James

A Study Guide

By: Amilee Sanders

www.growingasamommy.blogspot.com

Getting Started
Through Gods Word, we learn to know Him better. Through His Word, He convicts us, challenges us, and helps us become more like Him. In order to grow in our relationship with Christ, we must make His Word our top priority. Sometimes it is hard to know where to start when we begin studying the Bible. It can be overwhelming at times. But, as Christians, we have a responsibility to learn His Word and to help others learn about it as well. This study guide is here to help challenge you in your walk with the Lord as you read the book of James. In this study guide, you will be asked to: Read your Bible each day Memorize a verse each week Record what God is teaching you Answer questions that will help you better apply the Bible to your life

As you take time to spend in Gods Word each day, remember that His Word will accomplish something in your life. But, we have to take time to spend with Him each day first. May these verses from Isaiah 55:10-11 remind you that, through His Word, He will produce fruit in our lives: The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. It is my prayer that each of us will learn something new as we take time to study the book of James. Blessings, Amilee Sanders

Introduction to James
James was written by Jesus brother, James, around A.D. 49. He originally wrote this letter to first-century Jewish Christians who lived in Gentile communities outside Palestine. He wrote this letter to expose hypocritical practices and to teach Christians how they should live (Life Application Study Bible). Important Themes: Faith and Suffering Following through with our Faith Prejudice Controlling our Words Wisdom Jealousy and Quarrels Humility Wealth Patience and Endurance James is one of the most practical books of the Bible. He talks about things with which all Christians struggle. For Our Study: There are 5 chapters in the book of James, so we will be studying a chapter a week. Try to read the assigned chapter every day for a week. By reading His Word several times, you will remember it better. Each week, you will also be challenged to write down what God is teaching you. Be specific. For example, if God is telling you to ask for someones forgiveness, write down that persons name and when you will talk with them. You will also be asked to memorize a Bible verse each week. Take time to hide His Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11). Before you spend time with God each day, ask Him to open your eyes to His Truth and to show you any changes you need to make in your life. After you have done this, lets start with James 1!

Week One: James 1

Read James1:1-27. Try to read all or part of it every day so you can remember and apply the verses to your life. Commit to memorize the following verse this week. For your convenience, small cards are provided at the back of this study guide. Cut them out and place them where you will see them several times throughout the day.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3
Use the space below to write down something God is teaching you each day.

James 1 Questions
As you read James 1, answer the following questions. Read James 1:1-4 -Is James writing to believers or non-believers? -What does it mean to be a believer? -What should we do when trials come our way? -Why is it hard for us to think of our trials as opportunities for joy? -What can we do to reminder ourselves to be joyful, even in the hard times? -Look up Psalm 118:24. -Based on this verse, what should we do each day? -What is a trial you are going through right now? -How have you seen God bring something good out of your trials that might not have happened if you hadnt gone through it? Read James 1:5-8 -What should we do if we need wisdom? -Do you think to ask God for wisdom? -Why is wisdom so important? -Do you have faith when you ask God for wisdom or are you unstable? Read James 1:9-11 -Do you put too much confidence in your wealth or your achievements? -What is God asking you to give up for Him? Read James 1:12-15 -Does God ever tempt us? -Where do temptations come from? Read James 1:16-18 -Does God change?

Read James 1:19-21 -Why is it hard to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry? -What can we do to get rid of all the filth and evil desires in our lives? Read James 1:22-25 -What should we do after we hear Gods Word? -What does it mean to look carefully into the perfect law (v. 25)? -Look up Matthew 7:24-27 Compare the verses in James to this passage. How are they similar? What is Jesus trying to tell us here?

Read James 1:26-27 -What makes our religion worthless? -Is it hard for you to control your tongue? -What can we do to remind ourselves to think before we speak? -How is God asking you to care for others? -How is the world corrupting us today? *Close with prayer, asking God to help you apply His Word to your life.

Week Two: James 2

Read James 2:1-26. Try to read all or part of it every day so you can remember and apply the verses to your life. Commit to memorize the following verse this week. For your convenience, small cards are provided at the back of this study guide. Cut them out and place them where you will see them several times throughout the day.

Cant you see that faith without good deeds is useless? James 2:20
Use the space below to write down something God is teaching you each day.

