For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    The wicked are afraid when no one is after them, while the godly stand firm, even in the face of attack.

    Let us call on everyone to praise the Lord. His love is powerful and His faithfulness endures forever. I will praise His name.

    Today’s passage begins and ends with different expressions of the same message. It is not enough to hear God’s word, to believe God’s word. We must act on God’s word. In between, James gives some examples of what it means to obey God’s word. That means thinking before we speak and choosing our words to bring glory to God. We should not show favoritism to some people over others. That means welcoming strangers among us and treating them as friends. Obeying God’s word means having a merciful attitude, and being merciful, towards those who have done wrong. Remember, the person who commits adultery is just as guilty of sinning as the person who murders. So is the person who tells lies.

    Ezekiel’s prophecy to the valley of dry bones reminds me of congregations which have been given up for dead (in particular one near where I grew up). We, as people, look at these congregations which have grown old and become stagnant and think that they will gradually fade away. They have become stuck in their rut and the people are unwilling to adapt to the times. However, such does not need to be the case. God may send a prophet to speak to that congregation, He may send His Spirit upon them and put flesh back on their bones and breath life into their lungs. If there is still one person in that congregation who is faithful to God, that congregation still has a future. I feel called to pray for those congregations which appear to be as good as dead. Let us remember that with God all things are possible.