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The prayer of a righteous person
James offers a bold word: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16 ESV). Wow. Let’s unpack that a bit. First, what does it mean to be “righteous”? In the New Testament, that word can have different nuances based on the context. Here… Listen ⇢
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Looking like the one we believe in
Children often look like their parents. Sometimes you see a child and the resemblance is so strong that the parent doesn’t even need to be there and you say, ‘I know who your dad is,’ or ‘I know who your mom is’! When God looks upon us he sees what… Listen ⇢
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Not an accessory
Today I’d like to share a word with my fellow followers of Jesus. This is for the spiritually mature, and for the spiritually immature; for those who have been walking the road for a long time, and for those who are new to the path; for those who are usually… Listen ⇢
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Directing your happiness
In the Bible, James is so wise. He gives insight about how to respond to a variety of different situations. Here’s an example. In James 5:13 he writes: “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” Simple. Straightforward. But what difference does it make? Earlier he has said that “Every… Listen ⇢
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Look to the example of others
We’ve been talking about perseverance. In the Bible, James gave some very down-to-earth counsel to those enduring hardship: “Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those… Listen ⇢
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Soul cleats
In James 5:8 we read: “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” Let’s zero-in on the phrase “stand firm.” The oldest manuscripts we have of this passage are in Greek. “Stand firm” is an imperative verb. In other words, it’s a command that James… Listen ⇢
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Patience follows hope
It’s good to be patient. My Louw-Nida Greek dictionary defines patience like this: “a state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune and without complaint or irritation.” In James 5:7-8, we learn WHY we can be patient. As his readers face hardship, he says this: “Be patient,… Listen ⇢
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Undermining your own goldmine
Do you want to persevere through this challenging chapter of life? If so, James 5 provides some powerful and down-to-earth How-To’s. Amongst other things he says, “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged” (verse 9). Perhaps his first-century audience was in the habit of… Listen ⇢
Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.
Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.
