Prayer is powerful because it connects us to God himself and so teaches us His purpose and will and allows us to bring our lives into conformity to it.

James addresses first the rich and powerful and then the poor and persecuted. Both should live in light of God's final judgement.

James talks about a pattern of life that will result in joy and contentment and a right relationship with God.

Perseverance by faith produces spiritual maturity. How do we do this? The key commitment is keeping our eyes on God.

In James 3:13–18 the author contrasts two ways of living—the way of wisdom and the way foolishness. One is other-centered; the other is self-centered.

James addresses another area of practical Christian wisdom: being careful what we say. Let’s be careful to use words in ways that build others up rather than breaking them down!

We get to the heart of James’s message, which is that authentic faith is always accompanied by actions. True faith results in a transformed life and works are the inevitable evidence of that transformation.

James calls out the practice of favoritism as completely inconsistent with the command to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

James is all about living out the Christian life in practical ways. In this passage he emphasizes the need to be good listeners, so that we can discern the needs of others and hear God’s Word clearly.

When it comes to practical Christian living, the letter of James is perhaps the most down to earth, nuts and bolts, rubber meets the road book in the New Testament.