James 2 Questions
As you read James 2, answer the following questions. Read James 2:1-4 -What does favoritism show about our motives? -What is an example of how you show favoritism in your own life? -Why are we tempted to show favoritism? -What can we do to guard against it? Read James 2:5-7 -Are these verses a warning to those who are rich? -Do you think rich people struggle more with showing favoritism? Why? -Look up 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and 17-19 -What did these verses say about being rich? -Do you consider yourself to be rich? According to the Barna Group, a group of over 1000 Americans were surveyed. Each sample included people 18 years of age and older living within the 48 continental states. Out of this group of Americans, only 6% consider themselves to be rich. In actuality, however, any American earning more than $2 a day is richer than over 50% of the worlds population! 56 percent of the world's population lives in extreme poverty. They survive on an income of less than $730 per year or $2 per day. Half of the worlds poor who comprise 28 percent of the world's population live on $1 or less per day. In comparison, the average American earns from 46 to 92 times more than the poverty stricken comprising over half the world's populationAccounting for every man, woman and child in the U.S., Americans spend an average of $0.20 per day on cosmetics, perfume and skin and hair care products; over $0.50 a day on jewelry; nearly $3 on furniture and other household goods; over $3 per day on clothing; gambling totals almost $6 per day; over $7 a day is spent on automobiles and trucks; and over $9 on food. Americans simply live a lifestyle that is beyond imagination for most of the poor in the world (Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/473045). When we read verses about wealth, it is easy to dismiss this thought because we may not think that we are wealthy. In actuality, however, when compared to the rest of the world, we are very rich, and our wealth is something that we need to turn over to God.

Read James 2:8-13 -Why do we seem to rate sins so many times? -Is it a sin to show favoritism? -Look up Isaiah 59:2 -What does sin do to us? -Look up Psalm 32:1-5 -Why is it important to rid ourselves of even the smallest sin? -Do you think these verses are telling us its wrong to have best friends? -Who is God asking you to love right now that you wouldnt normally choose? -Look up Romans 12:1-2 -How do we renew our minds? -Ask God to renew your mind so that He can change our way of thinking. Read James 2:14-18 -Faith without good deeds is what? -How do we show that we have faith (v. 18)? -What is God calling you to do? -How can you show others the love of Christ? -How are you serving Him? James 2:19-20 -Who believes in God in this verse? -What is the difference between a Christian and a demon? James 2:21-25 -To read the story of Abraham, read Genesis 22. -To read the story of Rahab, read Joshua 2. -How did Abraham and Rahab display their faith? *Close with prayer, asking God to help you apply His Word to your life.

Week Three: James 3

Read James3:1-18. Try to read all or part of it every day so you can remember and apply the verses to your life. Commit to memorize the following verse this week. For your convenience, small cards are provided at the back of this study guide. Cut them out and place them where you will see them several times throughout the day.

But no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! James 3:8-10
Use the space below to write down something God is teaching you each day.

James 3 Questions
As you read James 3, answer the following questions.

Read James 3:1-2 -Why will teachers be judged more strictly? -Why does James say we would be perfect if we could control our tongues? Read James 3:3-6 -Do you think our tongues have power over our whole bodies? - Look up Matthew 12:34-36 -What do our words reveal about our hearts? Read James 3:7-12 -Why cant anyone tame the tongue? -Is it odd that words that bring healing and words that bring pain come out of the same mouth? -Look up Psalm 19:14 -What does God want us to do with our speech? -How can we better control the words that come forth from our mouths? -What are we putting into our minds? -What are we dwelling on? -What sin are we not letting go of? -Are we filling our minds with the Word of God each day? Read James 3:13-16 -If we understand Gods ways, what should we do? -Do you struggle with jealousy and selfish ambition? -What is earthly and demonic? -When we struggle with these sins, will this affect our speech?

Read James 3:17-18 -What is the wisdom from above? -What does it list that was discussed in the last chapter? * Read the following article by Joyce Meyers. Circle the sign you are struggling with the most. Ask God to help you with it this week.
Six Signs You Need to Stop Talking by Joyce Meyer Have you ever wished youd stopped talking about five minutes before you actually did? Because Ive been there myself, I want to help protect you from saying potentially embarrassing or hurtful things. And Ive prepared a list of six warning signs to let you know when its time to stop talking. Sign 1: Youre Complaining, Not Explaining Theres a subtle difference. Explaining is simply telling someone about your situation. Complaining is when you have an attitude that says Im being inconvenienced. (See Philippians 2:14-15.) There will be times when keeping quiet in order to avoid complaining seems so hard you almost cant stand it. But God will always give you the grace to do it. And if we ever want to arrive at our Promised Land, we need to stop complaining about the way Gods getting us there. Sign 2: Youre Criticizing Somebody Picture this. Someone says or does something you think they shouldnt have done and all of a sudden, youve got about a hundred opinions about them that you want to talk about! First Thessalonians 4:9 says, But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another (AMP). In other words, sharing your critical opinions about other people is always a mistake. We need to cover one another with love, instead of uncovering their weaknesses and pointing out their flaws. Sign 3: Your God Is Too Small Whenever we say, I cant do this or Its too much for me to take, were actually defeating ourselvesand were not trusting God to get us through it.

