Colossians 3:16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3:17. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Living a Christian life gets misunderstood as having to give up things, but it is a life that frees from the burdens that would otherwise make us miserable. This entire passage is all about living a life of richness. A Christian life is one of emotional and spiritual well being. It is the kind of rich living that never depends on how big your bank account is. It all starts with having Jesus fill your life.

Get more of the details by reading the entire chapter of Colossians 3. Verses 16 and 17 sum up the whole thing in a nutshell. Abide in Jesus. Let his teachings, ways, and attitude sink in.

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Background Passage: James 1:1-18
Lesson Passage: James 1:2-18

LESSON PASSAGE OUTLINE
1. To Endure Trials (Jas. 1:2-8)
2. To Put Wealth into Perspective (Jas. 1:9-11)
3. To Resist Temptations (Jas. 1:13-15)
4. To Acknowledge God’s Gifts (Jas. 1:12,16-18)

BIBLICAL TRUTH
Among His good gifts to believers, God provides wisdom to help us endure trials, resist temptations, and put wealth in its proper perspective.

LIFE IMPACT
To help adults display wisdom from God

James 3:13-18.

 3:13.  Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
 3:14.  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
 3:15.  This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
 3:16.  For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there.
 3:17.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
 3:18.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Attitude of Wisdom

Some things about following God, and living a right life are simple. God is good and he wants us to live a life where we also do good. Having certain behaviors that go against God are bad, sinful, and lead to a life of misery, and ultimately having to stand before God as our judge. That’s simple to understand, but sometimes a good thing can cause a problem.

There are certain virtues to strive for, certain qualities to improve our standard of life. One of those is wisdom. We might do well to have knowledge, share it with others who are headed down a wrong path, but wisdom and knowledge is part of what sent Adam and Eve down a bad road.

How can wisdom be a bad thing? It becomes a bad thing when we are not careful to be tactful in how we dispense that wisdom.

It isn’t enough to simply spout off our knowledge, but it needs to be humble in nature. The language used needs to be at a level so the one we try to reach can understand. If we are trying to shed light on a bad behavior, it may be one the person actually likes, and doesn’t want to give up. Persuasive language, and tact, are called for help the other person understand the merits of switching to a good behavior, or why the results of the current behavior leads only to misery, more bad things, and generally away from God.

People are stubborn critters at times, it takes a healthy dose of tact, gentle words. When the message that is delivered doesn’t end in a peaceful solution, start with the only attitude that you can change, your own. Be humble, be sincere, be gentle and have peace for the outcome. Even if disagreement still exists, it becomes a matter between that person and God in the final day. Until that day arrives, there is always hope.

James 1:5-12

 1:5.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
 1:6.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
 1:7.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
 1:8.  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
 1:9.  Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
 1:10.  but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
 1:11.  For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
 1:12.  Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Ask for Wisdom: James 1:5-12.

Patience is a good virtue to have. If you notice though, in these verses the writer suggests to pray for wisdom, not patience. In the previous verses he talks of patience. It is a byproduct of trials and suffering. We all face enough trials and suffering all by itself, they come without the need to pray for them. Patience isn’t really the end product. It’s what we do while the trials are going on. It is the mental exersize of keeping focused on God.

Pray for wisdom to recognize the trial for what it is, and the wisdom to respond in a godly manner. Then when the ordeal is over, that we have the wisdom to honor God for being our strength and stabalizing factor, our anchor, through our trouble.

God answers prayer. Don’t doubt that he doesn’t. At times, everybody has some amount of doubt. That’s why it’s important to take some baby steps. Through the little trials of life, practice wisdom in asking God what to do. Check your reaction, stop and let the frustration roll off your back, and let God handle it. In each small thing, you build confidence and increasing trust that God works. He does what he said.

To continue to doubt is to be double minded. It is to be prideful and think that you handled the situation alone. Pride over accomplishments appears to make us look rich, or like a flower of the field. In the end, all the wealth that a rich person has can’t rescue them from death. Flowers have about the shortest lifespan of plants. They aren’t even a plant, but a part of it that blossoms for a short time.

The humble person may or may not be a wealthy person by our definition of riches. The true kind of humility here has to do with the fact that this person believes. They have come to learn, through practicing a relationship with God, that He is the one in control. There are times where it is better to take the hands off the wheel, and let God steer through the trying times.

It’s the humble person who has faced trials, and kept his focus on God as he remained patient, letting God handle the situation. The humble person didn’t pray for the patience, or the tril, but for wisdom to do the right thing, to recognize how God has worked and how this trial has made him a finished work. The rich, prideful, boubtful person may take on a beautiful appearance, but once it fades, there’s no more. The humble, trusting one, who puts glory with God and not himself, has earned the right to life that endures.