James 1:9-16

v9-11: “No condition of life makes us incapable of rejoicing in God.” When we don’t rejoice in God, it is us who are at fault. If we are poor, we can rejoice that we have been “exalted to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God.” If we are rich, we should rejoice, “not so much in the providence of God,” which makes us rich, but “in the grace of God” that keeps us humble and through trials and troubles teaches us to seek our “happiness in and from God,” and not from those present enjoyments that will perish.

v12: “Every soul that truly loves God will have its trials and temptations.” Be encouraged and assured that if we persevere through all these difficulties with “patience, endurance, and faithfulness,” we will be approved by God and fully rewarded with the crown of life. “We carry the cross only for a while, but we will wear the crown for eternity,” and this crown “will be life and happiness to [us] and will last forever.”

v13-16: “God is not the author of anyone’s sin.” When we sin, God is not to be blamed. It is our “hearts’ sinful desires and corruptions” that are what tempts us, and draws us away from what is good, and entices us to cling to what is evil, which “are the two parts of sin.” God “cannot be the author and supporter of anything evil, but must be acknowledged as the cause... of everything good.”