“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).

We need community.  Isolate someone and they will not do well.  We have been created as social creatures.  The church is a living organism and not just a meeting place.  Be in community and share with one another.  Share your burdens and share your joys.  Pray for one another.  The healing is of the soul.  It will happen for those who are in faith which is why we live in Christ.

Lord, help me to separate how I feel from the promises You give.  The body I now occupy will fail, but Your promises are forever.  Lead me, O Lord, in the way of life so that I may now and always be guided by You and the promise You give.  Help me to connect in the community where You have placed me.  Lead me according to Your goodness to see through this age’s nonsense.

Lord Jesus, You gathered together the twelve, the seventy, and all of those who are called through Your grace into salvation.  You are building a community.  Help me to live in the community in which You have placed me.  Guide me according to Your purpose to live the life of faith You have given me.  Grow me  in the ways of caring, communicating, and praying for others.  Amen.

“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

The concern is to go deeper than just a quick prayer or word of encouragement.  As the Lord has invested Himself in us, we are to invest ourselves in others.  Be guided in the goodness of the Lord to learn how to care for the members of your extended family.  Learn how to love your neighbor as yourself.  This is a part of what the Lord is doing as He brings you into conformity to Him.

Lord, help me to be aware and intentional about this faith You have given me.  Guide me in Your goodness to learn how to truly care for those around me.  Show me the need and then help me learn how to meet that need.  Guide me Lord in the way of everlasting life.  Lead me according to Your word to fulfill Your will and live in the righteousness You have shown me.

Lord Jesus, throughout Your earthly ministry You did these things.  You are now asking me to step up and do the same.  Guide me in order that I might truly be one who completes the ministry You have given me to do.  Let me not just talk about my faith but live it and carry it out through the ministry You give me.  Teach me how to love my neighbor as You have loved me.  Guide me always in the way of righteousness.  Amen.

“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises” (James 5:13).

The Lord has called for us to learn how to care for one another.  Yes, the Lord sent salvation for  you, but He also placed you in a fellowship for His sake.  If there is a need, then pray.  If there is something to rejoice over, then rejoice.  We are put together as a family, a social unit.  The world seeks to tear us apart, but the Lord will bring us together.  Seek the way of the Lord now and always.

Lord, help me to understand that when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt.  Guide me to know that in the truth of what You have revealed we do need to care for one another.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I may learn how to do these things and live into the life to which You have called me.  Help me to be sensitive to my neighbor’s needs and seek to be united with them as I am with You.

Lord Jesus, You called together Your disciples and taught them to look to You and care for one another.  You demonstrated Your care by healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, opening the ears of the deaf, and feeding the hungry.  Lead me by Your example to care for those whom You give me to care for.  Lead me in order that I would now and forever live toward the goal that faith in You has given me.  Amen.

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment” (James 5:12).

Is it a sin to make a pledge or a vow?  There are many over the ages who have argued from this verse that it is.  But look at the intent of the whole passage and what you see is submission to the Lord and His ways rather than thinking that you, in yourself, have power or authority.  You cannot change a thing; so be honest and truthful and if another requires certain words to hear the pledge, then give it to them.

Lord, You have struck me to the heart.  Am I honest with You and with others?  Do I think I have power or authority?  Guide me into right thinking so that I would now and forever be guided by the truth You have revealed.  Help to not get caught up in word games, but to live according to Your Word.  Lead me, Lord, in the way of righteousness and bring my steps into line with Your will.

Lord Jesus, You said that we are to let our yes be yes and our no be no.  We cannot change a single hair on our head.  Guide me, Lord, to live in the truth that You alone are the Lord and that I can do nothing to change anything.  Lead me in the way of righteousness, for You alone know what is needed.  Guide me according to Your goodness to see through the fog of this age and live into the truth You have revealed.  Amen.

“As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful” (James 5:10-11).

Why is it we have an idea in our minds that there was some idyllic time when everyone loved the Lord?  The prophets were always hated for telling the truth.  We have been called into the life which comes through faith and Jesus promised that it would be hard.  Do not think yourself exempt from suffering but live in the goodness and mercy the Lord gives you in the face of a hostile world.

Lord, You have said that suffering is a part of what we experience in this life.  Help me to understand that this is what sin has caused.  Lead me through all my suffering to know that in You is the only hope there is and that those who cling to a false hope become angry when they hear the truth.  Help me to live in the true hope and speak the truth always.  Your Word is truth, and I am thankful for those who have spoken it that I may hear and obey it.

Lord Jesus, they killed You because of what You said.  Let me not take lightly these things, nor set them aside, but live into the reality that You are the Lord of all.  Guide me through all suffering for Your name’s sake so that I may stand firm and live in the true hope of Your salvation and not in false hope or for the demands of this world.  You know the way, for You are the way.  Lead me, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

“You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.  Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:8-9).

