James 4 | Condemning others is a national past time. Don't believe me? Turn on any 24/7 news channel -- it's all about the criticizing! James does not find that productive. In fact, James tells us what we don't want to hear.

James 4 | Could it be that the reason our hearts are never satisfied is because our heart is divided and has competing ideas? James indicates that the source of our discontent and fighting come from a heart not fully committed to the Kingdom. And that leads to horrifying disasters, even in the name of Jesus.

James continues to double down on what a life as a follower of Jesus looks like. Today James talks about what true wisdom is. It turns out those who are wise follow the humble path of Jesus. Those whose lives are filled with strive have not embraced the wisdom that comes from God.

James 3 | As we see James playing off the same themes around our visible faith, he continues the idea that the words we speak show our level of maturity. We must learn to think clearly, keep our inner monologue full of grace and accept the spiritual discipline of our minds.

James 2 | James addresses the fruit of our faith. What if we are full of faith, but there is no actual evidence of our faith in the way we live our lives?

James 1 | James writes to his fellow Jews who follow Jesus to be people represent the Kingdom of God. We should be recognized by who we are on the inside.

Today we introduce the Book of James, written to the fledgling church in the middle of great turmoil.

After 12 long years of leadership in setting up Jerusalem for success, Nehemiah goes back to Susa to retake his assignment with the Persian king. He comes back to Jerusalem 8 years later to discover that the city's moral compass is farther off now than 20 years ago!