James 5:1-16

Good morning ladies!

A week and a half later, and here I am again, Martha-syndrome perfected and confessing. Getting on to post anything at all has been a challenge, but thankfully God has pulled me close to read our verses in James throughout the last few days. Thankfully, he has tugged at me through fears and weaknesses to talk to Him and pray over all. this. STUFF. as I go here and there and everywhere. I am enjoying a quiet morning finally! with a big mug of coffee and fresh spring air and bird-chirping filling the house. I have my notes in front of me from the past week and a half, and if you don't mind I would like to share what I've written and learned! :)

James 5:1-3
1 - The rich people mentioned there are not Christians.
2 - Corrosion is a result of hoarding, of selfishness and thoughtlessness of others.
3 - These verses are seriously warning against being selfishly rich...and not just addressing anyone who God blesses with wealth.
4 - It is wrong to be rich when we put our trust in the riches rather than God.
5 - The goal, whatever amount of money we possess, should always be godly contentment, and honest, hard work.

James 5:4-6
1 - The wicked rich people "fatten themselves on the very day of slaughter (like cattle!) totally unaware of their coming destruction". (from NIV footnote)
2 - God hears the cries of those that the wicked rich have taken advantage of and He will definitely and ultimately bring justice!
3 - As we work and earn money over the course of our lifetime, our focus should be on truth, selflessness, and godliness with contentment.

James 5:7-9
1 - Patient, uncomplaining endurance should characterize Christians at all times.
2 - To labor correctly, patient waiting is a must! (like the example of planting a seed and watering and tending and waiting for the harvest...)
3 - The Lord's coming means everlasting bliss for believers, NOT riches on earth.
4 - Don't give up patient endurance and contentment for envy and constant comparisons of "happiness" between ourselves and others.
5 - Focus on eternal life, but also gratitude in this temporal, earthly life.

James 5:10-11
1 - Blessed and happy are those that endure to the end! (Like Job, and he wasn't even patient, but he was perseverant!)
2 - God has special compassion for his own. :)
3 - (Interesting definition of the difference between patience and perseverance) - Perseverance is the quality of sticking to a project until it is done. Perseverance is not the same as patience. Patience is tolerating pain or difficulty. We are patient when we wait quietly until the difficulty disappears by itself. When we persevere, we work hard to remove our difficulty. Perseverance is patience together with constant work to remove the problem.

James 5:12-14
1 - The person that is always ready with an oath causes those that hear him to feel doubts as to his truthfulness and to discredit even those statements made under oath! It's like proving TOO much, thus not proving anything.
2 - Anointing with oil was a means used in the early Church for the miraculous healing of bodily ailments.
3 - We should think of the Lord not only when we're in trouble, but also in days of blessing and joy!

James 5:15-16 (Today's Reading)
1 - Be eager to ask for and give forgiveness often, and when needed.
2 - A Christian's prayer has great power, a power that we never can really even understand!

There's been a lot of meat & potatoes to teach us all different things in these last couple of weeks! I know for me, it's been perfect timing for this section of Scripture - God knows what I need!! :) So I have been praying to really learn from it and let it sink in and for God to help me change where I need to. It's so easy to read the Bible and think it doesn't really apply to us because we're too afraid at what it might mean if we have to change...!

I can't believe we only have 3 more days left in James! Since this is Week 11 and this is a 12-Week Session, GMG.org provides us with a Week 12 Printable that helps in wrapping up our study by finding a verse (or more than one!) that was special to each of us and sharing it with the group. Feel free to follow the worksheet and share as you would like! :) Thanks! This was so wonderful to do together!!

To wrap it up, here are two links for you:

A little further help to understand being rich or poor in the eyes of God -
4 Ways to Use Money in the Bible

And a favorite song of mine that keeps my perspective real - comforting, beautiful, and lovely reminder -
"Beautiful Ending" by Barlow Girl


Love you girls,
Always leaning hard on Him with you ~Cait :)