Monday
James 1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
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My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,
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because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
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and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
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If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
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But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind;
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for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
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Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up,
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and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.
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For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
Tuesday
James 1
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.
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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.
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But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it;
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then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
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Do not be deceived, my beloved.’
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Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
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In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Wednesday
James 1
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
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for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.
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Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
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But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
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For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
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for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
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But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
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If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
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Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Thursday
1 Peter 1
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
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who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance.
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
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who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
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In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,
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so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
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for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry,
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inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory.
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It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look!
Friday
1 Peter 1
Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.
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Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.
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Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;
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for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
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If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.
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You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
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but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.
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He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.
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Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
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Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.
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You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
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For
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
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but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
That word is the good news that was announced to you.
