James points out many gaps in our lives. Gaps between the outward show and the inner reality (1:12-18), our love of God and our respect for people (2:1), our faith and our works (2:14), our words in prayer and our words about and to others (3:1-12). James wants us to work at closing the gaps, but from the examples he gives (2:14-26), we know he is not … Continue reading Lessons in prayer from James (3)
Lessons in prayer from James (2)
In the letter of James, words matter deeply. Words are works that express our character to others and our relationship with God (1:19, 3:1-12). But it is what James calls the ‘implanted word’ (1:21) that is the foundation we build our lives as Christians. The implanted word is the word of God lived out in … Continue reading Lessons in prayer from James (2)
Lessons in prayer from James (1)
James teaches us a lot about prayer in his letter to the churches. His first point is that we can pray for wisdom from God to deal with the struggles we face in life (1:5). James is confident that God will answer this prayer and that we do not have to be perfect people before … Continue reading Lessons in prayer from James (1)
Opportunities for prayer
Anyone who has ever been part of a healthy church will tell you that congregational health begins and is sustained by the prayers of the people. In the New Testament, we don’t see prayers for numerical growth, even though it occurred. I suspect that is because statistics distract us from the deeper work that needs … Continue reading Opportunities for prayer
St John’s West Brunswick 