KarenK

I agree with a lot of the other posts on this forum when they say that it is easier to "blame" than to take responsibility. When we have raised our children and they go off into the world, are we therefore responsible for the evil that they will be faced with in life. Are we, as parents, tempting them? Of course not - we raise them to make good choices and know right from wrong, but there comes a time when they have to be responsible for their actions and choices. It is the same with God. He doesn't tempt us, but we are tempted. He gave us free will. What we do with it, and how we grow and mature is our responsibility. If there was no evil, no trials, no temptation, we would be shallow people indeed.

The first major trial in my adult life lead me to God. This happened as a result of my realising that I simply couldn't go on without Him - I didn't have the strength. The strength I needed came from His love for me. I've since faced many minor trials and have learned to lean on God. I have to admit that I've slipped here and there - as we humans do, but the fact that He is always there waiting to dust me off and ready to love me through it never ceases to amaze me. I now find myself, once again, facing a major trial in my life. One that affects myself and my children in a major and life changing way, and again, the only way to get through is with Gods love and strength. We need to remember that the bad stuff doesn't come from God, but is bearable because of Him. We also need to remember that evil is ever present and ready to take hold of any opportunity, especially when we are weak and vulnerable. But it is through our own human weakness that we can become stronger in Him, simply by asking.

Hi everyone, My name is Karen and I live in beautiful New Zealand in the South Pacific. I consider myself fairly new in my journey with the Lord, although I surrendered to Him almost 3 years ago. This is my first on-line bible study. I was lead to study the book of James through a fellow christian who is a lot further in his walk than me, and described James as "the best written book for anyone wanting to look deeper into their faith - kinda like a "christianity for dummies" self-help book" So here I am, jumping in with both feet with an open heart and praying for courage and wisdom.