The Book of James Week One Lesson Two

“Got Wisdom?”

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:5-8

Who of us doesn’t need wisdom? Look at the following verses and describe what each says about it:

1 Kings 3:9-10

Proverbs 2:3-6

Psalm 51:6

Daniel 2:21

In these verses we get just a sample of what the Bible says about wisdom. The overriding theme of each of these verses is the source of true wisdom. God alone is the source for this kind of wisdom. Often we don’t seek God for wisdom, we seek it elsewhere. Later on in this study we will look at two kinds of wisdom. For now, we are looking at the source of true wisdom and that is God.

In James 1:5 James writes, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.” Sounds pretty simple, but why is it so hard to know what to do? As I am writing this study, I bowed my head and asked Him to give me wisdom to write. It’s still hard. I pray and look at the verses he has given me for this lesson. The answer is there. Let’s look together.

Break down each verse with me. In it we will see step-by-step instructions.


Verse 5 If you need wisdom what are you to do?


What will God do?


What will God NOT do?

Remember in our first lesson we learned that we are “slaves” of Jesus. He is our Master. Since He is our Master then He is the source of everything we need to survive. We understand that our Master is good and gives good things.

Read Matthew 7:7-11. What does Christ say in these verses that tell us about asking and what He will give?


The Master Himself has given us permission to ask Him to fulfill our needs.  He always gives the appropriate response. You ask for bread, He gives it. You ask for wisdom, He gives it. He gives appropriately out of His divine provision. So what are we to do? ASK.

Verse 6 What must we do when we ask the Lord for wisdom?


What is the result of doubt?

Have you ever been seasick? It’s not a very good feeling to say the least. When we are on a boat and feel queasy and dizzy, with no sea legs to hold us up.  The best thing we can do is keep our eyes on the horizon. The stability of the horizon helps our brains calm the effects of the unstable motion of the sea. The moment we take our eyes of the stability of the horizon and look at the waves, the seasickness and instability comes back.

Doubt creates a spiritual motion sickness that affects our daily lives. James tells us not to doubt but to believe. To believe means to keep our eyes on Jesus. He alone is stable when the waves of this world and circumstances of our lives toss us around. When we depend upon our wisdom and not God’s wisdom we can’t stand strong. It’s only through His wisdom and dependence upon Him as our Master and thus our Provider can we walk on solid ground.

Verse 7 If we don’t believe the Lord when we ask for wisdom, what should we expect the result to be?


Verse 8 How does James describe that kind of person?


The New Living Translation of the Bible, that I used at the first of this lesson, calls us "divided in our loyalty" when we doubt the Lord. The New International Version (verses 7-8) says this, “That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

A person who doubts shouldn’t expect anything from the Lord. They are double-minded and unstable in all they do. Whew! Now wait a minute. When I doubt my Master Jesus will provide what I ask from Him, I am double-minded and unstable. What does that mean?

To be double-minded means just what it says. I have two trains of thought. My loyalty to my Master is divided. I am compromised. I don’t know which way to look and a dizzy head shaking occurs as I look from the One who can provide back to my doubt. The back and forth movement of taking my eyes off of Jesus, and looking elsewhere in my doubt of His capability to provide, makes my walk unstable.

Everything I do is challenged by the stability of my faith. It’s time to choose who I will believe. Will I keep my eyes fully fixed on Him and what He provides for me as my Master? Or will I seek another master to replace Him?

What about you? Who do you look to for wisdom and provision in your life? Are you dizzy and double-minded? Take this time to tell Jesus what you are going through. Ask Him for wisdom and seek Him as your sole Provider. Remember, He is your Master if you have fully given your life over to Him and He deserves your full loyalty. Got wisdom?

The Book of James Week One Lesson One

“Consider It”

“This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. ~ Greetings!

   Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

 James 1:1-4

Take a moment to re-read James 1:1-4 and underline the following:

• “a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

• “consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

Remember our introductory lesson? In it we learn of James’ relationship to Jesus. He was His little brother. James was not a believer before the resurrection. We now see that he sees himself in relationship to Jesus differently. He calls himself a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to be a slave? Let’s look at what being a slave meant for someone living when James did:

In the first century Roman society, slaves were a common. I don’t want you to think that I believe slavery is good. In fact, I believe that slavery is abhorrent. However, when we take a look at what slavery meant to a person living in the days Jesus walked on earth, we can see why being called a slave of Christ Jesus is a good thing.

