Good morning. Once again we are in the pastor's favorite book – James. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Anything that takes our attention away from God can be a trial. After a long day, you don't want to think about anything – you just want to rest. It takes a three day weekend of doing nothing just to recover. By the time you're ready to do something – it's Monday morning again. Of course the trials that James is talking about are a lot more severe than you or I would think is a trial. But these trials do take our attention away from God. Can you stand firmly committed to God? Is there anything that takes away your devotion to God? You could think of that as a test or a trial. Remember that the good can sometimes keep us from doing the best. We are not tempted just by bad things, we are also tempted to do good things instead of the best things. We settle for less than the best. Verse 13: let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. He just leaves us alone, and we do it ourselves. If we can't handle the little trials, how can we handle the real ones? Our trials are nothing compared to believers in the rest of the world. Father thank You that You are with the reader every day. You help him/her to overcome his/her trials and to keep his/her mind focused on You. Help the reader to overcome his/her stress; to focus his/her attention on You; to not let others distract him/her from the goals You have for him/her.

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