James exhorts us to “Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.” Everything is temporal. Yes, including the suffering that we at times endure. The great backdrop of comfort for us, regardless of what we are going through, isn’t so much that soon we will stop suffering.  Rather, it is the fact that soon the Lord will be returning again! Then, and truly only then, Jesus will stop all suffering.  James reminds us also of Job's perseverance in his lengthy and devastating ordeal that he went through. This illustration was given not to point to Job’s suffering, but to remind us of what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Why do we have such conflict in our lives? James proposes that they come from our desires that battle within us. James continues in the same vein to say that we do not have what we desire because we do not ask God. When we do ask, we don’t receive because we ask with wrong motives, concerned with our pleasures. We are promised that if we first, submit ourselves to God; second, resist the devil; that he will flee from us. The power to distance ourselves from the devil does not come from ‘resisting’ (though that certainly plays a role—that we must do) it instead originates in ‘Coming near to God and he will come near to you.’ God examines our hearts; our desires and motives.

Words have immeasurable power! James uses five examples to make his point: a teacher leading and directing people; a bit in the mouth of a horse that makes it obey and turn the whole animal; a ship being steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go; a tiny spark that sets a whole forest on fire; and taming a wild animal. The tongue is a small part of our body, but is most powerful. With our tongue the Christian seems to praise God, and also with it curse men. What a paradox! Being able to bridle our tongue can save existing relationships, create new relationships, and most of all honor and reflect our Lord!

Our culture is plagued with discrimination. Marked by racism, cliques, the poor devalued, and gender inequality; favoritism causes huge division and damage. If God’s commands can be summed up by loving God with everything we are and loving others as we love ourselves then these mentalities have no place in a believer’s life! We must be people of love and mercy if we are to reflect Christ in our world!

Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin. He promises us that with every temptation, He will make a way of escape. In this teaching we will look at how temptations occur in our lives; how they increase when we allow them to and the fruit that they bare. Most importantly we address how we can stand firm and overcome temptations and choose not to sin.

The only life pleasing to the Lord is one lived out in faith. In our lives we are promised many trials and hardships. It is these very trials that test our faith. James says that they do such a work in us that we should have joy when we encounter these tests.