James 5
King James Version (KJV)
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
V1-2) This is a reminder to me not to live my life looking to see what I can get out of it. Like trying to make as much money as I can, or being selfish, but to live my life for Christ. Our earthly will wither away, but the love of God will always be there. Why not focus on something that is permeant?
ReplyDeleteV7) I definitely need to be remind of this. To be patient. I am always looking forward to what the next chapter of my life holds, or worried about what tomorrow holds. God will take care of me! I need to enjoy and work hard for TODAY. Tomorrow will come, and God will help me through it.
V12) "Let your yes be yes, and you no be no." I should be known as a person that is honest, no matter what the circumstance. I shouldn't play games, but be honest. I shouldn't let my yes be a maybe, but yes!
v8: Even when James was writing this book thousands of years ago, he stated, "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." As Christians, we're supposed to live daily as if Christ could return at any moment; However, this is not the first thing on my mind each morning. Even though I know I have eternal security in the Lord, I do not want to be surprised or caught off-guard at His return.
ReplyDeletev15: It's interesting that God doesn't say, 'If you're afflicted, have a pity party or a panic attack." He simply states to pray. Often times I want to worry about my problems instead of bringing them to the Lord in prayer. I sometimes underestimate the power of prayer and the overwhelming peace it brings in times of trouble.
v16: 'Confess your faults one to another.." Most of the time I find it harder to confess to other Christians than I do to God. It's crazy - how could I possibly be more scared of what other individuals might THINK of me, versus what God already KNOWS about me? I think swallowing pride is key in obeying this commandment given by the Lord.
Great points Devin. Love what you brought out in your last one!
DeleteLove your 3rd point! So true...
DeleteV 11 This verse is a great reminder of Job and all that he went through. Yet through the many trials he faced, he endured and God had compassion on him. He was an example of how we should press on during hard times.
ReplyDeleteV 16 I love this verse. It brings out the good of sharing with other Christians so that we can encourage and pray for each other. God has been so good to give me many godly friends to help me grow.
V 17-18 Elias prayed that God keep it from raining, and then that it would. God answered him. Why? Because he believed. Sometimes I think we just pray without really believing that God can do it. We need to remember that were praying to the God of the universe, who is not confined by anything. We have no reason to be doubtful Even in our biggest prayer request, God is not limited. He can do the impossible.
V8 "Establish your hearts" In this fast paced world we live, this is no small feat! And yet, when I take the time to spend time with the Lord I am more emotionally stable. I may be taking this out of context!
ReplyDeleteV12 Let your yes be yes and your no be no. This double minded thing is a recurring theme in this book!
V14 Reminds me of a time about 12 years ago when I was having a lot of fainting spells and our pastor at the time came over and prayed over me, anointing me. I by no means was healed instantly. Reading this made me reflect on how amazingly God has strengthened me. Praise His name!
1. V.15 there is power in prayer!!! No matter what you did or are gonna do you will be forgiven
ReplyDelete2. V.12 I need to be honest all the time. If you always tell the truth you won't have to remember what you said
3. V.7 patients is key. I constantly have to remind myself be patient. Wait on the Lord. He has a plan. He has a perfect time. Just pray and be patient
v.4 - What a great reminder of 2 things: First, that God hears the cry of those who are oppressed or victims of injustice. Second, that I should be first crying out to God in my "afflictions" before I cry out to others or complain.
ReplyDeletev.8-11 - What a great reminder to endure in the face of so many trials and temptations today. Job is a fantastic example to follow - not to mention Christ's example! I love how through those stories we can "see the end of the Lord" and how he is full of mercy and pity.
v.16 - Confession is first to God (1 Jn 1:9) and then to each other. What a convicting passage though - as James tells us to "pray for one another." He does not say "try to figure out if they are really repentant" or "tell other believers to pray for them" - he commands US to pray for them. It is our responsibility to pray for them - because it will "avail much."
1.V8. Sometimes I hope the Lord comes. Then I think again and realize that if he did, how unworthy of heaven I am. Really this isn't bad, it makes me strive to live everyday as if God is coming.
ReplyDelete2.V16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another," This isn't easy. Confessing your sins to someone is a scary thing. God listens and hopefully our fellow christian friends can also and without judgment.
3.V16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another," This isn't easy. Confessing your sins to someone is a scary thing. God listens and hopefully our fellow christian friends can also and without judgment.
James 5
ReplyDelete1. V. 7 be patient. We get so distracted from God and His return. Often times we don't even believe it is a reality, much less live like it. Give us faith!
2. V. 9 knowing his return is coming soon, we ought not to get into stupid and pointless arguments. We should have a single focus on living for God without creating chaos between the body of Christ.
3. V. 16 prayer brings BIG results. I will be the first to say, I don't pray like I should. It's crazy because we have been given this amazing privilege and we treat it like it is boring or doesn't change anything. Lord, teach us to pray!
V1-3 This tells about how much earthly riches really matter. THEY DON'T. When the Lord calls up his people, he won't accept a bribe and just let you in to heaven just like that. All that will matter is your spiritual condition with him. And if you're still here during the tribulation, you're probably going to lose all that stuff that you thought was soooooo important. And we don't know when the Lord will call his people, so what's really the point of having a lot of stuff when you could lose our all in ia split second? "What profiteth it a man nothing to gain the world and lose his soul?"
