All Episodes
Displaying 61 - 90 of 90 in total
Episode 61: Grace, pride, and humility
James 4:6 teaches that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." But what does it mean to be humble? And is there anything good about pride?
Episode 62: Resist the devil!
Having said that God gives grace to the humble, James then adds that believers should therefore submit themselves to God (James 4:7-8). But this also entails resisting...
Episode 63: Holy heartbreak
In James 4:8-9, the apostle takes the teaching on humility even further. In this episode, we'll see how James uses severe language to prompt us to grieve our sin and i...
Episode 64: The way up is down (part 1)
So much of American culture assumes that upward striving is the norm. But how does that fit with what James has taught about humility, to people who seem to be hurting...
Episode 65: The way up is down (part 2)
In this episode, we review the teaching on humility in James 4:8-10, and connect it back to the teaching of Jesus. What the world counts as happiness is fleeting; Jesu...
Episode 66: Speak no evil
James has used the word "adultery" to describe the behavior of the Christians to whom he writes. Shortly, he will also accuse them of "murder." But here in James 4:11,...
Episode 67: ”Lawful” speech
Again, in James 4:11, the apostle accuses people of saying "evil things about each other," and standing in judgment of the law. As we'll see in this episode, he may b...
Episode 68: Above the law
There are people in the world who think they're "above the law," that normal rules don't apply to them. We may not think that of ourselves, but James 4:12 suggests tha...
Episode 69: Judgment, wise and unwise
Is judgment always a bad thing? In this episode, we make a distinction between the wise use of judgment, and the unwise stance of being judgmental of others.
Episode 70: ”If the Lord wills...”
We often tell others about our plans, about what we're going to do today, tomorrow, or the next. But James 4:13-16 suggests that we sometimes do this to boast, and tha...
Episode 71: Snake oil
Why is it evil to speak of our plans in boastful ways? James teaches that it's arrogant. Here, it's important to recognize what he means by "boasting," for the word su...
Episode 72: The haves, the have-nots, and the have-yachts
The world isn't just divided up into the haves and the have-nots; there are also those who are very rich, which one wit has called the "have-yachts." The distinction i...
Episode 73: Wake up!
At the beginning of chapter 5, James again uses strong language to wake up the rich--the "have-yachts"--to the evil they have done against the poor. James 5:1-6 sounds...
Episode 74: The final chapter
One hopes that the final chapter of any story will bring the tale to a satisfying conclusion. So it is with God's story. And part of what James wants the rich to under...
Episode 75: Where your heart is
James 5:2-3 uses colorful language to describe how all the trappings of wealth that the rich take for granted have rotted and rusted. In this episode, we explore how J...
Episode 76: Be patient
I sometimes struggle with patience, and I imagine you do too. James 5:7-8 counsels that we should be patient as we wait for Jesus to return. But does he mean the same ...
Episode 77: Harvest time
In teaching patience, James 5:7-8 uses the metaphor of a farmer waiting for rain and for a good crop. Can we apply this metaphor to our own need to endure suffering?
Episode 78: Are we there yet?
Anyone who's ever done a road trip with kids knows the question. We look forward to arriving at our destination, a little impatiently. James 5:8 tells us to strengthen...
Episode 79: Groaning and moaning
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul gives us the picture of all creation groaning like a woman in labor, waiting for birth of new life. James 5:9 uses the same language to d...
Episode 80: The ”patience” of Job?
Throughout his letter, James has written about patient endurance in the face of suffering. In James 5:10-11, he uses the example of Job. But just how "patient" was Job?
Episode 81: Blessed and depressed?
James uses not only Job, but also the Old Testament prophets as examples of endurance that his readers would have known. In this episode, we use the example of Elijah ...
Episode 82: Say what you mean
Is it okay to take oaths? James 5:12 teaches that we should not, merely saying yes or no instead. But here again he echoes Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. This epi...
Episode 83: Use your words
So much of the teaching of James is about how we use words. James 5:13-16 suggests that one of the most important use of words is--surprise!--prayer. In this episode, ...
Episode 84: A community of prayer
James 5:16 teaches that Christians should confess their sins to one another. But we can easily imagine how badly that could go wrong. This episode explores the cultura...
Episode 85: The power of prayer
James 5:16 teaches that "the prayer of the righteous is powerful." We've already looked at the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel; James uses that story as an example of ...
Episode 86: Yours truly
Back in the days of letter writing, we were taught to end letters with words like "Sincerely" or "Yours truly." As we approach the end of the letter of James, we see t...
Episode 87: Wandering from the path
We all get lost sometimes. Spiritually, from the standpoint of the Psalms, we might say that we also stray from God's path. How might we understand James 5:19-20 accor...
Episode 88: Covered
The idea of "covering over a multitude of sins" is part of the very last line of James (and is found in 1 Peter 4:8) as well. We may have tried to "cover up" our sins,...
Episode 89: The church police
James 5:19-20 suggests that our concern for one another should include correcting those who stray from God's way. But does that mean that people should act like church...
Episode 90: Conclusion
We've reached the end of our study of James, and in this episode, we review some of the main ideas of the letter. Thank you for listening!