The people of God are promised answered prayer. Those who abide in Christ are assured that God hears and positively answers their prayers. The people of God also know to restore a sinner to the Lord.

We live in the presence of God. Whether in our suffering or in our joy or even in our sickness, we always look to the Lord for His shepherding care for our body and soul. May our God evermore teach us to depend on Him and to seek him in all affairs of life.

Christ’s return means both comfort and accountability. James, therefore, exhorts us to keep our eyes on the right examples of perseverance and to endure. The Lord is coming!

These are “the last days” and Jesus is coming soon. This means we live with an eager anticipation of His return. This also means that those whom God has blessed materially exercise sound stewardship.

Humble submission to God must be seen in our words. We give up speaking ill of other and boasting about tomorrow. We live in God’s world where He alone is Lawgiver and Judge and the only Sovereign ruler.

God’s grace is available to all who humble themselves before Him and repent. But to those who are obstinate and unwilling to draw near to God and turn away from sin, divine opposition. James warns us against a life of selfish pleasures. As Jesus said: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.”

Devotion to one’s own pleasures is a friendship with the world and hostility toward God. James points out that our souls belong to God, not to our own desires.

Worldly wisdom can be consistent with jealousy and selfish ambition, but not divine wisdom. James helps us to see that worldly wisdom leads to disorder and every evil thing, whereas heavenly wisdom leads to peace and genuine care for one another.