“Slavery also offered a certain amount of social and economic protection to those whose masters were kind and well respected. Slaves did not have to worry about where their next meal would come from or whether or not they would have a place to stay. Their sole concern was to carry our the interests of their owner. In return, their master cared for their needs...One’s experience as a slave, then, ultimately depended on the demands and goodness of the master.” 

James, considered himself to be a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He no longer viewed himself as the younger half-brother of Jesus. He looked to Him as His Lord. 

Jesus is the ultimate good Master. Those who have given their lives over to Jesus should view themselves as “slaves” to the one who bought us with a price. It is from this mindset as His servants we can begin to understand what James is saying about why we should consider our troubles in this life.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. What does this verse tell us? And how should it help us determine which viewpoint we should take? 

From the  viewpoint of humanity, being a slave of someone is not good. But from the vantage point of being God’s slave, we see that our Master is good and provides for those who allow Him to call them His own. We cannot consider trials as being good from the eyes of being human. We can, however, see trials as good from the eyes of someone who belongs to the perfect Master.

Read Romans 5:3-5. Answer the following:

_______________________ produces ___________________________,

_______________________ produces ___________________________,

_______________________ produces ___________________________.

Hope doesn’t __________________ because _____________________

_____________________________________________________________________ .

How does viewing ourselves as slaves to Master Jesus help us understand going through trials “pure joy?” 

By looking at the meaning of “consider it pure joy” in the original Greek text, we see a descriptive view of what that verse means. “Consider” is “hegeomai” and means “to lead, to guide, to think.” “Pure” is “pas” and means  “all, the whole” “Joy” is “chara” and means “rejoicing, gladness.”  In other words, we should think of trials as complete rejoicing. 

James is directing us to view things from the vantage point of being Christ’s own. He provides us with what we need. Trials are nothing to Him. He conquered it all on the cross for us. Trials, when we trust totally in our Master Jesus, strengthen us. Trials, when viewed from a slaves eyes, are a chance to show the world how our Lord takes care of us. 

Read the following verses and list the trial/s and then the promise of hope for those who belong to Jesus:

Matthew 5:11-12   Trial: 

                                   Hope:

Hebrews 10:34     Trial:

                                 Hope:

We have hope if we have given our lives over to the Master. Jesus is the perfect provider. He has promised that He will always be with us. The outcome of our faith may not be seen on this earth, but we have the ultimate hope of our Lord that He will make all things right. For the time being we must trust that He has our best in mind. As humans working on our own we only have a limited view of what is happening or will happen to us. As “slaves” of the One who paid the ultimate price for our lives, we have an infinite view from the One who has our best in mind. 

Consider it, my friend, to be pure joy, a different way to see our trials in this life. There is an ultimate purpose for them. Our Hope is sure as we depend on our Master Jesus.

Introduction to the Study of the Book of James

James was the younger half-brother of Jesus. He witnessed the resurrected Jesus and was among those who were together, after Jesus ascended into heaven, that were awaiting the anointing of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised to those who believed He was Lord. 

We learn from Scripture that James was not a true believer during Jesus’ time on earth. I can understand his viewpoint. It’s always tough to really see a sibling in a place of authority. James witnessed Jesus’ claim to being the Son of God.

Look at the following passage and describe the interaction between Jesus’ brothers:

John 7:1-5 

Read Matthew 13:55-56 and list Jesus’ family members. 

Isn’t it interesting to look at the family dynamics of Jesus? We learn that He too experienced what a normal family goes through. Jesus was the oldest of Joseph and Mary’s family. It is assumed that Joseph was a carpenter and had passed on sometime earlier, though we don’t know how much earlier. Jesus was a carpenter as well. He learned the trade from His earthly father. When Joseph died, Jesus more than likely, took on the role of head of the house. When He reached thirty years old He left the family home and began His earthly ministry as Rabbi Jesus. 

