So, what’s the most important thing to you? What is the focus of your time and attention? Is it the acquisition of material things? Are you mainly concerned with building and strengthening your body, maintaining your physical health? Well, as Peter reminds us in verse 24, nothing in this world…

If Jesus is so powerful and if Jesus loves me so much, then why am I suffering today? Christians have been wondering about this ever since Jesus called His first disciples. After all, they abandoned Him when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane precisely because they refused to…

How do we live a life of faith every day? Well, that depends on what’s going on in your life, doesn’t it? As verse 13 says, maybe everything is going well for you today, so you are in a cheerful mood. Those who put their trust in themselves might feel…

Bible Reading for October 7 – James 5:1-12 How should we wait patiently for the Lord’s return? Given the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, and the danger it has brought to our Christian brothers and sisters there, we naturally turn first to verses 10 and 11, remembering those throughout history for…

There have already been 113 homicides in Jackson this year – 3 just this past weekend. And it’s easy to blame guns on the one hand or insufficient police budgets on the other. But James would have us look deeper, into the root causes of violence. For he reminds us…

You don’t have to be a “snowflake” to recognize that words can do a lot of harm. After all, James says that our tongues can cause as much damage as a forest fire (3:5). He says they are full of deadly poison (3:8). He says they are a “world of…

Salvation comes by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is the clear message of the New Testament, the central meaning of the cross. There is nothing we can do to add to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, nothing we can contribute to our salvation. So, how…

Of course the Christian faith involves following all of God’s commandments. Of course we should not only avoid murder and adultery (2:10-11), but should also actively seek to love one another (2:8). And of course that involves sharing our material blessings with those who are less fortunate, especially those who…

It’s easier than ever to be a hearer of the Word, isn’t it? From books to podcasts to livestreamed worship services, we have access to a constant stream of information about God. Here in Claiborne County, Mississippi, we have over 60 different congregations serving a little less than 9000 people….

COVID-19 lockdowns. Too much month left at the end of the money. Relationships that just won’t work out the way we think they should. And going to far too many funerals lately. If James is right that going through trials makes us joyful, we should be the happiest people around!…