James: "Listening to the challenges," Lesson 7

The Challenge of Money, Time, and Prayer: James 5

After listening to this week's message, our last one from the book of James, consider these questions for meditation.

MONEY

REFLECT:

• How do you handle money? 
• Do you consider yourself rich, or poor, or somewhere in the middle? 
• What are the greatest dangers you face around money? 
• What is God’s invitation to you and money? 
• What might be a new habit you might practice with money?

EXAMEN: 

• In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of money. 
• In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by generosity? 
• How are you feeling about money? 
• What is something about money that you can talk to God about? 
• What is something about money you can look forward to? 
• Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for generosity.

EXERCISE: 

• Read and consider Wesley’s idea of handling money.  
• Prayerfully ask God’s Holy Spirit to speak to you about how you are handling money.

TIME

REFLECT: 

• What might be some things you are rushing right now?  
• What areas of your life do you need to just be patient in?  
• What are some tools that God is making or mending in your life?  
• What tools have I got now that I didn't have days or years ago? 
• How is time and experience making you more “real”? 
• How might God be using time to invite you into something new? 
• What do I need to say “yes” or “no” to?

EXAMEN: 

• In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on challenges of time. 
• In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by patience? 
• How are you feeling about time? 
• What is something about time that you can talk to God about? 
• What is something about time you can look forward to? 
• Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for patience.

EXERCISE: 

• Taking time to write out your time priorities. 
• Put them into your weekly calendar: 
• God: prayer, Bible, meditation, fellowship, service, Sabbath. 
• Spouse, children, friends, neighbours. 
• Work, learn, rest, play.

PRAYER

REFLECT: 

• How is your prayer life? 
• What have been some helpful prayer resources for you? 
• What kind of God do your prayers show you believe in? 
• Who has brought you back to right relationship to God? 
• How might God be inviting you to pray?

EXAMEN: 

• In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of prayer. 
• In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by prayer? 
• How are you feeling about prayer? 
• What is something about prayer that you can talk to God about? 
• What is something about prayer you can look forward to? 
• Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray.

EXERCISE: 

• Spend time just sitting in your heavenly parent’s lap. 
• Use the acronym “A.C.T.S.” for prayer: ​
  • Adore God in praise.  ​
  • Confess your sins and distractions to Him.  ​
  • Thank Him for all the truth, love, and goodness that you get to enjoy.  ​
  • Ask Him to Supply your needs.
• Plan a prayer retreat – for a few hours, a day, or longer.  
• Pray the Psalms.  
• Use fasting (from food, or your phone, or TV, or whatever) to concentrate on prayer.

ALL QUESTIONS FROM: Prette, Dr. James A. Listening to the Challenges: A Devotional Commentary on the New Testament Letter of James. Kindle Edition. Used with permission.