Psalm 7:14
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
God is merciful and forgiving. He is always willing to step into our lives with His wisdom and guidance but we need to invite Him into the situation. We need to view others by the same lens that He does, in love, but never confusing evil with good. We will know others by the fruit of Holy Spirit in their words and in their deeds. Satan can entice humans to sin but God does not. We choose life not death. Money is at the root of all evil. Carla
James 1:12-18
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.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (NKJV)
Blessed is the person who endures testing. In this context, “blessed” describes an attitude of determined courage that is unaffected by external circumstances.
James cautions Christians against interpreting temptations of their sinful desires as a test from God. As James makes clear in the following verses, humans alone are responsible for choosing to sin.
The Greek word deleazō for entices describes drawing in an unsuspecting victim with an attractive bait or lure. James uses the analogy of human conception and birth to describe sin. Desire is conceived when a person yields to temptation, which results in the “birth” of sin. As sin matures, this ultimately leads to God’s judgment of death. Faithlife Study Bible
The believer who endures trials demonstrates that he or she loves Jesus and therefore will receive the crown of life at the judgment seat of Christ. The focus of the chapter turns from trials (verses 2–12) to temptation (verses 13–18). Enticement to sin does not come from God. God will never deliberately lead a person to commit sin because that would not only go against His nature, but it would be opposed to His purpose of molding His creation into His holy image. Drawn away and enticed express the intensity with which desire lures an individual until he or she is tragically entrapped. Sin does not force itself on the unwilling, but is chosen because of its attractions. Conceived suggests the image of a person’s will bending toward and finally seizing evil. This same idea is vividly illustrated by the tragic path of an addict: A habit once acquired completely controls that person eventually. Full-grown suggests bringing a goal to completion. The idea here is that sin has reached its maturity and has possessed the very character of the individual. The NKJV Study Bible
Money brings freedom Is the world view. The desire for money can be enslaving and lead to destruction; only Christ brings true freedom (1 Timothy 6:7–10).
James 2:5
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
1 Corinthians 9:25
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
Job 15:35
They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit.”
Isaiah 59:4
No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
Empathy matters.
Compassion matters.
And community backbone matters.
Human history is a history not only of cruelty, Howard Zinn reminds us, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places and there are so many where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place. Sabbath Moments
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