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June 26 - James 5 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  How life friends, it's shown here.
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  It's Wednesday. It's the 26th of June and just
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  when we were starting the book of James, we come to the end of
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  the book of James. It's like we just arrived.
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  We we were not even settled in there.
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  We're still getting off our shoes at the front door.
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  We haven't even, you know, taken off our jackets and already
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  James is wrapping it up. This book is punchy in content
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  and in size. So today we will be finishing it
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  off and then tomorrow, well tomorrow we crack open the
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  Gospel of John. How exciting.
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  I know some of you have told me how much you love John.
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  It may even be your favourite gospel.
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  And I'm not allowed to have favourite children or favourite
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  aunties? No, we're allowed to have
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  favourite aunties, but are we allowed to have favourite
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  gospels? I reckon we are.
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  And that is the beauty of God's word.
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  There are so many different angles, so many different
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  approaches, so many different personalities, all sharing the
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  singular story of God reaching out to his people, us equities
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  that. But we're not there yet.
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  That's tomorrow. Today we will finish off with a
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  couple of warnings and a couple of encouragements as we finish
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  up this book that James writes, encouraging those Christians all
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  around the known world to live in a way that makes a difference
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  in their context with their faith driving that transformed
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  behaviour. So as you and I pray for
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  transformed lives, let us take in this last chapter of
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  instruction so that we can make a difference in our days.
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  That sound like a plan, doesn't it?
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  OHT Yeah, let's do it. Alright, let's read together
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  James chapter 5. Look here, you rich people weep
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  and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles
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  ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away and
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  your fine clothes are moth eaten rags.
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  Your gold and silver are corroded.
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  The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your
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  flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have
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  hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgement.
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  For listen, hear the cries of the field workers whom you have
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  cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest
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  your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven's
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  armies. You have spent your years on
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  earth and luxury satisfying your every desire.
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  You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.
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  You have condemned and killed innocent people who do not
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  resist you. Dear brothers and sisters, be
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  patient as you wait for the Lord's return.
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  Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains and
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  the fall, and in the spring they eagerly look for the valuable
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  harvest to ripen. You too must be patient.
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  Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
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  Don't crumble about each other, brothers and sisters, are you
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  will be judged for look, the judge is standing at the door
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  for examples of patience and suffering.
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  Dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the
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  name of the Lord. We give great honour to those
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  who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about
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  Job, a man of great endurance who can see how the Lord was
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  kind to him at the end. For the Lord is full of
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  tenderness and mercy. But most of all, my brothers and
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  sisters never take an oath by heaven or earth or anything
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  else. Just say a simple yes or no so
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  that you will not sin and be condemned.
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  Are any of you suffering hardships?
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  You should pray. Are any of you happy?
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  You should sing praises how any of you sick?
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  You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray
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  over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
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  Such a prayer, offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord
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  will make you well. If you have committed any sins,
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  you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other
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  and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
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  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power
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  and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are,
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  and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none
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  fell for 3 1/2 years. Then when he prayed again, the
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  sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
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  My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away
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  from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that
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  whoever brings the Sinner back from wandering will save that
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  person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many
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  sins. Jesus, thank you for this
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  encouragement from James. This encouragement that urges us
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  to include you in every part of our lives when we are suffering.
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  That we can know that you build up our character through that
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  journey when we are sick. That you encourage us to pray.
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  That when we are going through difficult times we should invite
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  you in. That when we are happy, we
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  should sing your songs of praise.
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  Well, it's tempting when we read this chapter has many have done
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  to see these words as an equation that F we do AB and C
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  that you are obliged to follow through in this prescriptive
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  way. But Lord, this encouragement is
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  so much bigger than that, to invite you in at every moment.
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  You, the creative, dynamic God of the universe, and we don't
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  even understand the enormity of the canvas on which you paint
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  the story of our lives and the way that you interact with us.
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  So we just offer ourselves to you.
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  We offer our deepest desires, our greatest joys, and our most
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  nagging hurts, and we pray that we would continually be mindful
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  that you are here and that we would invite you in to journey
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  day by day with us through these highs and lows.
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  You are glorious. You are wonderful.
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  You are so far beyond our ability to even comprehend, so
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  we submit to you, Your Lordship and your will, and thank you
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  that even as great as you are, you still want to be a part of
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  our story. So come Holy Spirit, come Lord
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  Jesus, come our Father, three in one, we are yours, and we pray
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  all of this in your name, Jesus. Ah, man.