NorMel House Devotions

Read James 4:7-12 Our text today follows James telling us that God gives us grace to do what we need to do. He will give us grace for the things that James is going to talk about next as well. A truly humble heart will be obvious by its submission to God. By nature, we do not seek Him, and we oppose His authority but James is telling us that if we truly submit to God and align ourselves under His authority then the devil will flee from us.  How do we draw near to God? We must actively seek God, search His word and resist sin, temptations and the devil. We do all this in humility knowing that God gives grace upon grace when we fail. Often, we think we can handle things but until we realize we can’t then we won’t truly be able to say that we can. Only by the grace of God, the sacrifice of Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit can we truly draw near to God and submit to Him. Drawing near to God means we must be humble, have moral purity, internal devotion, we must guard our hearts ...

Read James 4:1-6 In the end of chapter 3 James told us that peacemakers sow a harvest of righteousness; true wisdom is seen in peace, humility, mercy, love and submission to God. Thus, what follows in today’s passage, is behavior that is not in line with true wisdom, in fact, it is the opposite. James goes right to the heart of the problem and asks us – What causes fights and quarrels among you? He doesn’t go into detail about what they were fighting and quarreling about, but instead, he nails the source of the problem immediately – our heart’s desires.  Fights and quarrels come from a hedonistic attitude. Hedonism is the theory that we should seek pleasure and satisfaction of our desires above all else. It says this is the aim of human life and the highest good, however, the Bible says, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11). Restlessness and unfulfilled desires cause us to fight a...

Read James 3:13-18 There are those in life that think they know it all, yet they act like fools. By looking at someone’s actions and behaviors you can see the true measure of a person’s character. James tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom: wisdom from God and Satan’s “wisdom”. Our text today takes a look at what they each mean and how to identify them. Our passage seems to be a culmination of what James has been teaching us so far in this letter.  Looking back to chapter one we can see that true wisdom is from God and if we ask Him for this wisdom, He will give it. James has taught us that true wisdom is not simply gaining worldly knowledge but gaining practical insight into the wisdom that God gives us in His word. We also learned that true wisdom absorbs God’s word and is seen in your actions. It is shown in how we take care of those in need, not judging by appearance but with mercy and by the law. True wisdom will be reflected in all you say and do and the attitude in wh...

  Read James 3:1-12 Words are powerful. So powerful that God spoke, and the world was created. So powerful that Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Think about that. God’s word pierces to the division of the soul and the spirit, joints and marrow and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart! God’s Word can impact the whole body, mind and soul! Our text, however, brings our attention to man’s words. Is what we say important? Does it impact our lives or the lives of others? James would say, “Absolutely!” What we say, and how we use our tongues is so important that James dedicates twelve verses to talking about it. He begins with those whose words are meant to impact others, teachers. Teachers’ words are used to shape the minds of others, particularly our young. In Matthew 5:19 Jesus said,...

Read James 2:14-26 In today’s text, James teaches us that faith without deeds is not a genuine saving faith but rather it is a mere acceptance of the truth; without actually trusting in our Saviour Christ Jesus. True faith will change our actions as well as our thoughts and heart. If we are unchanged by our faith, and how we treat others doesn’t change, then we are simply acknowledging the truth, that God is the one and only God. In Matthew 7:26 Jesus says, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” What good is acknowledging the truth if you don’t act upon it? Wisdom is taking knowledge and putting it into practice. This isn’t the first time James has made this point. Our text is an expansion on his words in James 1:22, where he wrote, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James follows this with an example in verses 15-16, reflecting the teaching of Chris...