Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls them a poem, and they give him $50.00.”
The second boy says, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a song, and they give him $1,000.00.”
The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes eight guys to collect all the money.”
Bible Study: James 1:5-8 “When You Don’t Know What To Do”
Right after he gets done telling us to “count it all joy” when we “meet trials of various kinds,” James moves forward into something practical, something that makes sense, something we can get behind.
Understand that trials are often trying because they confuse us more than they hurt. They expose to us, if not others, what we don’t know. They force us to make decisions we don’t feel confident making. Could you imagine picking your college major with “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. My mother told me to pick the very best major and that is pre-med!”
Oh no! God wanted you to. become a pastry chef! (Leave a comment as to how you chose your field of study.)
James has a better idea:
The text reads:
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.
This is one of those verses that sound nice by themselves and is often misquoted that way, therefore it is quoted out of context. (Verses are often quoted out of context. It’s important you know to whom the Scripture was written and under what circumstances. Also, read the verses before and after it.)
James seems to assume he’s writing to believers who are going through a time of limited clarity. (Believers in the dispersion.) Not a lack of intelligence necessarily, or faith, but of wisdom.
In this regard, wisdom is the ability to see what is happening from God’s perspective and respond to the circumstances appropriately. It’s knowing what faithfulness looks like when the path isn’t obvious.
James says if you lack it, ask for it. We aren’t called to beg in desperation, though we often wait until that point before we do ask. We aren’t to put on a performance, and certainly we shouldn’t pretend that we already know the answer.
Ask God. Remarkably, James says God will give generously and without reproach. He doesn’t shame us for asking, scold us for not already knowing, and He certainly isn’t irritated by our need. That matters, particularly to people who learned to fear approaching their own parents.
Sometimes we might assume a hardship is punishment and therefore we hesitate to approach God. We also might believe we should already have the knowledge and maturity to handle it, but James says differently.
He tells us to ask and then he adds a warning: “But let him ask in faith, without doubting…For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James1:6-8 ESV)
He isn’t condemning honest questions. He’s addressing divided loyalty.
Double mindedness isn’t intellectual curiosity. It’s wanting God’s help while still reserving the right to reject His direction if we don’t like it. It’s asking for wisdom while quietly hoping the answer aligns with what we already decided to do.
Have you ever had somebody come to you for advice time and time again but every time you give them an answer, they do something different, or the complete opposite? Time after time they come to you, after you give them sound advice they choose to do their own thing. How long before you tell them, “Don’t keep coming to me because you never listen?”
Faith in God’s wisdom ties directly back to trials. Hardships expose where our trust actually rests. When pressure hits we either lean fully into God’s authority, or we try standing with one foot in faith and one foot in self-rule.
That’s not how this works. Remember that “doulos” lesson from before? The bondservant, the person who choses to put themselves under the authority of another? That’s what we do when we chose to follow Christ. It’s an all-or-nothing situation, not a when-it-makes-us-feel-good situation.
James calls us to consistency. Ask boldly. Trust fully. Stand steadily. Follow that progression.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
1. When you’re facing a difficult situation, do you more readily ask God for relief or wisdom?
2. Have you ever asked God for wisdom when deep in your heart you already knew you were going to do it your way?
3. What would it take for you to ask God for wisdom with a fully surrendered heart?
These situations show up in work decisions, family conversations, financial pressure, and in family struggles. I would enjoy the opportunity to discuss the answers to these questions further with you in the comments.
All the best!
Bible Study: James 1:1-4 “When Trials Show Up”
Now that we’ve learned a little something about the author, it’s time to wade into the letter itself.
We begin with the opening verse of James’ Epistle, and James doesn’t take it easy on us. Remember that, although supplies were most likely more easily accessible to him than the common person, the people of this time weren’t likely in the custom of wasting paper and ink. Therefore, it’s appropriate to assume he meant what he wrote.
James greets his readers and addresses something every believer, particularly of James’ time – is likely familiar with – trials!
The text reads:
James, a servant (“doulos” in the Greek) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James is writing to believers – primarily converted Jewish believers – who were scattered from their homes and living out their faith under a rule that wasn’t all to fond of that radical Jesus fellow. With that context in mind, he says something that feels backwards at first.
“Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds.”
Not if you meet those trials, but when.
(I’ll bet you a denarius that at least one of James’ original recipients yelled at his staff, “I don’t have time for jokes!”)
James realizes trials aren’t a detour from Christian life; they’re very much part of the road itself. He doesn’t minimize them, explain them away, or pretend they don’t hurt. He reframes the way we are to view them instead.
Joy, for James, isn’t rooted in the trial itself. It’s rooted in what each trial produces.
He tells us the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. In other words, pressure reveals what our faith is made of, and when that faith is exercised, it grows endurance. Not a shallow patience, but a settled, resilient faith that can remain standing when things get difficult.
