Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you … Continue reading –>
Read James 5:2-3. What warning is James giving here? Though his words are quite strong, what kind of wealth is he talking about? What’s the basic message? Rotting wealth, moth-eaten clothing, and even silver and gold rusting-these are images for us to consider soberly as our planet spins blissfully on, faster and faster toward its … Continue reading –>
Chapter 5 of James begins with a bang: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! (James 5:1, NKJV). No doubt, that would have gotten his readers’ attention. In James 1:10-11, he reminded the rich of the impermanence of wealth. Here, in chapter 5 , he urges those … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: James 5:1-6, Ps. 73:3-19, 1 Sam. 25:2-11, Lev. 19:13, Luke 16:19-31, Matt. 5:39. Memory Text: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). The worldwide popularity of the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? suggests that many people vicariously enjoy the rags-to-riches fantasy … Continue reading –>
Dennis Rodrigues As a teenager Solomon was not so smart. He let his peers influence his decisions and began smoking and taking drugs. He experimented with every drug he could get, and often he grew weak because he was not eating. Drugs were all he cared for. Solomon and his friends were always together, smoking … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Read about the value of time in Ellen G. White, Talents, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 342-346, and share the points that impressed you with your Sabbath School class. Let no one among you glory any longer against the truth by declaring that this spirit [of discerning the evil motives of others] is a … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for One Lawgiver and Judge November 26, 2014] 1. Introduction. Have you ever complained about a new stop sign in your neighborhood? Or about the lack of stop signs or posted speed limits nearby? Imagine that you live in the capital city of the United States, Washington, DC. What would the term “diplomatic immunity” … Continue reading –>
Read James 4:15-17 in the context of the verses that come before it. What crucial point is he making here? James here is dealing with the attitude of self-dependence. In fact, he calls that attitude arrogance, and the words spoken as boasting; he says it is evil. That’s how important the right attitude is for … Continue reading –>
I thought that I would focus this week on the “not judging” part of the One Lawgiver and Judge lesson. After all, the phrase “judge not” is probably one of the most oft quoted and misquoted Bible verses of our generation. It sometimes serves as our “get out of jail free” card. The discerning of right and … Continue reading –>
Read James 4:14. What crucial point is being made here? Life is uncertain. Every breath is a gift. James 4:14 uses a very rare Greek word (atmis), which is translated as vapor or mist. Like the Hebrew word hebel (breath, vapor), which occurs 38 times in Ecclesiastes and is often translated as vanity, it emphasizes … Continue reading –>
