Lee Henson of Russellville, Arkansas, uses James 2 to challenge listeners to examine themselves to determine the status of their faith. Is it a faith of action, or is it mental faith?  If all we do at church is make ourselves feel good about our faith, we've done nothing. James tells us that faith without works is dead. We have opportunities every day to practice our faith. God has created us to do good works. Are we actually doing them? Belief won't make any difference unless we act on it. Live like Jesus. Love people. 

Harding professor Kraig Martin says we have to become the kind of people whose gratitude is as natural as breathing. We often have trouble being grateful because we have deep anger because of something that we want that we're not getting. Anger and resentment are poisons that destroy the vessel in which they are stored. When we hang on to entitlements, we'll become bitter and angry, but even when things aren't the way we think they're supposed to be, God can heal us. We must have a habit of deep gratitude to inherit eternal life. Martin uses Mark 6:1-6 and Luke 7:1-10 to illustrate the attitude of gratitude we must cultivate.

We are obsessed with words. We listen to political and sports talk shows and call them entertainment. People sometimes stay on hold for more than an hour just to get their chance to voice their opinions to the listening audience. Studies show that we typically hear 20,000-30,000 words a day. On average, that's about 175,000 words a week and more than nine million words a year! Though we probably don't remember many of these words, there are words we will remember, sometimes for a long time. The adage about sticks and stones and it's conclusion that words can never hurt is patently untrue. Words can hurt, and they can hurt for a very long time. James addresses the problem of the tongue in James, chapter 3, when he shows that tongue control is a key factor in controlled living. Rudders control ships; a bit controls a horse, and the tongue controls a person. If the tongue is undisciplined, chances are, the person is undisciplined as well. Mike Ireland of Searcy, Arkansas, uses James 3 and other scripture to show how tongue control is an index of one's heart.

Life is stressful. World and local disasters stress us. Illnesses stress us. Facebook posts and comments stress us. Traffic stresses us. Every day adds to the stress we feel. Being a Christian doesn't lessen our stress levels. As Christians, we have to learn how to deal with the stress. Matt Carter, Director of Admissions at Harding University, shares scriptural help for dealing with the stresses we face daily using Romans 12:12 as his text: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Be joyful in hope. See where the joy is. Seek it out. Look for the good things. Be patient. Impatience is all about me, but the redeemed me is always better than the old me! Be under the control of the Holy Spirit. Live with a renewed mind. Be a dispenser of grace. Be faithful in prayer. Build a habit of walking with God. Read the Bible. Build a habit of walking with God. Practice times of silence and solitude. Our stressors aren't likely to go away, but we can change the ways in which we react to them. Our lives will benefit from the practice of these disciplines.

It's amazing how contemporary the Bible stays. It speaks to every generation. Gary Jackson of Searcy, Arkansas, leads listeners through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 to remind us of the inside out, upside down focus of Jesus' kingdom. Having Jesus in mind while reading the Beatitudes reminds readers that our worldview and God's worldview are at odds. What we value, God hates. Jesus should be the model when we read about the blessings of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Consideration of these should prompt listeners to consider their prayer lives. When we pray for others, what do we most hope for them? For their health, happiness, and wealth? Or, do we first hope that they find God? As we explore the depths of the Beatitudes, may we seek to promote righteousness and value the priorities of the Kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be king? Kraig Martin, a professor at Harding University, say that in worldly terminology, we may think of someone who is in total control of a region, one who is all powerful, whose word is law. A king lords his authority over his subjects. Jesus, however, reveals that His kingdom doesn't work that way. In Mark 10: 42-44, Jesus says, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." He tells his disciples that His kingdom will not operate as those on earth do. We are not to use force, trickery, or pity to manipulate others, for God doesn't do that with us. Proper influence and control work in the church as we empty ourselves and become servants just as Christ emptied himself. "He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Phil. 2:7). God doesn't want an army of robots. He wants us to partner with Him in the kingdom. He wants us to be involved in the kingdom and not just remain in a master/slave relationship. We are His children!

Have you been broken like Humpty Dumpty? Do you feel that not even "all the king's horses and all the king's men" can put you back together again? Beginning with Jeremiah 30:17, Willie Williams of The Colony Church of Christ in The Colony, Texas, assures listeners that God can restore what people cannot. You may feel like you've lost, but God will not leave you alone. God always wins! He remained with Abraham knowing that Abraham would become a great nation even when Abraham had no children. He saw Noah even when the rest of humanity had given themselves over to wickedness. God will work with you. God will work through you. Or, God will work in spite of you. What tomorrow does God see for you? Will you walk by faith into that future. God says, "I'm still with you. Don't quit on me!"

No one wants to suffer, yet Mike Ireland of Searcy, Arkansas, points out in his sermon that there are good things that can come from suffering. Our suffering can help us release our grip on this world. We learn that people are more important than things. It can make us more useful to others, and our suffering can deepen our fellowship with God. We give meaning to our suffering through our response to our suffering. Romans 5:3 tells us to rejoice in our suffering because of what it will produce in us. We may never have answers to why suffering happens to us or to others,  we find we are most vulnerable when we face trials we either can't avoid or can't control. How will we respond? Job responded with worship, strong faith in God, and a determination to carefully guard against sin. Will our suffering lead us toward glory or shame? Will it cause us to honor or dishonor God.

We've experienced a lot of changes in our world since the beginning of the Pandemic in 2020. Life has been anything but what we would consider normal, but John Phillips of the Pinnacle Church of Christ in Little Rock assures listeners that there is a way to handle the new normal. He reminds listeners that God's way is always forward. We can't go back, but there are three realizations that will help us cope: 1) Realize God never changes; 2) Realize God's word is true and trustworthy; and, 3) Realize God's promises will never fail. Life changes; God does not. Our job is not to change the church to be more like the world. Our job is to change the world. Our hope is not in science; our hope is in God. God will lead us every step of the way.  

Have you ever been hated? How did that feel? Christ knew what it was to be hated, and those who  live the Christian life must know that they will experience rejection. Christians must be willing to accept their death to this world before they can know the power of the resurrection, dying to the way they think things ought to be. Journeys aren't always what people expect. Sometimes they have to let a dream die. Randy Willingham of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, challenges listeners to question how much they trust God, asking if they can trust Him through death and reminding them that God never fails to show up.