SATURDAY, April 12, 2008

BE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:15!

We will have a great time talking about our devo's and doing some other fun things!!



James 5:12-20



12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.


13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.


19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.



What a great passage to end the book of James on: There are three lessons here that I want you to get.

1. First we see in verse 12. An interesting command is given. Dont swear. Dont swear to Heaven, Dont swear to Earth, Dont swear on your grandmothers grave, and definitely Dont swear to God. It is interesting to me that people swore way back when this was written. James tells us in this passage, there is no need to swear, why dont you just be the kind of person that tells the truth. Wouldnt it be nice, if you say yes, everyone always knows that means yes? James says, if you are just honest in the first place, then you wont have to swear later on.



2. Next we see James telling us how we should respond to odifferent circumstances that we face. If we are suffering, or going through a difficult situation, then we should Pray about it! Duh! And if we are Joyful or happy, then we should sing about it. (I do that all the time and drive Katie crazy :) And finally if we know of someone going through a tough time, living in Sin, then we need to go to them, and pray for them, and hold them accountable. Verse 16 is the key, it says we must confess our faults one to another. (That does not mean that we need to go to every person that we have sinned against since we were 3 and apologize, that phrase simply means that if we are struggling with something then we need to tell someone about it and get some help as we face that temptation. NOTICE: All three involve talking to God (or singing to Him)



3. I love this part! I would like to think that verse 19-20, is what I do for a living. It is our responsibility to grab our friends and our family and our acquaintences that may be wandering from the truth and pull them back in line, WITH LOVE! When we draw them back to Christ, then we help save a soul from death, and we help cover a multitude of sins!!! Lets help our friends in that way!!



SEE YOU TOMORROW MORNING!