He Leads the Way to the Scattered Tribes 1
1
GREETINGS
1From He Leads the Way (James), a sacred servant of the Great Spirit and of our Honored Chief, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One.
To the twelve tribes scattered like seeds among the nations. I send joyful greetings!
WISDOM FOR TIMES OF TESTING
2My sacred family members, whenever your trust in the Great Spirit is tested, count it as a reason to dance for joy. 3For you know that when your trust is put to the test, your ability to stand firm grows stronger. 4So keep standing firm until you have passed the test. Then you will have gained all the maturity and strength of character needed to finish walking the good road.
5If wisdom is needed, ask the Great Spirit, for he freely gives wisdom to all who ask and never holds back. 6But when you ask, you must put all your trust in him without doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave in the sea tossed about by the wind. 7People who doubt should not hope to receive anything from our Honored Chief, 8for they have two minds, not knowing which one to follow.
WISDOM FOR THE POOR AND THE RICH
9Those sacred family members who have little should take joy in the honor Creator bestows on them. 10And the ones who have much should take joy in knowing that they will be humbled because they will fade away like a wildflower in the grass. 11For the sun rises with its fiery heat and dries up the grass, causing the wildflower to fall to the ground and its beauty to fade away. This is how it will be for those who go about working so hard to get many possessions.
12Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who stand firm under testing, for once they have passed the test, they will receive the headdress of life that has been promised to those who love the Great Spirit.
WISDOM FOR TIMES OF TEMPTATION
13When tempted, no one should say, “Creator is tempting me.” For the Great Spirit cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. 14We are the ones who tempt ourselves when we are lured away and trapped by our own desires. 15When an evil desire takes root in our hearts, it gives birth to broken ways. When these broken ways have taken over, they drag us down a path that leads to death.
GOOD GIFTS COME FROM THE FATHER ABOVE
16Do not be misled, my sacred family members. 17Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above, who gave us the sun, moon, and stars. But unlike them, the light that comes from the Great Spirit never dims, flickers, or casts a shadow. 18Creator is the one who chose to birth us into being by his word of truth so that we would be the first of all creation to truly be who he made us to be.
TURN AWAY FROM HUMAN ANGER
19Knowing this, my much-loved family members, we must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 20For human anger will not take us down the path of Creator’s right ways. 21So scrape off all the mud of your evil ways and humbly receive the message that the Great Spirit has planted deep within you. This will set your heart free and make your mind whole.
DO NOT ONLY HEAR THE MESSAGE
22But make sure you do not fool yourselves. You must not only hear this message. You must also walk in its truth. 23For if you only hear but fail to walk true to the message, you are like a man who sees his own face reflected in a pool of water. 24Then, right after looking at himself, he walks away and forgets what he looks like. 25But take a good long look into the perfect way of life, the law of love that sets people free. Stay true to its message, not forgetting what you have heard but walking in all its ways, and Creator’s blessing will rest on all you do.
26All who represent themselves as spiritual but do not keep their tongue under control are only fooling themselves—their spirituality is worthless. 27But the one whose spirituality is pure and spotless before our Father the Great Spirit takes care of widows and orphans, and keeps himself free from the evil ways of this world.
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He Leads the Way to the Scattered Tribes 1: FNVNT
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