We begin with David's story on what started out as just an ordinary day. David was doing what he was tasked to do on every other day – to tend his father’s sheep. When God enters the picture, ordinary days have a way of becoming extraordinary!

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For Reflection:

David was faithful in ordinary ways, which prepared him for an extraordinary calling from God.

- What might faithfulness look like on an ordinary day for you?

- Do you find it easy or challenging to remain faithful in your everyday responsibilities? What are the biggest spiritual challenges you regularly face?

- If God were to invite you to take a step toward greater faithfulness in the ordinary routines of your life, what change might you consider?

In closing his letter, James reminds us all of the purpose of his letter and the purpose of our lives. Rather than living for ourselves, Jesus invites us to join him in a search and rescue mission. This is a mission that is motivated by truth, grace, and love.

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For Reflection:

Search and rescue is a noble mission, but those who engage in it know that it comes at personal cost and risk to those who move out in love.

- How much thought do you give to this search & rescue mission into which Jesus invites us?

- Why do you think this mission is so difficult to keep in focus?

- Is there anyone that God has put on your heart, someone to whom you might reach out in friendship and concern?

We return to the end of the passage we covered last time, which is James's encouragement for us to confess our sins to one another. James connected powerful prayer with the healing that comes through confession, and yet, confession is the least favorite part of prayer for many. God wants to heal us, not to hurt us, so is it possible that we have misunderstood the practice and purpose of confession?

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For Reflection:

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (v16)

- Whatever you may think or believe about the importance of confession, how do you feel about confessing to one another?

- Where do you think your negative feelings about confession come from? Personal experiences? Misunderstanding? Fear? Something else?

- Did today's scripture and discussion impact your understanding or feelings about confession, and if so, how?

In this flashback to March 21, 2024, we see Jesus sharing back-to-back parables about prayer. One exhorts us to be persistent in prayer and the other commends an attitude of humility, a constant dependence on God's grace rather than our own supposed goodness. We may not fully understand why God wants us to pray or how prayer works, but we can be confident that God does meet us in prayer, and we are changed forever in the encounter!

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For Reflection:

Jesus shares back-to-back parables that center around prayer.

- The first parable teaches us to never give up on God hearing our prayers. How does this image of the persistent widow affect how you want to pray? What questions does it raise?

- The story of the Pharisee and tax collector commends a prayer rooted in humility and God's grace. Rather than looking down on those who appear less spiritual or mature, true trowth will lead us to become mroe aware of our own need for grace. What might Jesus want you to learn from this story?

James earlier said we often do not have because we do not ask. Now he adds that we should ask in all circumstances; with requests, praises, confession, and intercession. Not only should we pray, but we should be confident that God is listening and that the prayers of those who are close to God are powerful!

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For Reflection:

James encourages us to pray in all circumstances with requests, praise, intercession, and confession.

- Of those four forms of prayer, which do you prefer and which do you avoid? What might you be missing?

- Why do we need to confess to one another rather than just to God? It's difficult to understand the depths of our sin and the even greater depths of God's forgiveness without hearing it from one another. Do you have such relationships? If so, thank God and thank them. If not, pray that you might and commit to a step in that direction.

James opened his letter with an encouragement to be patient (James 1:2-4). He now returns to that same theme in his closing, but patience is not waiting for something, but someone -- that is, God. We do not need to be anxious or to take matters into our own hands. Jesus will return to judge, heal, and restore.

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For Reflection:

Farmers work very hard but for all their efforts, they still must wait and trust God to do what the farmer cannot.

- Have you experienced this farming-like dynamic in your life? Like a farmer, what part is up to you? How much is not within your control?

- Pastor Richard spoke about the connection between patience, courage, and faith hinted at in v8. How might you describe the connection between patience, courage, and faith and how have you experienced that dynamic in your life?

Wealth can be a great blessing but like almost all blessings, it can be a curse for those who are not prepared. James summarizes several scriptural statements about wealth and arranges them in the form of a trail with evidence and witnesses. If we were on trial, would our wealth be evidence of our generosity or evidence of our indifference to the suffering of others?

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For Reflection:

Wealth can be a great blessing or a great curse, as James warns here.

- How would you describe your own relationship to money?

- When Jesus was speaking to a rich young man who was struggling under the grip of money, it says that "Jesus looked at him and loved him" (Mark 10:21). Imagine Jesus looked at you in the same way. What might Jesus say to you about your relationship to money?

- How much is enough for you?

This question is often not a question, but a challenge. We often act as if we know things we cannot know. James says that we act in arrogance when we make plans as if we know what will happen or as if we are in complete control of our destinies. Instead, we should make all plans with the acknowledgment that God alone is in control.

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For Reflection:

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

- Imagine you are teaching a children's Sunday School class on this passage and one of the children asks, "Does this mean that I shouldn't make promises?" How might you address this child's question?

- There are "sins of commission" (bad things we do) and "sins of omission" (good things we fail to do). How might this awareness help lead you away from pride and closer to Christ?

In this flashback to September 4, 2024, we looked at the Fruit of the Spirit called "self-control" and its connection to humility. Speaking to the Corinthian church, Paul counsels them to be humble in their approach to temptation. They should not think too much of themselves nor too little, especially because God is faithful and will be with them!

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For Reflection:

The temptations we face are common to all. We should not forget our vulnerability nor should we lose hope, especially because God is faithful!

- Can you recall a time when you underestimated your vulnerability to temptation? What do you believe led to that vulnerability?

- Taylor mentioned "H.A.L.T." -- Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. We are especially vulnerable when our own basic needs are unmet. What might help you to be more spiritually, physically, and emotionally healthy?

James exhorts us to draw close to God. How? By avoiding temptation, by resisting the Tempter, and by humbling ourselves so that God might lift us up. Once again, one of the most important ways we can humble ourselves is to refuse to judge one another. Only God can judge and any "judgments" we make must be based on what God has declared to be true.

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For Reflection:

Draw near to God and God will draw near to you (v8).

- Why do you think James places such importance on "resisting the Devil" (v7)? What temptations most commonly interfere with your connection to God?

- James tells us that our job is to obey God's law, not to judge whether it applies to us (v11, like when we decide that we are justified in speaking against one another). What are some of the ways that believers today are tempted to disregard God's law? In what ways are you likewise tempted?