James 1:5-11
1. We began by talking about wisdom in v. 5-8.
Q: With James saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom” the assumption is that would apply to all of us. What would be characteristics of those that think they have all the wisdom they need & lack no wisdom?
Q: We heard that there are two types of wisdom: worldly wisdom & biblical wisdom. The difference is the source (knowledge of man vs. knowledge of God) & goal of wisdom (glory of man vs. glory of God). What are examples of each of these types of wisdom?
2. James gives 3 conditions for knowing what to do for the glory of God, which is biblical wisdom. 1) Ask, 2) Ask God, 3) Ask in Faith.
Q: We were challenged to think about why we often don’t ask. The root of our not asking is often pride or embarrassment. What helps us fight against pride or embarrassment?
Q: James gives us a description of God in v. 5 of “giving generously to all without reproach.” As a Christian, how does this truth motivate you to ask God for wisdom?
Q: Asking in faith is contrasted to being double-minded in v. 8. Being double-minded is to be divided, trying to have loyalty both to man & to God. The imagery of this type of person is being tossed to & fro in the ocean...which would be terrible! Why is it so terrifying & miserable to have a divided loyalty? How do we grow in our loyalty to God?
3. We then talked about wealth in v. 9-11.
Q: The first lie that James addresses is that wealth determines worth. How do we see this lie play itself out in our world? How does Christ’s work demonstrate worth?
Q: We were challenged to examine how we see ourselves in v. 9-11. It was said that if you make $34,000 a year that you are in the top 1% of wealth in the world. How does that change your perspective on these verses?
Q: The second lie that was addressed is that wealth brings security. We were told to examine our generosity. How does our generosity with wealth show where our security lies?
Q: The third lie that James deals with is that wealth is worth pursuing. It was said that, “The world pursues “having”, while the Christian pursues “being.” How have you seen this difference in pursuit between having stuff in the world versus being more like Christ in the world in your own life? What changes when you move from pursuing “having” to pursuing “being”?