home, this is also showing impartiality, and therefore this behaviour is also wrong. I stand before You my God and Father and seek forgiveness for I am guilty of such sin. Amen. Mercy oh God my Father for I am still a weak person.




¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 10)




Guilty, guilty and furthermore guilty I declare myself my God and Father, for I have not always been faithful to Your commandments, for I am still a weak person in both flesh and spirit. I pray that Your spirit will take control so that it will not be me that is living and in control but Your Spirit that lives within me. Amen.




¹¹ For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery", also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For Judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 11 to 13)



Oh God as believers we cannot be choosy in what we believe. We cannot quote verses of the Good News and not quote others. For the same God who ordered us to love each other as He did to us, also told us to forgive each other as He did to us. However oh God my Father as a human this is not easy for me. Even though I try to forgive and forget, the hurts that I have received and those that I am still receiving from such same people continue to make it harder. I am human and not a God. I pray to be more empowered by the presence of Your Holy Spirit who dwells in me to forgive and forget Amen.



¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill", and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? ¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 14 to 17) 




Oh God my beloved Father after Your physical departure from earth it seems starting from people such as James, as if started raisng issues such as salvation without works and with works, that You had already answered in the 'New Testament'. Your Yourself told us that we get not for we pray improperly or none at all, or that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed in You, we could tell a tree to uproot itself and go somewhere else, which shows the power of faith that I believe is the key by which You have already saved us during the time of the 'Holy Passion'. In fact You Yourself told us that those of us, who do not believe in You are already condemned, therefore the issue of belief on its own is already important. Moreover in this scientific world we tend to act on proof that is obtained from evidence or scientific enquiry, therefore I imagine that the update of 'Salvation through faith that is manifested through our works' was eventually updated. 



I pray oh God my Father, that even during our times we stop messing about with Your Word and giving interpretations that are contrary to what You Yourself taught us. Amen 



¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 18)



Oh God my beloved Father this battle of wits and others like it are useless and nothing but a waste of time and money and energy. Both our works and our faith are to have the same intention in unity to reach the common goal of worshipping You my God and Father. There is to be no fragmentation in us but unity Amen. 



¹⁹  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder.




(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 19)



On reflecting oh God my Father and sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ, what is the difference between us whom we declare to believe in You and those who do not, if even the demons believe in You and shudder in fear. We must have something special that keeps us tied to You in relationship! This is the belief and hope that one day I will be reunited with You, the risen God and we will be together forever, Amen. I pray that I will never lose this hope and faith Amen.



²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you senseless person that faith apart from works is barren?



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verse 20)



Oh God my Father I pray that You give me a sense of respect and a non judgemental attitude towards others whom we consider to be non believers. Please help me to follow You by being gentle and empathetic, even though when facing opposition this may be very challenging, but it is the fire that tests the gold for its purity and not vice-versa Amen.


²¹ Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 21 to 22)



Oh God my Father St Peter, Paul and James were indeed confronted by complex issues such as that in verses 21 to 22. The evil one stops at nothing to create in us spiritual confusion so that we end up doubting the logic of the verse and its truth. For if one was to question and pursue the argument, one would ask if Abraham obeyed on compulsion to the will of God since he was so intent on obeying You, or did he offer his son as a custom offering of reparation after the son was born. So in the end was it only faith or fear of You that made him offer his son. However again I believe that it was according to the plan that You fashioned from the begining of time Amen.


²³ Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, " and he was called the friend of God.



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 23)



The Word of God gives us the answer confirming that Abraham believed in You so much that his act helped to improve the relationship between You and him so much that he was called the 'friend of God'. I also pray to have a strong relationship with You my God and Father, regardless of the title for they do not mean alot to me Amen.



²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.



(The Letter of St. James Chapter 2 verses 24 to 26)



As scripture points out even those who do not believe in You can do acts of justice and charity towards others and one's works would be credited to him or her as an act of righteousness however ideally one is to act out of faith so that the actions done are subject to faith and this makes the work and value more rich.



Oh God my father I would like to end this second chapter of the first letter of St. James with the following prayer:-


Oh God I pray that I obey Your Word completely with questioning it or trying to reason certain arguments, for it has the answers to all my issues. I pray that You widen my ears and humble my heart so that I will not miss one word of what you wish to pass on to me during prayer and during my daily life Amen. Thank You Jesus.