Monday Morning Week 14 Discussion Questions
Previous Week Review:
Read the following takeaways and confessions from last week. If with a group, share what your action steps were. If alone, review your action steps and evaluate yourself how you did with your application of your steps.
-I have more than I need: I’m Rich!
-God has blessed me with more than I need: I’m Rich!
-My trust is not in my stuff, but in the God who gives generously
-I will learn to be content with what I have
-I will use what God has given me to do good.
-I will be rich in Good works and generous to those in need.
-I will not store up my treasure where it can be lost but only in eternal things.
This Week
Read James 5:7-9 and then restate it in your own words.
Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door! —James 5:7-9
If you’re with others, have everyone restate it and add to the previous if they got something different.
Main Points
-Patience is necessary in our development.
-The end result is always worth the wait.
-Grumbling and complaining is the opposite of patience and trusting in a good God who is always working on our behalf.
-When you think God is absent, He’s actually closer than you know and he is a just judge! He’s got you!
Questions for application
-What are some areas in your life where you deal with impatience?
-Does losing your patience usually help or hurt?
-What are the things you find yourself grumbling and complaining about most often?
-How would you react if you truly believed that God was actively working in your life on your behalf in that situation?
-Can you tell of a time when had you just been a little more patient, you would’ve avoided a lot of heartache and anxiety?
-What are you going to do this week to apply this to your life? (Action step)
Read James 5:10-11 and then restate it in your own words.
For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. —James 5:10-11
If you’re with others, have everyone restate it and add to the previous if they got something different.
Main Points
-Problems and suffering don’t necessarily mean that you are doing something wrong.
-It could mean that the world is against you but God is still working for you!
-Patience and the willingness to endure “suffering”, “prolonged uncomfortableness”, is necessary for God to accomplish his work.
-He is faithful and Kind and works all things for our good.
Questions for application
-What story or stories do you look to from the past to give you encouragement to endure or keep going?
-What have you personally come through that gives you faith to know that God will take care of you in the future?
-What does this scripture tell us about God and how he deals with us?
-What are you going to do this week to apply this principle to your life? (Action step)
Read James 5:12 and then restate it in your own words.
But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned. —James 5:12
If you’re with others, have everyone restate it and add to the previous if they got something different.
Main Points
-Believers should be known by our word. The integrity of the believer is not in our promises but in a simple yes or no and then our corresponding actions.
-If we have to convince others by making promises and swearing on our mothers grave, our lives have not proven to be true by our actions.
-Followers of Jesus should be people of their word. We aren’t known for saying one thing and doing another or by not following through on our commitments.
-Because we are consistently true to our word and do not deceive we should never need to rely on or use manipulative oaths to convince.
Questions for application
-Are you known for your truthfulness? Why or why not?
-What are you going to do this week to put this principle into practice in your life? (Action Step)