JAMES 5:17-20; 1 KINGS 18:36-39   Because this was such a crucial prayer, it is worth noting the specific things for which Elijah prayed. He had four specific requests of God. First, “Let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel” (1 Kings 18:36). The burden of...

JAMES 5:13-16   The reason for calling the elders was apparently because the sickness referred to by James was a sickness that resulted from sin. The elders were the spiritual leaders of the assembly of believers, and because of the type of problem involved, they—not a physician— were to be...

JAMES 5:7-12   To “grudge not” is to “complain not.” We are not to groan or grumble against each other. In this life, where there is the tendency to be partial to others who have more than we do, James reminded us not to be grumbling and complaining about others....

JAMES 5:1-6   Christians can become so addicted to money and to achieving a higher level of living that they lose all perspective and forget what they are really here on earth to accomplish. Those who live only for the pleasures of the moment stand under the condemnation of Paul’s...

JAMES 4:8-12   Concerning James’s command to “draw nigh to God” (James 4:8), we must remember that it takes time to be holy. Although our position in Christ at the moment of salvation provides an absolute holiness, as we live the Christian life from day to day, it takes time...

JAMES 4:13-17   We do not need to be in a state of unrest about the future. Some worry needlessly and wonder, Why doesn’t God let me know what He has in mind for me in the future? Some young people may be thinking about the mission field and wondering...

JAMES 4:4-7   Consider the accusation of James concerning the illicit love affair with the world as stated in the following paraphrase: “You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies. Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies—the evil pleasures of this world—makes you an enemy...

JAMES 4:1-3   James was well aware of the fact that conflict among believers comes from the personal war that goes on within each person. This conflict within the believer is also referred to in Romans 7:23: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of...

JAMES 3:13-18   It is significant that the characteristics James first listed for godly wisdom are purity and peaceableness. These two have an important relationship. An individual is made pure through faith in Jesus Christ, and this establishes peace between God and himself. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by...

JAMES 3:7-12   Is it not strange that the tongue can be praising God one moment and be slandering some person the next moment often right in the church where the tongue had been used to praise God? We may even hear the preacher talk about not slandering others, but...