Thursday, September 16
Read James 5
Think About It:
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
What are we to do when we see a fellow believer wandering from the truth? We should definitely pray for them, but we must also seek to help them. That person needs to be converted – turned back to the right path again. Do believers need to be converted? Yes, they do! Jesus said to Peter, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).
It is important that we seek to win the lost, but it is also important to win the saved. If a brother has sinned against us, we should talk to him privately and seek to settle the matter. If he listens, then we have gained a brother. That word gained means “won”. It is the same word translated “get gain” (verse 13). It is important to win the saved as well as the lost.
Family Time:
- Sometimes when people have a lot of money, they feel that they have power over other people. When overtaken by greed, they can even do mean and ugly acts to people that don’t have money. (verses 1-6) James encourages his readers to be patient and to remember that the Lord is coming soon. He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. (verses 7-9) Is it hard to be patient as the Bible tells us with people that treat us badly? Do you grumble against that person? What should we do?
- When you are sick, do you call for the elders of the church to pray for you?
