Personal “deep-dive” into the book of James
In reviewing James, I want to look at the book differently in this last post. First, we must remember that the message of James is not about our striving to do better, checking off the boxes of righteous living. Instead, James describes Kingdom Living, lives surrendered to God, and living in community. Notice the plurals!…
James ends his letter by emphasizing prayer and loving one another well. Let’s look at four promises related to prayer. God hears us when we pray. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 NIV I love the story in Luke 18 of the wicked judge…
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8 ESV “Establish”…
I’m returning to blogging after a short break. I’m unsure what is causing the brain fog – the vacation or the autoimmune flare-up, but complete thoughts have been challenging for a few weeks. It is time now to finish what I started in James! [God] gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the…
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. … the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy…
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let…