Think of it like weightlifting. If a body builder doesn’t work against greater resistance or trials – the weights – that person won’t get any stronger.
Then James gives us another pearl of wisdom: we are to let steadfastness have its full effect. That implies making a choice on our part.
It’s entirely possible to go through hardship and resist the work God does in it. It’s also possible to rush past the work, looking only for relief instead of growth. James urges believers not to short-circuit the process. Endurance has a purpose, and when it’s allowed to do its work, it leads somewhere specific.
Maturity. Wholeness. A faith that has everything it needs. These are specifically good places.
James isn’t saying trials are good. He’s saying they can be used. And the resulting spiritual growth changes, improves how we face them. Instead of asking only how to escape difficulty, James invites us to ask what God may be forming within us.
It’s not easy, but nothing worth doing right is. And it’s the kind of faith James presses us toward through his letter.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
1. When you hear the word “trial,” what immediately comes to mind from your own life right now?
2. How do you usually respond to pressure – do you try to escape it, endure it, or ignore it
3. What might it look like to let endurance have its “full effect” instead of rushing the process?
If you’re willing, share your thoughts in the comments. We’re all wading through something, and we don’t have to go it alone.
Next time we’ll wade foreword as James presses further into what lived faith looks like, Lord willing.
All the best!
Bible Study: James (Intro)
When I decided this blog would wade through Scripture book by book, more than a few people could have guessed I’d begin with the Epistle of James. It’s been my favorite Bible book for a long time – not because it’s easy, but because it’s honest and convicting right where I always needed it. James doesn’t let faith stay theoretical. He pulls back the curtain and shows us how it works in real life.
A Word About the Man Behind the Letter
If you’re familiar with the New Testament, you know there’s more than one “James” floating around:
• James, son of Zebedee – one of the Twelve, brother of John. Martyred early (Acts 12), which rules him out as the author.
• James, son of Alphaeus – another of the Twelve, but largely silent in the narrative.
• James, brother of Jesus – this is the one most scholars agree wrote the letter.
Comment below if you thought a different James wrote the book or if you knew all along. I’m curious.
Fun Fact: – The name “James” in the New Testament is translated from the Hebrew word “Yacob,” the same name translated to “Jacob” in the Old Testament. (Mind blown!)
This James wasn’t a believer or a follower of Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. In fact, the Gospels suggest he was skeptical early on. (Who would believe their older brother was the promised messiah?) That changes after the resurrection. By the time we reach Acts, James is clearly recognized as a leader – eventually becoming the primary leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem (Acts 15).
That matters because James is somebody who knows suffering, leadership pressure, and the cost of living one’s faith publicly. That was significant in the early first century in his part of the world.
James’ Introduction
James identifies himself at the beginning of the letter as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. That single sentence carries a great deal more weight than might first appear.
James describes himself using the Greek word “doulos” which is translated in the ESV to “servant.” Other versions of the Bible translate that word to “bond servant.” A bond servant is different than your typical, garden variety servant who was conquered, bought, or sentenced to servitude. He is somebody who willingly places themselves under the authority of another. This isn’t forced submission; it’s chosen surrender.
James moved from skeptical younger brother to submissive follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn’t introduce himself to his readers – first century believers and now us – by pointing out his family connection. (Imagine little Jimmy standing before us, fists firmly thrust into his hips, with his big brother Jesus standing behind him.) He leads with his allegiance.
To the popular Jewish culture in James’ time, Jesus was known for having been tried, convicted, and put to death by the most gruesome punishment the Romans had at their disposal. If James didn’t believe in his brother, it would have made no sense aligning with Him now, certainly not putting himself under Jesus’ authority. That consideration alone points to his transformative belief.
This posture shapes everything else he says.
Next time we’ll wade beyond the title, Lord willing.
All the best!
A small town congregation decided to honor its pastor for all his faithful hard work by throwing him a formal banquet. The pastor knew his wife didn't have many nice dresses as they often shopped at second-hand stores to make ends meet. Wanting her to feel just as honored about the banquet as he would, the pastor told his wife to buy a new dress. He cautioned her to be careful, however, because money was even tighter than usual that month.
His wife returned from shopping and proudly modeled the beautiful evening gown she purchased. He rejoiced over how lovely the dress looked, but mostly over how happy his wife seemed to feel. However, he ultimately asked how much the dress cost.
She sheepishly answered, "It was five hundred dollars."
The pastor exclaimed, "Five hundred dollars! That's way out of our price range." He never knew his wife act so carefree with finances and asked, "What on Earth made you consider such a purchase?"
Disappointed, the pastor told his wife, "Sweetheart, you know the answer to that. Whenever you hear the devil tempting you, all you have to say is, 'Get thee behind me, Satan!'"
She quickly defended, "I did! But then he told me how fabulous it looked from back there too!"
