1. From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To all of God’s people who are scattered everywhere in the world:Greetings.
2. My brothers, you will have many kinds of troubles. But when these things happen, you should be very happy.
3. You know that these things are testing your faith. And this will give you patience.
4. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete. You will have everything you need.
5. But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. God is generous. He enjoys giving to all people, so God will give you wisdom.
6. But when you ask God, you must believe. Do not doubt God. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea. The wind blows the wave up and down.
7-8. He who doubts is thinking two different things at the same time. He cannot decide about anything he does. A person like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
9. If a believer is poor, he should take pride that God has made him spiritually rich.
10. If he is rich, he should take pride that God has shown him that he is spiritually poor. The rich person will die like a wild flower in the grass.
11. The sun rises and becomes hotter and hotter. The heat makes the plants very dry, and the flower falls off. The flower was beautiful, but now it is dead. It is the same with a rich person. While he is still taking care of his business, he will die.
12. When a person is tempted and still continues strong, he should be happy. After he has proved his faith, God will reward him with life forever. God promised this to all people who love him.
13. When someone is being tempted, he should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone.