Trials and Temptations

​Trials and Temptations
James 1:1-8
 (PDF at the bottom)

1. Read James 1:1-8. Write down any key ideas or phrases that catch your attention. What are the key principles you believe we ought to draw from this text? Why did you choose those principles? 
 
 
2. How does James introduce himself in his greeting (v. 1)? 
 
 
Who and what does his reference to, “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion,” refer to in his greeting?
 
 
3. For what reason does James tell his readers to “count it all joy” when they “meet trials of various kinds,” according to verses 2-4? 
 
 
Why should his reason help a person count their trials as joy?
 
 
 
4. Do you “count it all joy” when you go through trials in your life? Why or why not? 
 
 
 
What makes counting it all joy, so difficult? What sorts of adjustments does a person (even a Christian) need to make in their life to have that sort of perspective on the trials and struggles they experience in their lives?
 
 
 
5. The ESV translation of the Bible translates the second part of verse 4 as, “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Read two or three other translations of the same verse. How would you put that verse in your own words? What’s the key idea? 
 
 
6. Read verses 5-8. Why should you ask God for wisdom? 
 
 
 
Read Proverbs 1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16; Colossians 2:1-3. Based on these texts, but in your own words, write down the key principles related to…
 

• the source of wisdom –

 
 
 
 

• what wisdom is –

 
 

• how to get wisdom –

 
 
 

• why you should seek wisdom -

 
 
 
7. Based on what you have learned about wisdom, how is it different from intelligence or the memorization of facts and information? 
 
 
 
Do you pray for wisdom? Why or why not?
 
 
 
8. Why does James say you must ask for wisdom in faith, without doubting? What is his concern about doubting in this context (vv. 6-8)? 
 
 
9. What does James mean by the term, “double-minded?” (See Matthew 6:24) 



How does being double-minded cause one to be unstable in all their ways? What is the impact of such instability in one’s faith and life?
 
 
 
 
How are you doing in this area? Do you struggle with being double-minded? Explain.
 
 

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