A five-day faith challenge through the book of James.
4:8 Men
Day 1
Scriptures: James 1:1-27, James 2:1-13
Joy: the Byproduct of Obedience
I love that James is so direct. He doesn’t sugarcoat his teachings. But that also means a lot of what he tells us is easier said than done. In chapter 1, James encourages us to be joyful in the face of trials. Great idea! Except, when I’m actually going through a tough time, I just want it to be over as soon as possible. I don’t really want to be told to ‘consider it pure joy…’
Thankfully, James explains himself as the passage unfolds. While we all prefer life to be comfortable and problem-free, the reason we can reframe our trials as blessings is because the testing of our faith produces perseverance. The truth is, we all experience difficulties in this life, and how we deal with them reflects our character. It’s worth asking yourself: How do I react when things don’t go my way? Do I question God’s goodness? Do I get angry? Then, take time to reflect on the truth that we can give thanks for pain because it produces strength. God is with you and in you, growing faith and grit.
James moves on to talk about listening to God’s Word and doing it. For most of my life, I’ve been pretty good at listening – but for years there wasn’t much doing going on. I reckoned church attendance and Bible reading made me a Christian. I was kidding myself and hadn’t grasped that faith isn’t a spectator sport but requires full participation as God changes us from the inside out. When we truly believe and commit to following Jesus, obedience to God’s Word isn’t optional. James explains that simply hearing the Word but ignoring its implications for your life is as pointless as looking in the mirror then walking away and forgetting what you look like. If you’ve realized you’re just a church spectator, what’s your next step? What one thing could you begin to do today?
In chapter 2, James gives us a great example of not simply hearing but actually obeying God’s Word. He talks about not favoring certain people above others, challenging us with the truth that if we really love Jesus, we’d treat all people the way He did. Practically, this means not trying to rub shoulders with the rich or influential (while cold-shouldering the less lovely in our communities). It can also look like leaning into the prompting of God’s Spirit when it occurs to us to be generous to someone. We need God’s help as we examine our motives and seek justice. He commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves – and our neighbor is everyone (even those on social media whose opinions are radically opposed to ours). Thankfully, joy is the byproduct of trusting God through difficult seasons of life, and joy is the byproduct of obeying His commands.
First the Word – now the Workout:
• 400-meter run
• 25 sit-ups
• 100 ft bear crawl
Repeat 4x
Day 2
Scriptures: Luke 6:45, Galatians 5:16-26, James 2:14-26, James 3:1-12
Faith Without Works is Dead
Many people tend to shy away from James 2 because it’s a famously controversial – and confusing – portion of scripture. Of course, we’re saved by grace, not by doing good works. But what James is getting at in these verses is that when our faith in Jesus is real, there will be evidence of it in our lives. I used to claim to have faith, but you’d never have known it, considering my habits and behavior patterns. I was involved in various church programs, sure – but I was simultaneously living in sin. I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. Paul explains all this to the Galatians, contrasting the sinful nature with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If you’re a Jesus follower, you’ll naturally produce this fruit, mindful that you’re in the world but not of the world. That means you live here in the world, but you’re set apart for God’s purposes. You’re not simply following your every worldly whim with no intention of honoring Him.
James also reminds us that even demons believe in God and can’t deny His mighty authority. We see the reality of this in the gospels: demons screaming in fear when confronted with the power of Jesus. The demons know scripture and fear Jesus – but they don’t love Jesus. If you truly love Jesus, you’ll want to obey His commands. So, ask yourself: Do my actions back up my faith? Do I desire obedience because I love Jesus?
In chapter 3, James gives us a great example of how our faith should inform how we live. One of the most obvious ways to show our love for God is by how we speak. For most of us, these verses are painfully challenging! Controlling the tongue can feel impossibly difficult. Perhaps, instead of being quick to listen and slow to speak, you’re in the habit of gossiping, swearing, or using angry, hurtful words. Jesus tells us plainly that, for better or worse, our speech is a heart issue. We must address the sin we’re harboring in the heart before addressing the lack of self-control in our speech.
James compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship and the bit in a horse’s mouth: small, yet extremely powerful and designed to perform crucial functions. I know my tongue is easily affected by the inputs I allow into my life – like the people I hang out with, the shows I stream, or the music I listen to. James goes so far as to explain that the same way a tiny spark can create a forest fire, so our words can cause untold destruction. The damage isn’t always outward. We can be our own worst enemies, speaking lies and mean words over ourselves, instead of listening to what God says about us.
Today, reflect on whether your lifestyle aligns with your faith, and consider what it would look like for you to tame your tongue by exercising greater self-control in this area of your life.
First the Word – now the Workout:
- 4 burpees
- 8 mountain climbers
- 12 air squats
Try four sets with a 60-second rest between each set.
Day 3
Scriptures: Matthew 5:22, James 3:13-18, James 4:1-10
Wisdom and The World
In chapter 3, James contrasts two kinds of wisdom – worldly wisdom and godly wisdom – and unpacks the consequences of both. He describes worldly wisdom as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic – the kind of shrewdness that evaluates everything by worldly standards and makes personal gain life’s highest goal. When we lean into this kind of ‘wisdom’, we become consumed with earthly things and neglect God’s wisdom. We’re thinking and acting naturally – or worse, demonically.
As usual, James doesn’t hold back, showing us that the consequences of worldly wisdom are jealousy, envy, selfish ambition, disorder, and every evil practice. And while jealousy, envy, and selfish ambition appear to be internal motivations, unchecked they always morph into external expression – and cause havoc. You don’t have to look far for evidence of worldly ‘wisdom’. Just open the newsfeed on your phone and you’ll find jealousy, envy, selfish ambition, disorder, and every evil practice. On a personal level, we’re all familiar with feelings of jealousy that lead us to making selfish decisions that only benefit us.
James concludes this chapter by urging us to pursue wisdom from above: God’s wisdom. This is true wisdom, and it’s pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. Be honest with yourself about the kind of wisdom that’s been on display in your life lately. If it’s been more worldly than godly, what’s your next step?
In chapter 4, James continues to show us the dire consequences of following our sinful motivations instead of following God. If you’re wondering why there’s so much conflict in your life or the world at large, look no further than the sinful desires battling within you, me, and every other human.
James goes on to explain that too often we don’t get what we ask God for because we’re asking with wrong motives. We want only what gives us pleasure. Even though James wrote this letter two thousand years ago, his words are so relevant in our cultural moment of instant gratification. We treat God like a genie in a bottle, only talking to Him when we want something, and then getting frustrated when we don’t get it.
James also warns that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. For so long, I lived with one foot in the church and another in the world. I wanted to please God, but I also wanted to please people around me. Take it from me: it’s impossible to live like this. If you constantly seek God’s approval and the approval of those around you, you’ll never be satisfied. This world can’t give you what only your Creator can. I love that James reiterates the point of humbling ourselves – because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Today, check your heart by examining your motives, humble yourself, and pray for godly wisdom.
First the Word – now the Workout:
20 plank shoulder taps
(Rest for 30 seconds)
15 chair dips
(Rest for 30 seconds)
10 push-ups
(Rest 30 seconds)
5 pull-ups
Day 4
Scriptures: James 4:11-17, James 5:1-6
Boasting About the Future and Your Finances
How many times have you made plans that never happened? The older I get, the more I realize how little control I have over the events of my life, so when I announce a plan I’ve made, I add, ‘Lord willing!’
In the summer of 2020, my wife and I were supposed to do a ministry tour of the UK. Instead, Covid happened, and all those plans were canceled. In the fall of 2022, we were on a college tour with Passion Conferences but had to cut it short because our daughter got sick. All these plans we’d made and told others about didn’t materialize. So, thanks to James who tells us not to boast about our plans, I’ve adjusted my expectations. No matter how much planning, preparing, and scheduling I do, I’ve no idea what my life will look like tomorrow. Conflicts and delays have surrounded the past couple of trips we’ve planned, but when I’ve mentioned the travel plans, I’ve followed up with a ‘Lord willing,’ which has helped me reframe setbacks as part of God’s perfect purpose.
