My name is Brad and I'm twelve. I'm going to be writing about the book of James. The book of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus. Did you know Jesus had a brother named James? It was written in AD 49 to Jewish Christians living in Gentile communities outside Judea. He wrote it because he wanted to expose hypocritical Jewish practices and express his concern for persecuted Christians who were a part of the Jerusalem church.
James 1:1-19
Faith and Endurance: “ When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” The meaning of this passage is that when troubles come your way we should not pretend to be happy when you're really just mad or sad, just have a positive outlook on the situation. James 1:3 says
“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” I think when our faith is tested we have to learn and grow because they build our endurance. Endurance is when you don’t want to do something because it’s hard, difficult, or painful and you keep going. When things get harder, we should go to God and ask for help in these times of trouble. He will not judge you for when you ask for help in times of trouble. God loves us and we should put all our faith in him alone and not the world. The world is unstable and is like a house on sand. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 -27, when the wind and the rain fell that house crumbled. We should build our house on the rock.
People think that money, achievements, and good deeds get us to heaven and are most important. James says that “they will fade away with all their achievements.” People think God just blesses the famous people who have won awards but God blesses the people who wait patiently even more and they will receive the crown of heaven. When you get tempted don’t blame it on God. God doesn't tempt you or anyone. The enemy will tempt you but God will allow trials in our life. Sometimes our own desires lead us to make bad choices. James warns us in verse 1:14-15 that these temptations come from the things you do like working, sports, and anything that will lead to more sinful actions or takes our focus off God. When we keep our eyes and hearts on God, you get the greatest gift of all: His love from knowing that we are his prized possession. Can you even imagine that you are loved by the God who made the lights in the Heavens? We just need to keep our eyes on Him. See you next time in James 1: 19-27!
One of the biggest things I've learned in the past two years it that I am not always right. And those words still make my stomach churn as I type them. As a planner, an organizer, a perfectionist, a leader, and a rule follower.... I like to be right. What I HAVE learned over the past two years is that letting go has been the best thing I ever did for my family and myself. And the first thing I let go of was society's views on "how to raise your kids to be successful." Homeschooling has been something I wanted to write about for awhile. I get a lot of comments and questions about our choices to do things the way we do as a family. So I'm going to unpack this one thing at a time. I love and appreciate ALL educators. I mean, I was a public educator for almost 20 years. I respect and love them for all they do. This isn't a debate on which is better. Only a little information on what worked BEST for OUR family. ...
Absolutely incredible!!! We will be watching this again as a family this evening! Wonderful writing and excellent content 💓
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