Based on the teaching in James 3:13–18, do you feel these people are speaking God’s wisdom into your life? This is not an invitation to pride, criticism, or a divisive spirit on your part-just a way to check your regular input with the descriptions of heavenly wisdom we learned today.

Name the 5 to 8 opinion leaders in your life-people in church, school, work, the media, etc.-whose ideas you regularly pay attention to. If they have passed, then thank God for them, and find some way to commemorate their effect on your life.Įvaluation: Do this with a kind, humble heart.

If the person is still living, thank them by telling them what they have taught you. Honor: Do something to honor a person whose wisdom you have been blessed by. Study: Do a computer (or concordance) word search through the Bible for “wisdom” and/or “wise.” Pick ten verses from different books (not all from Proverbs!) and study them. Or at least create some mnemonic way to remember the eight qualities that Jesus describes there. Memorization: Learn the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:3–10. The book of James speaks to the realities of a living faith in Jesusthe kind of roll-up-your-sleeves and get-your-hands-dirty discipleship that is borne out of an authentic relationship with the risen Lord. He then describes the lukewarm Christian and uses scripture to explain the disdain that God feels for this type of person. Chan first impresses upon his reader how majestic and awesome God really is. As Francis Chan suggested in the video, “Say, ‘God, I’ve been pursuing success, I’ve been pursuing riches, I’ve been pursuing knowledge but I see in Scripture now wisdom is what you value and it should be what I value…Give me the wisdom I need to navigate through this life in a way that honors you.’” In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan uses scriptural references and real life stories to encourage his readers to move closer to God. Prayer: James 1:5 invites us to ask God for wisdom. The book of James emphasizes the active side of our faith, so let’s consider several ways we might put its teaching into practice. Francis Chan invites students into the power and confidence that comes from anchoring their identity, purpose, and relationships in the truth of Scripture.

Session 7 francis chan book of james