James concludes chapter 4 by warning us that if we know the right thing to do and fail to do it, we’re sinning against God. This is so convicting, because it can be easy to compromise through comparison (‘At least I’m not as bad as that person!’), but only we know what the Spirit has convicted us to do or not do. Today, ask yourself: What has God prompted me to do? Have I done it? If not, why not?
At the start of chapter 5, James warns the wealthy. It can be easy to point fingers at certain rich, influential people and say, ‘These verses are about them, not me!’ The truth is, if you make $34,000 a year (or the equivalent in your currency), you’re part of the global top one percent. And shockingly, James tells us that the very wealth we’re counting on will eat away at us and make us miserable – because stinginess and selfish spending never satisfied anyone. He’s urging us instead to trust the Lord and find our comfort and security in Him, because He’s enough. Throughout scripture, we come across the idea that hoarded wealth causes harm. Of course, money – or making money – isn’t evil in and of itself. There’s so much we can do for God’s Kingdom with finances. It’s when we’re enslaved to money that it causes untold problems. Jesus tells us we can serve either God or money, not both. What’s more, our money isn’t ours at all; it’s God’s. We’re just borrowers, called to steward God’s money well.
So, today’s challenge is to humbly surrender your plans to God, and to reflect on whether you’re finding your security in money or using it to bless others and further the God’s Kingdom.
First the Word – now the Workout:
1-mile run
__________________
10x (if you’re up for it)
10 push-ups
10 chin ups
Day 5
Scriptures: 1 John 1:9, James 5:7-20
Endurance and Confession
I’m not naturally a patient person, and I get impatient about all sorts of everyday things – like traffic, or one of my kids throwing a tantrum. But James talks about a different kind of patience: patience in waiting for the Lord’s return. He says we should be like farmers who patiently, eagerly wait for rain. The implication is that we should wait patiently for God with real eagerness to see Him move. Usually if we’re eager for something we don’t wait patiently, but God calls us to be both patient and eager!
The word translated ‘patience’ in our passage today carries the idea of steadfastness and of being committed even when things get complicated. James points to Old Testament heroes as examples of people who patiently endured in times of suffering, or when they couldn’t see what God was doing. I love the idea of endurance from a physical standpoint – enduring the suffering of a brutal workout. But too often I want to skip out on the endurance necessary to face the challenges of life. Maybe you can relate? In suffering, you generally don’t care about patience. You just want the quickest, easiest way out of the hardship. So, in which area of your life could you do a better job of exercising patient endurance?
Next, James tackles the power and effectiveness of prayer and confession. He encourages us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed. It’s generally way easier to do the second half of the verse than the first. It’s easier to say a quick prayer for someone, than to sit down and hear the real, raw details of their difficulties. And yet, this scripture shows us that the two are sometimes related. In our culture, confession can be viewed as a weakness and we generally avoid making ourselves vulnerable in this way. We act strong and don’t let anyone into our mess. But I can think of countless situations in my life that I could’ve avoided if I’d just opened up and confessed to a brother. Now, my friendships are marked by confession. First, I confess to God and then I find a friend who will pray for me. It’s all but impossible to be a Jesus follower and not live life in community. We all stumble and fall; if we aren’t careful, isolation from others will be all the enemy needs to gain a foothold in our lives. Confession is often linked to repentance, which means making a 180-degree turn and going in the opposite direction. If we confess our sins, God faithfully forgives us and cleanses us completely.
Today, think about something you know you need to confess, and find a trusted friend in your corner. Confession isn’t easy, but it’s essential to our walk with God. And be encouraged to patiently, eagerly, enduringly wait for God to move mightily in your life.
First the Word – now the Workout:
3 burpees
6 lunges
9 Russian twists
Repeat until you reach 20 minutes, resting for 60 seconds between sets.