Beth Moore's study of James- Session five video- The good life

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

These is the passage that Beth Moore taught from in Video 5.  You can watch the videos on line for about $4 each.   http://www.lifeway.com/Product/james-mercy-triumphs-video-sessions-mp4-downloads-M00000088?intcmp=iTeam3-LWMain-Best1-James-VideoDownloads-20120423

 Here are some of the highlights from the Video lesson. 

Her main question was... when thinking of your own faith, what good is it?   Look at vs 13.  It says that our faith should show by our good life.  She goes on to talk about .. What is the good life?  The world would say that it is having lots of money, good looks, lots of things... He who has the most toys wins.. 
This might sound good on paper.  We might even look at it from a far and say that certainly looks good.  However, we call can easily name people who had good looks, money and things, yet their lives ended in death by drugs or suicide. 

She says a good life can be characterized by:
  -a life that saves us from ourselves (vs. 14)
  - a life with a track record of yielding to God. (v. 17)
   -a life that is full of mercy. (vs. 17)
   -a life that is full of good fruit (vs. 17)


She told us to look at vs. 14. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.   She said that bitter envy means "bitter jealousy" ... She said how many times do we want our teaching, our kids, our marriage.. just to be a little bit better than those around us.  She said when we pray for others, we wreck the devil's plan.  We have to be for one another and can NOT be in competition.  Wise..wise words.

She told us that we need to be willing to be full of mercy (vs. 17) to those around us.  James 5:11 echoes this theme...  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.   (not a little bit of mercy... but FULL).   She said as we give mercy ..not to mistake it for having to fix the person or problem.  Mercy morphs into depression when we take God's responsibility instead of our possibility.   It is not our job to fix the whole thing, but to be obedient to Christ's call.  However, we can't ignore the call either.  See James 2:14-17   ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  

We can't just speak EMPTY blessings... we must be moved to action.

So is your life Full of good fruit (vs. 17).  Fruit is both an end and an begining, the crown of one process and the germ of the next being present in the seed. Everytime you bear fruit, you have the seed for MORE fruit!   We are appointed to bear good fruit!  We must err on the side of mercy.. and compassion. May all of our lives do good to those around us.

Matthew 7:16-18

¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Galatians 5: ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 5:8-10

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

Colossians 1:9-11

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully