Pray for Relationship
Read: James 5:13-18 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (v. 13) In the final few lines of his letter to Jewish believers, James emphasized the importance of prayer. Going through something difficult? Pray. Happy? Pray. Someone you know and love sick? Pray. It is as if James […]
Quiet the Call of the World
Read: James 4:1-8 Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (v. 4) What is your “get away from it all” place? Is it sitting in the quiet of the early morning, taking a walk on the beach or in the woods, or finding a few moments of […]
Be a Thermostat
Read: James 3:13-18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (v. 18) A thermometer and a thermostat are both devices that help us understand and manage temperature. But a thermometer merely shows the temperature of the area and rises or falls accordingly, while a thermostat, when properly used, adjusts […]
The Power of Words
Read: James 3:1-12 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (v. 10) Have you ever said something in anger or frustration and immediately regretted it? If only there was a rewind or delete button on our mouths! So many hurt feelings, awkward situations, and difficult moments […]
Talking and Walking
Read: James 2:14-26 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (v. 14) “Talk is cheap.” “That’s easier said than done.” “Put up or shut up.” These are all various ways of stating what most of us know about life. A person […]
Love God, Love People
Read: James 2:1-9 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (v. 8) With information, both good and bad, so readily available on the internet, celebrity status is often given to people almost overnight. People can become well-known for the most trivial […]
Trust and Step
Read: James 1:5-18 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (v. 6) Can you imagine an aspiring soccer player who read countless books on skill development but never actually practiced? They may know all […]
Trial or Opportunity
Read: James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (vv. 2-3) In life, difficult times are unavoidable regardless of our circumstances. But is it really possible to meet the trials and tribulations of life with joy as James […]
Gideon’s Charge!
Read: Judges 7:15-25 Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand. (v. 15) All week, we’ve focused on the call of God. Alongside Gideon, we’ve seen that God’s call begins when he tells us who we are and where he’s sending us. We’ve learned that we can only respond to God’s […]