Choice 1: James 1. “Be Ye Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only”

• What words or phrases encourage you to look for direction from God?

A. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” (v. 5-6); “For let not the man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (v. 7); “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” (v. 19); “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (v. 21); “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (v. 22); “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (v. 23-24); “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (v. 25); “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart this man’s religion is vain.” (v. 26)

• How did James further define the phrase to “ask in faith”?

A. James further defines that phrase by saying that someone who doesn’t have the faith “is like a wave of the sea”. That wave is moved about in the ocean everywhere is not stable and strong against the wind.

• How do Matthew 6:24 and 1 Kings 18:21 add to your understanding of James 1:8?

A. When you connect those three verses, I would find a connection through the principle of being in the world or in God…being double-minded. Matthew 6:24 teaches that have to serve only one of those. We can’t serve both. Serving both would make us unstable.

• From James 1:13-15, 19-27, make an outline of how we can better live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A. We need to avoid sin.We need to remember that God cannot tempt us with sin. We need to avoid the lusts in our lives. Lusts can lead us to sin. We need to bridle our tongues and watch what we say. We need to making hearing and listening to others a priority. At the same time, though, we need to not only hear and listen but also do what we hear and listen to. When we hear and not do, we forget what kind of man we are. Lastly, in order to practice a pure and undefiled religion, we need help those that are needy…the fatherless and the widows. We need to be there to comfort them in their afflictions.

• Give a few modern examples of how you have recently seen individuals exemplify James 1:22.

A. My first example is that of a couple of people at Wal-Mart on Thursday night who were doers of things they were most likely taught in the past. They helped me through small acts of service amidst all the chaos. My second example is that of the faithfulness of members in my ward in doing their home teaching. The last example I will share is that of a father spending a little time with his family when he can easily ignore his family for that little time and do schoolwork.

 

In the institute student manual commentary for James 1:5-6, “If Any of You Lack Wisdom” (p. 409), Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave various reasons of why those verses have “had a greater impact … upon mankind than any other” scripture. They are:

-“the opening of the heavens in modern times” and

-it has an impact on every person who is, has, or will investigate the Church and the gospel