Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – James 5:19-20 (day seven)

Unlike Paul’s epistles, James’ doesn’t end with a final greeting or prayers of thanksgiving. Rather, it ends very abruptly. It may seem strange as we read these two verses this week that this is the end, but we should not be surprised. This is par for the course given the style we have seen from James throughout the book. He is not afraid to get in your face and tell you like it is. Which is exactly how he challenges the readers to be. When you see your friend (day six) drifting in their faith, you go after them. You bring them back.

Why end here though? Why the abrupt stop? He stops because he wants to emphasize this one final command: a call to community. James recognizes that the Christian walk is not intended to be done alone. We need one another. We are BETTER when we are TOGETHER.

Re:Verse passage – James 5:12-18 (day seven) 

 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. vs 16a

In the middle of a passage about healing physical sickness, James tells us that if we really want to be healed, we need to confess our sins. His reasoning for the correlation is threefold. One, sin is the root of sickness. God is not punishing someone because of their sin, but sickness is a result of the brokenness created by the fall. Sin exists; therefore, sickness exists. Secondly, spiritual wellness is paramount to any physical wellness. This is why Jesus would always say after healing someone, “Your sins are forgiven.” If our soul is not well, fruits such as joy, patience, and peace that are necessary to withstand trials will not be readily available. Lastly, by confessing to other people, you enable accountability. Not only will these brothers and sisters help you eradicate the sin, but they will come along side you when the going gets tough to give you encouragement and counsel. Confession is a necessary step in healing.

Re:Verse passage – James 5:7-11 (day seven)

Patience is not something that western culture is particularly proficient at. We have been spoiled by our own ingenuity. We have fast food, microwaves, smart phones, robot vacuums (just to name a few) all designed to make life faster. We are always looking for a quick fix, so when God asks us to be patient, we often expect the results of our patience to be put in a microwave as well.

“The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.” vs 7

The farmer is patiently waiting for the rain, but what happens if there is a drought? What if the rain doesn’t come? Our tendency in this scenario is to look for the quick fix. We think we can help God by taking matters into our own hands. Our ingenuity may create relief in the moment, but the quick fix never solves the problem permanently.

Even when the rain doesn’t come, what God has in store is better than anything we could ever attempt to create! Even when the rain doesn’t come… it is well!

Re:Verse passage – James 5:1-6 (day seven)

Did you think that peer pressure ended when you left your teens and entered adulthood? It never stopped, it just changed vehicles. Instead of popularity in school, it became standing in the community. Instead of the words of a bully in the lunch line, it became the condescending look from the other moms in the pick up line. Instead of the gossip in the locker room, it became the gossip around the water cooler. No matter where we are at in life, there is pressure to conform to be more like those around us.

I imagine the wealthy Christians in the first century were much like you and me. I doubt they set out to marginalize the poor. I imagine they were “keeping up with the Joneses” and just trying to maintain their social status. In doing so, they conformed to be like any other rich person, lording their status at the expense of the laborers. Their conformity came at a cost.

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The only conformity a believer should experience is conformity into the likeness of Christ.

Re:Verse passage – James 4:13-17 (day seven) 

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” vs 15

In 2012, an acronym caught fire across social media and became one of the most popular words of a generation.”YOLO” (You Only Live Once) became the war cry of college and high school students as they sought adrenaline thrills and social media recognition through acts that most adults would define as sheer stupidity.

What young people saw in “YOLO” was an opportunity to live out their vanity using the excuse that this life is short. What was missed in “YOLO” was an understanding that this life, albeit short, is bigger than oneself. The truth is, we do only live once, and we should live each day like it is the last… not just for ourselves but for everyone! How would your life change if you knew that you were promised tomorrow, but your neighbor was not? Do not miss an opportunity to be the Christ that your neighbor needs today, because you are waiting on your tomorrow.

Re:Verse passage – James 4:1-12 (day seven)

Do you ever feel stuck spiritually? Do you feel like you are in a rut and your wheels are spinning but you aren’t going anywhere? Maybe you even feel like the spinning wheels are digging you deeper into the hole. It seems like the harder you try, the further you get away from God. The issue is that we are focusing on what we can do. In other words, we are trying to fix God sized problems with man made solutions.

James give us simple steps to get us out of a rut. Submit. Resist. Draw near. (vs 7-8) The simplicity is made perfect in consistency. It is not a one time decision that makes everything well and gets us moving. Rather, it is a daily decision to submit your whole self to God while continually fighting off the barrage from the enemy. The promise is that when we do this regularly, we will get closer to Him, and the closer we get to Him, we will realize He was near to us even in the rut.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:13-18 (day seven)

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. vs 18

Depending on what translation of the Bible you use, the english word “peace” shows up over 300 times. Some translations even have it over 400 times. What should that show us? Peace is important to God. Among some of these references, God is described as “the God of Peace” (Romans 16:20). We are promised His peace will guard our hearts when we are anxious (Philippians 4:7). In our passage today, we see that the byproduct of heavenly wisdom is peace (James 3:18). Scripture is clear that God is the source of peace, and those who are near to Him exude His peace.

The enemy thrives in conflict. Our world seems to thrive on conflict too, but God has given us the tools to be peacemakers to the conflict we are immersed in, we need only to draw near to Him.

Re:Verse passage – James 3:1-12 (day seven)

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. vs 1

“Okay, I just wont become a Sunday School teacher so I don’t get held to a higher standard.” It doesn’t quite work that way my friend. James would probably agree that preachers and Biblical teachers should be held to a very high standard, but in a sense, he is speaking to all of us. If we look deeply into our lives we can see that God has placed people around us that learn from our actions. Family, friends, and coworkers are all watching us, especially once they know that we are a Christian. They are watching to see how the Christian handles pressure, how the Christian treats others, and even how the Christian spends his free time. Our actions are teaching someone a lesson. The question is, what are they learning from you?

Re:Verse passage – James 2:14-26 (day seven)

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. Vs 19

Belief in a higher being isn’t enough. Even believing that the higher being is named God whose Son is Jesus isn’t enough. The demons know these facts. This is just head knowledge. There are thousands of self-proclaimed “Christians” in the world who are stuck in head knowledge. They know facts, stats, Bible verses, and may even go to church regularly, but they don’t know Jesus. You can know all about a person and not truly know them. This is heart knowledge. This type of knowledge is intimate and personal. They know your heart and you know theirs. Heart knowledge is love.

How do we differentiate head knowledge and heart knowledge? Jesus tells us in John 14, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It’s not just a command but a promise. When we love God, we will keep His commands! Heart knowledge (love) manifests itself in obedience.

Re:Verse passage – James 2:1-13 (day seven)

“Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” vs 5

What must it have been like for James growing up in the same house as Jesus? Did James hear the phrase “Be more like your Brother!” too often? Did James have to listen to the story of the miracle virgin birth at every birthday? Was it jealousy or resentment? Or was Jesus hiding his identity from His brother? Something was off, because John 7:5 states “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”

He may not have believed in the moment, but James was watching, listening, and internalizing everything Jesus did his whole life. James’ Epistle is full of quotes and teachings from Jesus. This passage of scripture in particular is a reference to the Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are the poor…” But who did James give credit for the quote? God. James was watching!