1 Peter 1 teaches us to praise Him for His great mercy and to rejoice in the hope we have in the resurrected Jesus for an imperishable inheritance, since we are "shielded by God's power" for our salvation. We are told therefore to "be holy in all you do" by setting " your hope fully on the grace" given by "He who called you". Lastly, we are purified by obeying the living and enduring word of God, giving us sincere, deep love for one another and genuine faith in our God that results in His praise, glory and honor.

James 5 teaches three basic lessons: store up only eternal treasures since earthly treasure will soon rot and disappear, be patient in suffering , and be honest in speech. Also, James reminds us of God's infinite power of healing (both physical and spiritual) available through prayer and communion with Him.

James 4 reminds us that selfish, prideful, covetous, and quarrelsome attitudes are derived from motivation by pleasure and desire for the ways of the world. James says that this "friendship with the world" is hatred toward God. In order to do avoid these behaviors, God calls us to continually humble ourselves before Him, submit to Him , and draw close to Him. Finally, we are reminded that we are only "a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes". So we shouldn't boast about tomorrow but instead acknowledge God's omnipotence and condition our plans on His willing.

James 3 is about self-control and godly motivation in regards to our speech. James says that how we exercise our tongue will impact "the entire course of your life". He says an uncontrolled tongue is "full of deadly poison" and can bring "enormous damage". Our speech is either motivated by evil, full of jealousy, selfishness, earthly concerns and desires, unspiritual thoughts, and disorder, or it is motivated by godly wisdom, full of love, peace, purity, consideration for others, submission, mercy, sincerity, impartiality, eternal perspective, and goodness.
By His grace, the Holy Spirit guides our hearts and minds and will give us the strength we need to control our tongue, if only we will daily submit and present ourselves to His will and seek in all we do and say to please Him and bring glory to His name.

James 2 reminds us of the basis of our faith --- belief in God's mercy through Christ. James says that if we practice favoritism rather than merciful love towards others, we must also have denied God's mercy towards us and therefore our faith cannot be genuine.

The book of James begins with outlining some general characteristics of a genuine Christian life. James says that we will experience trouble and trials, but we are to "let it be an opportunity" for God to grow our faith, endurance, and character. We must pray for and depend on Him for wisdom and practical discernment and "really expect Him" to answer and provide these so that we can know His will. Remember that whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. But, only spiritual wealth is eternal, since worldly riches will soon be gone. James urges us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry". We are to "get rid of all the filth and evil" in our lives and "humbly accept the message God has planted in our hearts"...to obey Him. James calls us to be "doers" of the Word, not just listeners. Our good works are the evidence of the faith that God has given to us and the work that God is doing to perfect us in Christ Jesus.

In Hebrews 13, Paul gives us some final exhortations. He urges us to love one another, showing hospitality towards others, to honor marriage with our faithfulness, stay away from the love of money, being satisfied with what we have, and to remember our spiritual leaders and continue to follow their example. Paul reminds us that our spiritual strength and maturity comes from God's grace, not our own efforts to follow the law. He says that our Lord Jesus will equip us with all that we need for doing His will. Paul concludes with a prayer for the saints, that "He may produce in us, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to Him". Amen