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 –>
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 –>
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 –>
Read James 4:13. (Compare Luke 12:13-21.) How do we balance prudent planning for the future with our need to live each day in expectation of Christ’s imminent coming? How can we avoid the trap of merely building bigger barns? It may seem very reasonable to plan a year in advance or even more. Businesses commonly … Continue reading –>
All the laws of the Old Testament are from Jesus. They are sometimes called the laws of Moses because they were given through him (2 Chron. 33:8, Neh. 10:29), but it was Jesus who led the Israelites through the wilderness and spoke the Ten Commandments to them at Mount Sinai (see 1 Cor. 10:1-4). In … Continue reading –>
“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it” (James 4:11, NIV). How does judging others amount to sitting in judgment of the law? The initial … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: James 4:11-17; Acts 17:11; Heb. 4:15-16; Luke 12:13-21; Eccl. 2:15-19; Titus 2:14. Memory Text: There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:12). Our attitude toward law, whether God’s law or human’s, affects how we relate to others and even … Continue reading –>
