James 1:5-12

1) What are contexts in which you are likely to ask for wisdom?

2) What is wisdom? (You could consult James 3:13ff and Proverbs 1:7 and 2:9-16 among other passages). Themes here include correctly differentiating what is good from what is evil, seeing things from God's perspective, and walking in God's path.

3) Proverbs 1:7 states that "the fear of God" is the beginning of wisdom. Why is that?
Ask people to think about the areas where they are ask for wisdom. What is it that they fear in those cases? Often what we fear is some kind of a change in our external circumstances. Those who fear God, on the other hand, are concerned more with who they become. Wisdom is not "inside information" so that our choices always turn out well by the world's standards. These passages in James show us how the point of wisdom is that we can be "mature and complete."

4) What does it mean to say that wisdom will be granted if we are not "double minded?" You could look at Psalm 86 as an example of a prayer in the midst of trials that is by somone striving to be single minded.

5) How does James illustration about money illustrate people who are double minded? Can you think of other examples?

6) Verse 12 returns us to the theme we began with, our reason to rejoice even in trials because we see the end, and the end is good. In your prayer time, thank God for the blessing he has prepared for us in heaven.