James tells us that Christians are a waiting people, but we struggle to wait today. We are used to instant gratification, and so when things don't come quickly we are easily frustrated. But life is full of things that take time, and James shows us that anchoring ourselves in the future return of Christ can give us patience in the here and now.

Application Questions

1. Where are some places you need patience in your life now, and how are you tempted to be impatient in those areas?
2. How is your impatience related to your view of eternity and your faith that God will return?
3. What would gospel-centered patience look like in your life? How can you cultivate an eternal mindset as you pursue patience in your life?

Navigating our world's economy can be confusing and frustrating. Sometimes we feel like we don't have enough money. Sometimes we feel like we shouldn't desire money as much as we do. Sometimes we feel oppressed and powerless under the thumbs of those that have more money than we do. But in this week's passage, God shows us the way forward by providing a stern warning for the rich, and a promise of hope for for the rich and poor alike.

Application Questions

1. In what ways in your life do you experience the temptation to use your riches for dishonesty or fraud?
2. How might decisions you make or the things you do with your money contribute to economic injustice (dishonesty, fraud, manipulation, oppression)?In what ways in your life do you experience the temptation to use your riches for indulgent, self-focused comfort?
3. In what ways do you feel personally oppressed by the riches of others?
4. As you steward what God has given to you, what would a life of faithful patience look like?
5. As you respond to not having things you desire, or having things be kept from you by others, what would a life of faithful patience look like?

James explains the way humility works itself out in our life in a surprising area: the way we plan. We are usually over-confident in our ability to plan our lives, even though our plans rarely work out as intended. James teaches us that the Lord's will is bigger and better than our will, and when we ground ourselves in the gospel our plans will be made from a place of security and peace.

Application Questions

1. Are you the kind of person who feels better when you have a plan? Why do you think making a plan puts your mind at ease?
2. How does it help to pretend you have control over your life? How does it hurt?
3. How does the gospel free you from trying to control your life?
4. What is something in your life that makes you want to grab for control? What would it look like for you to trust God in that area and make a humble, wise plan instead of an anxious, controlling plan?

True Christian faith is lived out vertically (in relationship with God) and horizontally (in relationship with others). Judging others shows that we misunderstand who they are, who we are, and who God is.

Application Questions

1. What are the subtle ways that you “speak evil against others” in your life?
2. What is the difference between “discernment" and "judging” ?
3. How does judgmentalism misunderstand who others are, who you are, and who God is?

Almost every nativity scene includes three wise men bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But what's the real story behind these characters? Were they actually there at the scene in the stable? Where were they from? Why did they come? In taking time to consider the place of the Magi in the biblical storyline we can learn a surprising amount about how our own hearts respond to the news of the gospel, and we find a picture of the kind of lives we are called to live in worship of the one true King of the Jews.

Application Questions

1. What does it look like when you respond to the good news of Jesus with self-preservation, trying to preserve your own plans and retain your own control of your life?
2. What does it look like when you respond to the good news of Jesus with generosity and love, trying to love others with the same kind of love that God has shown you?
3. What are some New Year's resolutions you could make that would makeotherslives better, instead of just your own?

We often go through the motions at Christmas, having gotten used to disappointments and the underwhelming nature of things most of the time. But the birth of Jesus Christ is a shot of much needed hope that pierces the hardness of our hearts to their core.

Application Questions

1. In what ways have you allowed yourself to become disillusioned by disappointment?
2. How can you take the example of the shepherds and their response to the hope they were given and apply it to your own life?

Christmas is a season to ask: what do I really believe? In the story of the Nativity Mary shows us what true faith looks like. She yields herself to God'spromisesand holds fast to them. She trusts in God'scharactereven when those promises are hard to believe. And she remembers God'sactionthat affirms the trustworthiness of God's promises and character.

Application Questions

1. Where in your life are you putting your faith in something other than God?
2. What would it look like in your life for you to lean on God's promises in confident submission?
3. How does knowing God's character bolster and affirm your faith?
4. What are five ways that you have seen God work in your life that give you confidence in His-action-?

James is about living faith—but what do you do when you aren't living your faith the way you should? In James 4:4-10, James confronts us with a truth about God's love that exposes how deep our sin runs. But then he points us to God's amazing grace, which leads us to repentance and newness of life.

Application Questions

1. What does it mean to you that God loves you with the commitment and care of a good spouse? Is that different than the way you normally think about God's love?
2. What values, attitudes, and goals of the“world” do Christians often pursue in their lives? Why does James see this as spiritual adultery?
3. Do you feel as strongly as James does about worldliness in your own life? Why or why not?
4. In the middle of a strong rebuke, James says that“God gives more grace.” What does that teach you about what God is like? How could you live out vv. 7-10 in light of that grace this week?

Do you ever wonder what causes you to say the things you say and do the things you do when you're in the midst of a fight or an argument? In the moment, the cause of our problems always seems so clear. But James helps us take a step back from the emotions of interpersonal conflict in order to really see what's going on inside. Our hearts contribute in a unique way to the instances of interpersonal conflict we experience. And in our passage today, James not only helps us see the reality of the problem, but he gives us a clear path forward.

Application Questions

1. What's an example of interpersonal conflict you've experienced recently?
2. What are you tempted to attribute this conflict to?
3. In light of today's passage, what was the actual cause of that conflict in your heart? What did you desire/covet that you weren't being given?
4. How could that conflict realistically have looked different if you had asked God for what you determined to take on your own?
5. How do you know that God a trustworthy place to turn to for your desires, whether he provides them when and how you would like or not?

James looks closer at the genuine Christian life as he broaches the topic of wisdom. Who is wise, and how do you tell? While we often evaluate wisdom based on how much someone knows, James evaluates wisdom based on how someone acts. False wisdom might sound good, but it produces disorder and conflict in life. True wisdom produces a beautiful life that creates harmony and peace in life. When we see Jesus producing that peace and harmony in our own lives, at such personal cost, we learn to embrace true wisdom.

Application Questions

1. How do you normally evaluate wisdom in yourself and others? How does that compare to the way James evaluates wisdom?
2. How do you see earthly wisdom at work in your life? Where do you experience jealousy, selfish ambition, and disorder?
3. How do you see heavenly wisdom at work in your life? Where do you experience meekness, peace, and humility?
4. How can you grow in heavenly wisdom by focusing on Jesus Christ? What would change practically in your life this week?