M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

1 I am James. I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I send greetings to all of God's people wherever they live.

² My brothers, be very happy when you are tested by having troubles of many kinds.

³ You know this, that when you prove you believe, you become stronger to take troubles.

⁴ But you must keep on being strong to take trouble. Then you will be all right in every way. You will not need anything more.

⁵ If any of you need to be wise, ask God to make you wise. He gives plenty of wisdom to all people. He is not angry because you ask him. He will make you wise.

⁶ But when you ask, you must believe that God will do it. You must not doubt and think, `Perhaps God will not do it.' A person who doubts is like a wave on the sea. The wind drives it this way and that way.

⁷ That person must not think that he will get anything from the Lord.

⁸ A person like that has two minds. He cannot go straight in any of his ways.

⁹ A Christian brother who is poor should be glad: he is in a high place now he is a Christian.

¹⁰ A Christian brother who is rich should be glad: he is in a low place now he is a Christian. A rich man will pass away like a flower on the grass.

¹¹ The sun shines and is very hot. Then the grass dries and its flower falls off. It was nice at first, but now it is not nice any more. In the same way, the rich man will die while he is going around trying to make money.

¹² God will bless any man who is strong to take his trouble, when he is being tested. When he has proved he is strong, he will live for ever. That is what the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ No one who wants to do something wrong should say, `God is trying to make me do this wrong thing.' God cannot do anything wrong.

¹⁴ It is their own heart which is wrong. That is why he wants to do something wrong. It fools him.

¹⁵ Then the wrong in his heart makes him do the wrong thing. And the wrong thing he has done leads to death.

¹⁶ My dear brothers, do not fool yourselves.

¹⁷ Every good thing and every fine gift comes from heaven. It comes from the Father of all light. He does not change and he makes no shadow by turning.

¹⁸ He made us his children because he wanted us. He made us his children by giving us his true word. He made us his children so that we would be the first and best of all he made.

¹⁹ My dear brothers, do not forget this. Every man should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.

²⁰ When a man is angry, he does not do what God says is right.

²¹ So stop all your dirty living. Stop doing so many wrong things. Listen quietly to the word that has been put in your hearts. It is able to save you.

²² But obey God's word. Do not just listen to it. If you just listen to it, you fool yourselves.

²³ Anyone who just listens to the word, and does not obey it, is like a man who looks at his face in a looking glass.

²⁴ He looks at himself and goes away, and right away he forgets what he looked like.

²⁵ But there is a law that is all right. It sets people free from their old ways. Anyone who looks into that law and remembers it, is happy because he obeys the law. He does not just listen to the law and forget it, but he obeys what the law says.

²⁶ Some of you think that you are doing what God wants. But you are not careful what you say. If you are like that, you are fooling yourself. And you are not doing what God wants.

²⁷ This is what God the Father wants. It is clean and right. Go and help those who have no father and mother. Go and help widow women whose husbands are dead. These people have troubles. And keep yourself clean from the wrong things in the world.

3 Tiberius Caesar had been king for fifteen years. Pontius Pilate was the ruler of Judea. Herod was the ruler of Galilee. Herod's brother Philip was the ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene.

² Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. At that time God spoke to John in the desert. John was the son of Zechariah.

³ Then John went to all the country around the Jordan River. He told the people to stop doing wrong things, turn back to God and be baptised. And God would forgive them for the wrong things they did.

⁴ Isaiah, the prophet of God, wrote about him long ago in his book: `A man is calling out in the desert: "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.

⁵ Every valley will be filled. Every big hill and every small hill will be cut down flat. Crooked roads will be made into straight roads. Bad roads will be made into good roads.

⁶ And all people will see that God can save." '

⁷ Many people came out to John to be baptised. He said to them, `You family of snakes! Who told you to run away from God's anger that is coming?

⁸ Do good things that will show you have stopped your wrong ways! Do not begin to say to yourselves, "We are Abraham's children. " I tell you, God can make children for Abraham from these stones.

⁹ The axe is ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'

¹⁰ The people asked John, `What shall we do?'

¹¹ John answered them, `Any man who has two shirts should give one to a man who has none. Any man who has food should do the same.'

¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptised. They asked John, `Sir, what shall we do?'

¹³ He said to them, `Do not make people pay more money than you are told to.'

¹⁴ Some soldiers also asked him, `What shall we do?' He answered them `Do not force people. Do not tell lies about people. Do not want more pay than you get.'

¹⁵ The people were waiting to see what would happen. They were all asking about John. They thought that he might be the Christ, the great king promised by God long ago.

¹⁶ John said to them all, `I baptise you with water. But another person is coming. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his shoe strings. He will baptise you with the Holy spirit and with fire.

¹⁷ He has a cleaning fan in his hand and will fan his grain very clean. He will put the grain into his storehouse. But he will burn the chaff in the fire that never goes out.'

¹⁸ By these words and many other ways, he told the people the good news.

¹⁹ John told Herod the ruler that he had done wrong things. He told him he should not have his brother's wife, Herodias. He also told him about all the other wrong things he had done.

²⁰ Later on Herod did another wrong thing after all those wrong things. He put John in prison.

²¹ When all the other people had been baptised, Jesus was also baptised. While he was talking with God, the sky opened.

²² The Holy Spirit came down upon him like a dove. And a voice from the sky said, `You are my dear Son. I am very pleased with you'.

^23-38 esus was about thirty years old when he began his work. The people thought he was Joseph's son. Here are the names of Jesus' family line: Joseph, Heli, Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Janna, Joseph, Mattathiah, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, Maath, Mattathiah, Semei, Joseph, Judah, Joannas, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmodam, Er, Jose, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonan, Eliakim, Melea, Menen, Mattathah, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah, Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, Cainan, Enosh, Seth, Adam. Adam came from God.