James 4-5; Psalms 32 - Prayer Tents

Drawing Close to God

4What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you?G4159G4171G2532G3163G1722G5213G3756G1782G1537G5216G2237G4754G1722G5216G3196 2You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.G1937G2532G2192G3756G5407G2532G2206G2532G3756G1410G2013G3164G2532G4170G1161G2192G3756G1223G5209G154G3361 3And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.G154G2532G2983G3756G1360G154G2560G2443G1159G1722G5216G2237 4You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.G3432G2532G3428G1492G3756G3754G5373G2889G2076G2189G2316G3739G302G3767G1511G1014G5384G2889G2525G2190G2316 5What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?G2228G1380G3754G1124G3004G2761G4151G3739G2730G1722G2254G1971G4314G5355 6But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble."G1161G1325G3187G5485G1352G3004G2316G498G5244G1161G1325G5485G5011 7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.G5293G3767G2316G436G1228G2532G5343G575G5216 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.G1448G2316G2532G1448G5213G2511G5495G268G2532G48G2588G1374 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.G5003G2532G3996G2532G2799G5216G1071G3344G1519G3997G2532G5479G1519G2726 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.G5013G1799G2962G2532G5312G5209G5312

Warning against Judging Others

11Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.G2635G3361G2635G240G80G2635G80G2532G2919G846G80G2635G3551G2532G2919G3551G1161G1487G2919G3551G1488G3756G4163G3551G235G2923 12God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?G2076G1520G3550G3588G1410G4982G2532G622G5101G1488G4771G3739G2919G2087

Warning about Self-Confidence

13Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit."G33G3568G3004G4594G2532G839G4198G1519G3592G4172G2532G4160G4160G1563G1520G1763G2532G1710G1710G2532G2770G2770 14How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone.G3748G1987G3756G3588G839G1063G4169G5216G2222G2076G1063G822G4314G5316G3641G1161G1899G853 15What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."G473G5209G3004G1437G2962G2309G2532G2198G2198G2532G4160G4160G5124G2228G1565 16Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.G1161G3568G2744G1722G5216G212G3956G5108G2746G2076G4190 17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.G3767G1492G4160G2570G2532G4160G3361G846G2076G266

Warning to the Rich

5Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.G33G3568G4145G2799G3649G1909G5216G5004G1904 2Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.G5216G4149G4595G2532G5216G2440G1096G4598 3Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment.G5216G5557G2532G696G2728G2532G2447G846G2071G3142G1519G5213G2532G5315G5216G4561G5613G4442G2343G1722G2078G2250 4For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.G2400G3408G2040G3588G270G5216G5561G3588G575G5216G650G2896G2532G995G2325G1525G1519G3775G2962G4519 5You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.G5171G1909G1093G2532G4684G5142G5216G2588G5613G1722G2250G4967 6You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.G2613G5407G1342G498G3756G498G5213

Patience and Endurance

7Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.G3114G3767G80G2193G3952G2962G2400G1092G1551G5093G2590G1093G3114G1909G846G2193G302G2983G4406G2532G3797G5205 8You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.G3114G5210G2532G3114G4741G5216G2588G3754G3952G2962G1448 9Don't grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!G4727G3361G2596G240G80G3363G2632G2400G2923G2476G4253G2374 10For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.G2983G3450G80G4396G3739G2980G3686G2962G5262G2552G2532G3115 11We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.G2400G3106G5278G191G5281G2492G2532G1492G5056G2962G3754G2962G2076G4184G2532G3629 12But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.G1161G4253G3956G3450G80G3660G3361G3383G3772G3383G1093G3383G5100G243G3727G1161G2277G5216G3483G2277G3483G2532G3756G3756G3363G4098G1519G5272

The Power of Prayer

13Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.G2553G5100G1722G5213G2553G4336G2114G5100G2114G5567 14Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.G770G5100G770G1722G5213G4341G4245G1577G2532G4336G1909G846G218G846G1637G1722G3686G2962 15Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.G2532G2171G4102G4982G2577G2532G2962G1453G846G1453G2579G5600G4160G266G863G846 16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.G1843G3900G240G2532G2172G240G5228G240G3704G2390G1754G1162G1342G2480G4183 17Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!G2243G2258G444G3663G2254G2532G4336G4335G1026G3361G1026G2532G1026G3756G1909G1093G5140G1763G2532G1803G3376 18Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.G2532G4336G3825G2532G3772G1325G5205G2532G1093G985G846G2590

Restore Wandering Believers

19My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,G80G1437G5100G1722G5213G4105G575G225G2532G5100G1994G846 20you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.G1097G846G1097G3754G1994G268G1537G4106G846G3598G4982G5590G1537G2288G2532G2572G4128G266

32[A psalm of David.] Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!H1732H4905H835H6588H5375H2401H3680 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!H835H120H3068H2803H5771H7307H7423 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.H2790H6106H1086H7581H3117 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. InterludeH3119H3915H3027H3513H3955H2015H2725H7019H5542 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. InterludeH3045H2403H5771H3680H559H3034H6588H3068H5375H5771H2403H5542 6Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.H2623H6419H6256H4672H7858H7227H4325H5060 7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. InterludeH5643H5341H6862H5437H7438H6405H5542 8The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.H7919H3384H1870H2098H3212H3289H5869 9Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control."H5483H6505H995H5716H1102H4964H7448H1077H7126 10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.H7227H4341H7563H982H3068H2617H5437 11So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!H8055H3068H1523H6662H7442H3477H3820