Are you counting it all joy when you fall into diverse trials or temptations? Stu Everson with my mom. Nancy Epperson, and she's not quoting a floating today. She's not in the pool, but she is in a quiet spot. And she has recently.
Reattached and re-quoted James 1 because she found herself in a trial. Mom, you weren't expecting to be. In the hospital over the July fourth weekend of all places, huh? No, but I'm back home and I'm doing great. Um And it was very minor and all's good.
But yeah, James 1 came in very handy. It's good you have his word hidden in your heart.
So you can be reminded of these beautiful truths.
Well, Mom, I was going to ask you if you would just do us the kind service and bless us with quoting James 1, which I know you have memorized. And then one of these days, we'll get you and Little Cub, who I lovingly refer to, my daughter Faith has often, to quote it together. But will you quote James 1 for us, Mom, real quick while I've got you? And then afterward, we'll maybe share a few insights how that really hit home for you recently.
Okay, I'll be glad to. James won. James, the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting My brethren. count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
but let patience have her perfect work. that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, Let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upgradeth not. and it shall be given him. but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.
But let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich in that he is made low because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with the burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth.
So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will began he us with the word Truth that we might be the kind of first fruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, Let every man be swift to hear.
slow to speak, slow to wrath, For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is likened to a man beholding his natural face in the glass. for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, This man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among the This man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this. to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted. from the world.
JAMES CHAPTER one Wow, mom, what a blessing. I love hearing you quote scripture. And I know it's a blessing to so many people listening.
So many people. Have for years put their children to bed listening to your CDs and cassette tapes.
Now there's this podcast that they can listen to with God's word and you quoting it. And that's what I grew up with.
So when I'm listening to you quote and I'm driving, I try not to fall asleep behind the wheel because I'm so accustomed to hearing you quote scripture as I go to sleep, which is the best way to go to sleep. With hashtag Bible before bed, hashtag Bible Before Breakfast, which I put on all my social media channels every night and I have for 15 years. Mom, thank you. You were recently encountering diverse trials. You weren't expecting to spend July 4th In the hospital, but James One.
You said became really tender and fresh to you. Will you encourage your other listeners on how hiding God's word in their heart? could aid them in a time of trouble or in a time of trial.
Well, yeah, it's just a blessing when you have the word hidden in your heart. It's always with you. And it's amazing how the Spirit of God brings it to your memory, the appropriate verse for the occasion. And I just marvel at how that works. It's really such a blessing.
It's exciting.
So I've always said, if you do your homework, if you'll memorize scripture, the Lord takes over and brings it to your mind when you're counseling people, when you're going through a trial, whatever your circumstance, the Lord will bring appropriate scriptures to your mind because they're there. They're hidden in your heart. And it's just a great blessing to do that. And that's why I work at it, you know. And the key word in memorizing is repetition.
If you go over anything enough times, you will learn it.
So, I encourage all of you listening, just get a verse, go over it five minutes every day, thoughtfully. Thinking about what it's saying, meditate on it. And probably at the end of the week, you will have it memorized. If you do that, try that. Just take up my challenge: five minutes a day.
the same verse over and over and over thoughtfully. And I can almost guarantee by the end of the week, you'll know it. Mom, so many young people, like by young people, even the age of my grandkids, they say they are far more. Acute in learning at a young age. In fact, some parents are very smart to teach their kids foreign languages, and if you grow up.
Hearing, for instance, Spanish as a youngster, you'll be accomplished in it. You won't even need to take it in school because you'll be fluent in it. Can you talk about how that's true of God's word, how important it is to pour the word of God into our young people's lives, how you've done it in our home. And just give a quick word, will you, Mom, before we get out of here, about the importance of. But the scriptures Even as a child, it's talked about all throughout Psalm 119.
Oh yes, it's just so important to fill your children's hearts and minds with the word of God. You know. The important thing is To have a fulfilled, joyful life You need to know the Lord, first of all, accept Christ as your Savior. And then you need to Just honor his word, walk in his ways. And the interesting thing is So many people are violating God's laws and suffering horrible consequences.
And many of them are ignorant. Of the very laws they're violating.
So the Bible says in Hosea, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
So it's important we know the word of God so that we know how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. It's kind of our road map to get us through life. And it's so important to Pour the word of God into the hearts and lives and minds of your children, your grandchildren. Wherever you are, it says in Deuteronomy 6: when you're walking in the way, the word, when you're sitting down, the word, when you're reclining, the word. Wherever you are, you know, the word.
I mean, I. With my kids, we quote and float. We get in the pool and we tread water and quote scripture. Wherever we are, if we're in the ocean, it's crazy. When they were little tiny kids and now, as adults, we still do it.
Um Last week we're at the beach and we were in the ocean quoting and floating. And uh it's just a blessing. Or if you're walking, we used to Quote scripture on the park horse. We have a park horse near our house. Remember that, Stuart?
And we'd walk and go over scripture. Or at the gym, on the track at the gym. We'd memorize scripture.
So wherever you are, be intentional. And pour the word into the lives of your kids and grandkids. And it's so important when the, and I speak from experience because I was one of those little rug rats. Before I could run away with my car keys and get distracted or turn on the TV or take up a device, I had a godly mom and a dad who poured God's word into us, and we read scripture every day. Which also, I want to give a shout out to our friends at the Public Reading of Scripture PRS.
Download their app, just Google it, and download their free app and listen to the scriptures come alive like we do on this segment each week with my mom, Nancy Everson.
So, thank you to everyone. Paul says in Timothy, don't neglect the public reading of scripture. Read the word out loud, read it in groups, read it together, read it as a family. Read it. Study it.
Memorize it and then meditate on it and let it go into your soul like a spiritual probiotic. Mom, you're the best, and we will do this again very soon. James chapter one. And thank you for teaching that to my little faith who loves quoting it. And she quoted it at my daughter, Karen, my amazing sister, at her birthday just this past weekend.
You and Faith got up and quoted James 1. And everyone's like, wow, a young person has a chapter of the Bible memorized. How can this be?
So thank you for doing that. And the grandkids love it. They love their quoting and floating time with Mimi. And let's keep that going a long time, okay?
Okay. Thank you. True to Bye.
