Plan info

Morning Coffee With JamesSample

DAY 7 OF 8

Who's Your Daddy?

Read James 1:9-10

God's Word to Them...

Most early Christians suffered financially for choosing to follow Christ. People would not do business with Christians, and many tradesmen and business people found their businesses in ruins. James reminded them that earthly riches would not be carried into eternity; like a wildflower, they were here one day and gone the next. He encouraged the believers by telling them they had made the right choice.

God's Word to Us...

An earthly prince knows that his true value lies not in the family treasures, but in who his father is. As Christians, we are children of the Most High God. That makes us part of the royal family. Whether rich or poor, we often tend to equate our value as people with our financial worth. When we lack money, we dream about having it. When we have money, we do all we can to keep it, and to make more money.

But money doesn’t matter to God. We are worth the same to Him, regardless of the amount of gold we have acquired. If we are poor, we can take pride in our heavenly bank accounts. If we are rich, we can quit worrying about holding onto our money, which will mean nothing in heaven anyway. Again, we can take pride in knowing that the only lasting treasure is that which is eternal. We are all valued in the kingdom, not because of what we have, but because of who our Father is.

Cream and Sugar...

If you had plenty of money, what would you do with it? What would the eternal benefits be?

Dear Father, thank You for stripping away all pretense and loving me regardless of what I may or may not have. Please help me always to place my eternal treasures above my earthly bank account. Amen.

The Last Drop...

“Satan now is wiser than of yore, and tempts by making rich, not making poor.” —ALEXANDER POPE

Scripture

James 1:9-10

Matthew 5:3

Job 14:2

Psalms 103:15-16

Isaiah 40:6-8

Day 6Day 8

About this Plan

As the half brother of Jesus, James knew a side of our Lord that few others did. He ate with Him, slept with Him, played brotherly pranks. He worked alongside Jesus in the carpenter’s shop. He loved his brother. But as is the case in so many families, James was too close to his brother to recognize Him as special. I can only imagine the confusion and embarrassment James felt when his big brother told people He was the Messiah! I can only imagine the shame James carried when his big brother was executed like a common criminal. Then, after Jesus was dead and buried, James saw Him. His brother, whom he loved, stood right before his eyes! James lived out the remainder of his days building the church. We never hear James boasting about his relationship with Jesus. Instead, he refers to himself as Jesus’ servant. He calls his fellow Christians “brothers.” The book of James doesn’t tell us how to become a Christian. Instead, it is a practical how-to guide for Christian living. He tells us to persevere, to stand firm in our faith. He tells us to stop talking about our faith and start living it. He tells us to treat everyone equally and to stop playing favorites, to control our tongues, to seek God for all of life’s answers. James is a no-nonsense kind of guy. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and flavor it just right. Then, sit back and get ready to learn timeless lessons from James 1, the brother of our Lord.

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