Wisdom is a central theme in James letter but what is true wisdom like and where does it come from? A look at the text (Read James 3:13-18) This section begins with a call, an invitation or challenge. Those who are truly wise are invited to step forward and demonstrate their understanding. The evidence or… Continue reading Two types of wisdom
Author: faithrootsdw
Two ways to speak
James now addresses the duplicity of our speech. What kinds of things do we say? What impact do our words have? A look at the text (Read James 3:9-12) The same person, with the same tongue or mouth can both praise God and at the same time curse other human beings. Yet, this shouldn’t be… Continue reading Two ways to speak
In defence of Advent – and other seasons
I’m a non-conformist, I’m not part of the established Church of England and the church I am part of belongs more with the contemporary charismatic movement. So, the people I identify most closely with tend to hold lightly to church traditions and that includes the church calendar. We are unlikely to make a big thing… Continue reading In defence of Advent – and other seasons
The taming of the tongue
The old proverb “Sticks and stones might break my bones but words will never hurt me” is challenged by James. Words do matter. Our speech has consequences. A look at the text (Read James 3:3-8) James illustrates the power of the tongue by comparing it first with the bit of a bridle. It’s placed into… Continue reading The taming of the tongue
The Air we breathe
You’ve probably heard the sermon illustration about faith where the preacher talks about the difference between saying you believe that a chair will hold your weight and proving this by actually sitting in the chair. We were talking about this illustration at our Life Group in relation to James 2:18 and the relationship between faith… Continue reading The Air we breathe
I choose Thatmas
First in a series of Advent podcasts
Life in the valley of the shadow of death
Here’s a Faithroots Podcast on Psalm 23.
The Dragon and the beasts
Revelation 12-13 #FaithrootsPodcast
Rahab
To illustrate what he means by faith and works going together, James points to two Old Testament characters. The first and perhaps obvious one is Abraham (James 2:21-24). James reminds us of the statement that “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” from Genesis 15. He argues that this was particularly… Continue reading Rahab
The aloneness of Adam revisited
In Genesis 2:18, God says: “It’s not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Often “alone” gets read as “lonely.” The two words though related are not the same and the result is that we can have a distorted understanding of what the issue was. I’ve been… Continue reading The aloneness of Adam revisited