ReplyDeleteV8 This tells of how every second that goes by, the Lord's coming draws nearer. Because of that, we need to ready our selves for it. Every day we need to work to improve our relationship with him. We need to live every day as if we knew that he was coming that afternoon. I mean, he really could. This is one thing that we can't procrastinate on. He is coming back, and we need to be ready. We need to have our hearts in a condition ready for his return. One that would please him.
V16-18 This is something that I personally struggle with, really believing that God can answer any of our prayers. Sometimes even we ourselves think that we ask for something that's just so great, that though we bring it to God in prayer, and say we put our faith in him, we don't really believe that he not necessarily can, but will. The way I look at it, is that God created the universe, he created heaven, he created all of humanity, and he created you. But he also created the trial you are in. And he put you in there for a reason. He does care. And he also won't put more on us then we can bear. So if this is all true (which it is), then why soul wouldn't he have the power to answer your prayer? I have trouble recognizing this sometimes. But we just need to let go of trying to do things ourselves sometimes and just let God handle it. God does answer prayer.
Verse 9- dont hold grudges towards each other. I know when I have a grudge it eats me up inside and I avoid that person. We are condemned if we do not apologize. God stands waiting for us to make things right and even though it's hard sometimes we know that God takes glory in it.
ReplyDeleteVerse 13- during any situation pray! Prayer is an amazing thing that Christians can take for granted. Even though The Lord already knows what's going wrong in your life, He just wants to hear you crying out to Him for help.
Verse 16- we pray but do we pray fervently? Sometimes it can feel like a chore for me to pray and talk to God. That should never be the case. I often find myself asking and asking for things in prayer and not thanking God for what He's done in my life. We need to not be self entered in this area.
I. (Verses 7-9) JESUS IS COMING BACK!!! It's an awesome thought for those that are truly born again. Verse 8 goes on to say that we should "Grudge not one against the other..." (If I used my concordance correctly) The word "Grudge" means to sigh or murmur. We shouldn't grudge one another. Instead, we should be trying to get along for the glory of God. The last thing I want is to have Jesus show up and find me murmuring against another Christian! "the judge standeth before the door." In other words, He's coming soon.
ReplyDeleteII. (Verses 10-11) "Behold we count them happy which endure..." Patience, we could use a little bit more of it! When we are in a trial, we can come up with a thousand reasons NOT to be patient, but according to verse 11 we should "endure" because it will be worth it in the end.
III. (Verses 16-18) "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
How much time do we really spend in prayer??? I'm guilty of not praying enough!
1. It's so easy to get sidetracked piling up riches of one sort or another that are worthless and deceiving when all around us are needs more important than our comfort or pleasure. I need to learn how to distinguish the hold from the hay and stubble.
ReplyDelete2. When talking about the second coming of Christ, James takes a different perspective than we are used to. Usually we hear of watching and waiting and being ready and prepared etc. James says to be patient. Sometimes I get fed up with the world. If I am patient, I will eventually reap the fruits of my labor.
3. In the book's closing, the importance and power of prayer is reemphasized. Encouraging promises like faith can save the sick and afflicted let me know that prayer isn't as vain as it sometimes seems.
Vs. 10-11) The Christian life is filled with trials and afflictions. Here in these verses, it says: look to the prophets...an example of suffering, affliction, and patience. It goes on to say that we count them happy who endure. I want to endure through the Christian life. "Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience." -James 1:3
ReplyDeleteVs. 12) Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. I want people to trust me by the words I say. I don't want anyone to have to question what I say to be true or not true. I shouldn't have to swear to anyone by anything in order to be considered truthful.
Vs. 15) The prayer of faith shall save the sick. Often times, I forget how powerful God really is. We need to have faith that He will answer our prayers and know that He cares for our heart's desires. We should be regularly lifting up our brothers and sisters in Christ with the faith that God knows what is best and He will work every situation out for good.
James 5
ReplyDelete1. Vs 9: When it all comes down to it we can not judge someone for something they have done because one, we have probably done it our selves and two the Lord is the one who makes the final say in things. Even though its hard we just have to keep our mouth shut and know that that person or people will have to answer for their sin to God. We'll just have to pray that they will repent and come back to God or come to know him.
2. Vs 11: Patience is something that has to be learned; it is not just something that we are born with. I know personally with things that I am dealing with now have to involve being patient and just waiting on the Lord, and that is something I am not very good at but, its helping me get closer to God through these trials. It just goes to show that if we are patient in waiting for the Lord than we, I think, will get to know him better as well as grow more as a person and Christian.
3. Vs 16: I thank the Lord for giving me such good, and Godly friends and family members to be able to listen to me during the good, the bad and the ugly! As I was talking with a friend not to long ago it is hard to carry a load or burden by your self but, in that it is also comforting to know that if you give it to God he will help carry it.
James 5
ReplyDelete1. vs.1-6: Here it reminds me of how materialistic I/we can be. Nothing we have here on earth is going with us to heaven. Yes, it's nice to have nice things, but I need to stop and think about whether it's something I need, or something I want.
2. vs.8: We should all be awaiting Gods coming. Everyday I should be preparing my heart for God. When I get to heaven, I don't want a lot of unconfessed sin in my heart when I come before God, and I don't want to waste a moment that I could be witnessing to a lost soul. Everyday I need to prepare my heart.
3. vs.12: "swear not". My understanding of this verse is that what I say should always be in truth. I should have no reason to say "I swear" if the people around me know that I speak in truthfulness. Doing this is really hard for me though, and sometimes I get caught up in the little "white lies." I really need to focus on being as honest and truthful as I can be with people, with God, and with myself.