Little Okie Homestead

A while ago I said I was starting a Bible study of James and I did but not consistently. I'm doing it now though! Today I studied the background of this book to get a feel about who wrote it and the timing of when it was written. Here's what I learned: Author - James is Christ's oldest half brother and brother to Jude - James first rejected Christ as the Messiah but then became known as James the Just because of his devotion to righteousness - James is the earliest book written in the New Testament - 44 to 49 A.D. Just this information is way more than I ever knew. It's so cool to learn fun facts about what your studying! Background - James was writing to Jewish people who were dispersed because of persecution Themes - James focuses on godly behavior - He shares his view on justification by faith and adds his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness - He teaches on the law but not that we have to obey to be saved or rules for our life but instead give...

19  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,   20   for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.   21   Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:19-21 I don't feel like I struggle with this like I have in the past. Of course I still struggle with this today, after all I am married and have a 3 year old ;) but I think this verse is important to everyone in today's world.  We live in a time when it's common to use hand signals to show our anger on the road or to yell at our spouse or children. Or when we know that someone is having a difficult time we want to share our experience or share what we think the solution should be. But instead God calls us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." This is a verse that I try to live by daily ...

2   Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,   3   because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  4   Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  12   Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of the life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:2-4, 12 Don't you just love it when you start going through a season of trials? Whether that season is just a bad day or maybe an uncomfortable year? I know I don't enjoy them and we have had our fair share of  seasons of trials  this past year. More than I have shared here.  For me this verse lets me look at the trials in a different way. I hear God telling me that the trials we are going through are to build up to be "mature and complete" so that we are lacking nothi...

There is so much that I'm learning just from studying this one chapter of James. Today I will share with you the chapter in full and then expand on the highlighted verses later this week. James 1    1 James, a servant of God and  of the Lord Jesus Christ,  To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:  Greetings. Trials and Temptations     2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.   5  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That m...

My Bible study group is currently reading a Francine Rivers book together because we just ended a very long study of Proverbs. Reading this book allows us to still be hearing stories from the Bible and there are questions that follow each 'book' (this one has 5 books in one) that allow us to be in the Bible and have the real story as well. Even though I will be doing this study I still want to be in the Word so I'm going to do a personal Bible study of James.  I don't actually have a reason to why I picked James. I was looking through my Bible trying to decide what I wanted to study. I knew I wanted a shorter book because I'm trying a new way to study the Bible that my wonderful sister in law has shared with me and James just popped out at me. Probably God's doing. He knows what I need and probably has something for me to learn by studying James. So I will be starting this week with finding out the history of James and this book. I'm excited to dig ...