The Stuff of Life (James 4:11-5:6)

Money is like a mirror for our character.  It reflects back to us what is really there.  If you like what you see in the mirror, or you don’t, it’s not because of the mirror, it’s because of your own heart.     James 4:11-5:6 points us back to our hearts, whether it's speaking against our brothers, judging others, or using riches to oppress others--all of these go against the law of freedom. 

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  in this episode we finish praying through James, one of the General Letters filled with practical teaching and wisdom.  We see again today that James' letter is very gospel-centered and also rooted in the Jewish Torah.  

James says in 4:11-12 “Don’t speak against your brothers...”  and this idea can be traced back to Leviticus 19:16.  Similarly, Leviticus 19:13  talks about oppressing and withholding wages from workers just as James 5:4 does.  At the same time, James tells us not to judge others, echoing Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2.  

 We looked at James 4:13-17 previously in season 1 of First Fifteen and we won't repeat that lesson here.  Our desire for riches, our treatment of the rich, our planning for and pursuit of riches, the trap of riches and treatment of the poor—all of these come under James’ teaching and what he does, simply, is take us back to Jesus’ teaching about the heart.  

Have you internalized the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself?  Spend time meditating on what you've heard/read from his word.  James emphasizes being a doer of the word in this passage, not a judge of others.

We have been using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

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We have a book on Matthew 1-7 that goes more in-depth into the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 5.  It's called Journey with Jesus: Praying Your Way through Matthew's Gospel on Amazon (or ebook on Kindle). 

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com