The tongue is a little member…

Hi lovely readers. I can hardly believe I have only one more week of reading and writing scriptures from the book of James. Last week I shared chapter 2. I have now completed all of chapter 3 and half of chapter 4. I’ll share with you some of what I'm pondering today from chapter 3.

James 3:1-2 (NKJV)
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

James 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

James 3:8-18 (NKJV)
8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

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More words from James

Hi everyone. "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it"! That is a great way to start every day. I'm still reading and writing scriptures from the book of James in the Bible. Last week I shared chapter 1. I have now completed all of chapter 2 and wanted to share some of what I'm pondering. Let’s see what Faith has to do with Works.

James 2:14-26 (NKJV)

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


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Our at-home "Hibachi"

We turned all these ingredients into this yummy goodness........

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Pondering the Words of James

Hi everyone. I pray you are having a joyous Sunday. I mentioned last week how I’m reading and writing scriptures from the book of James in the Bible. I have completed all of chapter 1 and thought I’d come and share some of what I'm pondering. Let’s see what we can learn about Trials, Faith, Wisdom, Temptation, Sin, and being Doers (not just Hearers) of God’s Word.

James 1:2-8 (NKJV)
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:12-15 (NKJV)
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

James 1:19-27 (NKJV)
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26  If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

© My Life 0utside The Box 2020. All Rights Reserved. All personal photos, text, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.

My Jan. 2020 Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today: 1/6/20

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Looking out my window

It’s cold but sunny outside. Our high for today is 51 degrees.

I am thinking

About doing some daily scripture writing from the book of James (for the next 4 weeks).

I am thankful

For the start of a New Year.

One of my favorite things

Settling down at the end of the day with a cup of hot herbal tea :)

I am creating

I’m still trying to get my bullet journal set up for this year. I usually have it finished by now, but I’m trying to do something new.

I am wearing

A striped shirt and maroon pants.

I am reading

I plan to read a chapter a day of James before doing my scripture writing.

I’m watching (want to watch)

I seriously need to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions (I only subscribe to a handful anyway). I haven’t watched videos since October.

I’ve been listening to

Old-school Kenny G songs with my hubby. He shared with our son how some of the songs are very special because he constantly listened to them when he first met me over 20 years ago :)

I am hoping

I finish setting up my household planner (along with my bullet journal) by the end of this week.

I am learning

To “Count It All Joy” no matter what kind of day I’m having.

In my kitchen

Today I cooked up a pot of Wild Rice as well as a pot of Red and White Quinoa that I soaked overnight. I plan to soak some beans tonight to cook and freeze tomorrow. If I get around to it, I'll cook up some grass-fed ground beef to have on hand to make some chili this week.

Post Script

One year on our Anniversary (our 20th) my hubby surprised me to dinner out at a Japanese Steakhouse. It was the first time I had been to one. On our son’s 18th birthday we took him to a Japanese Hibachi. It’s so much fun watching them prepare the food right before your eyes. Although we enjoy the experience, the food is pricey. In 2018 I tried making an At Home Hibachi dinner after watching someone do it on YouTube. It is much easier than I thought. Since then we have done it 3 times.
You can check out the post where I shared some pics of ours.

Shared Quote

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started”.

-Mark Twain

A moment from my day

For dinner tonight we ate homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.
We also had homemade sourdough bread (not pictured) toasted with Ghee.

Closing Notes

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into my life. Be sure to head on over to the host site to read other ladies Simple Woman Daybooks.

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Goodbye 2019~ Hello 2020!

Well goodbye to 2019 and hello 2020! Praise the Lord we made it to a new decade!!! My family will be doing our usual thing of taking down Christmas decor and eating Fondue throughout the day. Christmas seemed to fly right on by and now we're in a new year. My head is spinning. Haha :-)

Thanks to all who stopped by to read my blog all through the year. I’m so grateful to those of you who left comments. I hope you and yours have a fun and safe New Year's Day. My family does not do resolutions. I believe in setting realistic goals. I’m mostly looking forward to continual spiritual growth in 2020. I pray everyone has a blessed year.

© My Life 0utside The Box 2020. All Rights Reserved. All photos, text, personal videos, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the blog author.