LESSON FOR JUNIORS
Study Scripture: James 1
Lesson 9 August 1, 2020
Key Verse
“If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to you.
James 1: 5
INTRODUCTION
This world we live in has some marvellous products that we love to use. We have small cell phones that are more powerful than the computers were a few years ago, for they were so big they would fill an entire room just to be able to do what our tiny cell phone can do today.
We have robots that can clean the floor for us. In medicine we have cures for all kind of illness.
We live longer than people a hundred years ago.
We have so many things that are the result of great recent Improvements in technology.
However the sad fact is that human nature has not improved over the many thousands of years in human history.
There are still wars that kill hundreds of thousands of people, starvation caused by what people do that kills many people. There’s much abuse, bullying, and all kinds of terrible things that keep on happening.
There are many that try to enrich themselves at the expense of others. People seem to spend all their life chasing after making more money, buying more things that they will hardly ever use, changing their cars every year even though they don’t really need to, and generally trying to keep up with the Joneses, which means that they are looking at what other people are doing and trying desperately to do the same thing and get the same toys that others have.
But that is not what God wants. When people live like that they have made a bad choice. They have chosen things which will only exist for a little while. These are temporary things. The Joy that they get from having them will last only a short time.
The writer of the book of James tells us that the things that many people chase after are like what happens when the sun which comes up burns brightly and the plants and flowers look glorious and awesome. But then the sun goes down and everything withers and the blossoms fall off and everything does not look so pretty anymore.
So we are invited to avoid the great deal of trouble that is hurting people.
To do that good thing for ourselves we need wisdom. James stresses that what we need to get through life is wisdom. He tells us how to get wisdom.
We get wisdom when we ask for it, and the key to asking for it is faith.
God is the only place we can get Wisdom.
One Bible Scholar tells us:
“Wisdom is the skill of living in a godly way, seeing life from God’s perspective, discerning what God is doing.. the source of that wisdom is God.. the wisdom to discern what he is doing is a gift from him”.
James the writer tells us that he is a servant or slave of Jesus Christ. That means he is totally committed to do what Jesus who is his master says. He is in this position because Jesus saved him by going on the Cross for him, took the punishment of the sins James and others had done unto Himself and dying for him.
Several bits of advice are given to us.
First, we are to believe in Jesus as our Saviour and protector.
Second, we are to trust Him for He knows what is best for us.
Third, Jesus knows that we need wisdom to live a successful life so that God the Father will be pleased.
Fourth, we must not ever doubt that God the Father and Jesus loves us and will give us wisdom whenever we ask Him.
Fifth, we must not hesitate to ask for wisdom. God will not hold it against us for delaying our asking.
Sixth, we must not be in two minds about this. Being double-minded is a bad sign. We must always be loyal and have one mind about God.
When we trust God He will help us through the trials and temptations that happen. God is a very generous God and will give us all the wisdom we need.
He will use the trials or difficulties we go through to make us better, and to make us grow stronger. We will have great joy and happiness when we follow what James advises.