What we need to say is, God is bigger than every issue I will ever have to face, and I can do whatever I need to do through Christ who strengthens me. The Bible says that David ran quickly toward the battle line to face the giant Goliath. Sometimes we stare at our circumstances too long. We end up scaring ourselves half to death instead of believing God will give us the victory when we face our giants. Sign 4: Youre Self-Inflated We like to boast about what weve done, what we can do, and what were going to do. If were not careful, we can even take credit for things God did! Everything we do, we should do it as unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23) I dont think we can even begin to know what God would do for us and the things He would allow us to participate in if we would learn to keep our successes a secret between us and God, unless He specifically gives us permission to share them. Sign 5: Youre Standing in Judgment Matthew 7:1 (NLT) says, Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. I think this is really important for Christians because we can get our religious, snooty noses up in the air. And if somebody does something wrong, theyre out of the group. We can look at everybody else through a magnifying glass when were a mess ourselves and cant even see it. So we need to remain humble before God and before others. Sign 6: Youre Just Being Negative The world is full of negativity. Instead of adding to that negativity, Christians need to be positive about the problems and circumstances we face. We may not get everything we want, the way we want it, when we want it, but God will take care of us and give us grace to have joy and be positive in the midst of any situation. And thats an awesome way to live. This article is taken from Joyce's four-CD series, The Power of Words. *Close with prayer, asking God to help you apply His Word to your life.

Week Four: James 4

Read James 4:1-17. Try to read all or part of it every day so you can remember and apply the verses to your life. Commit to memorize the following verse this week. For your convenience, small cards are provided at the back of this study guide. Cut them out and place them where you will see them several times throughout the day.

And even when you ask, you dont get it because your motives are all wrongyou want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:3
Use the space below to write down something God is teaching you each day.

James 4 Questions
As you read James 4, answer the following questions. Read James 4:1-3 -What causes the quarrels and fights among us? -Why do we have evil desires? -How can we end jealousy? -Why do you want the things you want? Are your motives pure? -Look up Romans 13:11-14 -How do we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ? Read James 4:4-6 -Look up John 15:18-19 -Can we be friends with the world and friends with God? -Look up John 15:5-12 -How can we live in this world but not let it affect us negatively? -How do we remain in Him? Read James 4:7-10 -Why should there be sorrow for our sins? -Read 1 Corinthians 7:8-11 -What kind of sorry should we not have? Read James 4:11-12 -What is the difference between judging and correcting our brothers and sisters in Christ? -Look up Matthew 18:15 -If we must confront a brother or sister in Christ, how should we do this? -Look up 2 Timothy 2:23-25 -What should a servant of the Lord do or not do? Read James 4:13-16 -Do you involve God in your day to day planning? -Can our planning sometimes cause us miss out on the things God wants us to do?

Read James 4:17 -Do you listen to the Holy Spirits conviction? -Are all Christians going to have the same convictions? -Look up Ephesians 4:21-32 -How can we keep ourselves in tune with the Holy Spirit? -Out of these verses, what sins are you struggling with? -What should we do when someone wrongs us? *Close with prayer, asking God to help you apply His Word to your life.

Week Five: James 5

Read James 5:1-20. Try to read all or part of it every day so you can remember and apply the verses to your life. Commit to memorize the following verse this week. For your convenience, small cards are provided at the back of this study guide. Cut them out and place them where you will see them several times throughout the day.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16
Use the space below to write down something God is teaching you each day.

James 5 Questions
As you read James 5, answer the following questions. Read James 5:1-6 -What will happen to all of our wealth? -Look up Matthew 6:19-21 -Why shouldnt we store up treasures on earth? -How can we store up treasures in heaven? -Look up Mark 10:17-31 -This young ruler was keeping all of the commandments, but yet could not give up his wealth. Why was it so hard for him to let that go? -How do you struggle with hanging on too tightly to your money? -What is God calling you to do with your money? -Look up Luke 12:13-21 -Instead of storing up earthly wealth, what should we do (vs. 21)? -Reread James 5:4-6 -How have you cheated people with your money? -Are you spending your money only on yourself and your desires? -Did you know that money is one of the most covered topics on the Bible? Why do you think that is the case? -How can you better serve God with your money? Read James 5:7-11 -Why is it so hard to be patient? -Do you think Americans have more trouble being patient than others? Why or why not? -Read Colossians 3:12-17 -As Gods chosen people, with what should we clothe ourselves? -How is God asking you to display patience in your life right now? Read James 5:12 -Why does James tell us not to take an oath?

-Look up Matthew 5:33-37 -Why is it best to avoid taking an oath? -For more on oaths, see http://www.gotquestions.org/vows-God.html. Read James 5:13-15 -Do you turn to prayer as your first response, or do you turn to others? -What is a difficulty you are facing right now? -Commit to bring it before the Lord in prayer instead of worrying about it constantly. Read James 5:16-18 -To whom can you be held accountable for the sins in your life? Read James 5:19-20 -Is God calling you to help bring a sinner back? -How can you encourage someone who has fallen away from God? -Look up 1 Peter 3:15-17 -If we must talk to someone about this, how should we represent Christ to others? *Close with prayer, asking God to help you apply His Word to your life.

Endurance James 1:2-3 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

Useless James 2:20 Cant you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Tame the Tongue James 3:8-10

But no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

Motives James 4:3 And even when you ask, you dont get it because your motives are all wrongyou want only what will give you pleasure.

Pray James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.