Week 1 - Getting a grip on the Bible

Book of James - Week 1

Week 1: Look for Jesus  

From beginning to end the whole Bible points to Jesus! This week we want to encourage you to look for Jesus in your reading each day. Although, He may not be mentioned by name, His character is evident.  

Bible reading doesn’t have to be a chore. You can enjoy the presence of God! 

Get into conversation with God before, during and after reading. 

• Before you start reading. Ask God to help you be disciplined. Ask Him to give you a love for His Word.

Choose an ideal place each day away from distractions.  

• While you are reading. Ask God to help you concentrate and to give you understanding through the Holy Spirit. 

• After reading. Practice being quiet before God for a few minutes and allow Him to show you what He wants to show you in His Word.

Trust that God will speak to you through His Word! 

Day 1 

• Pray and ask God to give you a love for His Word. 

• As you read, ask God to help you focus and give you understanding.

Read James 1:1-4.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings. 2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 

• What characteristics of Jesus do you see in these verses? 

• Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to show you. 

Day 2 

• Pray and ask God to give you a love for His Word. 

As you read, ask God to help you focus and give you understanding.

Read James 1:5-8. 

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, 8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

• What characteristics of Jesus do you see in these verses? 

• Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to show you. 

Day 3

• Pray and ask God to give you a love for His Word. 

• As you read, ask God to help you focus and give you understanding.

Read James 1:9-11. 

Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. 11 For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

• What characteristics of Jesus do you see in these verses? 

• Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to show you. 

Day 4 

• Pray and ask God to give you a desire for His Word. 

• As you read, ask God to help you focus and give you understanding.

• 
  

Read James 1:12-15. 

12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 

13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

• What characteristics of Jesus do you see in these verses? 

• Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to show you. 

Day 5 

• Pray and ask God to give you a desire for His Word. 

• As you read, ask God to help you focus and give you understanding.

• 
  

Read James 1:16-18 

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. What characteristics of Jesus do you see in these verses? 

• Pray and ask God to show you what He wants to show you. 

Top tip: Genres 

The search link on iTunes has all your favourite different Genres of music, from country to hip hop to classical and many others. 

The Bible is a book that is written with many different styles and genres. This makes is so diverse and exciting to read. Understanding the different genres of the books of the Bible helps us understand it better. 

Here are 6 main genres: 

STORY. 

The Bible tells true, historical stories about God, people, and the world from creation and the Fall to the Exodus, the kingdom of Israel, and the story of Jesus in the gospels. 

A key to understanding these historical stories is knowing the difference between what’s “prescriptive” and “descriptive”. Prescriptive parts of the Bible “prescribe” what we should do. Descriptive parts of the Bible “describe” what happened, whether good or bad.  

POETRY 

Much of the Old Testament is Hebrew poetry. Hebrew poetry uses a poetic tool called the “line.” Hebrew poets wrote lines that would restate, contrast, or build on one another. The Psalms and many of the prophets are written in poetry. 

PROVERB 

A proverb states a general truth or instruction based on God’s Word and God’s world. A key to understanding proverbs is recognizing that proverbs teach wisdom, so sometimes a proverb may apply in a situation while other times it may not. 

PROPHECY 

Prophecy states God’s Word about the present (forth-telling) and about the future (fore-telling). More prophecy in the Bible is “forth-telling” than “fore-telling.” Many prophets wrote in poetic style with descriptive, symbolic imagery. For example, the prophecy of Isaiah 40:4 says:

Every valley will be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill will be leveled; 

the uneven ground will become smooth

and the rough places, a plain.

The poetic prophecy of Isaiah here does not describe a geographical change so much as God’s promise to show up without anything stopping Him or slowing Him down.

LETTER 

Letters make up a big part of the New Testament. All of the New Testament letters were written to specific churches. To understand letters we should remember that each letter addresses a specific circumstance. 

APOCALYPSE 

Apocalypse means “unveiling” or “revelation.” It is the unveiling of heavenly, spiritual realities. They are highly symbolic communication and often seem strange and difficult to understand. To understand this genre, we should learn how a specific author uses symbolism to communicate God’s Word.

We may prefer some genres of the Bible but it’s important to read them all because God has an important message in all of them.