How old are you?  How much longer will you live on this earth?  A few more decades?  A little less?  What is that in comparison with eternity.  You have been given the gift of grace through Christ and called to live with Him forever.  Come then and live into this life which is coming to an end much quicker than most imagine.  Whether Jesus returns in our lifetime or at the end of this life, it is not for us to know. But the Lord said , “be ready.”

Lord, help me to put an eternal perspective on things.  I, too often, think in ways that do not help me see what You are teaching me.  Guide my eyes to see and my ears to hear in order that I would now and always be guided by You in the life You give.  Help me to participate in these things knowing that You are always near me.  Let me not be found at rest when there are things that need to be done and which I am able to do.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we may have life and have it abundantly.  Not only here, but forever.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life so that I would hold fast to the truth You have revealed once for all.  Lead me according to the Father’s will to be about His business knowing that my time here is short.  Let me look to You always for all encouragement and direction.  Amen.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains” (James 5:7).

The question of why is important for us to ask.  Why am I here?  Many have fallen asleep and are in the trap of living as if this life is all there is.  You have been called to be conformed to the image of Christ.  How are you doing?  It will take all of this life and perhaps more to accomplish all that needs to be done.  What is the crop you are hoping for from the seeds that have been sown?

Lord, You have called me through faith and by grace to walk the narrow path.  You have called for me to follow You.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I would walk humbly in the path You have set before me.  Let me not waver, nor fall asleep, but live into the life You intend and for which You died on the cross.  Help me pick up my own cross and follow You as You accomplish my salvation.

Lord Jesus, I too have fallen asleep and lived as though this life was all that mattered.  Guide me today in those ways which will help me live according to Your goodness and mercy and will shape me to be more like You.  In all that happens to me, Lord, may I always be found walking the narrow path that You have set before me.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life.  Amen.

“You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.  You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you” (James 5:5).

Have you sought the good life?  Are you living for yourself?  These are legitimate questions we need to ask ourselves.  Is my generosity something that hampers my ability to do things I would rather do?  Does my giving preclude spending money on myself?  It is not that you give to gain, but that keeping things for yourself may harm you spiritually.  Think on these things and ask the hard questions.

Lord, I am selfish.  I do want to live the good life.  Help me Lord to see beyond myself and care for others.  Lead me, Lord, in the way of living as You have designed it to be lived.  You know where I fall short and where I think of myself first.  Guide me out of this way of thinking so that I may be conformed to the image of Christ.  Through all these things, teach me to be faithful.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the example You have given us all.  You had nothing in this world, kept nothing, and left nothing from this world.  But for our salvation, You had everything and gave it away.  You who needed nothing became nothing for the sake of us who think we have everything but have nothing.  Lead me Lord in the way You know I need to go and help me follow You always.  Amen. 

“Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth” (James 5:4).

Do we cheat?  Do not answer that question so quickly.  We all like our cheap goods, produced by labor somewhere else.  We like to have the better deal.  Sin is sloppy and many are unaware how we participate in transactions at the expense of others.  Be that as it may, be as fair as you can be.  Know that the Lord holds you accountable for what you do and do not.

Lord, raise my awareness so that I see how things truly are.  When possible, lead me away from doing things that come at the expense of others.  Guide me in Your goodness to not only know these things, but to be gracious and generous to those who are walked on by others.  Lead me, Lord, in the way of everlasting life and teach me to be conscientious and caring of the welfare of others.

Lord Jesus, You did not come to be served, but to serve.  In Your example, help me to understand that in You I am called to also serve my neighbor.  Help me to be an encouragement to others by being fair, aware, and caring.  Guide me by Your example and teach my heart to be sensitive to every situation.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I may now and always be guided by You.  Amen.

“Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (James 5:3)

Yes, gold and silver corrode.  Things in this world are temporary, even the things we think permanent.  There will be a new heaven and a new earth.  Thus, the Lord has spoken.  Do not fall into the trap of thinking that anything other than the Lord is forever.  He made all things and only in Him is there a forever.  Come then and live the life which is forever and do not cling to what is temporary.

Lord, teach me to enjoy the things You have given me to use on this earth, but to know that only You are permanent.  Teach me to be a good steward, for that is an approved character, but my property, that which I tend and care for is only temporary.  Lead me, Lord, in the way You want me to go and then help me go in that direction.  In and through all things, guide me in the upward way of being Your disciple.

Lord Jesus, You call all disciples the same way by saying, “Come and follow me.”  Lead me in the way of life and help me to become aware of what You are doing.  In You is all hope and an eternal future.  Guide me into that future and help me to cling to You.  You are my Rock and Salvation.  In You is all hope.  You know what I need, Lord.  Thank You for lifting me up into Your never-failing love.  Amen.