I’m sure Jesus’ family was left feeling a little abandoned. Mary understood more than His siblings did because of the miracle of His birth. It’s my opinion that Jesus’ departure, to start and complete the true reason for His coming to earth, was confusing to James and his brothers and sisters. They wanted Him to do what they wanted Him to do. He wasn’t filling the role He had been filling for them. He was filling the ultimate role His Heavenly Father had mapped out for Him since the beginning of time. 

Read the following verses and answer the question that follows each:

Matthew 20:28 What did Jesus give as a ransom for many? 

Luke 9:22 What does Jesus predict?

John 10:10b. What did Jesus come to earth to do?

Jesus’ family knew He was special. They witnessed His miracles but their idea of what He should do with this power He possessed was indeed different than what His was doing. He preached things that caused Him to be despised by the priests and the leaders of the Jewish faith. 

Read Mark 3:20-21. What did Jesus’ family think and try to do in these verses? 

Jesus’ earthly family had a certain expectation of who Jesus was. Like us, their view was limited by the parameters they had placed around Him in their minds. Jesus, is more than His family could ever imagine and as Jesus was preaching, teaching and healing, He stirred up controversy. His family wanted Him to calm down and come home. Could it be that His behavior scared them? Were they embarrassed? Where they angry? Whatever the reason, they missed the Jesus they had always known. 

Has your view of who Jesus is to you ever been challenged by something you have seen Him do or allow in your life? Explain.

James was no exception. He thought his brother Jesus was just his brother and not much more. I’m sure he was amazed at the miracles and the powerful teaching of Jesus, but when Jesus stepped out of the box that He had always fit in, James didn’t believe Him and thought that he was “crazy.”

As we begin to study the book of James, we will learn how James’ view changed after seeing and believing in the resurrected Jesus. In our study we will learn from a person with a unique perspective. James grew up with Jesus and now bowed to Him as Lord. It’s from this vantage point we can learn and grow as we study together.

Be ready to learn things that may or may not fit your expectations of how a person should live and behave as a believer. Maybe you aren’t a believer and are just seeking to know more about Jesus and the possibility of following Him. The Book of James will give you a new way to view Jesus and the way those who love, serve and call Him Lord should live their lives.

Underneath the Threads: Dancing On Daddy's Feet ~ Revised

Underneath the Threads: Dancing On Daddy's Feet ~ Revised

Dancing On Daddy's Feet ~ Revised

Dancing On My Daddy’s Feet

When I was little I loved to dance on my Daddy’s feet. With my arms stretched up to meet his big hands and my feet planted firmly on his we would move as one. My movements were controlled by his. But the minute I would step down we were no longer in-sync.

My dance with my Heavenly Father is the same. As I place my full weight on His feet, stretching my arms and hands upward, grasping firmly, we dance in perfect rhythm. His movements gently and safely move me around the dance floor of my life. In this heavenly dance I feel His delight and love. I am delighted too!

The moment I take my feet off of His, I feel myself losing the rhythm and delight that I experienced with Him. Like a perfect gentleman He doesn’t yank me back up on His feet. He waits for me to climb back up and stretch out my arms to His loving grasp.

Everyday I have to decide whose feet I am going to dance on ~ mine or His. It is a conscious decision I make. Do I want to hear His sacred heart beating as I rest my head on His mighty chest? My spirit says, “YES!” Yet my dance card becomes filled with other partners and I don’t have time to dance with Him.

Why don’t I always choose the best? So today I choose to place my feet on His and allow Him to take me across the dance floor. It feels so good to rest in His loving embrace.

My earthly father, my daddy, is really dancing now. No more sorrow, no more pain. On this earth he chose to dance with Jesus. He wasn’t a perfect man. He was a forgiven man living under the grace that the Lord has freely given those who fill their dance card with Christ’s name alone.

His passion was to tell others about Jesus. Sometimes he came off a bit too strong. However, its because of his passion that he was persistent. I admire that he was a passionate man for his Lord. I understand him now. I’ve learned from him. I have to let him go and dance with his Lord and continue mine here on earth as my Lord has mapped out for me. 

The music and rhythm of life continue on for those of us left behind. Sometimes the music is too fast, it's too loud, it has a sad tone and you just want to turn it all off. But when we choose to dance in His embrace, the music seems to change to the most wonderful waltz even through the roughest times on this earth.

Christ asks us all the same question, “Wanna dance?”  

"You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12