So, I’m curious about what you think about the idea that as women our hearts questions are:  ”Am I Lovely?” and “Do you delight in me?”  Do you find this to be true in your life experience?

There is so much in a heart of a woman that reflects the image of God.  One of God’s primary qualities is that He is relational to the core.  Stasi claims that women tend to “define themselves in terms of relationship.”  Do you tend to agree?  Pages 28-30 describe this powerfully.  Thoughts?

What else has “hit” you as you’ve been reading?

I’m excited to meet up with you all on Thursday to have our first book club discussion.  Remember to mark pages with sticky notes or keep track of details in your notebooks as you’re reading.  It’ll make it a lot easier to reference when you’re bringing up talking points during our discussion.  

Here’s a question to get us thinking/talking:  

As the sole survivor of her family, and throughout her story of hardship, how is Hadassah able to continually give thanks to God?  How can she remain so sure that God has not abandoned her?  How do you think you might have reacted if you were in her shoes?  Can you even begin to imagine it?

The most important part of this journey is the first step.  Plan to read through the entire first chapter in one sitting -it’s a lot of historical and background information, but it’s a good foundation for the reader in order to understand where our main character has come from.  Don’t get bogged down with all the names, places…just try to get a general feel of what was going on during the Seige of Jerusalem and the impact it had on Hadassah’s family.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

In my head, I know that God has created everyone equally and that He is completely impartial in his love for us.  But, when I’m completely honest about the feelings in my heart, there are times when I deem certain people more worthy of my respect and consideration.  There are certain people I tend to be more nervous around, more cautious of what I say and how I act because I “value” their opinion.  Reading through James has given me fresh insight into my own ignorance of who I really am and the areas of my life that God still has to deal with.   I’m definitely finding that God’s word is sharper than a double-edged sword and it’s able to dig down deep to show me what’s really going on in my heart.

What has God been showing you about “loving your neighbor as yourself” as you’ve read through these verses?  What else have you been learning about “doing the Word and not just listening to what it says?”

This passaage reminded me of a section in Lamentations.  The guy who wrote the book, Jeremiah, went through some seriously troubling times.  But, in the end he recalled the one reason that he couldn’t give up hope – the reason that he had to press on. 

 Lamentations 3:19-24

^{19 -21}I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
   the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
   the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember,
   and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

   ^{22 -24}God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
   his mercies couldn’t have dried up.  They are created new every morning.
   How great is your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He’s all I’ve got left.  (The Amplified Bible translation)

I think a practical way to remember that God is good and is for us is to think about all the things that He has given us.  What has God given you lately that you can thank him for?

And the whole “firstfruits” thing in verse 18 — I wanted to understand that a bit better, so I did some investigating.  It’s important to remember that James is writing to a group of Jewish believers.  They would have understood the significance of the firstfruits.  Leviticus 23:9-14 will give you a better understanding.  But basically, he’s saying just like the first sheaf of the harvest was an indication that the whole harvest would eventually follow, so the early Christians were an indication that a great number of people would eventually be born again.

James 1:9-12

 9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

 12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

The content of these verses really made me stop and think this weekend.  I’ve read them many times, but somehow I think I’ve always missed the point until now.   James is really addressing the circumstances we find ourselves in.  He just said a few verses earlier to “count it all joy” when you face trials of many kinds and here he begins to discuss the economic situation we may find ourselves in. 

He first tells the poor person that he or she should keep reminding themselves of their high position in Christ.  That regardless of their lack of earthly possessions, they have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ.  They need to combat thoughts of jealously, of discontent and self pity with the Truth – with the idea that they are rich in Christ!

On the converse, he tells the rich person that he or she should always keep in mind that life is fleeting.  Earthly possessions and material wealth will fade just the the flowers that are scorched by the sun.  The wealthy person needs to combat thoughts of self-sufficiency and independence with the Truth – the idea that they have nothing on their own without Christ.

If we want to walk with Christ and maintain the kind of attitude that can truly by joyful when hard things press in, then we need to figure out what our natural temptation is.  Due to the life situation we are in, what competes for our dependency on God?  Are we too confident in our own ability or are we jealous of others, have we become lazy, or apathetic?  There is much to dig out in these short verses.

This is The Message translation version of the passage we just studied in lesson three.  I think it’s a given that we want to ask for wisdom with the kind of faith that will move mountains, but how do we do it? 

One of the things that really jumped out at me in the lesson was the encouragment to think about the Person of God.  Ultimately, who we believe God is and what we know about His nature will affect how much we truly trust Him.  As I’ve studied the Old Testament, I’ve spent time learning about how God revealed Himself to his people.  He begins as “Elohim” (Hebrew for the Creator) – but as we continue to see Genesis and the rest of the Old Testament unfold, God begins to introduce Himself with other names – more personal names that reveal His nature.  Unfortunately, we lose the power of these names in our English translation because most of them translate:  The Lord or God.  But, what I’ve found in my own journey with God is that He is constantly revealing Himself to me in new ways.  Sometimes as Savior, other times as Provider, Lord, Prince of Peace and others.  It’s important to think back on your experience with God in order to remember the things that He’s shown you and taught you about who He is. 

So here’s my question to you.  How has God revealed Himself to you?  What do you know for certain about who He is based on either what you’ve learned from studying His Word or have experienced in your own life?  What do you know that you know that you know is true? 

 Once you’ve figured that out (and perhaps shared) remember to keep that in mind as you are praying about specific things in your life.  Also, ask God to reveal new things about who He is to you so that you can learn to trust Him more.

I don’t know about you ladies, but these next few verses that we are studying today have always been very easy for me to read, but extremely HARD for me to put into practice.  ”Consider it all joy when you face trials of many kinds…” Wow.  When you’re smack dab in the middle of a trial – those are tough words to hear.  The only way that we can have that attitude is if we are thinking with the mind of Christ.  If we truly have given him every part of us and have surrendered our own expectations for our lives.  

The Jewish Christians that James was writing to were facing lots of persecution from the outside.  Their faith was being questioned and ridiculed by their own friends and relatives who did not share their hope that Jesus was the Messiah.  They were being oppressed by the powerful leaders and wealthy businessmen of their day.  They were the “twelve tribes scattered abroad” – meaning they were in strange lands with no sense of home.  And yet – they were to count it all joy.    

I love what Elizabeth George says about the Yes, but how?! It’s a given that we are going to experience trials and hardships as believers and I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to grow in maturity through them.  But, how do we do this?  

1)  By the use of your mind.    Check out 2 Corinthians 10:5 for further insight into this

2) By the use of your faith.      Hebrews 11 – some great examples to follow in faith

The second half of this verse is the amazing promise that motivates me to want to obey the first part (to count it all joy).  I really want to develop perseverance so that I can be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  That sounds incredible, doesn’t it?  Can you think of Christians in your life who are examples of perseverance and maturity?

What is your first reaction to disappointments, devastating news or outright persecution?  How are you undergoing the current trial you are facing (big or small)?  What steps can we take to start helping each other to count it all joy?