A Glimpse – The Gambia

Do you know God’s grace? Here are 7 Bible verses to inspire you to understand this grace.

Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

To understand God’s grace, we have to acknowledge that we have done what is wrong in God’s eyes. We have sinned. We are in need of forgiveness and redemption.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God’s grace is a free gift that doesn’t depend on any good deeds you have done. God’s grace is for all who believe in Jesus Christ.

James 4:6-7 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

In humility we turn to God and confess that we have done wrong. In humility we receive God’s grace and he will lift us up.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God isn’t a distant God. He came to us and lived among us as one of us. Jesus is full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You can come to Jesus, just as you are. He knows our weaknesses. Because of the grace of God, we are forgiven our sins.

Titus 3:4-7 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We don’t earn or deserve God’s grace by our good deeds, but it’s given according to God’s own mercy. By grace we are saved through our faith and even become heirs to the kingdom of God.

Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

This is the very last verse of the Bible and it reminds and expresses the wish for God’s grace be with you. “Amen” means “surely”, “truly” or “so be it.” We live by the hope and trust in God’s grace every day.

1 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.

Faith and Wisdom

5 Bible Verses to Remember After a Stressful Day

Have you been stressed out lately? If yes, how have you been dealing with it? The best way to deal with it is to go back to God’s Word. Here are five verses that you can remember to help you in dealing with stress.

2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. 4 Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. 6 But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. 7-8 If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.

Poverty and Riches

9 Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, 10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. 11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.

Testing and Tempting

12 Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him. 13 If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. 15 Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Do not be deceived, my dear friends! 17 Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. 18 By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.

Hearing and Doing

19 Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. 20 Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose. 21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.

22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. 23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. 24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like. 25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.

26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. 27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

Adresse et salutation

1 Jacques, serviteur de Dieu et du Seigneur Jésus-Christ, aux douze tribus qui sont dans la dispersion, salut!

Les épreuves et les tentations

V. 2-8: cf. (Ro 5:3-5. Ja 5:7-11.) (Mt 7:7-11. Mc 11:24. Hé 11:6.)

2 Mes frères, regardez comme un sujet de joie complète les diverses épreuves auxquelles vous pouvez être exposés, 3 sachant que l’épreuve de votre foi produit la patience. 4 Mais il faut que la patience accomplisse parfaitement son œuvre, afin que vous soyez parfaits et accomplis, sans faillir en rien. 5 Si quelqu’un d’entre vous manque de sagesse, qu’il la demande à Dieu, qui donne à tous simplement et sans reproche, et elle lui sera donnée. 6 Mais qu’il la demande avec foi, sans douter; car celui qui doute est semblable au flot de la mer, agité par le vent et poussé de côté et d’autre. 7 Qu’un tel homme ne s’imagine pas qu’il recevra quelque chose du Seigneur: 8 c’est un homme irrésolu, inconstant dans toutes ses voies.

V. 9-12: cf. Jé 9:23, Jé 24. Éz 7:19. Ap 2:10.

9 Que le frère de condition humble se glorifie de son élévation. 10 Que le riche, au contraire, se glorifie de son humiliation; car il passera comme la fleur de l’herbe. 11 Le soleil s’est levé avec sa chaleur ardente, il a desséché l’herbe, sa fleur est tombée, et la beauté de son aspect a disparu: ainsi le riche se flétrira dans ses entreprises. 12 Heureux l’homme qui supporte patiemment la tentation; car, après avoir été éprouvé, il recevra la couronne de vie, que le Seigneur a promise à ceux qui l’aiment.

V. 13-15: cf. Ge 3:6, etc.; Mt 4:7.

13 Que personne, lorsqu’il est tenté, ne dise: C’est Dieu qui me tente. Car Dieu ne peut être tenté par le mal, et il ne tente lui-même personne. 14 Mais chacun est tenté quand il est attiré et amorcé par sa propre convoitise. 15 Puis la convoitise, lorsqu’elle a conçu, enfante le péché; et le péché, étant consommé, produit la mort.

Mettre en pratique la parole de Dieu

V. 16-27: cf. Jn 3:27. 1 Pi 1:23-25; 2:1, 2. (Mt 7:21-27. Ga 6:7-10.)

16 Ne vous y trompez pas, mes frères bien-aimés: 17 toute grâce excellente et tout don parfait descendent d’en haut, du Père des lumières, chez lequel il n’y a ni changement ni ombre de variation. 18 Il nous a engendrés selon sa volonté, par la parole de vérité, afin que nous soyons en quelque sorte les prémices de ses créatures. 19 Sachez-le, mes frères bien-aimés. Ainsi, que tout homme soit prompt à écouter, lent à parler, lent à se mettre en colère; 20 car la colère de l’homme n’accomplit pas la justice de Dieu. 21 C’est pourquoi, rejetant toute souillure et tout excès de malice, recevez avec douceur la parole qui a été plantée en vous, et qui peut sauver vos âmes. 22 Mettez en pratique la parole, et ne vous bornez pas à l’écouter, en vous trompant vous-mêmes par de faux raisonnements. 23 Car, si quelqu’un écoute la parole et ne la met pas en pratique, il est semblable à un homme qui regarde dans un miroir son visage naturel, 24 et qui, après s’être regardé, s’en va, et oublie aussitôt quel il était. 25 Mais celui qui aura plongé les regards dans la loi parfaite, la loi de la liberté, et qui aura persévéré, n’étant pas un auditeur oublieux, mais se mettant à l’œuvre, celui-là sera heureux dans son activité. 26 Si quelqu’un croit être religieux, sans tenir sa langue en bride, mais en trompant son cœur, la religion de cet homme est vaine. 27 La religion pure et sans tache, devant Dieu notre Père, consiste à visiter les orphelins et les veuves dans leurs afflictions, et à se préserver des souillures du monde.

James 1